Panoramic viewing apparatus

• US 5,745,305 A
• Filed: 04/28/1995
• Issued: 04/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FullView, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Nalwa, Vishvjit Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THONG Q
• Application Number:
  US08/431,356
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 359/363-367, 359/402-406, 359/431, 359/618, 359/627, 359/629, 359/725, 359/726, 359/831, 359/834-836, 348/14, 348/15, 348/218, 348/264, 348/335, 348/36, 348/38, 348/39, 348/123, 348/383, 250/203.1, 250/216, 353/30, 353/37, 353/94, 353/98-99
• US Class Current: 359/725
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/1066 for enhancing image performance, like resolution, pixel numbers, dual magnifications or dynamic range, by tiling, slicing or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/143 using macroscopically faceted or segmented reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/17 with reflectors arranged in beam forming the photographic image, e.g. for reducing dimensions of camera
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors

Abstract

Four cameras provide a 360 degree view of an area using a four sided pyramid shaped element. The four sides of the pyramid shaped element are reflective and reflect images from four different directions. Each camera is positioned to receive a reflected image from one of the reflective sides of the pyramids. The cameras are arranged so that they share a common virtual optical center.

Claims

1. A panoramic viewing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of image gathering devices, each having an optical center; and

a pyramid shaped element having a base, a vertex and a plurality of reflective side facets facing in different directions so as to reflect images from different directions to said plurality of image gathering devices, each of said plurality of reflective side facets reflecting an image to an image gathering device belonging to said plurality of image fathering devices, each of said optical centers being in a plane parallel to said base and being co-planar to said vertex, and each of said plurality of image gathering devices having a direction of view perpendicular to and in the direction of said base.

2. The panoramic viewing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said pyramid has four reflective sides.

3. The panoramic viewing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said pyramid reflects four images to said plurality of image gathering devices.

4. The panoramic viewing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said pyramid has eight reflective sides.

5. The panoramic viewing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said reflective side facets form a 45°

angle with a base of said pyramid shaped element.

6. The panoramic viewing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said image gathering devices are cameras.

7. The panoramic viewing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of reflective side facets has a base edge formed by the intersection of said reflective side facet and said base, and each of said optical centers is co-linear with a line passing through said vertex, said line being co-planar with said plane and perpendicular to said base edge of said optical center'"'"'s associated reflective side facet.