Method for generating video data stream

• US 9,098,910 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobotix AG (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mobotix AG (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Hinkel, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAHI, SHAN E
• Application Number:
  US13/121,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20110285812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• Field of Search: 348/38
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/12 Panospheric to cylindrical image transformations

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for generating video stream data relating to different fields of vision from a camera having a sensor which records high resolution images in a distorted manner. According to the invention, image corrections are performed for separate fields of vision, and a total video stream is output from the differently corrected image data.

Claims

1. A method for generating video stream data of a first video stream and a second video stream relating to a total field of view comprising a plurality of fields of view from a wide angle camera having a sensor which records a distorted image of the total field of view, the distorted image comprising a plurality of distorted images corresponding to the plurality of fields of view, the first video stream comprising first image data corresponding to a first set of fields of view of the plurality of fields of view, the second video stream comprising second image data corresponding to a second set of fields of view of the plurality of fields of view, the method comprising:

performing an image correction process including;

performing a first image correction, using a processor, by correcting geometric distortion of each field of view of the first set of fields of view and each field of view of the second set of fields of view, the first image correction being performed only once as to a field of view of the plurality of fields of view defined as an overlapping field of view, which overlaps between the first set of fields of view and the second set of fields of view; and

performing a second image correction, using the processor, by correcting image brightness and color hue of each field of view of the first set of fields of view by referring to other fields of view of the first set of fields of view, including the overlapping field of view corrected in the first image correction, so that all fields of view of the first set of fields of view have approximately the same brightness and color hue, and by correcting image brightness and color hue of each field of view of the second set of fields of view by referring to other fields of view of the second set of fields of view, including the overlapping field of view corrected in the first image correction, so that all fields of view of the second set of fields of view have approximately the same brightness and color hue; and

outputting the first video stream based on combining image data corresponding to the first set of fields of view after the first image correction and the second image correction.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wide angle camera is a fish-eye camera having a total field of view larger than 170°

.

3. The method as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, wherein the distorted images are individually recorded by the sensor.

4. The method as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, wherein the first image correction and the second image correction are performed within the wide angle camera.

5. The method as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, further comprising:

defining a first virtual camera corresponding to each field view of the first set of fields of view;

defining a second virtual camera corresponding to each field of view of the second set of fields of view; and

forming the first video stream by combining the image data corresponding to the first set of fields of view after the first image correction and the second image correction obtained from the first virtual camera.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the first and second virtual cameras are independently controllable to change at least one of pan, tilt, and zoom settings.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a type of the first image correction, which is performed in the wide angle camera, is performed on a per each of the first and second virtual camera basis, and the type of the first image correction is determined based on user input.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein camera objects are identified and tracked via the first and second virtual cameras.

9. The method as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, wherein at least one panoramic image and one image excerpt are provided with the first set of fields of view.

10. The method as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, further comprising correcting image resolution of the first set of fields of view and the second set of fields of view.

11. The method as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, wherein the first video stream is output to a single-channel display device.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first video stream is output in one of a standard image format and a standard video stream format.

13. The method as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, wherein a plurality of display devices are addressed by the wide angle camera.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein display image data for the plurality of display devices are combined to form a plurality of total video streams, which includes the first video stream.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plurality of display devices include a mobile telephone.

16. The method as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, further comprising outputting the second video stream based on combining image data corresponding to the second set of fields of view after the first image correction and the second image correction.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising defining each of the plurality of fields of view as one of a non-overlapping field of view, which does not overlap between the first set of fields of view and the second set of fields of view, and the overlapping field of view, which overlaps between the first set of fields of view and the second set of fields of view.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second image correction is performed after the first image correction.