Virtual reality camera

• US 7,292,261 B1
• Filed: 08/20/1999
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cedar Lane Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: KWOK CHU & Shindler LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Teo, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): PHILIPPE, GIMS S
• Application Number:
  US09/378,398
• Time in Patent Office: 3,000 Days
• Field of Search: 345/660, 348/36, 348/42, 348/333.12, 358/506, 378/71, 396/121, 396/130, 396/322, 396/324
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

A camera including a camera lens, acquisition circuitry receiving images via the camera lens, for acquiring a first field of view when the camera lens is in a first orientation and for acquiring a second field of view when the camera lens is in a second orientation, and a viewfinder displaying the second field of view when the camera lens is in the second orientation and displaying at least a portion of the first field of view at least partially composited with the second field of view.

Claims

1. A camera, comprising:

a camera lens;

acquisition circuitry configured to receive images via said camera lens to acquire a first field of view if said camera lens is in a first orientation and to acquire a second field of view if said camera lens is in a second orientation;

perspective conversion circuitry configured to perform a perspective correction operation on at least a strip portion of said first field of view; and

a viewfinder configured to display the second field of view if said camera lens is in the second orientation and to display at least a portion of the first field of view at least partially composited with the second field of view, wherein said portion of the first field of view comprises said strip portion of the first field of view.

2. The camera of claim 1, wherein the second field of view at least partially overlaps the first field of view.

3. The camera of claim 1, wherein a size of the at least a portion of the first field of view is capable of being prescribed.

4. The camera of claim 3, wherein the size of the at least a portion of the first field of view is capable of being prescribed relative to a size of the first field of view.

5. The camera of claim 3, wherein the size of the at least a portion of the first field of view is capable of being prescribed relative to a size of the second field of view.

6. The camera of claim 5, wherein the size of the at least a portion of the first field of view comprises width, and the size of the second field of view comprises width.

7. The camera of claim 5, wherein the size of the at least a portion of the first field of view comprises height, and the size of the second field of view comprises height.

8. The camera of claim 5, wherein the size of the at least a portion of the first field of view comprises the field of view angle the size of the at least a portion of the first field of view subtends, and the size of the second field of view comprises the field of view angle the size of the at least a portion of the second field of view subtends.

9. The camera of claim 5, wherein the size of the at least a portion of the first field of view is capable of being prescribed to an amount between about 20% and about 40% of the size of the second field of view.

10. The camera of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the first field of view is capable of being composited with the second field of view by an opacity of approximately 50%.

11. The camera of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the first field of view is capable of being composited with the second field of view by an opacity of approximately 100%.

12. The camera of claim 1, wherein the focus of said camera lens is capable of not being changed during acquisition of the first and second fields of view.

13. The camera of claim 1, further comprising a lens focus lock configured to lock a focus of said camera lens during acquisition of the first and second fields of view.

14. The camera of claim 1, further comprising combining circuitry configured to combine the first and second fields of view.

15. The camera of claim 14, wherein the first and second fields of view comprise portions of a scene and wherein said combining circuitry is capable of combining the first and second fields of view into the panoramic image.

16. The camera of claim 15, wherein said panoramic image comprises a cylindrical geometry.

17. The camera of claim 15, wherein said panoramic image comprises a spherical geometry.

18. The camera of claim 15, further comprising rectilinear-to-spherical conversion circuitry configured to convert the first and second fields of view from rectilinear coordinates to spherical coordinates.

19. The camera of claim 15, further comprising view control circuitry configured to select a portion of the panoramic image to display, and wherein said viewfinder is configured to display the selected portion of the panoramic image.

20. The camera of claim 15, wherein said panoramic image comprises a cylindrical geometry.

21. The camera of claim 15, wherein said panoramic image comprises a spherical geometry, and said camera further comprises spherical-to-rectilinear conversion circuitry configured to convert the selected portion of the panoramic image from spherical coordinates to rectilinear coordinates.

22. The camera of claim 1, wherein said acquisition circuitry is configured to acquire at least one additional field of view with said camera lens being in at least one additional orientation, and wherein said viewfinder is configured to display an additional field of view of said camera lens when said camera lens is in each additional orientation and is configured to display at least a portion of at least one previously acquired field of view at least partially composited with the additional field of view.

23. The camera of claim 22, wherein each additional field of view is capable of at least partially overlapping the at least one previously acquired field of view.

24. The camera of claim 22, wherein the at least a portion of the at least one previously acquired field of view is capable of being composited with the additional field of view by an opacity of approximately 50%.

25. The camera of claim 22, wherein the at least a portion of the at least one previously acquired field of view is capable of being composited with the additional field of view by an opacity of approximately 100%.

26. The camera of claim 22, wherein a focus of said camera lens is unchanged during acquisition of the first and second and the at least one additional fields of view.

27. The camera of claim 22, further comprising a lens focus lock configured to lock a focus of said camera lens during acquisition of the first and second and the at least one additional fields of view.

28. The camera of claim 22, further comprising combining circuitry configured to combine the first and second and the last least one additional fields of view.

29. The camera of claim 28, wherein the first and second and the at least one additional fields of view comprise portions of a scene and wherein said combining circuitry is configured to combine the first and second and the at least one additional fields of view into a panoramic image of the scene.

30. The camera of claim 1, wherein said perspective conversion circuitry is further configured to convert a perspective of the at least said strip portion of the first field of view from the first orientation to the second orientation.

31. The camera of claim 30, wherein said perspective conversion circuitry comprises line processing circuitry configured to determine modified color values at pixel locations within vertical lines of the converted at least said strip portion of the first field of view.

32. The camera of claim 31, wherein said line processing circuitry is configured to determine modified color values at pixel locations within vertical lines of the converted at least said strip portion of the first field of view based at least in part on unmodified color values at a corresponding vertical line of the at least the portion of the first field of view.

33. The camera of claim 31, wherein said line processing circuitry is configured to rescale vertical lines of the at least said strip portion of the first field of view.

34. The camera of claim 1, further comprising an indicator configured to indicate when said camera lens is in the second orientation.

35. The camera of claim 34, wherein said indicator comprises a light source.

36. The camera of claim 34, wherein said indicator comprises a beeper.

37. The camera of claim 16, further comprising rectilinear-to-cylindrical conversion circuitry configured to convert the first and second fields of view from rectilinear coordinates to cylindrical coordinates.

38. A method, comprising:

acquiring a first image;

acquiring a second image;

converting at least a portion of the first and second images from a rectilinear-based view to a cylindrical-based view based at least in part on a conversion from rectilinear to cylindrical coordinates;

compositing the at least a portion of the first and second images;

converting a perspective of at least a strip portion of the first image from a first orientation to a second orientation, wherein said at least a portion of the first image comprises said at least said strip portion; and

displaying the at least a portion of the first and second images.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein said compositing comprises combining the at least a portion of the first and second images into a panoramic image.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein said panoramic image comprises a cylindrical geometry.

41. The method according to claim 39, wherein said panoramic image comprises a spherical geometry.

42. The method according to claim 39, further comprising converting the at least a portion of the first and second images from rectilinear coordinates to spherical coordinates.

43. The method according to claim 39, wherein said panoramic image comprises a cylindrical geometry.

44. The method according to claim 38, wherein said perspective converting further comprises line processing which comprises determining modified color values at pixel locations within vertical lines of said at least said strip portion of the first image.

45. The method according to claim 44, wherein said line processing further comprises determining modified color values at pixel locations within vertical lines of the at least said strip portion of the first image based at least in part on unmodified color values at a corresponding vertical line of the portion of the first image.

46. The method according to claim 44, wherein said line processing further comprises resealing vertical lines of the at least said strip portion of the first image.

47. A system, comprising:

means for acquiring a first image;

means for acquiring a second image;

means for converting at least a portion of the first and second image from a rectilinear-based view to a cylindrical-based view based at least in part upon a conversion from rectilinear to cylindrical coordinates;

means for compositing the at least a portion of the first and second images;

means for converting a perspective of at least a strip portion of the first image from a first orientation to a second orientation, wherein said at least a portion of the first image comprises said at least said strip portion; and

means for displaying the at least a portion of the first and second images.

48. The system according to claim 47, further comprising means for converting the at least a portion of the first and second images from rectilinear coordinates to spherical coordinates.

49. The system according to claim 47, further comprising means for combining the at least a portion of the first and second images into a panoramic image.

50. The system according to claim 49, wherein said panoramic image comprises a cylindrical geometry.

51. The system according to claim 47, wherein said means for perspective converting further comprises means for line processing which comprises means for determining modified color values at pixel locations within vertical lines of the at least said strip portion of the first image.

52. The system according to claim 51, wherein said means for line processing further comprises means for determining modified color values at pixel locations within vertical lines of the at least said strip portion of the first image based at least in part on unmodified color values at a corresponding vertical line of the portion of the first image.

53. The system according to claim 51, wherein said means for line processing further comprises means for resealing vertical lines of the at least said strip portion of the first image.

54. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, result in a camera performing:

acquiring a first image;

acquiring a second image;

converting at least a portion of the first and second image from a rectilinear-based view to a cylindrical-based view based at least in part upon a conversion from rectilinear to cylindrical coordinates;

compositing the at least a portion of the first and second images;

converting a perspective of at least a strip portion of the first image from a first orientation to a second orientation, wherein said at least a portion of the first image comprises said at least said strip portion; and

displaying the at least a portion of the first and second images.

55. The machine readable medium according to claim 54, further comprising instructions that result in the camera converting the at least a portion of the first and second images from rectilinear coordinates to spherical coordinates.

56. The machine readable medium according to claim 54, further comprising instructions that result in the camera combining the at least a portion of first and second images into a panoramic image.

57. The machine readable medium according to claim 56, wherein said panoramic image comprises a cylindrical geometry.

58. The machine readable medium according to claim 54, wherein said perspective converting further comprises line processing which comprises determining modified color values at pixel locations within vertical lines of the at least said strip portion of the first image.

59. The machine readable medium according to claim 58, wherein said line processing further comprises determining modified color values at pixel locations within vertical lines of the at least said strip portion of the first image based at least in part on unmodified color values at a corresponding vertical line of the portion of the first image.

60. The machine readable medium according to claim 58, wherein said line processing further comprises resealing vertical lines of the at least said strip portion of the first image.