METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR GENERATING PANORAMA IMAGES

• US 20130004100A1
• Filed: 06/12/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: MUNINDER, Veldandi, PUTRAYA, Gururaj
• Granted Patent: US 9,342,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/284
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/32 involving image mosaicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

In accordance with an example embodiment a method and apparatus is provided. The method comprises facilitating receiving of a first image and a second image. The method also comprises facilitating receiving of location information of a movable object and generating a panorama image based on the first image, the second image and the location information of the movable object.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

facilitating at least in part receiving of a first image and a second image;

facilitating receiving of location information of a movable object; and

generating a panorama image based at least on the first image, the second image and the location information of the movable object.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location information of the movable object comprises location information in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein facilitating receipt of the location information comprises:

identifying presence of the movable object in viewfinders of at least the first image and the second image; and

determining points associated with the movable object in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising storing the location information.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein generating the panorama image comprises determining an image registration matrix of the first image and the second image, wherein the image registration matrix is determined by discarding points associated with the movable object.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

warping the first image and the second image based on the image registration matrix;

labelling a seam in the overlapping regions of warped images of the at least one of the first image and the second image based on the points associated with the movable object; and

blending the first image and the second image along the seam to generate the panorama image.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein labelling the seam comprises defining the seam such that the seam does not pass through the movable object.

8. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

facilitate at least in part receiving of a first image and a second image;

facilitate receiving of location information of a movable object; and

generate a panorama image based at least on the first image, the second image and the location information of the movable object.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the location information of the movable object comprises location information in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein, to facilitate receipt of the location information, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:

identify presence of the movable object in viewfinders of the first image and the second image; and

determine points associated with the movable object in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, store the location information.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein, to generate the panorama image, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, determine an image registration matrix of the first image and the second image, wherein to determine the image registration points associated with the movable object are discarded.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to:

warp the first image and the second image based on the image registration matrix;

label a seam in the overlapping regions of warped images of the at least one of the first image and the second image based on the points associated with the movable object; and

blend the first image and the second image along the seam to generate the panorama image.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein, to label the seam, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, define the seam such that the seam does not pass through the movable object.

15. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus at least to:

facilitate at least in part receiving of a first image and a second image;

facilitate receiving of location information of a movable object; and

generate a panorama image based at least on the first image, the second image and the location information of the movable object.

16. The computer program product as claimed in claim 15, wherein the location information of the movable object comprises location information in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

17. The computer program product as claimed in claim 15, wherein, to facilitate receipt of the location information, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to by:

identify presence of the movable object in viewfinders of the first image and the second image; and

determine points associated with the movable object in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

18. The computer program product as claimed in claim 15, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, store the location information.

19. The computer program product as claimed in claim 15, wherein, to generate the panorama image, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, determine an image registration matrix of the first image and the second image, wherein to determine the image registration matrix, points associated with the movable object are discarded.

20. The computer program product as claimed in claim 19, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to:

warp the first image and the second image based on the image registration matrix;

label a seam in the overlapping regions of warped images of the at least one of the first image and the second image based on the points associated with the movable object; and

blend the first image and the second image along the seam to generate the panorama image.