Entire-view video image process system and method thereof

• US 20080049099A1
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Imay Software Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Imay Software Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Shih, Kuang-Yen, Shih, Kuang-Yi
• Application Number:
  US11/509,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20080049099A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/12 Panospheric to cylindrical image transformations

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to the field of an image system using a pantoscopic lens as an input video image source. In particular, all of the image process steps are in SOC (System on A Chip) without PC. The present invention provides the entire-view video image process method comprising the steps of: (1) start; (2) inputting and processing the information for transforming a pantoscopic image based on hemisphere coordinate to another pantoscopic image based on cylindrical coordinate, and generating a cylindrical projection image; (3) inputting and confirming the information applied to generate a plurality of perspective object images based on cylindrical coordinate, and then generating the plurality of perspective object images; (4) merging the cylindrical projection image and the plurality of perspective object images to become an output video image, and determining the output video image; (5) end.

Claims

1. An entire-view video image process method comprising the steps of:

(1) start;

(2) inputting and processing the information for transforming a pantoscopic image based on a hemisphere coordinate to another pantoscopic image based on an extended hemisphere coordinate or a cylindrical coordinate, and generating an extended hemisphere projection image or a cylindrical projection image;

(3) inputting and confirming the information applied to generate a plurality of perspective object images based on the extended hemisphere coordinate or the cylindrical coordinate, and then generating the plurality of perspective object images;

(4) merging the extended hemisphere projection image or the cylindrical projection image and the plurality of perspective object images to become an output video image, and determining the output video image; and

(5) end.

2. The entire-view video image process method according to claim 1, wherein the step (2) further comprises the steps of:

(21) inputting the information for transforming a pantoscopic image based on hemisphere coordinate to another pantoscopic image based on cylindrical coordinate through an image generating unit, an input processor, and a lens property controller;

(22) building up the pantoscopic image based on cylindrical coordinate; and

(23) generating a cylindrical projection image.

3. The entire-view video image process method according to claim 2, wherein the information of the step (21) comprises a plurality of lens properties having the source image radius, the field of view (FOV), and the circular center.

4. The entire-view video image process method according to claim 2, wherein the image generating unit of the step (21) has a pantoscopic lens, an image sensor, and an A/D converter.

5. The entire-view video image process method according to claim 1, wherein the step (3) further comprises the steps of:

(31) inputting the information for generating the plurality of perspective object images based on cylindrical coordinate through a pantoscopic image processor and an information controller;

(32) confirming the information through a memory controller, the pantoscopic image processor, and the information controller, if yes, going to the next step, if no, going back to the previous step; and

(33) generating the plurality of corrected perspective object images.

6. The entire-view video image process method according to claim 5, wherein the information of the step (31) comprises the pantoscopic value, the tilt value, and the zoom value.

7. The entire-view video image process method according to claim 5, wherein the information controller of the step (31) is a PTZ controller.

8. The entire-view video image process method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of perspective object images of the step (4) are at least three images.

9. The entire-view video image process method according to claim 1, wherein the step (4) further comprises the steps of:

(41) merging the cylindrical projection image and the plurality of perspective object images to become the output video image;

(42) inputting the output video image to a memory controller;

(43) determining the output video image whether it needs correction or not, if yes, going back to the step (2), if no, going to the next step; and

(44) inputting the output video image to a D/A converter for an analog video output signal and a control unit for a digital video output signal.

10. An entire-view video image process system comprising:

an image generating unit receiving input analog image signals and outputting the image signals after conversion;

a signal process unit receiving, processing the image signals from the image generating unit, and then storing the processed image signals to an image memory with a SDRAM for remapping, continuously NTSC/PAL analog video image signals after conversion being output by the signal process unit; and

a control unit controlling the signal process unit and outputting digital video image signal.

11. The entire-view video image process system according to claim 10, wherein the image generating unit further comprises a pantoscopic lens, an image sensor, and an A/D converter.

12. The entire-view video image process system according to claim 11, wherein the pantoscopic lens is a fisheye lens.

13. The entire-view video image process system according to claim 11, wherein the pantoscopic lens is a pantoscopic lens.

14. The entire-view video image process system according to claim 11, wherein the pantoscopic lens 101 is defined as an apparatus for projecting a lens image to the image sensor at a full circular region and a diagonal angle of view (DOV) greater than 120 degrees.

15. The entire-view video image process system according to claim 11, wherein the A/D converter is to convert input analog image signals to digital image signals and output the image data of the digital image signals.

16. The entire-view video image process system according to claim 10, wherein the signal process unit is a sole LSI (large scale integrated circuit) and comprises:

an input processor for accepting and processing the image data from the image generating unit;

a memory controller for reading and writing the image data into an image memory;

a NTSC (National Television Standards Committee)/PAL (phase alternation by line) encoder serving to output the image data of the digital image signal;

a D/A converter for analogizing the image data of the digital image signal and outputting analog video image signals with the system of NTSC or PAL;

a memory interface as an interface for the image memory;

a host interface;

a video compress interface;

a resolution conversion generating specified resolution image data; and

a pantoscopic image processor for remapping pantoscopic images from the image generating unit to entire scene;

wherein the pantoscopic image processor uses a pantoscopic image circular region to produce 2×

2 quadripartite object images as output video images, the host interface, which is an interface for having data transmission/reception of a CPU, and a video compress interface, wherein the memory controller also routes the image data via the video compress interface compressing the video image, and it derives that the image data expanded by the video compress interface 124 are written to the image memory.

17. The entire-view video image process system according to claim 10, wherein the control unit comprises:

a CPU (central process unit) with a control program for controlling the respective circuits of the signal process unit;

a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory);

a flash memory interface as the interface of a lens property controller; and

a PTZ controller;

wherein the lens property controller sets the parameters including the radius, the center of a pantoscopic lens, the circular region, and the diagonal angle of view (DOV) of a pantoscopic image processor, the PTZ controller sets parameters including the pan angle, the tilt angle and the angle of the FOV (Field of view) of the pantoscopic image processor.