System and method for a software steerable web camera with multiple image subset capture

• US 7,071,968 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.), Vulcan Ventures Inc. (Vulcan, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digeo Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Novak, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Ngoc-Yen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hannett, James M.
• Application Number:
  US09/923,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20020141658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.1, 348/211.9
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling the capture of an image of an object, includes: a lens capable to capture a scene within a wide field of vision of the lens; an image collection array communicatively coupled to the lens and capable to store data of the scene within the wide field of vision; a memory communicatively coupled to the image collection array and capable to store digitized data of the scene within the wide field of vision; and a processing stage communicatively coupled to the memory and capable to select a plurality of subsets of the digitized data of the scene in order to generate an image of the captured scene.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the capture of an image of an object in a camera field of vision, the method comprising:

storing, in an image collection army, data of a scene within the field of vision of a wide-angle lens;

storing, in memory, digitized data of the scene within the field of vision;

selecting a plurality of subsets of the digitized data of the scene;

performing distortion compensation on each of the plurality of subsets of the digitized data of the scene to correct for distortion caused by the wide-angle lens; and

transmitting individually each of the subsets of distortion compensated digitized data to a destination device for simultaneous display thereon.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of subsets of the digitized scene image data are selected serially.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

reconstructing the selected plurality of subsets into an integrated output image.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a subset corresponds to a focus area in the scene.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the camera is used to transmit images in a network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the camera is communicatively coupled to a first unit that is capable to transmit images in a network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting the subsets is controlled by a first unit that is capable to transmit images in a network.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the camera is communicatively coupled to a companion unit that is capable of being communicatively coupled to a first unit for transmitting images in a network.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting the subsets is controlled by a companion unit that is capable of being communicatively coupled to a first unit for transmitting images in a network.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the camera is communicatively coupled to a processing device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting the subsets is controlled by a processing device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing compression on the selected subsets of the digitized data of the scene.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

simultaneously displaying each of the subsets of the digitized data of the scene on a destination device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the selected subsets of the digitized scene image data is selected based on detected activity in the scene.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the selected subsets of the digitized scene image data is selected based on a location relative to another one of the selected subsets.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the selected subsets of the digitized scene image data is selected based on a command signal.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein at least two of the selected subsets are overlapping.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein at least two of the selected subsets are non-overlapping.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing distortion compensation on the subsets of the digitized data of the scene.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the performing distortion compensation is controlled by a first unit that is capable to transmit images in a network.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the performing distortion compensation is controlled by a companion unit that is capable of being communicatively coupled to a first unit for transmitting images in a network.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the performing distortion compensation is controlled by a processing device.