Methods, apparatus, and program products for presenting panoramic images of a remote location

• US 6,542,184 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2000
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cedar Lane Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alan J. Steinhauer, Edward Driscoll Jr, Howard Morrow, Willard Curtis Lomax
• Inventors: Morrow, Howard, Lomax, Willard Curtis, Driscoll, Edward Jr., Steinhauer, Alan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US09/521,653
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5225, 348/207, 348/211-213, 348/335, 348/340, 348/358, 348/36-40, 348/207.99, 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/211.99, 348/211.2, 348/211.3, 348/211.4, 348/211.8, 348/222.1, 359/725-732
• US Class Current: 348/211.3
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/00 Panoramic or wide-screen photography; Photographing extended surfaces, e.g. for surveying; Photographing internal surfaces, e.g. of pipe
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/12 Panospheric to cylindrical image transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19626 optical details, e.g. lenses, mirrors or multiple lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19628 of wide angled cameras and camera groups, e.g. omni-directional cameras, fish eye, single units having multiple cameras achieving a wide angle view
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Most camera systems only record an image from a limited viewing angle. A new panoramic camera apparatus is disclosed that instantaneously captures a 360 degree panoramic image. In the camera device, virtually all of the light that converges on a point in space is captured. Specifically, in the camera of the present invention, light striking this point in space is captured if it comes from any direction, 360 degrees around the point and from angles 50 degrees or more above and below the horizon. The panoramic image is recorded as a two dimensional annular image. Furthermore, various different systems for displaying the panoramic images and distributing the panoramic images. Specifically, methods and apparatus for digitally performing a geometric transformation of the two dimensional annular image into rectangular projections such that the panoramic image can be displayed using conventional methods such as printed images and televised images.

Claims

1. A method of presenting panoramic images of a remote location, said method comprising the steps of:

capturing a stream of digitized annular frames of a panorama at said remote location;

transmitting a request from a local receiver to said remote location;

selecting a particular portion of said stream of digitized annular frames responsive to said request;

geometrically transforming said particular portion of said stream of digitized annular frames into a stream of planar projection frames; and

displaying said stream of planar projection frames on said local receiver.

2. The method of presenting panoramic images of a remote location as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

capturing audio at said remote location;

transmitting said audio to said local receiver; and

presenting, at said local receiver, said audio responsive to said request.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said stream of planar projection frames is a stream of rectangular projection frames.

4. A method of presenting panoramic images comprising steps of:

selecting, at a local receiver, a viewing angle into a stream of digitized panoramic frames, said stream including a plurality of digitized panoramic frames;

communicating said viewing angle to a remote transmitter;

transforming, at said remote transmitter, a selected portion of one or more of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames to generate a stream of planar projection frames, said selected portion responsive to said viewing angle;

transmitting said stream of planar projection frames to said local receiver; and

displaying said stream of planar projection frames at said local receiver.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames is a digitized annular frame.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said stream of digitized panoramic framed is accessed from a video camera.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein said stream of digitized panoramic frames is accessed from a computer readable media.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein said local receiver includes a client computer in communication with a network and said remote transmitter includes a server computer in communication with said network, and said method further includes a step of accessing said stream of digitized panoramic frames at said server computer.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of communicating said viewing angle includes a step of sending, by said local receiver, said viewing angle to said server computer.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein said viewing angle is one of a predetermined plurality of viewing angles and said selected portion is one of a predetermined plurality of selected portions wherein each of said plurality of viewing angles is associated with one of said predetermined plurality of selected portions, wherein the step of selecting further includes steps of:

associating a plurality of channels with said plurality of selected portions; and

selecting one of said plurality of channels.

11. The method of claim 4 further including transmitting audio from said remote transmitter to said local receiver, said audio responsive to said viewing angle.

12. The method of claim 4 further including selecting said stream of digitized panoramic frames.

13. A method of presenting panoramic images comprising steps of:

selecting, at a local receiver, a viewing angle into a stream of digitized panoramic frames, said stream including a plurality of digitized panoramic frames;

transforming a selected portion of one or more of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames to generate a stream of planar projection frames, said selected portion responsive to said viewing angle; and

displaying said stream of planar projection frames at said local receiver wherein each of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames includes a two dimensional image of a projection of a three dimensional space, said three dimensional space capable of being represented by two angular coordinates and a distance coordinate, said two dimensional image including substantially 360°

of one of said two angular coordinates and more than 10°

of the other of said two angular coordinates.

14. A method of presenting panoramic images comprising steps of:

selecting, at a local receiver, a viewing angle into a stream of digitized panoramic frames, said stream including a plurality of digitized panoramic frames;

transforming a selected portion of one or more of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames to generate a stream of planar projection frames, said selected portion responsive to said viewing angle; and

displaying said stream of planar projection frames at said local receiver wherein each of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames includes a plurality of two dimensional images each containing a partial projection of a three dimensional space, said three dimensional space capable of being represented by two angular coordinates and a distance coordinate, wherein said plurality of two dimensional images, when combined, includes substantially 360°

of one of said two angular coordinates and more than 10°

of the other of said two angular coordinates.

15. An apparatus for presenting panoramic images comprising:

a receiver mechanism configured to receive a stream of planar projection frames, said stream of planar projection frames transformed from a selected portion of a stream of digitized panoramic frames by a server computer, said selected portion responsive to a viewing angle;

a selection mechanism configured to select said viewing angle into said stream of digitized panoramic frames;

a communication mechanism configured to communicate said viewing angle from the receiver mechanism to said server computer; and

a display mechanism configured to display said stream of planar projection frames.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames is a digitized annular frame.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said server computer and said receiver mechanism communicate using a network.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said viewing angle is one of a predetermined plurality of viewing angles and said selected portion is one of a predetermined plurality of selected portions wherein each of said plurality of viewing angles is associated with one of said predetermined plurality of selected portions, said apparatus further including:

a channel selection mechanism configured to select one of a plurality of channels for display by the display mechanism, said plurality of channels associated with said plurality of selected portions.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 further including an audio mechanism configured to reproduce audio information included with said stream of planar projection frames, said audio information responsive to said viewing angle.

20. An apparatus for presenting panoramic images comprising:

a receiver mechanism configured to receive a stream of digitized panoramic frames, said stream including a plurality of digitized panoramic frames;

a selection mechanism configured to select a viewing angle into said stream of digitized panoramic frames;

a transformation mechanism configured to transform a selected portion of one or more of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames to generate a stream of planar projection frames, said selected portion responsive to said viewing angle selected by the selection mechanism; and

a display mechanism configured to display said stream of planar projection frames transformed by the transformation mechanism wherein each of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames includes a two dimensional image of a projection of a three dimensional space, said three dimensional space capable of being represented by two angular coordinates and a distance coordinate, said two dimensional image including substantially 360°

of one of said two angular coordinates and more than 10°

of the other of said two angular coordinates.

21. An apparatus for presenting panoramic images comprising:

a receiver mechanism configured to receive a stream of digitized panoramic frames, said stream including a plurality of digitized panoramic frames;

a selection mechanism configured to select a viewing angle into said stream of digitized panoramic frames;

a transformation mechanism configured to transform a selected portion of one or more of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames to generate a stream of planar projection frames, said selected portion responsive to said viewing angle selected by the selection mechanism; and

a display mechanism configured to display said stream of planar projection frames transformed by the transformation mechanism wherein each of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames includes a plurality of two dimensional images each containing a partial projection of a three dimensional space, said three dimensional space capable of being represented by two angular coordinates and a distance coordinate, wherein said plurality of two dimensional images, when combined, includes substantially 360°

of one of said two angular coordinates and more than 10°

of the other of said two angular coordinates.

22. An apparatus for transmitting panoramic images comprising:

an access mechanism configured to access a stream of digitized panoramic frames, said stream including a plurality of digitized panoramic frames;

a transformation mechanism, responsive to the access mechanism, configured to transform a selected portion of one or more of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames to generate a stream of planar projection frames, said selected portion responsive to a viewing angle; and

a transmission mechanism configured to transmit said stream of planar projection frames wherein said viewing angle is one of a predetermined plurality of viewing angles and said selected portion is one of a predetermined plurality of selected portions wherein each of said plurality of viewing angles is associated with one of said predetermined plurality of selected portions, and the transmission mechanism is configured to send said predetermined plurality of selected portions over a plurality of channels.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 further including an interface configured to receive said viewing angle.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said interface is a network interface.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein each of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames is a digitized annular frame.

26. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said access mechanism accesses said stream of

digitized panoramic frames from a video camera.

27. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said access mechanism accesses said stream of

digitized panoramic frames from computer readable media.

28. A computer program product including:

a computer data signal embodied in a computer readable media, said computer data signal having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a computer to transmit panoramic images, said computer readable code including;

computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to effect an access mechanism configured to access a stream of digitized panoramic frames, said stream including a plurality of digitized panoramic frames;

computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to effect a transformation mechanism, responsive to the access mechanism, configured to transform a selected portion of one or more of said plurality of digitized panoramic frames to generate a stream of planar projection frames, said selected portion responsive to a viewing angle; and

computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to effect a transmission mechanism configured to transmit said stream of planar projection frames wherein said viewing angle is one of a predetermined plurality of viewing angles and said selected portion is one of a predetermined plurality of selected portions wherein each of said plurality of viewing angles is associated with one of said predetermined plurality of selected portions, and the transmission mechanism is configured to send said predetermined plurality of selected portions over a plurality of channels.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said computer readable media is a carrier wave.