Multi-imager video camera with frame-by-frame view switching

• US 9,635,273 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gn Audio A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Original Assignee: Altia Systems Inc. (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Inventors: Sarwari, Atif M., Alam, Naveed, Mazhar, Khurshed
• Primary Examiner(s): MIKESKA, NEIL R
• Application Number:
  US14/271,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20150009350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• 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 5/265 Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

One embodiment relates to a method of outputting multiple views from a networked camera. Each imager of an array of imagers in the camera captures image frames and transmits the captured image frames to an associated image flow processor. Each image flow processor processes the captured image frames and transmits the processed image frames to a multi-imager video processor. An updating of parameters for said processing by each image flow processor is performed on a frame-by-frame basis. Another embodiment relates to a video camera including a plurality of imagers, a plurality of image flow processors, a multi-imager video processor, and a plurality of update queues. Other embodiments and features are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A video camera apparatus comprising:

a plurality of imagers, each imager comprising a sensor array that is configured to capture image frames;

a plurality of image flow processors, each image flow processor being configured to receive and process the image frames captured from at least one said sensor array; and

a multi-imager video processor configured to receive the processed image frames from the plurality of image flow processors; and

a plurality of update queues, each update queue being associated with an image flow processor;

wherein each update queue comprises a sequence of parameters corresponding to a plurality of views,

each requested by a different user;

wherein said sequence of parameters causes each imager to switch views on a frame-by-frame basis resulting in the capture of simultaneous different views, each corresponding to a different user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an entry in an update queue provides parameters to be applied by the associated image flow processor and/or an imager to process a single image frame.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the parameters include cropping parameters.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the parameters include cropping parameters which provide information to perform a horizontal cropping of single image frame.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the multi-imager video processor is further configured to apply a vertical cropping of the single image frame.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the parameters include re-sizing parameters which provide information to perform re-sizing of the single image frame.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the imagers are arranged in a plurality of groups, and wherein the image flow processors are configured to receive the image frames from one said group at a time.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the imagers in a first group are optimized for daylight viewing conditions, and the imagers in a second group are optimized for nightlight viewing conditions.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the imagers in a first group are configured for lower resolution viewing, and the imagers in a second group are configured for higher resolution viewing.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the imagers in a first group are configured to have a combined field of view of 180 degrees, the imagers in a second group are configured to have a combined field of view of 180 degrees, and wherein the imagers in the first group are arranged above the imagers in the second group.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of barrel lenses, each barrel lens configured to receive and focus light onto the sensor array of an associated imager.