Methods of obtaining panoramic images using rotationally symmetric wide-angle lenses and devices thereof

• US 8,798,451 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2013
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gyeongil Kweon
• Original Assignee: Gyeongil Kweon
• Inventors: Kweon, Gyeongil
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W B
• Application Number:
  US13/918,960
• Time in Patent Office: 416 Days
• Field of Search: 396/20, 348/36, 382/293
• US Class Current: 396/20
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/06 involving anamorphosis G03B37/02, G03B37/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations

Abstract

The present invention provides methods of obtaining panoramic images that appear most natural to the naked eye by executing a mathematically precise image processing operation on a wide-angle image acquired using a wide-angle lens that is rotationally symmetric about an optical axis, and devices using the methods. Imaging systems using this method can be used not only in security surveillance applications for indoor and outdoor environments, but also in diverse areas such as video phones for apartment entrance doors, rear view cameras for vehicles, visual sensors for unmanned aerial vehicles and robots, and broadcasting cameras. Also, it can be used to obtain panoramic photographs using digital cameras.

Claims

1. A panoramic imaging system comprising:

an image acquisition means for acquiring a wide-angle image using a fisheye lens rotationally symmetric about an optical axis;

an image processing means for generating a panoramic image based on the said wide-angle image; and

an image display means for displaying the said panoramic image on a rectangular screen,

wherein;

a coordinate of an image point on the rectangular screen corresponding to an object point having a coordinate (X, Y, Z) in a world coordinate system, which has a nodal point of the fisheye lens as an origin and a vertical line passing through the origin as the Y-axis and an intersection line between a reference plane containing the said Y-axis and the said optical axis of the fisheye lens and a horizontal plane perpendicular to the said vertical line as the Z-axis, is given as (x″

, y″

),

a horizontal incidence angle Ψ

, which an incident ray originating from the said object point makes with the said reference plane, is given as

2. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1,

wherein the function F(δ

) of the vertical incidence angle δ

of the said incident ray is given by F(δ

)=tan δ

.

3. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1,

wherein the function F(δ

) of the vertical incidence angle δ

of the said incident ray is given by F(δ

)=δ

.

4. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1,

wherein the function F(δ

) of the vertical incidence angle δ

of the said incident ray is given by

5. A panoramic imaging system comprising:

an image acquisition means for acquiring a wide-angle image using a fisheye lens rotationally symmetric about an optical axis;

an image processing means for generating a panoramic image based on the said wide-angle image; and

an image display means for displaying the said panoramic image on a rectangular screen,

wherein;

if the optical axis of the fisheye lens is aligned parallel to a horizontal plane,

then a coordinate of an image point on the rectangular screen corresponding to an object point having a coordinate (X, Y, Z) in a world coordinate system, which has a nodal point of the fisheye lens as an origin and a vertical line passing through the origin as the Y-axis and the optical axis of the fisheye lens as the Z-axis, is given as (x″

, y″

),

a lateral coordinate x″

of the said image point is proportional to a horizontal incidence angle Ψ

,

herein, the said horizontal incidence angle Ψ

is an angle an incident ray originating from the said object point makes with the Y-Z plane and is given as

6. The panoramic imaging system of claim 5,

wherein the function F(67) of the vertical incidence angle δ

of the said incident ray is given by F(δ

)=tan δ

.

7. The panoramic imaging system of claim 5,

wherein the function F(δ

) of the vertical incidence angle δ

of the said incident ray is given by F(δ

)=δ

.

8. The panoramic imaging system of claim 5,

wherein the function F(δ

) of the vertical incidence angle δ

of the said incident ray is given by