Multieye imaging apparatus

• US 5,798,791 A
• Filed: 11/18/1996
• Issued: 08/25/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Katayama, Tatsushi, Mitsutake, Hideaki, Suda, Shigeyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHRISTENSEN, ANDREW BRUCE
• Application Number:
  US08/751,242
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14, 348/15, 348/36, 348/37, 348/38, 348/39, 348/42, 348/43, 348/44, 348/46, 348/47, 348/151, 348/218, 348/443, 348/444, 348/445, 348/446, 348/45, 348/48, 348/49, 348/50, 358/446, 358/450, 382/268, 382/284, 382/154, 356/376, 352/43, 352/60-65, 352/69-71
• US Class Current: 348/218.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/32 using correlation-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/167 Synchronising or controlling image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• 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 13/246 Calibration of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/257 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0088 Synthesising a monoscopic image signal from stereoscopic images, e.g. synthesising a panoramic or high resolution monoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/41 Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors

Abstract

Disclosed is a multieye imaging apparatus for imaging an image field including an overlapped area by controlling a plurality of pick-up-image systems for obtaining an image having a desired aspect ratio that is different from an image obtained from a pick-up-image optical system. The multieye imaging apparatus has an image correlation processing unit for effecting a correlation operation from image signals obtained from a plurality of pick-up-image systems. The apparatus also has an image synthesizing processing unit for joining the other image on the basis of one image from the image signals relative to the correlation operation performed by the image correlation processing unit.

Claims

1. A multieye imaging apparatus, having a plurality of imaging optical systems and a plurality of pick-up-image systems constructed of an imaging device corresponding respectively to said plurality of imaging optical systems, for generating a synthesized image by use of an image signal outputted from said imaging device, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of image inputting means for respectively holding image signals outputted from said pick-up-image systems;

a total system controlling means for inputting an image trimming signal containing an aspect ratio designated value;

an image transforming means for output-generating an aspect-ratio-variable image on the basis of an image signal held by said image inputting means and an image trimming signal inputted for said total system controlling means;

a means for holding an image trimming area; and

a controlling means for varying an optical parameter of said plurality of pick-up-image systems while an image trimming area designated by said image trimming signal is held by said means for holding, said image trimming area corresponding to the aspect ratio designated value inputted to said total system controlling means, after said image transforming means has outputted the image and, when said image trimming signal is changed, for generating an output image by said image transforming means from the image signal then retained by said image inputting means based on said changed image trimming signal, and thereafter for changing optical parameters of said plurality of pick-up-image systems based on said changed image trimming signal, said controlling means changes said image trimming signal according to changes of said optical parameter in order to maintain said image trimming area when said optical parameter is varied.

2. The multieye imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical parameter includes a focal length and a convergence angle of said plurality of pick-up-image systems.

3. The multieye imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for designating an optical parameter; and

wherein optical axes of said plurality of pick-up-image systems includes such a system as to vary in a direction parallel to one plane, and a final designated value of the optical parameter after being varied is such that a perpendicular effective width, perpendicular to one plane, of a light receiving element of said plurality of pick-up-image systems is coincident with a perpendicular effective width of the image trimming area.

4. The multieye imaging apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising;

controlling means for controlling a necessary area for generating a synthesized image where outputted images from said pick-up-image systems are mutually overlapped according to a distance to an object and/or imaging magnification.

5. The multieye imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the overlapped area is controlled by said controlling means so that the overlapped area becomes minimal in size.

6. The multieye imaging apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the optical parameter includes a focal length and a convergence angle of said plurality of pick-up-image systems.

7. The multieye imaging apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

means for designating an optical parameter; and

wherein optical axes of said plurality of pick-up-image systems includes such a system as to vary in a direction parallel to one plane, and a final designated value of the optical parameter after being varied is such that a perpendicular effective width, perpendicular to one plane, of a light receiving element of said plurality of pick-up-image systems is coincident with a perpendicular effective width of the image trimming area.

8. A multieye imaging apparatus comprising:

a plurality of image pickup systems, wherein a base image picked up by one of said plurality of pick-up image systems and a reference image picked up by the other one thereof are overlapped;

image pickup condition detecting means for detecting an image pickup condition as to at least one of said plurality of image pickup systems;

focusing means for performing focusing for said base image based on an image in a focus area of said base image to set a focusing area of said reference image corresponding to a focusing area of said base image based on said image pickup condition to perform focusing for said reference image based on an image in said focusing area of said set reference image;

correlation processing means for detecting an overlapped image between said base image and said reference image by correlation calculation wherein an image including said focusing area for said base image and an image including a focusing area for said reference image are used, after focusing for each of said base image and said reference image is completed; and

combine processing means for producing a combined image by combining a remaining area of said reference image obtained by excluding said overlapped image from said reference image based on a detection signal from said correlation processing means with said base image.

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

image distortion correction conversion processing means for correcting distortions of a plurality of images output from said plurality of image-pick-up systems.