Panoramic movie which utilizes a series of captured panoramic images to display movement as observed by a viewer looking in a selected direction
First Claim
1. A system for displaying panoramic images which displays movement as observed by a viewer looking in a selected direction, comprising:
- a digital image capture device for capturing digital images;
a processor for seaming the digital images into panoramic images and linking the panoramic images into a sequence of panoramic images; and
a viewer for displaying a view window into selected ones of the sequence of panoramic images at a frame rate that simulates motion.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Movement through multi-dimensional space is simulated using a series of panoramic images which are projected or displayed in sequence. The user'"'"'s direction of view, that is the selected view window, is maintained as the series of images is projected or displayed. Motion in directions other than forward or reverse is simulated by utilizing “branch” points in the sequence. Each path from a branch point simulates motion in a different direction. Branch points are generally indicated to a viewer by visual indicators called “hot spots”; however, branch points may also be hidden and activated in response to the viewer'"'"'s selected direction of view. If a branch point is indicated by a visual indicator, a user can select motion in a desired direction by clicking on a “hot spot”.
In order to conserve storage space, the image representing each panorama can be stored in a compressed format. Only the portion of the panorama necessary to create a “view window” that is, the portion of the image displayed in response to the user'"'"'s direction of view, is decompressed at view time. An index methodology is used to store the panoramic images. Use of the indexing methodology allows the images to be retrieved in both the forward and backward direction to simulate movement in either direction. Sound is provided in a special format, so that special effects can be provided based on the user'"'"'s point of view and dependent upon the direction of motion selected by the user.
-
Citations
28 Claims
-
1. A system for displaying panoramic images which displays movement as observed by a viewer looking in a selected direction, comprising:
-
a digital image capture device for capturing digital images;
a processor for seaming the digital images into panoramic images and linking the panoramic images into a sequence of panoramic images; and
a viewer for displaying a view window into selected ones of the sequence of panoramic images at a frame rate that simulates motion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
-
5. A method of displaying panoramic images, comprising:
-
capturing a plurality of digital images;
seaming the images into panoramic images and linking the panoramic images into a sequence of panoramic images; and
displaying a window into selected ones of the sequence of panoramic images at a frame rate that simulates motion. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A three dimensional (3-D) panorama movie for enabling a user interactively to view movement through a three-dimensional space along a path through a series of viewpoints and to view in any viewing direction in the three-dimensional space, the 3-D panorama movie comprising:
-
a computer storage medium for storage of machine readable image data;
a file of machine readable image data stored on the storage medium, the image data including a plurality of panorama frames forming a sequence of images of the three dimensional space in which each image in the sequence has a spatially different viewpoint; and
a panframe directory stored on the storage medium in association with the file of machine readable image data, containing a set of frame indexes, each frame index identifying a location in the file of one of the panorama frames, whereby said panorama frames can be displayed in a sequence determined by said frame index to simulate motion.
-
-
12. A method of displaying movement of objects in multidimensional space comprising the steps of:
-
capturing a series of sets of individual images with a multi lens camera, each set of images covering at least a portion of a spherical view, said camera moving relative to said objects as said images are captured, transferring said images to a computer, seaming the images in each set of images into a panorama, said panoramas being indexed in the sequence in which the images which formed the panoramas were captured, and, displaying a view window into said panoramas in the same sequence as the sequence in which they were captured at a frame rate that simulates motion.
-
-
13. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which, when executed by a processor in a system for displaying panoramic images, cause the processor to perform the operations of:
-
capturing a plurality of digital images;
seaming the images into panoramic images and linking the panoramic images into a sequence of panoramic images; and
displaying a view window into selected ones of the sequence of panoramic images at a frame rate that simulates motion. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
26. A system for displaying partial panoramic images, comprising:
-
a digital image capture device for capturing digital images;
a processor for seaming portions of selected ones of the digital images into partial panoramic images; and
a viewer for displaying a view window into the partial panoramic images at a frame rate that simulates motion.
-
-
27. A method of displaying partial panoramic images, comprising:
-
capturing a plurality of digital images;
seaming portions of selected ones of the digital images into partial panoramic images; and
displaying a view window into the partial panoramic images at a frame rate that simulates motion.
-
-
28. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which, when executed by a processor in a system for displaying partial panoramic images, cause the processor to perform the operations of:
-
capturing a plurality of digital images;
seaming portions of selected ones of the digital images into partial panoramic images; and
displaying a view window into the partial panoramic images at a frame rate that simulates motion.
-
Specification