Digital camera with panorama or mosaic functionality

• US 20070085913A1
• Filed: 10/22/2004
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Boogaard, Arjen, Ketelaars, Wilhelmus Sebastianus
• Granted Patent: US 7,746,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

A digital camera has a memory and a scan-mode. In this mode, the camera takes a sequence of still pictures. A next one of the pictures in the sequence is selected for being stored in the memory based on an amount of overlap regarding a picture content with a previous one of the pictures stored in the memory. The camera processes the pictures stored in the memory so as to create a composite picture.

Claims

1. A digital camera having a memory and an operational mode wherein:

the camera takes a sequence of still pictures;

a next one of the pictures in the sequence is selected for being stored in the memory based on an amount of overlap regarding a picture content with a previous one of the pictures stored in the memory; and

the camera processes the pictures stored in the memory so as to create a composite picture.

2. The camera of claim 1, comprising a sensor for determining information representative of respective relative coordinates of the camera when taking respective ones of the pictures.

3. The camera of claim 2, wherein the information is used for controlling the creating of the composite picture using a stitching algorithm.

4. The camera of claim 2, wherein the information is used to determine the next picture.

5. The camera of claim 1, comprising a detector for detecting an area in the composite picture lacking coverage by the pictures stored in the memory.

6. An electronic apparatus with the camera of claim 1 embedded therein.

7. A method of creating a composite picture using a digital camera, the method comprising:

taking a sequence of still pictures;

selecting a next one of the pictures in the sequence for being stored based on an amount of overlap of a picture content with a previous one of the pictures stored; and

processing the pictures stored so as to create a composite picture.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising determining information representative of respective relative coordinates of the camera when taking respective ones of the pictures.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising using the information for controlling the creating of the composite picture using a stitching algorithm.

10. The method of claim 8, using the information to determine the next picture.

11. The method of claim 7, comprising identifying an area in the composite picture lacking coverage by the pictures stored in the memory.