Panorama picture synthesis apparatus and method, recording medium storing panorama synthesis program 9

• US 6,392,658 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1999
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Oura, Koutatsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): SaJous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US09/391,945
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/474, 345/418-419, 345/421, 345/619-621, 345/624-625, 345/629-630, 345/638, 348/121, 348/96, 348/38-39, 348/47-48, 348/36, 382/282-284, 358/87, 396/20, 396/326, 396/322
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

A panorama picture synthesis apparatus synthesizes a panorama picture from a plurality of picture data obtained by capturing a plurality of parts of an object such that they overlap one another. The panorama picture synthesis apparatus comprises a whole picture display section for displaying a whole picture including all pictures constituting the panorama picture, a partial picture designating section for designating a plurality of partial pictures within a predetermined range of the whole picture, an automatic synthesizing section for synthesizing the partial pictures designated by the partial picture designating section by automatically joining them to construct an automatically synthesized picture, a manual synthesizing section for dividing the automatically synthesized picture into divided pictures in accordance with a predetermined operation, and for synthesizing the divided pictures by manually joining them to construct a manually synthesized picture, and a partial picture display section for displaying the pictures synthesized by the automatic synthesizing section or the manual synthesizing section in an enlarged size on a screen simultaneously with the whole picture.

Claims

1. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus for synthesizing a panorama picture from a plurality of picture data obtained by capturing a plurality of parts of an object such that they overlap one another, said panorama picture synthesis apparatus comprising:

a whole picture display section configured to display a whole picture including all pictures constituting the panorama picture;

a partial picture designating section configured to designate a plurality of partial pictures within a predetermined range of the whole picture;

an automatic synthesizing section configured to synthesize the partial pictures designated by the partial picture designating section by automatically joining them to construct an automatically synthesized picture;

a manual synthesizing section configured to divide the automatically synthesized picture into divided pictures in accordance with a predetermined operation, and synthesize the divided pictures by manually joining them to construct a manually synthesized picture; and

a partial picture display section configured to display the pictures synthesized by the automatic synthesizing section or the manual synthesizing section in an enlarged size on a screen simultaneously with the whole picture.

2. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partial picture designating section includes an identifying section configured to automatically identify a panorama picture from the whole picture.

3. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the whole picture display section includes a frame display section configured to display a frame around the partial pictures designated by the partial picture designating section.

4. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display section configured to display a region among the whole picture which corresponds to the synthesis picture synthesized by the automatic synthesizing section or the manual synthesizing section in place of a synthesis picture synthesized by the automatic synthesizing section or the manual synthesizing section.

5. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a scroll section configured to scroll a frame displayed around the designated partial pictures.

6. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein-the automatic synthesizing section includes a processing section configured to rearrange the plurality of picture data in a predetermined order based on identification information of the picture data and to output rearranged picture data, and perform an operation of successively joining the rearranged picture data, thereby producing a panorama picture.

7. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the automatic synthesizing section discriminates pictures intended for panorama synthesis based on identification names appended to normal pictures and the pictures intended for panorama synthesis, and automatically joins the pictures intended for panorama synthesis successively.

8. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when a joining process by the automatic synthesizing section is interrupted, the whole picture display section displays a partially processed picture obtained before interruption.

9. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the whole picture display section displays a frame enclosing a region of the whole picture, and displays in an enlarged size the region of the whole picture which is enclosed by the frame as a partial picture.

10. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the whole picture display section and the partial picture display section display a whole preview and a partial preview of a synthesized result simultaneously in a same window.

11. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the whole picture display section and the partial picture display section display part of a synthesized result in an enlarged size to confirm whether a joined portion is correctly synthesized, and display a frame indicating a partial preview in a whole preview.

12. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manual synthesizing section confirms whether the partial pictures joined by the automatic synthesizing section are correctly synthesized, and selectively rejoins the partial pictures joined by the automatic synthesizing section.

13. A panorama picture synthesis apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the manual synthesizing section selects two pictures to be rejoined, separates the two pictures to generate separated pictures, selects two connecting points of the separated pictures, and drags the two connecting points to other positions, to rejoin to two pictures.

14. A panorama picture synthesis method comprising the steps of:

displaying a whole picture including all pictures constructing a panorama picture from a plurality of picture data obtained by capturing a plurality of parts of an object such that they overlap one another;

designating a plurality of partial pictures within a predetermined range of the whole picture;

synthesizing the partial pictures designated by the partial picture designating step by automatically joining them to construct an automatically synthesized picture;

dividing the synthesized picture into divided pictures in accordance with a predetermined operation, and synthesizing the divided pictures by manually joining them to construct a manually synthesized picture; and

enlarging the pictures synthesized by the automatic synthesizing step or the manual synthesizing step and displaying the enlarged pictures on a screen simultaneously with the whole picture.

15. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, wherein the partial picture designating step includes a step of automatically identifying a panorama picture from the whole picture.

16. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, wherein the partial picture designating step includes a step of displaying a frame around the partial pictures designated by the partial picture designating section.

17. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of displaying a region among the whole picture which corresponds to the synthesized picture synthesized by the automatically synthesizing step or the manually synthesizing step in place of a partial picture synthesized by the automatically synthesizing step or the manually synthesizing step.

18. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, further comprising a scrolling step of scrolling a frame displayed around the designated partial pictures.

19. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, wherein the automatic synthesizing step includes a step of rearranging the plurality of picture data in a predetermined order based on identification information of the picture data to generate rearranged picture data, and successively joining the rearranged picture data, thereby producing a panorama picture.

20. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, wherein the automatically synthesizing step includes a step of discriminating pictures intended for panorama synthesis based on identification names appended to normal pictures and the pictures intended for panorama synthesis, and automatically rejoining the pictures intended for panorama synthesis successively.

21. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 20, further comprising a step of, when a rejoining process of the automatic synthesizing step is interrupted, displaying a partially processed picture obtained before interruption.

22. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of displaying a frame enclosing a region of the whole picture, and displaying in an enlarged size the region enclosed by the frame as a partial picture.

23. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of displaying a whole preview and a partial preview of a synthesized result simultaneously in a same window.

24. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of displaying part of a synthesized result in an enlarged size to confirm whether a joined portion is correctly synthesized, and displaying a frame indicating a partial preview in a whole preview.

25. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of confirming whether the partial pictures joined by the automatically synthesizing step are correctly synthesized, and selectively rejoining the partial pictures joined by the automatically synthesizing step.

26. A panorama picture synthesis method according to claim 25, further comprising a step of selecting two pictures to be rejoined, separating the two pictures to generate separated pictures, selecting two connecting points of the separated pictures, and dragging the two connecting points to other positions, to rejoin the two pictures.

27. A recording medium storing a panorama picture synthesis program, readable by a computer and used for controlling the computer to synthesize a panorama picture from a plurality of picture data obtained by capturing a plurality of parts of an object such that they overlap one another, said program comprising:

instruction means for instructing the computer to display a whole picture including all pictures constituting the panorama picture;

instruction means for instructing the computer to designate a plurality of partial pictures within a predetermined range of the whole picture;

instruction means for instructing the computer to synthesize the designated partial pictures by automatically joining them to construct an automatically synthesized picture;

instruction means for instructing the computer to divide the automatically synthesized picture into divided pictures in accordance with a predetermined operation, and synthesize the divided pictures by manually joining them to construct a manually synthesized picture; and

instruction means for instructing the computer to display the pictures synthesized by the automatically synthesizing or the manually synthesizing in an enlarged size on a screen simultaneously with the whole picture.