Image capturing method, panorama image generating method and electronic apparatus

• US 9,986,155 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Edward, Wu, Tung-Peng
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Philip
• Application Number:
  US14/477,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20160073021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/32 involving image mosaicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/403 Edge-driven scaling; Edge-based scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/181 involving edge growing; involving edge linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen

Abstract

An image capturing method, a panorama image generating method and an electronic apparatus are provided in this disclosure. The image capturing method includes steps of: calculating feature points within a first image shot by the electronic apparatus; calculating a maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along a direction according to a distribution of the feature points within the first image; and, shooting a second image automatically when the electronic apparatus has been rotated through the maximal rotation angle along the direction.

Claims

1. An image capturing method, suitable for an electronic apparatus, the image capturing method comprising:

calculating a plurality of feature points within a first image shot by the electronic apparatus, wherein the first image includes one or more objects;

calculating a maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along a direction according to a distribution of the feature points within the first image, wherein the maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along the direction is calculated according to a density of the feature points around a side edge of the first image corresponding to the direction, and the maximal rotation angle is positively correlated to the density of the feature points around the side edge; and

shooting a second image automatically when the electronic apparatus has been rotated by the maximal rotation angle along the direction;

wherein the first image is captured by the electronic apparatus when the electronic apparatus is at an initial orientation, and the feature points correspond to at least boundaries of each of said one or more objects in the first image at the initial orientation, wherein when said one or more objects comprises a plurality of objects, the objects comprise both animate and inanimate objects.

2. The image capturing method of claim 1, wherein the maximal rotation angle is calculated by counting a number of the feature points covered by an overlapping portion between the first image and the second image scheduled to be shot and keeping the number of the feature points covered by the overlapping portion of the first image above a threshold value.

3. The image capturing method of claim 1, wherein the first image comprises a plurality of side edges, the image capturing method calculates a plurality of maximal rotation angles of the electronic apparatus rotating along horizontal directions toward left and right or vertical directions toward up and down respectively according to the densities of the feature points around the corresponding side edges, and each of the maximal rotation angles is positively correlated to the density of the feature points around corresponding one of the side edges.

4. The image capturing method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the initial orientation of the electronic apparatus when the first image is shot;

detecting a dynamic orientation of the electronic apparatus; and

determining whether the electronic apparatus has been rotated by the maximal rotation angle along the direction or not according to a relative difference between the dynamic orientation and the initial orientation.

5. The image capturing method of claim 1, wherein after the maximal rotation angle is calculated, the image capturing method further comprising:

prompting the maximal rotation angle along the direction on a user interface of the electronic apparatus.

6. The image capturing method of claim 1, wherein the first image and the second image are configured to be jointed as a panorama image.

7. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a motion sensor configured for sensing an orientation of the electronic apparatus;

an image capturing unit;

a display unit configured for displaying a user interface; and

a processing unit coupled with the motion sensor, the image capturing unit and the display unit,

wherein, in response to the image capturing unit shoots a first image, the processing unit is configured for calculating a plurality of feature points within the first image, calculating a maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along a direction according to a distribution of the feature points within the first image, and prompting a relative position of the maximal rotation angle on the user interface, wherein the first image includes one or more objects,

in response to the motion sensor detects that the electronic apparatus has been rotated by the maximal rotation angle along the direction, the processing unit is configured for driving the image capturing unit to shoot a second image, the first image and the second image are configured to be jointed as a panorama image;

wherein the maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along the direction is calculated according to a density of the feature points around a farthest side edge of the first image in the direction, and the maximal rotation angle is positively correlated to the density of the feature points around said farthest side edge;

wherein the first image is captured by the image capturing unit when the electronic apparatus is at an initial orientation, and the feature points correspond to at least boundaries of each of said one or more objects in the first image at the initial orientation, wherein when said one or more objects comprises a plurality of objects, the objects comprise both animate and inanimate objects.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 7, wherein the motion sensor detects a dynamic orientation of the electronic apparatus, the processing unit utilizes a relative difference between the dynamic orientation and the initial orientation to determine whether the electronic apparatus has been rotated by the maximal rotation angle along the direction or not.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 7, wherein the motion sensor comprises at least one from a gyro sensor, an electronic compass and a gravity sensor.

19. The electronic apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing unit extracts the feature points from the first image by using an edge detection algorithm.

10. A panorama image generating method, suitable for an electronic apparatus, the panorama image generating method comprising:

calculating a plurality of first feature points within a first image shot by the electronic apparatus, wherein the first image includes one or more objects;

calculating a first maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along a first direction according to a first distribution of the first feature points within the first image;

shooting a second image automatically when the electronic apparatus has been rotated by the first maximal rotation angle along the first direction; and

jointing the first image and the second image as a first panorama image;

wherein the first maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along the first direction is calculated according to a density of the first feature points around a side edge of the first image corresponding to the first direction, and the first maximal rotation angle is positively correlated to the density of the first feature points around the side edge of the first image;

wherein the first image is captured by the electronic apparatus when the electronic apparatus is at an initial orientation, and the feature points correspond to at least boundaries of each of said one or more objects in the first image at the initial orientation, wherein when said one or more objects comprises a plurality of objects, the objects comprise both animate and inanimate objects.

11. The panorama image generating method of claim 10, further comprising:

calculating a plurality of second feature points within the first panorama image;

calculating a second maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along a second direction according to a second distribution of the second feature points within the first panorama image;

shooting a third image automatically when the electronic apparatus has been rotated by the second maximal rotation angle along the second direction; and

jointing the third image and the first panorama image as a second panorama image.

12. The panorama image generating method of claim 11, wherein the second maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along the second direction is calculated according to a density of the second feature points around a side edge of the first panorama image corresponding to the second direction, and the second maximal rotation angle is positively correlated to the density of the second feature points around the side edge.

13. The panorama image generating method of claim 12, wherein the second maximal rotation angle is calculated by counting a number of the second feature points covered by an overlapping portion between the first panorama image and the third image scheduled to be shot and keeping the number of the feature points covered by the overlapping portion of the first panorama image above a threshold value.

14. The panorama image generating method of claim 11, wherein the first panorama image comprises a plurality of side edges, the image capturing method calculates a plurality of second maximal rotation angles of the electronic apparatus rotating along horizontal directions toward left and right or vertical directions toward up and down respectively according to the densities of the second feature points around the corresponding side edges, and each of the maximal rotation angles is positively correlated to the density of the second feature points around corresponding one of the side edges.

15. The panorama image generating method of claim 10, wherein the first maximal rotation angle of the electronic apparatus rotating along the first direction is calculated according to a density of the first feature points around a side edge of the first image corresponding to the first direction, and the first maximal rotation angle is positively correlated to the density of the first feature points around the side edge.

16. The panorama image generating method of claim 15, wherein the first maximal rotation angle is calculated by counting a number of the first feature points covered by an overlapping portion between the first image and the second image scheduled to be shot and keeping the number of the first feature points covered by the overlapping portion of the first image above a threshold value.

17. The panorama image generating method of claim 10, wherein the first image comprises a plurality of side edges, the image capturing method calculates a plurality of first maximal rotation angles of the electronic apparatus rotating along horizontal directions toward left and right or vertical directions toward up and down respectively according to the densities of the first feature points around the corresponding side edges, and each of the first maximal rotation angles is positively correlated to the density of the first feature points around corresponding one of the side edges.

18. The panorama image generating method of claim 11, wherein after the first maximal rotation angle or the second maximal rotation angle is calculated, the image capturing method further comprising:

prompting the first maximal rotation angle or the second maximal rotation angle on a user interface of the electronic apparatus.