Capturing and Displaying Stereoscopic Panoramic Images

• US 20130250040A1
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sorek, Noam, Vitsnudel, Ilia
• Application Number:
  US13/428,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20130250040A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/373 for tracking forward-backward translational head movements, i.e. longitudinal movements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments of a stereoscopic panoramic camera device, which can include camera devices, positioned about a center point. The camera devices capture image data corresponding to a 360 degree field of view around a center point. Image capture logic initiates capture of image data by the camera devices, which corresponds to the 360 degree field of view. A stereoscopic panoramic image of the 360 degree field of view is generated using stereoscopic information for sectors surrounding the center point, where the stereoscopic information is generated from adjacent camera devices having an overlapping field of view.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic panoramic camera device, comprising:

a plurality of camera devices positioned about a center point, the plurality of camera devices configured to capture image data corresponding to a field of view around the center point;

at least one processor executing image capture logic, the image capture logic comprising;

logic that initiates capture of the image data in the plurality of camera devices, the image data corresponding to the field of view; and

logic that generates a stereoscopic panoramic image of the field of view by generating stereoscopic information for each of a plurality of sectors surrounding the center point, wherein the stereoscopic information is generated from adjacent camera devices having an overlapping field of view.

2. The stereoscopic panoramic camera device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of camera devices comprises a first camera device, a second camera device, and a third camera device, wherein each of the plurality of camera devices are positioned equidistantly from the center point and equidistantly from the respective others of the plurality of camera devices.

3. The stereoscopic panoramic camera device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of camera devices comprises at least two camera devices positioned around the center point, wherein the at least two camera devices respectively comprise an omnidirectional camera.

4. The stereoscopic panoramic camera device of claim 1, wherein the logic that generates the stereoscopic panoramic image of the field of view further comprises:

logic that identifies a plurality of sectors around the center point, each of the sectors being defined by an overlapping field of view of at least two of the camera devices; and

logic that obtains a left image and a right image for each of the sectors, the left image captured from a first of the at least two of the camera devices and the right image captured from a second of the at least two of the camera devices.

5. The stereoscopic panoramic camera device of claim 4, further comprising display logic executed by the at least one processor, the display logic comprising:

logic that determines a position of an observer of the stereoscopic panoramic image;

logic that determines an orientation of the observer; and

logic that performs a geometric adjustment of the stereoscopic panoramic image based upon a distance of the observer from a respective position of the plurality of camera devices and the orientation of the observer.

6. The stereoscopic panoramic camera device of claim 4, wherein the image capture logic further comprises logic that assembles a panoramic stereoscopic image from the left image and the right image for each of the sectors.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the image capture logic further comprises logic that generates a depth map corresponding to the field of view from the stereoscopic information.

8. The stereoscopic panoramic camera device of claim 7, further comprising object detection logic executed by the at least one processor, the object detection logic comprising logic that detects an object within a proximity threshold of the stereoscopic panoramic camera device from the depth map.

9. A method executed in a stereoscopic panoramic camera device, comprising:

initiating capture of the image data in a plurality of camera devices positioned about a center point, the plurality of camera devices configured to capture image data corresponding to a 360 degree field of view around the center point, the image data corresponding to the 360 degree field of view; and

generating a stereoscopic panoramic image of the 360 degree field of view by generating stereoscopic information for each of a plurality of sectors surrounding the center point, wherein the stereoscopic information is generated from adjacent camera devices having an overlapping field of view.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of camera devices comprises at least two camera devices, wherein each of the at least two camera devices are configured with a parabolic mirror lens system configured to capture image data corresponding to the 360 degree field of view.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of camera devices comprises at least two camera devices positioned around the center point, wherein the at least two camera devices respectively comprise an omnidirectional camera.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the stereoscopic panoramic image of the 360 degree field of view further comprises:

identifying a plurality of sectors around the center point, each of the sectors being defined by an overlapping field of view of at least two of the camera devices; and

obtaining a left image and a right image for each of the sectors, the left image captured from a first of the at least two of the camera devices and the right image captured from a second of the at least two of the camera devices.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining a position of an observer of the stereoscopic panoramic image;

determining an orientation of the observer; and

performing a geometric adjustment of the stereoscopic panoramic image based upon a distance of the observer from a respective position of the plurality of camera devices and the orientation of the observer.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising assembling a panoramic stereoscopic image from the left image and the right image for each of the sectors.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating a depth map corresponding to the 360 degree field of view from the stereoscopic information.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting an object within a proximity threshold of a stereoscopic panoramic camera device based upon the depth map.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating a collision warning when an object is within a proximity threshold of a stereoscopic panoramic camera device.

18. A system, comprising:

a plurality of image capture means positioned about a center point, the plurality of image capture means configured to capture image data corresponding to a 360 degree field of view around the center point;

at least one processing means executing image capture logic, the image capture logic comprising;

means for initiating capture of the image data in the plurality of camera devices, the image data corresponding to the 360 degree field of view; and

means for generating a stereoscopic panoramic image of the 360 degree field of view by generating stereoscopic information for each of a plurality of sectors surrounding the center point, wherein the stereoscopic information is generated from adjacent camera devices having an overlapping field of view.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of image capture means comprises a first image capture means, a second image capture means, and an image capture means, wherein each of the plurality of image capture means are positioned equidistantly from the center point and equidistantly from the respective others of the plurality of image capture means.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the plurality of image capture means comprises at least two image capture means devices positioned around the center point, wherein the at least two image capture means respectively comprise an omnidirectional camera configured to capture a 360 degree field of view around the center point.