System And Method For The Production Of Composite Images Comprising Or Using One Or More Cameras For Providing Overlapping Images

• US 20070291143A1
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Barbieri, Mauro, Wilinski, Piotr
• Application Number:
  US11/575,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20070291143A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

System for the production of images the system comprising one or more cameras (2,3,4,2a,3a,4a) for providing overlapping images on a base (1), the system comprising a merger (5) for merging one or more overlapping images supplied by one or more of the cameras into a composite image (6). The merging process takes into account that the base is rotating with a rotational speed ω).

Claims

1. System for the production of images the system comprising one or more cameras (2, 3, 4, 2a, 3a, 4a) for providing overlapping images on a base (1), the system comprising a merger (5) for merging one or more overlapping images supplied by one or more of the cameras into a composite image (6), wherein the system comprises an image frequency determinator (7) for determining the frequency (f, Δ

t) at which images are taken by the one or more cameras (2,3, 4, 2a, 3a, 4a) in dependence on the rotation (ω

) of the base (1).

2. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determinator (7) is arranged for determining the frequency (f, Δ

t) at which images are taken by the one or more cameras (2,3, 4, 2a, 3a, 4a) in dependence on the rotational frequency (ω

) of the base (1) and in addition on the orientation of the rotational axis and/or the translational speed of the base.

3. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprise a selector for selection the resolution of the image as a function of image frequency.

9. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprises sensors for determining deformation of the base.

4. System for the production of images the system comprising a plurality of cameras (2, 3, 4, 2a, 3a, 4a) for providing overlapping images on a base (1), the system comprising a merger (5) for merging one or more overlapping images supplied by one or more of the cameras into a composite image (6), wherein the system comprises a timer (7) for mutually timing the instances at which images are taken at respective cameras (2, 3, 4, 2a, 3a, 4a).

5. System as claimed in claim 4, wherein the timer is arranged for synchronizing at least a set of cameras.

6. System as claimed in claim 5, wherein the set of cameras comprises a number of subsets, wherein the timer is arranged such that in operation for each subset the cameras taken image simultaneously, but the timing of the subsets differ.

7. System as claimed in claim 4, wherein the system comprises a means for determining a rotational speed of the base (1) and the timer is arranged to vary timing in dependence of the determined rotational speed.

8. System for the production of images the system comprising a plurality of cameras (2, 3, 4, 2a, 3a, 4a) for providing overlapping images on a base (1), the system comprising a merger (5) for merging one or more overlapping images supplied by one or more of the cameras into a composite image (6), wherein the system comprises a timer for establishing the timing of the instances at which images have been taken at respective cameras.

10. System for the production of images the system comprising one or more cameras (2, 3, 4, 2a, 3a, 4a) for providing overlapping images on a base (1), the system comprising a merger (5) for merging one or more overlapping images supplied by one or more of the cameras into a composite image (6), wherein the merger comprises a motion estimator for estimating motion vectors between images, wherein the motion estimator is so arranged that it has an input for a rotational parameter of the base.

11. System as claimed in claim 10 wherein the motion estimator comprises an input for also the translational motion of the base.

12. Method for the production of a composite image using one or more cameras on a rotatable base wherein overlapping images are provided by the one or more cameras and one or more of the overlapping images are merged into a composite image wherein the frequency of the taking of images is related to the rotation of the object.

17. Method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the rotation of the base is measured by a sensor in the base.

18. Computer program comprising program code means for performing a method in accordance with a method as claimed in claim 12 when said program is run on a computer.

19. Computer program product comprising program code means stored on a computer readable medium for performing a method in accordance with a method as claimed in claim 12 when said program is run on a computer.

13. Method for the production of a composite image using a plurality of cameras on a rotatable base wherein overlapping images are provided by the cameras and one or more of the overlapping images are merged into a composite image wherein the cameras are mutually timed.

14. Method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plurality of cameras comprises at least one set of cameras which are synchronized.

15. Method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of cameras comprises at least two sub sets of cameras wherein for each subset the cameras are synchronized, but the timing of the subsets differ.

16. Method for the production of a composite image using one or more cameras on a rotatable base wherein overlapping images are provided by the one or more cameras and one or more of the overlapping images are merged into a composite image wherein motion estimation is used and the motion estimation is dependent on the rotation of the base.