SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING AN IMAGE INDICATING A POSITIONAL RELATION BETWEEN PARTIALLY OVERLAPPING IMAGES

• US 20090185054A1
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Published: 07/23/2009
• 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 8,681,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.990
• 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 device includes 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. 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.

Claims

1. 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.

2. The image capture device of claim 1, 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.

3. The image capture device of claim 1, 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.

4. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of the synthesized images stored in the image memory include corresponding, overlapping portions.

5. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein the image capture device is a camera.