Image processing apparatus and camera system

• US 9,118,831 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Kamiya, Ryo, Suzuki, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe, Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): HSU, AMY R
• Application Number:
  US13/692,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20130222532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 348/36, 348/222.1, 348/580, 382/123, 382/294, 382/298, 382/302, 382/293
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/12 Panospheric to cylindrical image transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19628 of wide angled cameras and camera groups, e.g. omni-directional cameras, fish eye, single units having multiple cameras achieving a wide angle view
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1963 Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An image processing apparatus or camera system comprises an image sensor 1, a geometrical position calculation device 6 for performing predetermined correction of a distortion, a first address table 10 for storing information correlating an input side address based on the calculation results of the geometrical position calculation device 6 to an output side address as a reference, a sort unit 11 for sorting the output side addresses according to the input side addresses, a second address table 12 for storing information correlating the output side address to the sorted input side address as a reference, and an address matching device 13 for matching the input side address of input side image data DI with the input side address stored in the second address table 12 and outputting output side image data DO.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a digital signal representative of an image captured through a lens;

extracting a region to be displayed from the image by setting at least one parameter, wherein the at least one parameter includes one or more of a pan parameter, a tilt parameter, a zoom parameter or a rotation parameter;

transforming a geometrical position of an object in the region based on the parameter, wherein the geometrical position of the object is transformed by calculating a geometrical position of each of a plurality of pixels of input side image data, the each pixel of the input side image data corresponding to one of a plurality of pixels on an output screen;

storing information in an address table, wherein the information is obtained by correlating an input side address to an output side address, wherein the input side address corresponds to an address of the each pixel of the input side image data and is based on the geometrical position calculated for the each pixel of the input side image data, and the output side address corresponds to an address of the each pixel on the output screen; and

determining whether a real-time input side address of each pixel of the input side image data is coincident with a stored input side address that is stored in the address table; and

when the real-time input side address is coincident with the stored input side address;

combining the input side image data at the stored input side address with corresponding image data at the output side address to form output side image data; and

transmitting the output side image data in an output signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the information in the address table comprises:

rearranging output side addresses calculated in relation to at least one specific region of the output screen in accordance with an arrangement of corresponding address input side addresses.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein storing the information in the address table comprises:

storing portions of table information in the address table, wherein output side addresses in portions of the table information are rearranged according to input side addresses in relation to the at least one specific region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the geometrical position of each of the plurality of pixels of input side image data comprises:

providing the input side address as a decimal value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the real-time input side address is coincident with a stored input side address comprises:

selecting as a reference, a specific pixel corresponding to a whole number part of the input side address in the input side image data;

determining a brightness of the specific pixel by weighted interpolation using a value of a fractional part of the input side address based on brightness of a plurality of pixels adjacent to the specific pixel; and

establishing the brightness of the specific pixel as brightness of a pixel in the output side image data corresponding to the specific pixel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one line equivalent of data is stored in a buffer memory, and wherein determining whether the real-time input side address is coincident with a stored input side address comprises:

determining the brightness of the specific pixel belonging to a next line using brightness information associated with each pixel stored in the buffer memory.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the output side image data in a buffer memory into which the output side image data is written randomly using the output side address as a reference,

wherein the output side image data is stored whenever the real-time input side address of the each pixel is determined to be coincident with the stored input side address, and

wherein the output side image data is read from the buffer memory sequentially.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the output side image data in a buffer memory into which the output side image data is written sequentially whenever the real-time input side address of the each pixel is determined to be coincident with the stored input side address;

rearranging memory addresses of the buffer memory in accordance with the output side addresses; and

storing table information in a read-out address table,

wherein the table information stored in the read-out address table is obtained by correlating the memory addresses of the buffer memory to the output side addresses after rearranging the memory addresses of the buffer memory, and

wherein transmitting the output side image data is performed randomly based on the table information of the read-out address table.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the lens comprises a fish-eye lens having a wide-angle visual field.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein transforming the geometrical position of the object in the region comprises:

correcting distortion of the image in the region.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming the geometrical position of the object in the region comprises:

distorting the image in the region.

12. An image processing method, comprising:

extracting a region for display from an image captured by a lens based on one or more parameters, the one or more parameters including a parameter associated with one of pan, tilt, zoom or rotation;

transforming a geometrical position of an object in the region based on the parameter, including transforming geometrical position of each pixel in input image data obtained from an imaging device, wherein the each pixel corresponds to a pixel on an output display, and wherein the geometrical position of the each pixel in input image data based on an output signal of an imaging device;

storing table information in an address table, wherein the table information comprises a combination of information obtained by correlating an input side address with an output side address, wherein the input side address comprises an address of the each pixel of input side image data based on a calculated geometrical position and the output side address comprises a reference address corresponding to an address of the each pixel on the output display;

determining whether a real time input side address of the each pixel of the input side image data is coincident with the input side address stored in the address table;

combining the input side image data at the input side address with the corresponding output side address to form output side image data when the real time input side address is coincident with the input side address; and

transmitting the output side image data.

13. A method, comprising:

providing a digital signal representing an image captured by a lens;

extracting a region to be displayed in the image by setting a parameter related to at least one of pan, tilt, zoom and rotation;

calculating a geometrical position of each pixel in input side image data, the each pixel corresponding to each pixel on an output screen, wherein a predetermined transformation of a geometrical position of an object in the region is performed based on the parameter;

storing table information in an address table, wherein the table information comprises information obtained by correlating an input side address to an output side address, wherein the input side address comprises an address of the each pixel of the input side image data based on the calculated geometrical position, and wherein the output side address comprises an address of the each pixel on the output screen;

rearranging the output side addresses stored in the address table according to the input side addresses;

storing in an address table, information obtained by correlating the output side addresses to the input side addresses after the output side addresses have been rearranged; and

determining whether a real time version of the input side address of the each pixel of the input side image data is coincident with the input side address stored in the address table;

combining the input side image data at the input side address with the corresponding output side address to form output side image data; and

transmitting the output side image data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the table information stored in the address table comprises information which includes output side addresses based on calculated geometrical positions of pixels related to a specific region, wherein the output side addresses are rearranged in accordance with the input side addresses.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the address table stores information in which the output side addresses are rearranged in accordance with the input side addresses related to a plurality of specific regions.