IMAGING DEVICE, METHOD AND RECORDING MEDIUM FOR CAPTURING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL FIELD OF VIEW

• US 20160255331A1
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: ATSUMI, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 10,204,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

An imaging device includes a first imaging section, a second imaging section and an image data acquiring section. The first imaging section includes a first lens. The second imaging section includes a second lens. The second lens has an angle of view wider than the first lens. The image data acquiring section acquires first image data of a subject captured by the first imaging section, second image data of the subject captured by the second imaging section, and a pair of image data having parallax based on the first image data and the second image data.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

a first imaging section including a first lens;

a second imaging section including a second lens, the second lens having an angle of view wider than the first lens; and

an image data acquiring section acquiring first image data of a subject captured by the first imaging section, second image data of the subject captured by the second imaging section, and a pair of image data having parallax based on the first image data and the second image data.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a distance meter that determines a distance to the subject based on the pair of image data having the parallax.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein an optical axis of the first imaging section and an optical axis of the second imaging section are positioned substantially parallel to each other at the same level.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the image data acquiring section acquires an image data segment from the second image data of the subject captured by the second imaging section, the image data segment having an identical angle of view to the first image data of the subject captured by the first imaging section, and then the image data acquiring section acquires the pair of image data having the parallax.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a character recognizing section that recognizes a character in the first image data of the subject captured by the first imaging section.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the first imaging section has higher definition than the second imaging section.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the angle of view of the second lens includes the angle of view of the first lens.

8. An imaging method performed by an imaging device, the imaging method comprising:

acquiring first image data of a subject and second image data of the subject, the first image data being captured by a first imaging section having a first lens, the second image data being captured by a second imaging section having a second lens, the second lens having a wider angle of view than the first lens; and

acquiring a pair of image data having parallax based on the first image data of the subject captured by the first imaging section and the second image data of the subject captured by the second imaging section.

9. The imaging method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining a distance to the subject based on the pair of image data having the parallax.

10. The imaging method according to claim 8, wherein, in the acquiring the first image data of the subject and the second image data of the subject, an optical axis of the first imaging section and an optical axis of the second imaging section are positioned substantially parallel to each other at the same level.

11. The imaging method according to claim 8, wherein the acquiring the pair of image data having the parallax includes acquiring an image data segment from the second image data of the subject captured by the second imaging section, the image data segment having an identical angle of view to the first image data of the subject captured by the first imaging section, and then acquiring the pair of image data having the parallax.

12. The imaging method according to claim 8, further comprising:

recognizing a character in the first image data of the subject captured by the first imaging section.

13. The imaging method according to claim 8, wherein, in the acquiring the first image data of the subject and the second image data of the subject, the first imaging section has higher definition than the second imaging section.

14. The imaging method according to claim 8, wherein, in the acquiring the first image data of the subject and the second image data of the subject, the angle of view of the second lens includes the angle of view of the first lens.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium containing a program that causes a computer to implement an imaging method in an imaging device,

wherein the recording medium causes the computer to perform the following steps of:

acquiring first image data of a subject and second image data of the subject, the first image data being captured by a first imaging section having a first lens, the second image data being captured by a second imaging section having a second lens, the second lens having a wider angle of view than the first lens; and

acquiring a pair of image data having parallax based on the first image data of the subject captured by the first imaging section and the second image data of the subject captured by the second imaging section.

16. The recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the recording medium further causes the computer to perform the step of determining a distance to the subject based on the pair of image data having the parallax.

17. The recording medium according to claim 15, wherein, in the step of acquiring the first image data of the subject and the second image data of the subject, an optical axis of the first imaging section and an optical axis of the second imaging section are positioned substantially parallel to each other at the same level.

18. The recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the step of acquiring the pair of image data having the parallax includes acquiring an image data segment from the second image data of the subject captured by the second imaging section, the image data segment having an identical angle of view to the first image data of the subject captured by the first imaging section, and then acquiring the pair of image data having the parallax.

19. The recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the recording medium further causes the computer to perform the step of recognizing a character in the first image data of the subject captured by the first imaging section.

20. The recording medium according to claim 15, wherein, in the step of acquiring the first image data of the subject and the second image data of the subject, the first imaging section has higher definition than the second imaging section.

21. The recording medium according to claim 15, wherein, in the step of acquiring the first image data of the subject and the second image data of the subject, the angle of view of the second lens includes the angle of view of the first lens.