Stereo camera

• US 9,109,891 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2011
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamato, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/574,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20120293633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 348 46- 50
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/06 by comparison of two or more pictures of the same area
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/08 by simultaneous recording
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/10 having single camera with stereoscopic-base-defining system
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/647 by matching two-dimensional images to three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• 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 13/25 using two or more image sensors with different characteristics other than in their location or field of view, e.g. having different resolutions or colour pickup characteristics; using image signals from one sensor to control the characteristics of another sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/005 Aspects relating to the "3D+depth" image format

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stereo camera which includes: a main camera which photographs a first image; a sub-camera which has camera parameters different from those of the main camera and photographs a second image; a distance information acquiring part which associates each pixel in the first and second images and acquires distance information including parallax information; and a right/left image generating part which generates a stereo view image based on one of the first and second images and the distance information.

Claims

1. A stereo camera, comprising:

a first imaging part which photographs a first image;

a second imaging part which has camera parameters different from those of said first imaging part and photographs a second image;

a distance information acquiring part which associates each pixel in said first and second images and acquires distance information including parallax information, wherein said distance information acquiring part decides a correspondence detection area based on photographing information at the time of photographing said first and second images, and

a right/left image generating part which generates a stereo view image based on one of said first and second images and said distance information, wherein said first imaging part has a higher resolution than said second imaging part, and said right/left image generating part regards said first image as a main image, displaces an image in said correspondence detection area inside said second image in accordance with said parallax information, and regards said first image and said new second image as said right/left images.

2. The stereo camera according to claim 1, wherein, when a number of pixels inside said correspondence detection area of said second image is smaller than a number of pixels inside a correspondence detection area of said first image, said right/left image generating part compensates pixel information from said first image.

3. A stereo camera, comprising:

a first imaging part which photographs a first image;

a second imaging part which has camera parameters different from those of said first imaging part and photographs a second image;

a distance information acquiring part which associates each pixel in said first and second images and acquires distance information including parallax information, wherein said distance information acquiring part decides a correspondence detection area based on photographing information at the time of photographing said first and second images, and

a right/left image generating part which generates a stereo view image based on one of said first and second images and said distance information, wherein said first imaging part has a higher resolution than said second imaging part, and when said second image has a higher photographing magnification than said first image, said right/left image generating part embeds said second image into said first image to generate a new second image, and regards said first image and said new second image as said right/left images.

4. A stereo camera, comprising:

a first imaging part which photographs a first image;

a second imaging part which has camera parameters different from those of said first imaging part and photographs a second image;

a distance information acquiring part which associates each pixel in said first and second images and acquires distance information including parallax information, wherein said distance information acquiring part decides a correspondence detection area based on photographing information at the time of photographing said first and second images, and

a right/left image generating part which generates a stereo view image based on one of said first and second images and said distance information, wherein said first imaging part has a higher resolution than said second imaging part, and when said first image has a higher photographing magnification than said second image, said right/left image generating part embeds said first image into said second image to generate a new first image, and regards said new first image and said second image as said right/left images.

5. A stereo camera, comprising:

a first imaging part which photographs a first image;

a second imaging part which has camera parameters different from those of said first imaging part and photographs a second image;

a distance information acquiring part which associates each pixel in said first and second images and acquires distance information including parallax information; and

a right/left image generating part which generates a stereo view image based on one of said first and second images and said distance information,

wherein said first imaging part has a higher resolution than said second imaging part, said stereo camera further comprises a sensor which senses arrangement of said stereo camera with said first and second imaging parts arrayed in a horizontally placed manner in parallel with a horizontal plane, and stops an operation of said distance information acquiring part in the case of sensing horizontal placement, and said right/left image generating part provides information of said first image to said second image to create a new second image, and regards said first image and said new second image as said right/left images.