IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20120075428A1
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: SEKI, Akihito
• Granted Patent: US 10,810,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/85 Stereo camera calibration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/106 Processing image signals for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• 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 13/246 Calibration of cameras

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an image processing apparatus includes plural imaging units and a calibration unit. The imaging units capture an overlapping region. The calibration unit calibrates plural captured images and obtains plural calibrated images in which lens distortion in each of the captured images is corrected and corresponding positions of the captured images are aligned with each other horizontally and are adjusted to a surface perpendicular to a plane. The plural imaging units are arranged such that a baseline vector connecting optical centers of the imaging units is perpendicular to a normal vector of the plane.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of imaging units which capture an overlapping region; and

a calibration unit which calibrates a plurality of captured images and obtains a plurality of calibrated images in which lens distortion in each of the captured images is corrected and corresponding positions of the captured images are aligned with each other horizontally and are adjusted to a surface perpendicular to a plane,

wherein the plurality of imaging units are arranged such that a baseline vector connecting optical centers of the imaging units is perpendicular to a normal vector of the plane.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the calibration unit includes:

a first calibration unit which calibrates lens distortion in each of the plurality of captured images to obtain a plurality of first calibrated images; and

a second calibration unit which carries out calibration to align the corresponding positions of the plurality of first calibrated images with each other horizontally and to verticalize an object in each image with respect to the plane, and obtains a plurality of second calibrated images.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the second calibration unit virtually rotates the plurality of imaging units to calibrate an object in each of the plurality of first calibrated images vertically with respect to the plane and carries out parallel movement in a vertical direction such that the horizontal position of the image becomes a horizontal position designated in advance.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a table storage unit which stores a positional information table in which image position information representing the position on each of the plurality of captured images is associated with calibrated image position information representing the position on each of the plurality of calibrated images,

wherein the calibration unit calibrates the plurality of captured images using the position information table to obtain the plurality of calibrated images.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit which displays at least one of the plurality of calibrated images or a stereoscopic image based on the plurality of calibrated image.