Image generation device, camera device, image display device, and image generation method

• US 9,251,559 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuwada, Junya
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US14/499,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20150015738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/22 Cropping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/00 Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/80 Geometric correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A camera device is provided with: an imaging unit for generating an area image obtained by shooting an area from above; and a display image generation unit for generating a display image of a target moving in the area using a clip image which is clipped from the area image. In this case, a rotation angle of a current frame is calculated on the basis of the rotation angle of the previous frame and a reference angle of the current frame. As a result, a rapid change in an orientation of the target displayed in the display image can be suppressed.

Claims

1. An image generation device for generating a clip image from a wide-angle image, comprising:

a reference angle determination unit for obtaining a reference angle of a clip area in the wide-angle image;

a rotation angle storage unit for storing a rotation angle of a previous clip image;

a rotation angle calculation unit for obtaining the rotation angle with respect to the clip area on the basis of a previous rotation angle and the reference angle; and

an image clip unit for generating the clip image with respect to the clip area on the basis of the rotation angle obtained by the rotation angle calculation unit, wherein

the rotation angle calculation unit executes control so that a change amount of the rotation angle of the clip area does not exceed a predetermined angle.

2. The image generation device according to claim 1, wherein

the change amount of the rotation angle of the clip area is a difference between the previous rotation angle and the reference angle.

3. The image generation device according to claim 1, wherein

the rotation angle calculation unit makes the predetermined angle the change amount of the rotation angle of the clip area when the change amount of the rotation angle of the clip area exceeds the predetermined angle.

4. The image generation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reference position determination unit for determining a reference position of a clip area in a wide-angle image.

5. The image generation device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a target detection unit for detecting a target included in the wide-angle image, wherein

the reference position determination unit determines a reference position of the clip area on the basis of the target.

6. The image generation device according to claim 1, wherein

the wide-angle image is taken by using a fisheye lens.

7. The image generation device according to claim 1, wherein

the wide-angle image is taken from above.

8. The image generation device according to claim 1, wherein

if the clip area is present in a predetermined area of the wide-angle image, the image clip unit executes control so that a change amount of the rotation angle of the clip area does not exceed a predetermined angle.

9. The image generation device according to claim 8, wherein

the predetermined area is determined on the basis of a photograph reference position of the wide-angle image.

10. The image generation device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a reference position determination unit for determining a reference position of the clip area in the wide-angle image; and

an area determination unit for determining whether or not the clip area is included in the predetermined area on the basis of a distance between the reference position and the photograph reference position of the wide-angle image.

11. A camera device for generating a clip image from a wide-angle image, comprising:

an imaging unit for taking a wide-angle image;

a reference angle determination unit for obtaining a reference angle of the clip area in the wide-angle image taken by the imaging unit;

a rotation angle storage unit for storing a rotation angle of a previous clip image;

a rotation angle calculation unit for obtaining the rotation angle to the clip area on the basis of a previous rotation angle and the reference angle; and

an image clip unit for generating the clip image with respect to the clip area on the basis of the rotation angle obtained by the rotation angle calculation unit, wherein

the rotation angle calculation unit executes control so that a change amount of the rotation angle of the clip area does not exceed a predetermined angle.

12. An image display device for generating a clip image from a wide-angle image, comprising:

a reference angle determination unit for obtaining a reference angle of a clip area in the wide-angle image;

a rotation angle storage unit for storing a rotation angle of a previous clip image;

a rotation angle calculation unit for obtaining the rotation angle with respect to the clip area on the basis of a previous rotation angle and the reference angle;

an image clip unit for generating the clip image with respect to the clip area on the basis of the rotation angle obtained by the rotation angle calculation unit; and

a display unit for displaying the clip image, wherein

the rotation angle calculation unit executes control so that a change amount of the rotation angle of the clip area does not exceed a predetermined angle.

13. An image generation method for generating a clip image from a wide-angle image, comprising steps of:

obtaining a reference angle of a clip area in the wide-angle image;

obtaining a rotation angle of the clip image on the basis of the stored rotation angle of a previous clip image and the reference angle; and

generating the clip image with respect to the clip area on the basis of the rotation angle obtained in the step, wherein

when the rotation angle of the clip area is to be obtained, control is executed so that a change amount of the rotation angle of the clip image does not exceed a predetermined angle (α

).