CAMERA POSITION RECOGNITION SYSTEM

• US 20090153650A1
• Filed: 06/18/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Mikio, MISAWA, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US12/141,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20090153650A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/246 Calibration of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A camera position recognition system includes: multiple cameras removably placed at different positions to be able to photograph a subject from different viewpoints along a horizontal direction; a host device to assign camera identification information to each camera, the camera identification information representing a relative position of each camera; and a marker member placed at a position of the subject and to be photographed by the cameras. The marker member presents different shapes in images photographed by the cameras depending on the position of each camera. The host device acquires the images of the marker member photographed by the cameras and determines the camera identification information based on differences between the shapes of the marker member captured in the images.

Claims

1. A camera position recognition system comprising:

a plurality of cameras removably placed at different positions to be able to photograph a subject from different viewpoints along a horizontal direction;

a host device to assign camera identification information to each camera, the camera identification information representing a relative position of each camera; and

a marker member placed at a position of the subject and to be photographed by the cameras,

wherein the marker member presents different shapes in images photographed by the cameras depending on the position of each camera, and

the host device acquires the images of the marker member photographed by the cameras and determines the camera identification information based on differences between the shapes of the marker member captured in the images.

2. The camera position recognition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the marker member comprises right and left ends perpendicular to the horizontal direction, and the host device determines the camera identification information based on values of length ratios of vertical lengths of the right and left ends of the marker member in the images photographed by the cameras.

3. The camera position recognition system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the host device determines identification information specifying a main camera among the cameras, the main camera being one of the cameras that has photographed an image with a length ratio of the vertical lengths of the right and left ends that is nearest to an average of the values of the length ratios in the images of the marker member photographed by the cameras.

4. The camera position recognition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the marker member comprises a portion with a largest or smallest vertical length in addition to the right and left ends in the horizontal direction, and the host device determines the camera identification information based on values of distance ratios of distances from the right and left ends of the marker member to the portion with the largest or smallest vertical length in the images photographed by the cameras.

5. The camera position recognition system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the host device determines identification information specifying a main camera among the cameras, the main camera being one of the cameras that has photographed an image with a distance ratio that is nearest to an average of the values of the distance ratios in the images of the marker member photographed by the cameras.