Systems and methods for concurrently playing multiple images from a storage medium

• US 8,164,655 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2009
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Spatial Cam LLC
• Original Assignee: Spatial Cam LLC
• Inventors: Lablans, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRABHAKHER, PRITHAM DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/435,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20090284620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: 348 46- 48, 34821111-21113, 348/231.3, 348/333.02, 348/153, 348/159
• US Class Current: 348/231.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8233 the additional signal being a character code signal

Abstract

Methods for storing on a storage or memory medium, and retrieving, and displaying of multiple images in a registered manner, the images have been recorded concurrently. The images may comprise at least 2 video programs. A camera system for recording multiple concurrent images is also disclosed. Lenses and corresponding image sensors are calibrated to have calibrated and associated settings for recording multiple images that are substantially registered images. A registered image may be displayed on a single display. It may also be displayed on multiple displays. A camera for recording and displaying registered multiple images may be part of a mobile phone.

Claims

1. A method for displaying at least a first and a second concurrently recorded image in a registered manner, comprising:

generating data not being image data representing a first setting of a first lens in a single body camera for recording the first image under a first condition with a first area of a first image sensor that is smaller than the total active area of the first image sensor;

a controller putting a second lens in the single body camera in a first setting to generate a second image including selecting a first area of a second image sensor that is smaller than the total active area of the second image sensor, wherein the first setting of the second lens is determined and is associated with the first setting of the first lens and is stored in a memory during a calibration in such a manner that the first image and the second image form a substantially registered image;

applying the first setting of the first lens to the first lens;

retrieving by the controller from the memory the data representing the first setting of the second lens associated with the first setting of the first lens and the controller putting the second lens in the retrieved setting;

storing in an image storage device data representing the first image taken through the first lens and the second image taken through the second lens; and

displaying on a display a substantially registered image by combining data representing the first and the second image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a setting of a lens is selected from a group consisting of focus, zoom, diaphragm, shutter speed, and lens position.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein images are video images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the image storage device is selected from the group consisting of a binary electronic memory, a rotating binary data storage medium, an n-state electronic memory with n>

2 and an n-state rotating n-state storage medium.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the data of the first and second image for display on at least a first and second display to provide a registered panoramic image of a scene recorded by the at least first and second image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the single body camera is part of a mobile phone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially registered image is a panoramic image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially registered image is a stereoscopic image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the single body camera has a third lens and of which a first setting is determined and stored in the memory under the first condition, wherein the first setting of the third lens includes a first active area of a third image sensor that is determined during the calibration and is associated with the first setting of the first lens.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first setting of the first lens is determined by a focus mechanism.

11. A system for displaying at least a first and a second concurrently recorded image in a registered manner, comprising:

a memory enabled holding data representing instructions and settings;

a processor for retrieving from the memory data representing instructions and executing the instructions for performing the steps of;

processing data not being image data representing a first setting of a first lens in a single body camera for recording the first image under a first condition with a first area of a first image sensor limited by a merge line;

retrieving from the memory data not being image data representing a first setting of a second lens in the single body camera for recording the second image under the first condition with a first area of a second image sensor limited by the merge line, wherein the first setting of the second lens is determined and associated with the first setting of the first lens during a calibration in such a manner that a combination of the first image and the second image form a registered image;

applying the first setting of the first lens to the first lens;

the processor putting the second lens in the retrieved first setting of the second lens; and

displaying on a display the registered image created from the first image taken through the first lens and the second image taken through the second lens.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising instructions for storing data representing the merge line in the first and the second image.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising instructions for processing the data of the at least first and second image for display on at least a first and second display to provide a registered image of a scene recorded by the at least first and second image.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein a setting of a lens is selected from a group consisting of focus, zoom, diaphragm, shutter speed, and lens position.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein images are video images.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the single body camera is part of a mobile phone.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the registered image is a panoramic image.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the registered image is a stereoscopic image.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the single body camera has a third lens and of which a first setting under the first condition includes a first area of a third image sensor that is determined during the calibration and is associated with the first setting of the first lens and is stored in the memory.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the first setting of the first lens is determined by a focus mechanism.