Omni-directional camera and related viewing software

• US 9,930,225 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2012
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Villmer LLC
• Original Assignee: Villmer LLC
• Inventors: Villmer, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Volentine, Rebecca
• Application Number:
  US13/371,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,237 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00 Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3254 Orientation, e.g. landscape or portrait; Location or order of the image data, e.g. in memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3267 of motion picture signals, e.g. video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

Creating spherical video and corresponding audio utilizing a plurality of cameras by acquiring images via the cameras, processing the images, and mathematically converting and/or transforming the images into a combined spherical image file. A camera device creates the spherical image file and transfers it to devices running a viewer application, whereby the transfer occurs by saving the file to a storage file, streaming it to the devices via wired/wireless communication, or both.

Claims

1. An imaging system for creating and viewing media files containing omnidirectional image data, omnidirectional audio data, orientation data, position data and file data, said imaging system comprising:

a housing;

a computer processor;

a system memory, said system memory comprising computer-processor executable instructions for operating said imaging system;

an input/output port;

a wireless communication module;

a touch screen display for receiving user input;

at least two image sensors for acquiring image data, each of said image sensors comprising a lens system protruding outward from said housing in different directions, said image data collectively representing a 360°

×

360°

field of view;

at least two microphones for acquiring audio data, each of said microphones facing outward from said housing;

at least one speaker for playing audio data;

a triaxial orientation sensor for creating orientation data, said orientation data describing the rotation of said imaging system about its x-axis, y-axis and z-axis;

a Global Positioning System for creating position data, said position data describing the global position of said imaging system;

said executable instructions further comprising a method for creating a new media file containing omnidirectional image data, omnidirectional audio data, orientation data, position data and file data, said method comprising;

creating, by the processor, a new media file;

initiating, by the processor, a repeating acquisition process, said acquisition process comprising;

acquiring, by the processor, orientation data from said orientation sensor;

acquiring, by the processor, position data from said Global Positioning System;

acquiring, by the processor, audio data synchronously from each of said microphones;

acquiring, by the processor, image data synchronously from each of said image sensors;

selectively modifying, by the processor, said acquired image data from each of said image sensors, said modifying including at least one of cropping, scaling, rotating, converting, masking and vignette removal;

combining, by the processor, said modified image data from each of said image sensors into an omnidirectional image;

generating, by the processor, file data, said file data describing one or more properties of said new media file, said properties including date, time, size, duration, frame rate and format;

encoding, by the processor, said omnidirectional image;

encoding, by the processor, said acquired audio data from each of said microphones;

adding, by the processor, said encoded omnidirectional image, said encoded audio data, said acquired orientation data, said acquired position data and said generated file data into said new media file; and

transferring, by the processor, said new media file to a system memory via at least one of a wired connection and a wireless connection;

said executable instructions further comprising a method for interactively viewing a media file containing omnidirectional image data, omnidirectional audio data, orientation data, position data and file data, said method comprising;

executing, by the processor, an omnidirectional media viewer program;

receiving, by the processor, a media file containing omnidirectional image data, omnidirectional audio data, orientation data, position data and file data from a system memory via at least one of a wired connection and a wireless connection;

creating, by the processor, a 3D virtual environment;

creating, by the processor, a 3D render object inside said virtual environment, said render object having one or more properties based on said file data of said received media file, said properties including shape and size;

applying, by the processor, said image data of said received media file to one or more interior surfaces of said render object;

creating, by the processor, a 3D render camera inside said render object, said render camera defining a user view of said applied image data on said one or more interior surfaces of said render object, said user view determined by the rotation of said render camera about its x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, the rotation of said render object about its x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis and a zoom value of said render camera;

initiating, by the processor, a repeating render process, said render process comprising;

receiving, by the processor, user input via said touch screen display;

updating, by the processor, said image data of said received media file on said one or more interior surfaces of said render object;

updating, by the processor, said orientation data, said position data and said file data of said received media file;

selectively changing, by the processor, the rotation of said render camera about its x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis based on at least one of said received user input and said updated orientation data;

selectively changing, by the processor, the rotation of said render object about its x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis based on at least one of said received user input and said updated orientation data;

selectively changing, by the processor, said zoom value of said render camera based on said received user input;

selectively changing, by the processor, the volume of said received audio data based on at least one of said received user input and said updated orientation data;

selectively displaying, by the processor, a map on said touch screen display, said map based on at least one of said updated position data and said received user input;

updating, by the processor, said user view via said touch screen display; and

updating, by the processor, said received audio data via said at least one speaker.