Omnidirectional visual image detector and processor

• US 6,262,760 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens Corp. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Corporate Research Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Novak, Carol L., Judd, Stephen J., Hancock, Thomas R., Pearlmutter, Barak P., Rickard, Scott T. Jr., Gorr, Russell E., Glassman, Martin S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Application Number:
  US09/219,941
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 348/36, 348/37, 348/39, 348/115, 348/116, 348/159, 348/145, 348/146
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A reflective rotund lens is positioned for projecting a panoramic picture of its horizontal surroundings at a given elevation onto a CCD array, for converting the picture into “pixel form” or an image signal. The image signal is digitized via an A/D converter circuit. A digital signal processor system is programmed for extracting a strip of pixel locations representative of an image ring mapped to pixel locations via superimposition upon the image, whereby all pixel locations outside of the image ring are eliminated by passing the pixels thereof through said A/D converter circuit at a rate higher than the conversion rate of said A/D converter circuit.

Claims

1. A system for extracting a strip of visual image information from a portion of a panoramic picture of associated horizontal surroundings at a given elevation, comprising:

omnidirectional visual means for producing a band-like panoramic pictorial image of a horizontal view of said associated surroundings at said given elevation;

processing means for both converting said pictorial image into image signals in pixel form and extracting therefrom strips of image data respectively representative of an average intensity of successive individual bins of pixel locations of an image ring superimposed upon said pictorial image, whereby all pixels not within said image ring are ignored or eliminated, thereby compressing the image data associated with said pictorial image, said processing means including;

a CCD array including individual light detectors arrayed in the configuration of said image ring, and responsive to said pictorial image, for directly extracting said strips of image data from said ring, and providing the strips of image data as an analog image output signal; and

color detection means for recording on said strips of image data an RGB value for each one of said bins in addition to the average intensity thereof;

wherein said color detection means includes means for computing the average of the red, green, and blue values for each pixel, and selecting the brightest pixel of each bin as being representative of that bin.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the RGB value for each bin is representative of the pixel determined to have a highest score S for the best combination of brightness and difference from gray.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said color detection means includes means for calculating the score S as follows:

$S=\sqrt{{\left(R-A\right)}^2+{\left(G-A\right)}^2+{\left(B-A\right)}^2}+\sqrt{R^2+G^2+B^2},$

where A is the average of the RGB values of the associated pixel computed as follows;

$A=\frac{R+G+B}{3}.$

2. A system for extracting a strip of visual image information from a portion of a panoramic picture of associated horizontal surroundings at a given elevation, comprising:

omnidirectional visual means for producing a band-like panoramic pictorial image of a horizontal view of said associated surroundings at said given elevation;

processing means for both converting said pictorial image into image signals in pixel form and extracting therefrom strips of image data representative of an average intensity of successive individual bins of pixel locations of an image ring superimposed upon said pictorial image, whereby all pixels not within said image ring are ignored or eliminated, thereby compressing the image data associated with said pictorial image, said processing means including;

a CCD array including individual light detectors respectively arrayed in the configuration of said image ring and responsive to said pictorial image for directly extracting said strips of image data from said ring, and providing the strips of image data as an analog image output signal; and

color detection means for recording on said strip of image data an RGB value for each one of said bins in addition to the average intensity thereof;

wherein said color detection means includes means for selecting the “

most colorful”

pixel of each bin for representing the RGB value of its associated bin.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the “

most colorful”

pixel is determined as being the furthest from medium gray by Euclidean distance measure.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein for each pixel of a bin the Euclidean distance C is calculated as follows:

$C=\sqrt{{\left(R-127\right)}^2+{\left(G-127\right)}^2+{\left(B-127\right)}^2}$

where gray is considered to have an RGB value of (127, 127,

     127), and R, G, and B are the actual values for red, green, and blue.

7. A system for extracting a strip of visual image information from a portion of a panoramic picture of associated horizontal surroundings at a given elevation, comprising:

omnidirectional visual means for producing a panoramic pictorial image of a horizontal view of said associated surroundings at said given elevation in the form of a ring; and

processing means comprising a CCD array including individual light detectors respectively arrayed in said pixel locations and responsive to said pictorial image for directly extracting strips of image data from said ring, and providing the strips of image data as an analog image output signals, said processing means converting said pictorial image into image signals in pixel form and extracting therefrom said strips of image data representative of an average intensity of bins of pixels filling respective angular segments of said ring so as to eliminate from consideration all pixels not within said ring so as to compress the image data associated with said pictorial image.