System and method for displaying an image indicating a positional relation between partially overlapping images

• US 20040218833A1
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guan Haike, Koichi Ejiri, Shin Aoki, Takashi Saitoh, Takuji Sakamoto
• Original Assignee: Guan Haike, Koichi Ejiri, Shin Aoki, Takashi Saitoh, Takuji Sakamoto
• Inventors: Aoki, Shin, Saitoh, Takashi, Haike, Guan, Sakamoto, Takuji, Ejiri, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,298,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/284
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/32 involving image mosaicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20021 Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/223 using block-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

A camera system includes a display monitor which displays an image of an object, taken by an optical unit, on a screen of the monitor. A reading unit reads a preceding image and a current image among a plurality of partially overlapping images, from a memory device, the preceding image and the current image containing a common element. A determining unit determines a positional relation between the preceding image and the current image based on a common pattern derived from the common element in the two adjacent images read by the reading unit. A displaying unit displays an image indicating a boundary of the preceding image on the screen of the monitor at a shifted position according to the positional relation determined by the determining unit, with the current image concurrently displayed on the screen of the monitor.

Claims

1-16. -16:

(canceled).

17. :

A device comprising;

a display monitor configured to display on a screen of the display monitor at least one of a current image and a preceding image taken by an optical unit;

a storage unit configured to store the preceding image; and

a control unit configured to display a part of the preceding image on the screen when the current image is displayed on the screen, the displayed part of the preceding image indicating a positional relationship between the current image and the preceding image,

wherein the current image is taken when the displayed part of the preceding image substantially overlaps a corresponding portion of the current image such that the current image and the preceding image can be processed to form a panoramic image.

18. :

The device of claim 17, further comprising;

a housing configured to support the display monitor, the storage unit, and the control unit.

19. :

The device of claim 18, wherein the image capture device is a portable still camera.

20. :

A device comprising;

a display monitor configured to display on a screen of the display monitor at least one of a current image and a preceding image taken by an optical unit;

a storage unit configured to store the preceding image;

a control unit configured to display a part of the preceding image on the screen when the current image is displayed on the screen, the displayed part of the preceding image indicating a positional relationship between the current image and the preceding image; and

a mode selection switch configured to allow selection between operational modes of the device.

21. :

The device of claim 20, further comprising;

a housing configured to support the display monitor, the storage unit, the control unit, and the mode selection switch.

22. :

The device of claim 21, wherein the device is a portable still camera.

23. :

The device of claim 20, wherein the mode selection switch allows selection between a normal shooting mode and a divisional shooting mode.

24. :

A image capture device comprising;

a display monitor configured to display on a screen of the display monitor at least one of a current image and a preceding image taken by an optical unit;

a storage unit configured to store the preceding image; and

a control unit configured to display a part of the preceding image on the screen when the current image is displayed on the screen, the displayed part of the preceding image indicating a positional relationship between the current image and the preceding image, wherein,

the preceding image is captured when the image capture device is in a first position, and

the image capture device is panned in a desired direction such that the image capture device is in a second position to capture the current image.

25. :

The image capture device of claim 24, wherein the image capture device is a camera.

26. :

The image capture device of claim 24, wherein the second position is selected such that the displayed part of the preceding image overlaps a corresponding portion of the current image.

27. :

A method of capturing overlapping images with a image capture device, comprising;

capturing a first image when a lens of the image capture device is in a first position;

storing the first image;

moving the lens to a second position;

displaying at least a part of the first image aligned with at least a part of a second image; and

capturing the second image.

28. :

The method of claim 27, wherein the step of moving the lens includes panning the lens from the first position to the second position.

29. :

The method of claim 27, wherein the step of moving the lens includes moving the lens up, down, right, left, or in a slanted direction from the first position to the second position.

30. :

The method of claim 27, further comprising;

arranging the image capture device as a camera.

31. :

An image capture device, comprising;

a video control unit configured to store a digital image with corresponding auxiliary data;

an image memory configured to store the synthesized image; and

a processing unit configured to add a frame number associated with the digital image to the auxiliary data, the frame number identifying the synthesized image among a plurality of synthesized images stored in the image memory, and configured to generate a synthesized image based on the digital image and the auxiliary data.

32. :

The image capture device of claim 31, further comprising;

a display monitor including a screen; and

a control unit configured to display a part of the synthesized image on the screen when a second digital image is displayed on the screen, the displayed part of the synthesized image indicating a positional relationship between the second digital image and the synthesized image.

33. :

The image capture device of claim 31, wherein the video control unit includes,

a first frame buffer configured to store the digital image, and

a second frame buffer configured to store the auxiliary data.

34. :

The image capture device of claim 31, wherein at least two of the plurality of the synthesized images stored in the image memory include corresponding, overlapping portions.

35. :

The image capture device of claim 31, wherein the image capture device is a camera.

36. :

A device comprising;

a sensor configured to generate an optical axis direction signal representing an optical axis direction of the image capture device;

a video control unit configured to generate a digital image, and configured to store the digital image with corresponding auxiliary data; and

a processing unit configured to,

add the optical axis direction signal to the auxiliary data, and

determine a positional relationship between the digital image and a second digital image by comparing the optical axis direction signal to a second optical axis direction signal associated with the second digital image.

37. :

The device of claim 36, wherein the processing unit is configured to generate a synthesized image based on the digital image and the auxiliary data, and further comprising;

an image memory configured to store the synthesized image.

38. :

The device of claim 37, further comprising;

a display monitor including a screen; and

a control unit configured to display a part of the synthesized image on the screen when the second digital image is displayed on the screen, the displayed part of the synthesized image indicating the positional relationship between the second digital image and the synthesized image.

39. :

The device of claim 36, wherein the device is a camera.

40. :

A method of capturing overlapping images, comprising;

capturing a first image when an optical axis is in a first position;

storing the first image;

displaying a part of the first image;

moving the optical axis from the first position;

stopping movement of the optical axis when the displayed part of the first image is overlapped with a corresponding portion of a second image such that a composite image can be subsequently generated from the first image and the second image; and

capturing the second image.

41. :

The method of claim 40, wherein the steps of capturing the first image, storing the first image, displaying the part of the first image, and capturing the second image are performed by a digital camera.

42. :

An image capture device, comprising;

an image sensor;

a display;

a memory, connected to the image sensor, for storing images from the image sensor;

a processing system, connected to the display, the memory, and the image sensor, configured to display at least part of a first image from the memory on the display while simultaneously displaying at least part of a second image on the display so that a user can align the displayed at least part of the second image with the displayed at least part of the first image.

43. :

An image capture device according to claim 42, further comprising;

a shutter release button configured to allow the user to capture the second image while the displayed at least part of the first image and the displayed part of the at least second image are simultaneously displayed.

44. :

An image capture device according to claim 43, wherein in the processing system is further configured to process the first and second images into a panoramic image, after the first and second images are captured.

45. :

An image capture device according to claim 43, further comprising;

a mode selection input device which indicates to the processing system that images are to be captured which will subsequently be processed to create a panoramic image.

46. :

An image capture device according to claim 45, wherein in the processing system is further configured to process the first and second images into a panoramic image, after the first and second images are captured.

47. :

An image capture device, comprising;

an image sensor;

a display;

a memory, connected to the image sensor, for storing images from the image sensor;

means for processing, connected to the display, the memory, and the image sensor, for generating a display of at least part of a first image from the memory on the display while simultaneously generating a display of at least part of a second image on the display so that a user can align the displayed at least part of the second image with the displayed at least part of the first image.

48. :

An image capture device according to claim 47, further comprising;

a shutter release button configured to allow the user to capture the second image while the displayed at least part of the first image and the displayed part of the at least second image are simultaneously displayed.

49. :

An image capture device according to claim 48, wherein in the means for processing further comprises;

means for processing the first and second images into a panoramic image, after the first and second images are captured.

50. :

An image capture device according to claim 48, further comprising;

a mode selection input device which indicates to the processing system that images are to be captured which will subsequently be processed to create a panoramic image.

51. :

An image capture device according to claim 50, wherein the processing system is further configured to process the first and second images into a panoramic image, after the first and second images are captured.

52. :

A method, comprising;

viewing a first image;

capturing the first image;

displaying at least part of the first image;

displaying, simultaneous to the displaying of the at least part of the first image, at least part of the second image so that the at least part of the second image can be aligned with the displayed at least part of the first image; and

capturing the second image.

53. :

A method according to claim 52, further comprising;

setting, prior to the displaying at least part of the second image, a mode to indicate that images which are to form a composite panoramic image are to be captured.

54. :

A method according to claim 53, further comprising;

processing the captured first and second images into a composite panoramic image.

55. :

A method according to claim 54, wherein the step of processing the captured first and second images into a composite panoramic image is performed by a digital camera.