Image synthesization method

• US 7,366,360 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hatori, Kenji, Yano, Kotaro, Takahashi, Fumiaki, Katayama, Tatsushi, Takiguchi, Hideo, Hatanaka, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa; Yosef
• Application Number:
  US11/407,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20060188175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 382/284, 382/294, 382/293, 382/295, 382/296, 382/282, 358/540, 358/450, 358/453, 348/36, 348/50
• US Class Current: 382/284
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3876 Recombination of partial images to recreate the original image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

An image synthesization method, whereby a plurality of images, each of which has a partially overlapping image area, are synthesized to create a single synthetic image, comprises a determination step of inputting a plurality of image data sets that correspond to the plurality of images that are input, and of determining whether or not an image in the partially overlapping image area of each of images that are indicated by the plurality of image data sets includes mainly characters an image processing step of performing, for the plurality of image data sets that are input, image processing in consonance with a result of a determination performed at the determination step and an image synthesization step of synthesizing images that are indicated by the resultant plurality of image data, for which the image processing has been performed at the image processing step. With this arrangement, a plurality of images can be easily and effectively synthesized.

Claims

1. A panoramic image synthesizing system which generates one panoramic image by synthesizing plural images which partially overlap as areas, said system comprising:

a storage unit adapted to store plural images;

a synthesis unit adapted to synthesize the plural images stored by said storage unit; and

a selection unit adapted to select from among plural extraction patterns the extraction pattern for extracting a synthesized image acquired by synthesizing the plural images, with a rectangular area to generate a panoramic image; and

a recording unit adapted to record, as the panoramic image, the image extracted by the selected extraction pattern.

2. A panoramic image synthesizing system according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is automatically determined based on the shape of the synthesized image.

3. A panoramic image synthesizing system according to claim 2, wherein the plural patterns include rectangular patterns generated by making rotation angles of a rectangle to be extracted different from others.

4. A panoramic image synthesizing system according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit adapted to display on a display device the synthesized image acquired by synthesizing the plural images, as superposing thereon a frame indicating the rectangular area of the extraction pattern selected by said selection unit.

5. A panoramic image synthesizing system according to claim 4, wherein said display control unit displays on the display device a result in case of extracting the rectangular area by plural extraction methods as a reduction image.

6. A panoramic image synthesizing system according to claim 1, wherein the plural extraction patterns include an extraction pattern for extracting the rectangular area including an area where any image does not exist.

7. A panoramic image synthesizing system according to claim 1, wherein said selection unit can select the extraction pattern for extracting the rectangular area including an area where any image does not exist, or the extraction pattern for extracting the rectangular area not including the area where any image does not exist.

8. A panoramic image synthesizing method which generates one panoramic image by synthesizing plural images which partially overlap as areas, said method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of images;

synthesizing the plurality of images stored in said storage step; and

selecting from among plural extraction patterns the extraction pattern for extracting a synthesized image acquired by synthesizing the plural images, with a rectangular area to generate a panoramic image; and

recording, as the panoramic image, the image extracted by the selected extraction pattern.

9. A panoramic image synthesizing method according to claim 8, wherein the pattern is automatically determined based on the shape of the synthesized image.

10. A panoramic image synthesizing method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of patterns include rectangular patterns generated by making rotation angles of a rectangle to be extracted different from others.

11. A panoramic image synthesizing method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of displaying on a display device the synthesized image acquired by synthesizing the plural images, as superposing thereon a frame indicating the rectangular area of the selected extraction pattern.

12. A panoramic image synthesizing method according to claim 11, wherein the display step displays on the display device a result in case of extracting the rectangular area by plural extraction methods as a reduction image.

13. A panoramic image synthesizing method according to claim 8, wherein the plural extraction patterns include an extraction pattern for extracting the rectangular area including an area where any image does not exist.

14. A panoramic image synthesizing method according to claim 8, wherein the selecting step selects the extraction pattern for extracting the rectangular area including an area where any image does not exist, or selects the extraction pattern for extracting the rectangular area not including the area where any image does not exist.