Panorama image producing method and appartus

• US 5,548,409 A
• Filed: 10/08/1993
• Issued: 08/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Hiroshi, Iijima, Koji, Ohta, Masashi, Fukuda, Kyoko, Hamada, Toshimichi, Sekiya, Tsuneo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/133,377
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 358/335, 358/906, 358/909.1, 358/310, 358/311, 348/699, 348/700, 348/36, 348/37, 348/38, 360/14.1, 360/32
• US Class Current: 386/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/23 with coding of regions that are present throughout a whole video segment, e.g. sprites, background or mosaic
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9201 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9208 involving the use of subcodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/923 using preemphasis of the signal before modulation and deemphasis of the signal after demodulation volume compression or expansion in amplifiers in general H03G7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/937 by assembling picture element blocks in an intermediate store
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/83 the recorded chrominance signal occupying a frequency band under the frequency band of the recorded brightness signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/906 Hand-held camera with recorder in a single unit

Abstract

A method and an apparatus by which a panorama image is produced with a high degree of accuracy from an image signal, wherein the image signal produced by a CCD imaging element is recorded onto a video tape by way of a camera signal processing circuit, a recording signal processing circuit, a recording/reproduction amplifier and so forth. Meanwhile, a microcomputer calculates of a motion vector of an image from the output of a motion vector detector to which the image signal from the CCD imaging element is inputted, and controls a video subcode processor so that motion vector information may be recorded onto the video tape. The motion vector information is reproduced from the video tape together with the image signal, and a plurality of images are formed from the thus reproduced image signal and joined together in accordance with the motion vector information to produce a panorama image.

Claims

1. An apparatus for recording and reproducing an image signal, comprising:

imaging means for imaging a subject to produce an image signal;

motion vector detecting means for detecting motion vector information from said image signal;

recording means for recording the motion vector information onto a recording medium together with the image signal produced by said imaging means;

reproducing means for reproducing the recorded image signal and the recorded motion vector information from the recording medium;

image forming means for forming a plurality of successive images from the reproduced image signal;

joining means for joining in accordance with the reproduced motion vector information at least portions of the successive images formed by said image forming means to produce a panorama image; and

control means for controlling the width of the portions of the images with which the images are joined together by said joining means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording means additionally records panning information onto the recording medium, said reproducing means is operable to reproduce the recorded panning information from the recording medium, and said control means controls said joining means to automatically produce a panorama image when panning information is reproduced from the recording medium.

3. A method of recording and reproducing an image signal, comprising the steps of:

imaging a subject to produce an image signal;

detecting motion vector information from said image signal;

recording the motion vector information onto a recording medium together with the produced image signal;

reproducing the recorded image signal and the recorded motion vector information from the recording medium;

forming a plurality of successive images from the reproduced image signal;

joining in accordance with the reproduced motion vector information at least portions of the successive images to produce a panorama image; and

controlling the width of the portions of the images with which the images are joined together.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of producing panning information, recording panning information onto the recording medium, and reproducing the recorded panning information from the recording medium;

and wherein the step of joining portions of the successive images is automatically carried out when panning information is reproduced from the recording medium.