Immersive surveillance system interface

• US 20060033813A1
• Filed: 09/24/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Palmer, Robert Gerald Jr., Provinsal, Mark Steven, Hatmaker, James Lynn, Salivar, William Matthew, Tourville, Michael James
• Granted Patent: US 7,750,936 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A surveillance system interface includes a displayed wide-angle image and a contemporaneously displayed narrower-angle image. The interface permits a user to select a view within the wide-angle image to indicate a region of interest. The narrower-angle image may then be made to correspond to the indicated region of interest.

Claims

1. A method for displaying video images, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a first digital video signal corresponding to a captured wide-angle video image of an environment, said wide-angle video image having a field of view and being distorted relative to human perception;

(b) selecting a view within the wide-angle field of view;

(c) processing the first digital video signal to create a perspectively corrected video image corresponding to the selected view;

(d) receiving a second digital video signal corresponding to a second video image captured by a pan-tilt-zoom video camera; and

(e) contemporaneously displaying

i) the perspectively corrected video image, and

ii) the second video image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) receiving user input relative the displayed perspectively corrected video image indicating a region of interest within the environment;

(g) orienting the pan-tilt-zoom video camera to capture a video image corresponding to the region of interest indicated by the user input; and

(h) repeating steps (d) and (e).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user input is received through a pointing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the field of view of the wide-angle video image has an immersive field of view.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of contemporaneously displaying is performed on a single viewing device.

10. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

processing the first digital video signal to create an equirectangular video image,

wherein the step of contemporaneously displaying further comprises contemporaneously displaying;

the equirectangular video image.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

(g) receiving user input relative the displayed equirectangular video image indicating a region of interest within the environment;

(h) orienting the pan-tilt-zoom video camera to capture a video image corresponding to the region of interest indicated by the user input.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the field of view of the wide-angle video image is an immersive field of view.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of contemporaneously displaying is performed on a single viewing device.

4-6. -6. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

12-15. -15. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

19. A method for displaying video images, the method comprising:

(a) displaying an equirectangular video image of an environment to a user;

(b) receiving user input relative the displayed equirectangular video image indicating a region of interest within the environment;

(c) orienting a pan-tilt-zoom video camera to capture a video image corresponding to the region of interest indicated by the user input; and

(d) displaying the captured video image obtained by the oriented pan-tilt-zoom video camera.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user input is received through a pointing device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the user moves the pointing device and selects the region of interest on the displayed equirectangular video image.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the received user input further indicates a selected field of view, and the step of orienting further comprises adjusting the level of zoom of the pan-tilt-zoom video camera to correspond to the selected field of view.

23. A method for displaying video images, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a navigable perspectively corrected immersive video image of an environment to a user;

(b) receiving user input relative the displayed navigable perspectively corrected immersive video image indicating a region of interest within the environment;

(c) orienting a pan-tilt-zoom video camera to capture a video image corresponding to the region of interest indicated by the user input; and

(d) displaying the captured video image obtained by the oriented pan-tilt-zoom video camera.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the user input is received through a pointing device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the user moves the pointing device and selects the region of interest on the displayed equirectangular video image.

26. (canceled)

27. A method for displaying video images, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a navigable perspectively corrected immersive video image of an environment;

(b) displaying a video image obtained by a pan-tilt-zoom camera, the video image obtained by the pan-tilt zoom camera having a field of view of the environment, the video image obtained by the pan-tilt-zoom camera being displayed contemporaneously with the display of the navigable perspectively corrected immersive video image; and

(c) visually indicating, in the display of the navigable perspectively corrected immersive video image, the field of view corresponding to the video image obtained by a pan-tilt-zoom camera.

28. A method for displaying video images, the method comprising:

(a) displaying an equirectangular video image of an environment;

(b) displaying a video image obtained by a pan-tilt-zoom camera, the video image obtained by the pan-tilt zoom camera having a field of view of the environment, the video image obtained by the pan-tilt-zoom camera being displayed contemporaneously with the display of the equirectangular video image; and

(c) visually indicating, in the display of the equirectangular video image, the field of view corresponding to the video image obtained by the pan-tilt-zoom camera.

29. The method of claim 28, the method further comprising:

displaying a navigable perspectively corrected immersive video image of the environment contemporaneously with the display of the equirectangular video image, the displayed navigable perspectively corrected immersive video image corresponding to a first field of view of the environment, wherein the pan-tilt-zoom camera has a second field of view of the environment;

visually indicating, with a first indicator in the equirectangular video image, the first field of view of the environment; and

visually indicating, with a second indicator in the equirectangular video image, the second field of view of the environment.

30. A method for displaying video images, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a navigable perspectively corrected immersive video image of an environment;

(b) selecting a rectangular region in the navigable perspectively corrected immersive video image in response to user input;

(c) orienting and adjusting the zoom of a pan-tilt-zoom video camera to capture a video image corresponding to the selected rectangular region; and

(d) displaying the captured video image obtained by the oriented and adjusted pan-tilt-zoom camera.