Stereo image capture and processing

• US 8,890,940 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DD Micoy Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micoy Corporation (Digital Domain Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Grover, Trent N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pe, Geepy
• Application Number:
  US13/719,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20130107013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 348/42, 348/43, 348/46, 348/47
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/204 using stereoscopic image cameras stereoscopic photography G03B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors

Abstract

Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to capture a portion of an omniscopic or omni-stereo image using one or more image capture media. The media may be located substantially perpendicular to a converging ray originating at a viewpoint on an inter-ocular circle and having a convergence angle between zero and ninety degrees from a parallel viewpoint baseline position that includes a non-converging ray originating at the viewpoint. The media may also be located so as to be substantially perpendicular to a non-converging ray originating at a first viewpoint at a first endpoint of a diameter defining an inter-ocular circle, wherein the origin of the non-converging ray gravitates toward the center of the inter-ocular circle as spherical imagery is acquired.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first image-capture medium located at a first viewpoint; and

a second image-capture medium located at a second viewpoint,

wherein the first image-capture medium is configured to capture a left-eye part of a first portion of a stereoscopic spherical image of a first portion of a scene, and to form a first optical axis that extends between the first viewpoint and the first portion of the scene,

wherein the second image-capture medium is configured to capture a right-eye part of the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image of the first portion of the scene, and to form a second optical axis that extends from the second viewpoint to the first portion of the scene,

wherein the first optical axis and the second optical axis converge toward the first portion of the scene at a first predetermined convergence angle, and

wherein the convergence angle is varied for image-portion capture operations performed at different pitch angles towards an apex of the scene.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the distance between the first viewpoint and the second viewpoint is predetermined and constant for each of a plurality of capture operations.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the left-eye part of the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image consists of a single pixel and the right-eye part of the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image consists of a single pixel.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to rotate so the first image-capture medium is located at a third viewpoint and the second image-capture medium is located at a fourth viewpoint, and then:

the first image-capture medium captures a left-eye part of a second portion of the stereoscopic spherical image of a second portion of the scene with the first image-capture medium having a third optical axis that extends between the third viewpoint and the second portion of the scene, and

the second image-capture medium captures a right-eye part of the second portion of the stereoscopic spherical image of the second portion of the scene with the second image-capture medium having a fourth optical axis that extends from the fourth viewpoint to the second portion of the scene, and wherein the third optical axis and the fourth optical axis converge toward the scene at a second predetermined convergence angle that is different from the first predetermined convergence angle.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to combine the first and second portions of the captured stereoscopic spherical image to form a larger continuous portion of the stereoscopic spherical image.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to iteratively perform rotation-and-image-capture operations over a full range of inter-ocular-circle diameters and to combine resulting portions of the captured stereoscopic spherical image to form a complete continuous stereoscopic spherical image.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first image-capture medium and the second image-capture medium are configured to capture images as the first optical axis and the second optical axis point along twist-corrected converging sweep paths towards the apex of the scene.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the convergence angle is varied according to a linear-interpolation mathematical formula.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the convergence angle is varied according to an irregular pattern.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a diameter of the inter-ocular circle is varied at each of a plurality of image-portion capture operations to further control the stereoscopic affects achieved.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the diameter of the inter-ocular circle is varied according to a linear-interpolation mathematical formula.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the images are generated by a computer.

12. A method for capturing a stereoscopic spherical image by capturing each portion of the stereoscopic spherical image, wherein the capturing of each portion of the stereoscopic spherical image comprises:

providing a first image-capture medium located at a first viewpoint;

providing a second image-capture medium located at a second viewpoint;

determining a convergence angle for each of a plurality of portions of the stereoscopic spherical image, wherein the convergence angle varies at different pitch angles towards an apex of a scene for the capturing of different portions of the stereoscopic spherical image;

configuring the first image-capture medium to capture a left-eye part of a first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image of a first portion of the scene, such that the first image-capture medium is oriented toward the first portion of the scene along a first optical axis that extends between the first viewpoint and the first portion of the scene; and

configuring the second image-capture medium to capture a right-eye part of the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image of the first portion of the scene, such that the second image-capture medium is oriented toward the first portion of the scene along a second optical axis that extends between the second viewpoint and the first portion of the scene, and such that the first optical axis and the second optical axis converge toward the first portion of the scene at the convergence angle for the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the capture of each portion of the stereoscopic spherical image further comprises:

determining a first distance between the first viewpoint and the second viewpoint based, at least in part, on a distance from the portion of the stereoscopic spherical image to an apex of the stereoscopic spherical image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the convergence angle is determined, at least in part, by the distance from the portion of the stereoscopic spherical image to the apex of the stereoscopic spherical image.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the convergence angle is determined, at least in part, by a distance from the portion of the stereoscopic spherical image to an apex of the stereoscopic spherical image.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the left-eye part of the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image consists of a single pixel and the right-eye part of the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image consists of a single pixel.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

combining a plurality of portions of the stereoscopic spherical image to form a larger continuous portion of the stereoscopic spherical image.

25. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating the images by a computer.

18. A method for displaying a stereoscopic spherical image captured by capturing each portion of the stereoscopic spherical image,

wherein the capturing of each portion of the stereoscopic spherical image comprises:

providing a first image-capture medium located at a first viewpoint;

providing a second image-capture medium located at a second viewpoint;

determining a convergence angle for each of a plurality of portions of the stereoscopic spherical image, wherein the convergence angle varies at different pitch angles towards an apex of a scene for the capturing of different portions of the stereoscopic spherical image;

configuring the first image-capture medium to capture a left-eye part of the portion of the stereoscopic spherical image of a first portion of the scene, such that the first image-capture medium is oriented toward the first portion of the scene along a first optical axis that extends between the first viewpoint and the first portion of the scene; and

configuring the second image-capture medium to capture a right-eye part of the portion of the stereoscopic spherical image, such that the second image-capture medium is oriented toward the first portion of the scene along a second optical axis that extends between the second viewpoint and the first portion of the scene, and such that the first optical axis and the second optical axis converge at the convergence angle for the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image; and

wherein the displaying of the stereoscopic spherical image comprises;

displaying the left-eye part and the right eye part of the portion of the spherical image as a stereoscopic image.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the capture of each portion of the stereoscopic spherical image further comprises:

determining a first distance between the first viewpoint and the second viewpoint based, at least in part, on a distance from the portion of the stereoscopic spherical image to an apex of the stereoscopic spherical image.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the convergence angle is determined, at least in part, by the distance from the portion of the stereoscopic spherical image to the apex of the stereoscopic spherical image.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the convergence angle is determined, at least in part, by a distance from the portion of the stereoscopic spherical image to an apex of the stereoscopic spherical image.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the left-eye part of the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image consists of a single pixel and the right-eye part of the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image consists of a single pixel.

23. A method comprising:

providing a device having a plurality of image-capture media including a first image-capture medium and a second image-capture medium, wherein, when the first image-capture medium is located at a first viewpoint and the second image-capture medium is located at a second viewpoint, then;

capturing a left-eye part of a first portion of a stereoscopic spherical image of a first portion of a scene with the first image-capture medium when the first image-capture medium has its optical axis extending between the first viewpoint and the first portion of the scene, and

capturing a right-eye part of the first portion of the stereoscopic spherical image of the first portion of the scene with the second image-capture medium when the second image-capture medium has its optical axis extending from the second viewpoint to the first portion of the scene, and wherein the first optical axis and the second optical axis converge toward the scene at a predetermined convergence angle, and wherein a distance between the first image-capture medium and the second image-capture medium varies at different pitch angles towards an apex of the scene for capturing different portions of the scene.