Automatically Expanding the Zoom Capability of a Wide-Angle Video Camera
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Abstract
A system for automatically expanding the zoom capability of a wide-angle video camera using images from multiple camera locations. One preferred embodiment achieves this using images from the wide-angle video camera that are analyzed to identify regions of interest (RoI). Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) controls are then sent to aim slave cameras toward the RoI. Processing circuitry is then used to replace the RoI from the wide-angle images with the higher-resolution images from one of the slave cameras. In addition, motion-detecting software can be utilized to automatically detect, track, and/or zoom in on moving objects.
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Citations
68 Claims
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1-47. -47. (canceled)
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48. A method of automatically expanding the zoom capability of a wide-angle video camera comprising the steps of:
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capturing a distorted wide-angle video image using a wide-angle master camera which is capable of extracting a plurality of perspective corrected views under remote PTZ control via a transformation engine within the camera; remotely controlling a mechanical slave PTZ video camera from said master camera; transmitting estimated PTZ commands to said slave camera from the master camera to achieve an approximate match between a perspective corrected region of interest view from the master camera and the view from the slave both in direction and size; routing the digital video output of said slave camera to the said transformation engine in the master camera for reverse transformation into a distorted slave image which is distorted in a similar manner as the distorted wide angle video image; determining adjustments to said PTZ control signals by comparing said distorted slave image with said distorted wide angle image; transmitting said PTZ adjustment control signals to said slave camera to obtain a better match between the view from the slave-camera and the perspective corrected view for the said region of interest from the master camera; further iteratively repeating the previous three steps of this method in order to achieve desired matching accuracy; and replacing the perspective corrected view of the master camera by the adjusted view from the slave camera so that a remote zoom command for the said region of interest which is outside the zoom range of the master camera may be routed to said slave camera to achieve an expanded optical zoom function. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
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68-90. -90. (canceled)
Specification