Image stitching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9390530-B2
Application number	US-201114119469-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2011
Priority date	May 27, 2011
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus, a method and a computer program are provided. The method includes analyzing first and second images, the first image being captured by a first image sensor portion and the second image being captured by a second image sensor portion, wherein at least one position on the first and second images, at which the analysis of the first and second images is initiated, depends upon at least one contextual characteristic; determining, from the analysis of the first and second images, an overlapping capture region for the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion; and stitching the first and second images together using the overlapping capture region.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method comprising:
analyzing first and second images, the first image being captured by a first image sensor portion and the second image being captured by a second image sensor portion, wherein at least one position on the first and second images, at which the analysis of the first and second images is initiated, depends upon at least one contextual characteristic;
determining, from the analysis of the first and second images, an overlapping capture region for the first image portion and the second image portion; and
stitching the first and second images together using the overlapping capture region,
wherein the analysis is performed using data that varies with the at least one contextual characteristic, and
wherein the data is an overlapping capture region for the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion that was previously determined by analyzing one or more sets of images, wherein a set of images comprises an image captured by the first image sensor portion and an image captured by the second image sensor portion.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second images are captured substantially simultaneously.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first image sensor portion comprises a first set of pixels, the second image sensor portion comprises a second set of pixels, and the overlapping capture region comprises: a subset of the first set of pixels, and a subset of the second set of pixels.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the subset of the first set of pixels captured first image content as part of the first image, and the subset of the second set of pixels captured the first image content as part of the second image.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion are separate.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one contextual characteristic relates to an operational mode of an apparatus and/or a surrounding environment of an apparatus.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the previously determined overlapping capture region is or depends upon an average overlapping capture region determined from an analysis of a plurality of sets of images.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the overlapping capture region depends upon a theoretical overlapping capture region for the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second images are captured using a camera in viewfinder mode or video recording mode.

10. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory storing a computer program comprising instructions configured to, working with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
analyzing first and second images, the first image being captured by a first image sensor portion and the second image being captured by a second image sensor portion, wherein at least one position on the first and second images, at which the analysis of the first and second images is initiated, depends upon at least one contextual characteristic;
determining, from the analysis of the first and second images, an overlapping capture region for the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion; and
stitching the first and second images together using the overlapping capture region,
wherein the analysis is performed using data that varies with the at least one contextual characteristic, and
wherein the data is an overlapping capture region for the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion that was previously determined by analyzing one or more sets of images, wherein a set of images comprises an image captured by the first image sensor portion and an image captured by the second image sensor portion.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first and second images are captured substantially simultaneously.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first image sensor portion comprises a first set of pixels, the second image sensor portion comprises a second set of pixels, and the overlapping capture region comprises: a subset of the first set of pixels, and a subset of the second set of pixels.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the subset of the first set of pixels captured first image content as part of the first image, and the subset of the second set of pixels captured the first image content as part of the second image.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion are separate.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the at least one contextual characteristic relates to an operational mode of the apparatus and/or a surrounding environment of the apparatus.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the previously determined overlapping capture region is or depends upon an average overlapping capture region determined from an analysis of a plurality of sets of images.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the overlapping capture region depends upon a theoretical overlapping capture region for the first image sensor and the second image sensor.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first and second images are captured in viewfinder mode or video recording mode.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the apparatus is a camera that comprises the first image sensor and the second image sensor.

20. An apparatus comprising:
means for analyzing first and second images, the first image being captured by a first image sensor portion and the second image being captured by a second image sensor portion, wherein at least one position on the first and second images, at which the analysis of the first and second images is initiated, depends upon at least one contextual characteristic;
means for determining, from the analysis of the first and second images, an overlapping capture region for the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion; and
means for stitching the first and second images together using the overlapping capture region,
wherein the analysis is performed using data that varies with the at least one contextual characteristic, and
wherein the data is an overlapping capture region for the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion that was previously determined by analyzing one or more sets of images, wherein a set of images comprises an image captured by the first image sensor portion and an image captured by the second image sensor portion.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program comprising instructions configured to, working with at least one processor, cause at least the following to be performed:
analyzing first and second images, the first image being captured by a first image sensor portion and the second image being captured by a second image sensor portion, wherein at least one position on the first and second images, at which the analysis of the first and second images is initiated depends upon at least one contextual characteristic;
determining, from the analysis of the first and second images, an overlapping capture region for the first image sensor portion and the second image sensor portion; and
stitching the first and second images together using the overlapping capture region,
wherein the analysis is performed using

Assignees

• Scherling Herman
• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Scherling Herman

Classifications

• H04N23/698

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

• H04N5/2624 Primary

  for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen · CPC title

• G06T3/4038

  Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images · CPC title

• G02B13/06

  Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" {including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces} · CPC title

• G03B17/17

  with reflectors arranged in beam forming the photographic image, e.g. for reducing dimensions of camera · CPC title