System and method for creating still images by utilizing a video camera device

• US 7,133,068 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2001
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Blasgen, Michael W., Edwards, Eric D., Fisher, Clay H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vieaux, Gary C.
• Application Number:
  US09/780,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20010030693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 348/218, 348/36, 348/222.1, 348/333.06, 348/333.04, 348/218.1, 348/37, 348/208.15, 260/363.02, 358/473, 382/284
• US Class Current: 348/218.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3876 Recombination of partial images to recreate the original image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

A system and method for creating still images by utilizing a video camera comprises a cradle device that transports the video camera across a target object during a scanning procedure that captures and stores video data. During the scanning procedure, a motion detector captures and provides scan motion data to a scanning manager from the video camera. The scanning manager may then responsively utilize the scan motion data to accurately extract still frames corresponding to the target object from the captured video data at pre-determined time intervals. A stitching software program may then access and combine the still frames generated by the scanning manager to thereby create composite still images.

Claims

1. A system for creating a still image of a target object by utilizing a video camera, comprising:

a support device configured to transport said video camera across said target object during a scanning procedure to capture a contiguous frame sequence of video data corresponding to said target object; and

a scanning manager coupled to said video camera for analyzing scan motion data from said scanning procedure, and responsively extracting still frames from said contiguous frame sequence at a selectable time interval to represent said target object as said still image, said selectable time interval being greater than a standard video frame duration from said contiguous frame sequence, said support device including a cradle that is initially positioned at a starting index of a scan track to allow said video camera to frame said target object using a focus mechanism and a zoom mechanism, a system user entering scan parameters into said video camera for performing said scanning procedure, said scan parameters including a scan speed control, a scan direction control, a still frame time interval control, a scan overlap control, and a scan resolution control.

2. A system for creating a still image of a target object by utilizing a video camera, comprising:

a support device configured to transport said video camera across said target object during a scanning procedure to capture a contiguous frame sequence of video data corresponding to said target object, said support device including a cradle that is initially positioned at a starting index of a scan track to allow said video camera to frame said target object using at least one of a focus mechanism and a zoom mechanism, a system user entering scan parameters into said video camera for performing said scanning procedure, said scan parameters including at least one of a scan speed control, a scan direction control, a still frame time interval control, a scan overlap control, and a scan resolution control; and

a scanning manager coupled to said video camera for analyzing scan motion data from said scanning procedure, and responsively extracting still frames from said contiguous frame sequence at a selectable time interval to represent said target object as said still image, said video camera generating an error warning on a user interface when said system user enters an invalid scan parameter, said invalid scan parameter including a negative overlap setting which would cause said still images to be aligned in excess of a minimum adjacent still image overlap value.

3. A system for creating a still image of a target object by utilizing a video camera, comprising:

a support device configured to transport said video camera across said target object during a scanning procedure to capture a contiguous frame sequence of video data corresponding to said target object; and

a scanning manager coupled to said video camera for analyzing scan motion data from said scanning procedure, and responsively extracting still frames from said contiguous frame sequence at a selectable time interval to represent said target object as said still image, said selectable time interval being greater than a standard video frame duration from said contiguous frame sequence, said support device including a cradle that is initially positioned at a starting index of a scan track to allow said video camera to frame said target object using a focus mechanism and a zoom mechanism, said cradle beginning to travel along said scan track during said scanning procedure, said video camera responsively beginning to capture and store said video data that corresponds to said target object, a display manager in said video camera displaying an active scan mode indicator on a user interface of said video camera during said scanning procedure, said active scan mode indicator displaying user settings for said scan parameters including a scan speed, a scan direction, and said selectable time interval.

4. A method for creating a still image of a target object by utilizing a video camera, comprising:

transporting said, video camera across said target object with a support device during a scanning procedure to capture a contiguous frame sequence of video data corresponding to said target object;

analyzing scan motion data from said scanning procedure with a scanning manager; and

extracting still frames from said contiguous frame sequence at a selectable time interval to represent said target object as said still image, said selectable time interval being greater than a standard video frame duration from said contiguous frame sequence, said support device including a cradle that is initially positioned at a starting index of a scan track to allow said video camera to frame said target object using a focus mechanism and a zoom mechanism, a system user entering scan parameters into said video camera for performing said scanning procedure, said scan parameters including a scan speed control, a scan direction control, a still frame time interval control, a scan overlap control, and a scan resolution control.

5. A method for creating a still image of a target object by utilizing a video camera, comprising the steps of:

transporting said video camera across said target object with a support device during a scanning procedure to capture a contiguous frame sequence of video data corresponding to said target object, said support device including a cradle that is initially positioned at a starting index of a scan track to allow said video camera to frame said target object using at least one of a focus mechanism and a zoom mechanism, a system user entering scan parameters into said video camera for performing said scanning procedure, said scan parameters including at least one of a scan speed control, a scan direction control, a still frame time interval control, a scan overlap control, and a scan resolution control;

analyzing scan motion data from said scanning procedure with a scanning manager; and

extracting still frames from said contiguous frame sequence at a selectable time interval to represent said target object as said still image, said video camera generating an error warning on a user interface when said system user enters an invalid scan parameter, said invalid scan parameter including a negative overlap setting which would cause said still images to be aligned in excess of a minimum adjacent still image overlap value.

6. A method for creating a still image of a target object by utilizing a video camera, comprising:

transporting said video camera across said target object with a support device during a scanning procedure to capture a contiguous frame sequence of video data corresponding to said target object;

analyzing scan motion data from said scanning procedure with a scanning manager; and

extracting still frames from said contiguous frame sequence at a selectable time interval to represent said target object as said still image, said selectable time interval being greater than a standard video frame duration from said contiguous frame sequence, said support device including a cradle that is initially positioned at a starting index of a scan track to allow said video camera to frame said target object using a focus mechanism and a zoom mechanism, said cradle beginning to travel along said scan track during said scanning procedure, said video camera responsively beginning to capture and store said video data that corresponds to said target object, a display manager in said video camera displaying an active scan mode indicator on a user interface of said video camera during said scanning procedure, said active scan mode indicator displaying user settings for said scan parameters including a scan speed, a scan direction, and said selectable time interval.

7. A method for creating a still image of a target object by utilizing a video camera, comprising:

transporting said video camera across said target object with a support device during a scanning procedure to capture a contiguous frame sequence of video data corresponding to said target object;

analyzing scan motion data from said scanning procedure with a scanning manager; and

extracting still frames from said contiguous frame sequence at a selectable time interval to represent said target object as said still image, said selectable time interval being greater than a standard video frame duration from said contiguous frame sequence, a system user reducing said selectable time interval to create a greater overlap region and produce greater resolution characteristics in said still image.

8. A method for creating a still image of a target object by utilizing a video camera, comprising:

transporting said video camera across said target object with a support device during a scanning procedure to capture a contiguous frame sequence of video data corresponding to said target object;

analyzing scan motion data from said scanning procedure with a scanning manager; and

extracting still frames from said contiguous frame sequence at a selectable time interval to represent said target object as said still image, said selectable time interval being greater than a standard video frame duration from said contiguous frame sequence, a system user increasing said selectable time interval to create a smaller overlap region and require less processing to produce said still image.