Image-based method and system for building spherical panoramas

• US 7,852,376 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2007
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Transpacific IP Group Limited
• Original Assignee: Transpacific IP Group Limited
• Inventors: Huang, Shu-Cheng, Chen, Ju-Wei, Cheng, Tse
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOGUE, DENNIS A
• Application Number:
  US11/949,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20080074500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/218.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/205 Image-based rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/32 using correlation-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

The invention relates to building spherical panoramas for image-based virtual reality systems. The image-based spherical panoramas can be navigated in any desired view direction (360-degrees) by suitable three-dimensional image browsers or viewers. The method and system also includes computing the number of photographs required to be taken and the azimuth angle of the center point of each photograph for building a spherical environment map representative of the spherical panorama. The method and system also includes an algorithm for computing the accurate azimuth angles of these taken photographs and seaming them together to build the spherical environment map.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a number of circles of latitude on the basis of a focal length of a camera system, a dimension of pictures associated with the camera system, and an overlapping ratio between contiguous ones of the pictures;

receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude; and

building, with one or more processors, a spherical panorama from the plurality of contiguous pictures, wherein determining the number of circles of latitude is performed in accordance with the following equation;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of circles of latitude is odd.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a number of the plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the number of the plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude is based on the following:

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude comprises receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures with a panning error that is about five degrees or less.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the overlapping ratio is about 40%.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer instructions stored thereon that when executed perform a method comprising:

determining a number of circles of latitude on the basis of a focal length of a camera system, a dimension of pictures associated with the camera system, and an overlapping ratio between contiguous ones of the pictures;

receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude; and

building a spherical panorama from the plurality of contiguous pictures, wherein determining the number of circles of latitude is performed in accordance with the following equation;

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the number of circles of latitude is odd.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising computer instructions that when executed perform:

determining a number of the plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein determining the number of the plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude is based on the following:

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude comprises receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures with a panning error that is about five degrees or less.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the overlapping ratio is about 40%.

13. A system comprising:

means for determining a number of circles of latitude on the basis of a focal length of a camera system, a dimension of pictures associated with the camera system, and an overlapping ratio between contiguous ones of the pictures;

means for receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude;

means for building a spherical panorama from the plurality of contiguous pictures; and

means for determining a number of the plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude, wherein determining the number of the plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude is based on the following;

14. The system of claim 13, wherein determining the number of circles of latitude comprises determining the number of circles of latitude based on a height of the pictures associated with the camera system.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein determining the number of circles of latitude is performed in accordance with the following equation:

16. The system of claim 13, wherein determining the number of circles of latitude comprises determining the number of circles of latitude based on a width of the pictures associated with the camera system.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein determining the number of circles of latitude is performed in accordance with the following equation:

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the number of circles of latitude is odd.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude comprises receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures with a panning error that is about five degrees or less.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the overlapping ratio is about 40%.

21. A system comprising:

a camera; and

a computer readable medium having computer instructions stored thereon that when executed perform a method comprising;

determining a number of circles of latitude on the basis of a focal length of the camera, a dimension of pictures associated with the camera system, and an overlapping ratio between contiguous ones of the pictures;

receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude; and

building a spherical panorama from the plurality of contiguous pictures, wherein determining the number of circles of latitude is performed in accordance with the following equation;

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the number of circles of latitude is odd.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises computer instructions that when executed perform:

determining a number of the plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein determining the number of the plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude is based on the following:

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures associated with each circle of latitude comprises receiving a plurality of contiguous pictures with a panning error that is about five degrees or less.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the overlapping ratio is about 40%.