Systems and methods for obtaining a smart panoramic image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12328496-B2
Application number	US-202418615085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2024
Priority date	Dec 9, 2019
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

Mobile handheld electronic devices such as smartphones, comprising a Wide camera for capturing Wide images with respective Wide fields of view (FOV W ), a Tele camera for capturing Tele images with respective Tele fields of view (FOV T ) smaller than FOV W , and a processor configured to stitch a plurality of Wide images into a panorama image with a field of view FOV P >FOV W and to pin a Tele image to a given location within the panorama image to obtain a smart panorama image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed in a handheld device, the handheld device comprising a Wide camera for capturing Wide images with a Wide field of view FOV W , a scanning Tele camera for capturing Tele images with a native Tele field of view FOV T smaller than FOV W , and a processor, the method comprising:
configuring the STC to scan with the native FOV T within FOV W ;
configuring the processor to analyze Wide image data to provide a personalized saliency map; and
configuring the processor to autonomously capture Tele images, to apply a particular strategy for the autonomous capturing of the Tele images that depends on the personalized saliency map, and to personalize the particular strategy for the autonomous capturing of the Tele images according to a preference of a particular user.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising configuring the processor to capture Wide images autonomously.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particular strategy for the autonomous capturing of the Tele images is defined by manual training by the particular user.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scanning of the STC with the native FOV T within FOV W is performed by rotating one or more optical path folding elements.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the handheld device is a smartphone.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the handheld device is a tablet.

7. A method performed in a handheld device, the handheld device comprising a Wide camera for capturing Wide images with a Wide field of view FOV W , a scanning Tele camera for capturing Tele images with a native Tele field of view FOV T smaller than FOV W , and a processor, the method comprising:
configuring the processor to capture the Tele images autonomously, to apply a particular strategy for the autonomous capturing of the Tele images that depends on an analysis of Wide image data, and to personalize the particular strategy for the autonomous capturing of the Tele images according to a preference of a particular user, and wherein the Wide image data analysis includes a configuration to use a tracking algorithm to apply the particular strategy.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising configuring the processor to capture the Wide images autonomously.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the scanning of the STC with the native FOV T within FOV W is performed by rotating one or more optical path folding elements.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the handheld device is a smartphone.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the handheld device is a tablet.

Assignees

• Corephotonics Ltd

Inventors

• Katz Ruthy
• Teitel Adi
• Shabtay Gal
• Mayberg Maya
• Cohen Noy

Classifications

• H04N5/2628

  Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• H04N23/45

  for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images · CPC title