Wide-Angle Image Pickup Unit And Measuring Device

• US 20120162360A1
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Ohtomo, Fumio, Kumagai, Kaoru, Otani, Hitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/06 by comparison of two or more pictures of the same area
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/00 Special procedures for taking photographs; Apparatus therefor
• 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

Abstract

The invention provides a wide-angle image pickup unit, comprising at least two cameras (4a and 4b) to take digital images, wherein the two cameras are arranged in such a manner that optical axes (11a and 11b) of the two cameras cross perpendicularly each other on a same plane and images of wide field angle α with the crossing point O as a center enable to be acquired, and wherein parts of field angles of the two cameras are superimposed on each other and an overlapping portion is formed by the two images superimposed on each other, and stereoscopic measurement can be performed based on the two images of the overlapping portion.

Claims

1. A wide-angle image pickup unit, comprising at least two cameras to take digital images, wherein said two cameras are arranged in such a manner that optical axes of said two cameras cross perpendicularly each other on a same plane and images of wide field angle with the crossing point as a center enable to be acquired, and wherein parts of field angles of said two cameras are superimposed on each other and an overlapping portion is formed by said two images superimposed on each other, and stereoscopic measurement can be performed based on said two images of said overlapping portion.

2. A wide-angle image pickup unit according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined number of cameras are arranged at predetermined angular intervals so that a total circumferential image is adopted to be taken.

3. A wide-angle image pickup unit according to claim 2, wherein two images are acquired to form said overlapping portion by at least one set of adjacent cameras, and the stereoscopic measurement is performed by said overlapping portion.

4. A wide-angle image pickup unit according to claim 2, wherein the total circumferential image is formed by said overlapping portion.

5. A wide-angle image pickup unit according to claim 1 or 3 or 4, further comprising a calculation processing unit, wherein said calculation processing unit calculates three-dimensional coordinates of an object to be measured being present on said overlapping portion based on a distance between said two cameras, on a focal distance of the camera, and on the images superimposed on each other on said overlapping portion.

6. A wide-angle image pickup unit according to claim 5, further comprising a display unit with a touch panel function, wherein three-dimensional coordinates of a designated position are determined by designating an arbitrary position on said overlapping portion displayed on said display unit.

7. A measuring system comprising a wide-angle image pickup unit and a calculation processing unit, wherein said wide-angle image pickup unit has at least two cameras to take digital images, and said two cameras are arranged in such a manner that optical axes of said two cameras cross perpendicularly each other on a same plane and images of wide field angle with the crossing point as a center enable to be acquired, and parts of field angles of said two cameras are superimposed on each other and an overlapping portion is formed, and wherein said calculation processing unit calculates three-dimensional coordinates of an object to be measured being present on said overlapping portion by stereoscopic measurement based on a distance between said two cameras, on a focal distance of the camera, and on the images superimposed on each other on said overlapping portion.

8. A measuring system according to claim 7, further comprising a displacement amount measuring means, wherein said calculation processing unit performs measurement of three-dimensional coordinates by said stereoscopic measurement in case an object to be measured is at a short distance and is present on said overlapping portion, and said calculation processing unit acquires three-dimensional coordinates of an object to be measured according to images taken from two different points and according to a distance between said two points obtained by said displacement amount measuring means in case an object to be measured is at a long distance.

9. A measuring system according claim 8, wherein said displacement amount measuring means is a GPS unit, and said GPS unit, said wide-angle image pickup unit, and said calculation processing unit are installed on a mobile object, and a present position of the mobile object is measured by said GPS unit.

10. A measuring system according one of claim 7 or 8, further comprising a display unit having a touch panel function, wherein three-dimensional coordinates at a designated position are measured by designating an arbitrary position on said overlapping portion displayed on said display unit.