Split mirrored panoramic image display

• US 6,144,501 A
• Filed: 08/28/1998
• Issued: 11/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FullView, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Nalwa, Vishvjit Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman, Scott J.
• Application Number:
  US09/143,414
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 359/725, 359/642
• US Class Current: 359/725
• 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 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A panoramic image is displayed as two partial images. A first partial image shows approximately 180 degrees of the panoramic image centered about a viewing direction selected by a user. A second partial image shows approximately the remaining 180 degrees of the panoramic image as a mirror image. As a result, a user more readily understands the relationship between objects in different parts of the panoramic display.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a panoramic image, comprising the steps of:

displaying a first portion of the panoramic image on a first section of a display area, the first portion corresponding to a selected viewing direction; and

displaying a second portion of the panoramic image as a mirror image of the second portion of the panoramic image on a second section of a display area, the second portion corresponding to a direction substantially opposite to the selected viewing direction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the panoramic image is displayed above the second portion of the panoramic image.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a substantially elliptical icon is displayed between the first and second portions of the panoramic images.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a portion of the substantially elliptical icon closest to the first portion of the panoramic image has a different appearance than a portion of the substantially elliptical icon closest to the second portion of the panoramic image.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the different appearance is a difference in color.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the different appearance is a difference in shading.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the different appearance is a difference in cross hatching.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the panoramic image is displayed above the first portion of the panoramic image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a substantially elliptical icon is displayed between the first and second portions of the panoramic images.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a portion of the substantially elliptical icon closest to the first portion of the panoramic image has a different appearance than a portion of the substantially elliptical icon closest to the second portion of the panoramic image.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the different appearance is a difference in color.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the different appearance is a difference in shading.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the different appearance is a difference in cross hatching.