Method, apparatus and computer program product for generating panorama images

• US 9,342,866 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2012
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Putraya, Gururaj, Muninder, Veldandi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hung, Yubin
• Application Number:
  US13/494,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20130004100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 382/284, 345/634, 345/635, 348/584, 348/588
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/32 involving image mosaicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

In accordance with an example embodiment a method and apparatus is provided. The method comprises facilitating receiving of a first image and a second image. The method also comprises facilitating receiving of location information of a movable object and generating a panorama image based on the first image, the second image and the location information of the movable object.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

facilitating at least in part receiving of a first image and a second image;

facilitating receiving of location information of a movable object, wherein the movable object can change position between the first image and the second image;

tracking movement of the moveable object, wherein the tracking of the movement of the movable object includes tracking local movement within the image while the images are being captured and as the movable object is moving relative to a separate non-movable object within the image; and

generating a panorama image based at least on the first image, the second image, the movement, and the location information of the movable object.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location information of the movable object comprises location information in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein facilitating receipt of the location information comprises:

identifying presence of the movable object in viewfinders of at least the first image and the second image; and

determining points associated with the movable object in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising storing the location information.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein generating the panorama image comprises determining an image registration matrix of the first image and the second image, wherein the image registration matrix is determined by discarding points associated with the movable object.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

warping the first image and the second image based on the image registration matrix;

labelling a seam in the overlapping regions of warped images of the at least one of the first image and the second image based on the points associated with the movable object; and

blending the first image and the second image along the seam to generate the panorama image.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein labelling the seam comprises defining the seam such that the seam does not pass through the movable object when the movable object is moving relative to a separate non-movable object within the image, and wherein defining the seam is based, at least partially, on information of the points associated with the movable object.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location information of the movable object comprises coordinates of points corresponding to legs of the movable object.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

facilitate at least in part receiving of a first image and a second image;

facilitate receiving of location information of a movable object, wherein the movable object can move from a first position to another different position of the images;

track local movement of the moveable object while the images are being captured and as the movable object is moving relative to a separate non-movable object within the image; and

generate a panorama image based at least on the first image, the second image, the movement, and the location information of the movable object.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the location information of the movable object comprises location information in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein, to facilitate receipt of the location information, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:

identify presence of the movable object in viewfinders of the first image and the second image; and

determine points associated with the movable object in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, store the location information.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein, to generate the panorama image, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, determine an image registration matrix of the first image and the second image, wherein to determine the image registration points associated with the movable object are discarded.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to:

warp the first image and the second image based on the image registration matrix;

label a seam in the overlapping regions of warped images of the at least one of the first image and the second image based on the points associated with the movable object; and

blend the first image and the second image along the seam to generate the panorama image.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein, to label the seam, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, define the seam such that the seam does not pass through the movable object when the movable object is moving relative to a separate non-movable object within the image, and wherein defining the seam is based, at least partially, on information of the points associated with the movable object.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the movable object comprises a non-living object.

17. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus at least to:

facilitate at least in part receiving of a first image and a second image;

facilitate receiving of location information of a movable object, wherein the movable object can change position between the first image and the second image;

track local movement of the movable object while the images are being captured and as the movable object is moving relative to a separate non-movable object within the image; and

generate a panorama image based at least on the first image, the second image, the movement, and the location information of the movable object.

18. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein the location information of the movable object comprises location information in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

19. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein, to facilitate receipt of the location information, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to by:

identify presence of the movable object in viewfinders of the first image and the second image; and

determine points associated with the movable object in overlapping regions of the first image and the second image.

20. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, store the location information.

21. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein, to generate the panorama image, the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to, determine an image registration matrix of the first image and the second image, wherein to determine the image registration matrix, points associated with the movable object are discarded.

22. The computer program product as claimed in claim 21, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part to:

warp the first image and the second image based on the image registration matrix;

label a seam in the overlapping regions of warped images of the at least one of the first image and the second image based on the points associated with the movable object; and

blend the first image and the second image along the seam to generate the panorama image.