Multi-user stereoscopic 3-d panoramic vision system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016119610-A1
Application number	US-201614986987-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 4, 2016
Priority date	Nov 2, 2005
Publication date	Apr 28, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A panoramic camera system includes a plurality of camera units mounted in a common, e.g., horizontal, plane and arranged in a circumferential array. Each camera unit includes one or more lenses for focusing light from a field of view onto an array of light-sensitive elements. A panoramic image generator combines electronic image data from the multiplicity of the fields of view to generate electronic image data representative of a first 360-degree panoramic view and a second 360-degree panoramic view, wherein the first and second panoramic views are angularly displaced. A stereographic display system is provided to retrieve operator-selectable portions of the first and second panoramic views and to display the user selectable portions in human viewable form. In a further aspect, a video display method is provided.

First claim

1 - 21 . (canceled)

22 . A system comprising:
a processor; a panoramic image generator for generating electronic image data representative of a first panoramic view and a second panoramic view, said first and second panoramic views being angularly displaced with respect to each other; and a stereoscopic image generator configured to provide a stream of stereoscopic images comprising left eye images from a portion of the first panoramic view and right eye images from a portion of the second panoramic view; a stereoscopic display configured to present the left eye images to a left eye of a first viewer in human viewable form and the right eye images to a right eye of the first viewer in human viewable form; and a first head tracking apparatus configured to generate head tracking data representative of a direction in which the first viewer is looking, the processor configured to select the portion of the first panoramic view for generating the left eye images and the portion of the second panoramic view for generating the right eye images based on the direction in which the first viewer is looking.

23 . The system of claim 22 , wherein the panoramic image generator is configured to receive image data from a camera array comprising a circumferential array of camera units mounted in a common plane, each camera unit including one or more lenses for focusing light from a field of view onto an array of light-sensitive elements.

24 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the camera units are mounted in a generally horizontal plane.

25 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the circumferential array is selected from the group consisting of a circular array and a plurality of partial circular arrays.

26 . The system of claim 23 , wherein a field of view of each camera unit is overlapping with fields of view of adjacent ones of the camera units in the circumferential array.

27 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the panoramic image generator is configured to generate the first panoramic view from electronic image data acquired by every second camera in the circumferential array and to generate the second panoramic view from electronic image data acquired by every other camera in the circumferential array.

28 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the panoramic image generator is configured to generate the first panoramic view from electronic image data representative of a left side of the field of view acquired by each camera in the circumferential array and to generate the second panoramic view from electronic image data representative of a right side of the field of view acquired by each camera in the circumferential array.

29 . The system of claim 22 , further comprising one or both of:
a three-dimensional model generator for transforming at least a portion of the first and second panoramic views into a three-dimensional model; and a distance calculator for determining the relative coordinates of an imaged object based on horizontal pixel offsets of the imaged object in the field of view of adjacent cameras in said circumferential array.

30 . The system of claim 22 , further comprising:
a second head tracking apparatus configured to generate head tracking data representative of a direction in which a second viewer is looking, the processor configured to select the portion of the first panoramic view for generating the left eye images and the portion of the second panoramic view for generating the right eye images based on the direction in which the second viewer is looking, independently of the direction in which the first viewer is looking.

31 . The system of claim 22 , wherein the stereoscopic display is configured to be worn on a head of the first viewer.

32 . A method of presenting a view in a panoramic scene, the method comprising:
generating electronic image data representative of a first panoramic view and a second panoramic view, said first and second panoramic views being angularly displaced with respect to each other; and generating a stereoscopic image comprising a stream of stereoscopic images comprising left eye images from a portion of the first panoramic view and right eye images from a portion of the second panoramic view; outputting the stereoscopic image to a stereoscopic display configured to present the left eye images to a left eye of a first viewer in human viewable form and the right eye images to a right eye of the first viewer in human viewable form; and tracking a direction the first viewer is looking to generate head tracking data representative of the direction in which the first viewer is looking and, using a processor, selecting the portion of the first panoramic view for generating the left eye images and the portion of the second panoramic view for generating the right eye images based on the direction in which the first viewer is looking.

33 . The method of claim 32 , further comprising:
acquiring the electronic image data representative of the first panoramic view and the second panoramic view using a circumferential array of camera units mounted in a common plane, each camera unit including one or more lenses for focusing light from a field of view onto an array of light-sensitive elements.

34 . The method of claim 33 , wherein said camera units are mounted in a generally horizontal plane.

35 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the circumferential array is selected from the group consisting of a circular array and a plurality of partial circular arrays.

36 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the field of view of each camera unit is overlapping with fields of view of adjacent ones of the camera units in the circumferential array.

37 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the first panoramic view is generated from electronic image data acquired by every second camera in the circumferential array and the second panoramic view is generated from electronic image data acquired by every other camera in the circumferential array.

38 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the first panoramic view is generated from electronic image data representative of a left side of the field of view acquired by each camera in the circumferential array and the second panoramic view is generated from electronic image data representative of a right side of the field of view acquired by each camera in the circumferential array.

39 . The method of claim 32 , further comprising one or both of:
generating a three-dimensional model of at least a portion of the first and second panoramic views; and calculating a distance of an imaged object based on horizontal pixel offsets of the imaged object in the field of view of adjacent cameras in the circumferential array.

40 . The method of claim 32 , further comprising:
generating head tracking data representative of a direction in which a second viewer is looking, and, using the processor, selecting the portion of the first panoramic view for generating the left eye images and the portion of the second panoramic view for generating the right eye images based on the direction in which the second viewer is looking, independently of the direction in which the first viewer is looking.

41 . The method of claim 32 , further comprising:
superimposing a graphical image representative of a location of the first viewer onto the stereoscopic image.

Assignees

• Exelis Inc

Inventors

• Houvener Robert C
• Pratte Steven N

Classifications

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title

• H04N23/698

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

• H04N23/661

  Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet · CPC title

• H04N5/2627

  for providing spin image effect, 3D stop motion effect or temporal freeze effect (2D image animation in general G06T13/80) · CPC title

• H04N5/23238

  Electricity · mapped topic