Extending panoramic images

• US 5,940,641 A
• Filed: 07/10/1997
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: McIntyre, Dale F., Allen, Loretta E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, HOWARD BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US08/891,190
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 396/322, 396/323, 396/332, 396/333, 396/334, 396/324, 396/326, 396/327, 396/429
• US Class Current: 396/332
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

In a method of making a single image of a scene which is the combined images of different portions of the scene, including providing first and second image capturing structures with the second image capturing structure including a moveable lens; and moving the second lens so that it captures at least one different portion of the scene but which overlaps with a first portion of the scene captured by the first image capture structure, the second image capture structure including an image sensor. The method further determines when the second lens moves across the scene to a desired position and stopping the second lens at the desired position for causing the first and second capture structure to capture overlapping images of different portions of the scene.

Claims

1. In a method of making a single panoramic image of a scene which is formed by joining different portions of the scene, comprising the steps of:

a) providing first and second image capturing means with the second image capturing means including a moveable lens;

b) moving the second lens so that it captures at least one different portion of the scene but which overlaps with a first portion of the scene captured by the first image capture means, the second image capture means including an image sensor;

c) determining when the second lens moves across the scene to a desired position;

d) stopping the second lens at the desired position for causing the first and second capture means to capture overlapping images of different portions of the scene to thereby capture a panoramic image of the scene; and

e) combining the different portions of the scene into the single panoramic image by removing an overlap and joining the portions into the single image.

2. The method of claim 1 further including repeating steps b)-d) to capture a single panoramic image composed of a plurality of images which overlap with one or more portions of an adjacent image.

3. A method of making a single image of a scene which selectively can be a single image of the scene or a panoramic image which is formed by joining different portions of the scene, comprising the steps of:

a) providing first and second image capturing means with the second image capturing means including a moveable lens;

b) selectively operating in a first mode of operation for capturing a single image of the scene by the first image capture means and in a second mode of operation moving the second lens so that it captures at least one different portion of the scene but which overlap with a first portion of the scene simultaneously captured by the first image capture means, the second image capture means including an image sensor;

c) determining when the second lens moves across the scene to a desired position;

d) stopping the second lens at the desired position for causing the first and second capture means to capture overlapping images of different portions of the scene to thereby capture a panoramic image of the scene; and

e) combining the overlapping images by removing an overlapping portion and joining the images into a single image.

4. The method of claim 3 further including repeating steps b)-d) in the second mode of operation to capture a single panoramic image composed of a plurality of images which overlap with one or more portions of an adjacent image.

5. A camera system for capturing a scene which includes at least two different portions on a photographic film and a CCD image sensor to capture a panoramic image of the scene, respectively, comprising:

first image capture means including a first lens for focusing an image of a portion of the scene on the photographic film;

second image capture means including a second lens for focusing an image of at least one other portion of the scene onto the CCD image sensor with this other portion overlapping in part with the portion of the scene captured by the first image capture means;

a movable assembly for positioning the second lens so that it captures different positions of the scene on the image sensor;

a viewfinder for permitting a camera user to view the scene as the second lens is moved to different positions and for permitting a user to determine a desired position of the second camera lens;

the movable assembly for positioning the second lens at the desired position and causing the first and second capture means to capture overlapping images of different portions of the scene to thereby capture a panoramic image of such scene.