IMAGE CAPTURE AND PROCESSING USING NON-CONVERGING RAYS

• US 20110109718A1
• Filed: 01/18/2011
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DD Micoy Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micoy Corporation (Digital Domain Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Grover, Trent N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,334,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/204 using stereoscopic image cameras stereoscopic photography G03B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors

Abstract

Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to capture a portion of an omniscopic or omni-stereo image using one or more image capture media. The media may be located substantially perpendicular to a converging ray originating at a viewpoint on an inter-ocular circle and having a convergence angle between zero and ninety degrees from a parallel viewpoint baseline position that includes a non-converging ray originating at the viewpoint. The media may also be located so as to be substantially perpendicular to a non-converging ray originating at a first viewpoint at a first endpoint of a diameter defining an inter-ocular circle, wherein the origin of the non-converging ray gravitates toward the center of the inter-ocular circle as spherical imagery is acquired.

Claims

1. An apparatus, including:

a first image capture medium to capture a first portion of a spherical image, wherein the first image capture medium is substantially perpendicular to a converging ray originating at a first viewpoint on an inter-ocular circle and having a convergence angle between zero and ninety degrees from a parallel viewpoint baseline position that includes a non-converging ray originating at the first viewpoint; and

a second image capture medium located at a second viewpoint on the inter-ocular circle to capture a second portion of the spherical image.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spherical image comprises an omni-stereoscopic image.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an image storage medium to store a subset of the first portion and a subset of the second portion as a pair of triangles included in a convex quadrilateral.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an image storage medium to store a subset of the first portion and a subset of the second portion as a pair of triangles included in a convex quadrilateral, wherein the pair of triangles includes a first triangle associated with a left eye view, and a second triangle associated with a right eye view.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an image storage medium to store a subset of the first portion and a subset of the second portion as a pair of triangles included in a convex quadrilateral, wherein the pair of triangles is included in a plurality of triangles forming a substantially uniformly tessellated portion of the spherical image.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the pair of triangles are adjacent each other in the substantially uniformly tessellated portion of the spherical image.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an image storage medium; and

a processor to control storage of the first portion and the second portion on the image storage medium, and to control repetitive acquisition of other portions of the spherical image and storage of the other portions on the image storage medium.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a lens to focus the first portion of the spherical image on the first image capture medium.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the lens comprises a plurality of facets to focus on corresponding groups of pixels included in the first image capture medium, and wherein the corresponding groups are defined by N×

N pixel arrays for N comprising a positive integer.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further including:

a viewfinder to view a subset of the first portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second image capture medium is substantially perpendicular to a converging ray originating at the second viewpoint and having a convergence angle between zero and ninety degrees from a parallel viewpoint baseline position that includes a non-converging ray originating at the second viewpoint.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, further including:

a plurality of additional image capture media located along a substantially circular path, wherein the plurality of additional image capture media includes a corresponding plurality of orientations, ranging from substantially perpendicular to the non-converging ray to substantially perpendicular to the converging ray.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the convergence angle is approximately determined by a convergence point located in a plane including the converging ray and a mirror image of the converging ray that intersects the converging ray and originates at the second viewpoint.

14. A method, including:

capturing a portion of a spherical image using a first image capture medium substantially perpendicular to a converging ray originating at a first viewpoint on an inter-ocular circle and having a convergence angle between zero and ninety degrees from a parallel viewpoint baseline position that includes a non-converging ray originating at the first viewpoint.

15. The method of claim 14, further including:

storing the portion of the spherical image in a storage medium as one of a pair of triangles included in a convex quadrilateral.

16. The method of claim 14, further including:

determining the convergence angle by locating a convergence point in a plane including the converging ray and a mirror image of the converging ray that intersects the converging ray and originates in a second viewpoint on the inter-ocular circle.

17. The method of claim 14, further including:

determining the convergence angle by locating a convergence point in a plane including the converging ray and a mirror image of the converging ray that intersects the converging ray and originates in a second viewpoint on the inter-ocular circle; and

locating the convergence point at a surface of an object visible to the first and second viewpoints.

18. The method of claim 14, further including:

capturing another portion of the spherical image using a second image capture medium substantially perpendicular to a converging ray originating at a second viewpoint on the inter-ocular circle and having a convergence angle between zero and ninety degrees from a parallel viewpoint baseline position that includes a non-converging ray originating at the second viewpoint.

19. The method of claim 14, further including:

rotating the first image capture medium by a selected yaw correction amount about an axis parallel to the converging ray, wherein the selected yaw correction amount is substantially equal to a selected portion of the convergence angle.

20. The method of claim 14, further including:

sweeping the first image capture medium about a substantially circular path; and

moving the first image capture medium from an orientation substantially perpendicular to the non-converging ray to substantially perpendicular to the converging ray.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein moving the first image capture medium further includes:

maintaining the first image capture medium at the orientation substantially perpendicular to the non-converging ray for a first portion of the substantially circular path; and

moving the first image capture medium from the orientation substantially perpendicular to the non-converging ray to substantially perpendicular to the converging ray for a second portion of the substantially circular path.

22. The method of claim 14, further including:

locating a plurality of additional image capture media along a substantially circular path, wherein the plurality of additional image capture media includes a corresponding plurality of orientations, ranging between an orientation substantially perpendicular to the non-converging ray to an orientation substantially perpendicular to the converging ray.

23. An article including a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

capturing a portion of a spherical image using a first image capture medium substantially perpendicular to a converging ray originating at a first viewpoint on an inter-ocular circle and having a convergence angle between zero and ninety degrees from a parallel viewpoint baseline position that includes a non-converging ray originating at the first viewpoint.

24. The article of claim 23, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

storing the portion of the spherical image in a storage medium as one of a pair of triangles included in a convex quadrilateral.

25. The article of claim 23, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

capturing another portion of the spherical image using a second image capture medium substantially perpendicular to a converging ray originating at a second viewpoint on the inter-ocular circle and having a convergence angle between zero and ninety degrees from a parallel viewpoint baseline position that includes a non-converging ray originating at the second viewpoint.