Wide-angle image pickup unit and measuring device

• US 9,733,080 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
• Inventors: Otani, Hitoshi, Ohtomo, Fumio, Kumagai, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fereja, Samuel D
• Application Number:
  US13/393,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20120162360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,533 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 11/06 by comparison of two or more pictures of the same area
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/00 Special procedures for taking photographs; Apparatus therefor
• 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

Abstract

The invention provides a wide-angle image pickup unit, comprising at least two cameras (4a and 4b) to take digital images, wherein the two cameras are arranged in such a manner that optical axes (11a and 11b) of the two cameras cross perpendicularly each other on a same plane and images of wide field angle α with the crossing point O as a center enable to be acquired, and wherein parts of field angles of the two cameras are superimposed on each other and an overlapping portion is formed by the two images superimposed on each other, and stereoscopic measurement can be performed based on the two images of the overlapping portion.

Claims

1. A wide-angle image pickup unit, comprising a predetermined number of cameras to take digital images, wherein said predetermined number of cameras are arranged such that optical axes of said predetermined number of cameras cross each other on a same plane at one crossing point and said optical axes of said predetermined number of cameras are provided in radial direction at a predetermined angular interval so that total circumferential images with said crossing point as a center are acquired, wherein a field angle of each camera of said predetermined number of cameras is equal in size and is of a size such that end portions of field angles of adjacent cameras of said predetermined number of cameras are superimposed on each other and form overlapping portions, wherein end portions of adjacent overlapping portions are further superimposed on each other, and an angle formed by said optical axes of said adjacent cameras is 360°

divided by said predetermined number of cameras, and the size is such that said overlapping portions are formed over a total circumference, wherein a total circumferential image is obtained using only said overlapping portions formed by said predetermined number of cameras and stereoscopic measurement is performed in an arbitrary direction and at an arbitrary position based on two images of said overlapping portion, and wherein said wide-angle image pickup unit further comprises a displacement amount measuring means and a calculation processing unit, wherein said calculation processing unit performs measurement of three-dimensional coordinates by said stereoscopic measurement in case an object to be measured is at a short distance and is present on said overlapping portion, and said calculation processing unit acquires three-dimensional coordinates of an object to be measured according to images taken from two different points and according to a distance between said two points obtained by said displacement amount measuring means in case an object to be measured is at a long distance.

2. A wide-angle image pickup unit according to claim 1, wherein said calculation processing unit calculates three-dimensional coordinates of an object to be measured being present on said overlapping portion based on a distance between said two cameras, on a focal distance of the camera, and on the images superimposed on each other on said overlapping portion.

3. A wide-angle image pickup unit according to claim 2, further comprising a display unit with a touch panel function, wherein three-dimensional coordinates of a designated position are determined by designating an arbitrary position on said overlapping portion displayed on said display unit.

4. A measuring system comprising a wide-angle image pickup unit, a displacement amount measuring means, and a calculation processing unit, wherein said wide-angle image pickup unit has a predetermined number of cameras to take digital images, and said predetermined number of cameras are arranged such that optical axes of said predetermined number of cameras cross each other on a same plane at one crossing point and said optical axes of said predetermined number of cameras are provided in radial direction at a predetermined angular interval such that total circumference images with said crossing point as a center are acquired and wherein a field angle of each camera of said predetermined number of cameras is equal in size and is of a size such that end portions of field angles of adjacent cameras of said predetermined number of cameras are superimposed on each other and form overlapping portions, wherein end portions of adjacent overlapping portions are further superimposed on each other, and an angle formed by said optical axes of said adjacent cameras of said predetermined number of cameras is 360°

divided by said predetermined number of cameras and the size is such that said overlapping portions are formed over a total circumference, wherein a total circumferential image is obtained using only said overlapping portions formed by said predetermined number of cameras, wherein said calculation processing unit calculates three-dimensional coordinates of an object to be measured being present in an arbitrary direction and at an arbitrary position on said overlapping portion by stereoscopic measurement based on a distance between said adjacent cameras, on a focal distance of said camera, and on the images superimposed on each other on said overlapping portion, and wherein said calculation processing unit performs measurement of three-dimensional coordinates by said stereoscopic measurement in case an object to be measured is at a short distance and is present on said overlapping portion, and said calculation processing unit acquires three-dimensional coordinates of an object to be measured according to images taken from two different points and according to a distance between said two points obtained by said displacement amount measuring means in case an object to be measured is at a long distance.

5. A measuring system according to claim 4, further comprising a display unit having a touch panel function, wherein three-dimensional coordinates at a designated position are measured by designating an arbitrary position on said overlapping portion displayed on said display unit.

6. A measuring system according claim 4, wherein said displacement amount measuring means is a GPS unit, and said GPS unit, said wide-angle image pickup unit, and said calculation processing unit are installed on a mobile object, and a present position of the mobile object is measured by said GPS unit.