Multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device and image splicing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device and an image splicing method, and belongs to the technical field of multi-camera shooting and image splicing. The device comprises a roller type meter counter, a synchronous plate module, a multi-camera module and an image splicing module, the roller type meter counter rolls to generate pulses and sends the pulses to the synchronous plate module, and the synchronous plate module calculates a rolling distance according to the number of the pulses and sends a synchronous trigger signal when the rolling distance reaches a set distance; the multi-camera module is arranged in a line, photographing areas are overlapped, and the multi-camera module receives a trigger signal, synchronously photographs and transmits a picture to the image splicing module; and the image splicing module is used for removing overlapped areas and combining to form a wide clear picture. The problem that the shooting range of a single camera is limited is solved, the triggering distance can be flexibly set, the anti-interference capability is high, and wide and clear-detail picture shooting can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of multi-camera shooting and image stitching technology, specifically to a multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device and an image stitching method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the shooting range of a single camera is significantly limited. In scenarios where it is necessary to simultaneously capture a wide-angle view and clear details, existing single-camera shooting technology is insufficient to meet the requirements.

[0003] To address these issues, related technologies have attempted to use multi-camera shooting and stitching methods. However, most solutions lack a precise distance-synchronization triggering mechanism, which can easily lead to problems such as asynchronous shooting and misaligned stitching, failing to guarantee the clarity and integrity of wide-format images. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device and an image stitching method to solve the problem of limited shooting range of a single camera and achieve wide-angle and clear image shooting.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device, comprising a roller-type meter counter, a synchronization plate module, a multi-camera module, and an image stitching module; The roller-type meter counter is used to roll and generate pulses according to the rolling distance, and sends the pulses to the synchronization board module; The synchronization board module is used to receive the pulses, calculate the distance the roller counter has rolled based on the number of pulses, and then send out multiple synchronization trigger signals according to the set distance. The multi-camera modules are arranged in a line, and the shooting areas of each camera overlap. The multi-camera modules are used to receive the synchronization trigger signal and take pictures synchronously, and transmit the captured pictures to the image stitching module. The image stitching module is used to remove overlapping areas of the images and merge the processed images into a wide, clear image.

[0006] Furthermore, the number of pulses generated by the roller counter in one rotation is greater than 2000, and the number of pulses is proportional to the rolling distance.

[0007] Furthermore, the synchronization board module is equipped with five buttons, which correspond to trigger distances of 5cm, 10cm, 20cm, 40cm, and 80cm respectively. When a button is pressed, its button port is grounded and triggers the corresponding channel. When multiple buttons are pressed at the same time, the set distance is the sum of the distances corresponding to each button.

[0008] Furthermore, the synchronization board module is powered by 24V and stepped down to 3.3V via DC-DC converter to power the main chip; the positive terminal of the button is connected to the 3.3V pull-up power supply through a 10K resistor, the negative terminal is grounded, and the positive terminal is also connected to the GPIO port of the synchronization board module's main chip, which is configured to be triggered by a low level.

[0009] Furthermore, the trigger port of the synchronization board module is output after being isolated by an optocoupler; pin 1 of the optocoupler is pulled up to 3.3V through a 510-ohm resistor, pin 2 is connected to the trigger GPIO port of the synchronization board main control chip, pin 3 is grounded, pin 4 is pulled up to 24V through a 10K resistor, and pin 4 is connected to the trigger port of the multi-camera module.

[0010] Furthermore, the trigger port of the multi-camera module is triggered by a falling edge; the trigger signal is sent to the base of the transistor, the emitter of the transistor is grounded, and the collector is pulled up to 1.8V through a 4.7K resistor, and the collector is connected to the trigger port of the camera module; the 1.8V is the IO voltage of the camera module to trigger the shooting signal, and the trigger threshold of the transistor is adjusted to 18V by adjusting the resistor.

[0011] Furthermore, the synchronization board module supports up to 16 trigger signal outputs, and all 16 trigger signals can be turned on and off simultaneously.

[0012] Furthermore, the multi-camera module is fixed by a long aluminum profile, and the images captured by each camera are labeled and transmitted to the image stitching module via a network cable.

[0013] An image stitching method for a multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device includes the following steps: Step 1: The roller meter counter rolls and generates pulses, which are then sent to the synchronization board module; Step 2: The synchronization board module calculates the rolling distance based on the number of pulses, and sends out multiple synchronization trigger signals when the set distance is reached; Step 3: After receiving the trigger signal, the multi-camera module takes pictures synchronously and transmits the numbered pictures to the image stitching module; Step 4: The image stitching module removes overlapping areas of the images and merges them to form a wide and clear image.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device, which has the following beneficial effects: This invention can precisely trigger simultaneous shooting from multiple cameras at a set distance, and combined with image stitching technology, achieve wide-angle and detailed image capture. The button settings of the synchronization board module allow for flexible adjustment of the trigger distance to meet the needs of different shooting scenarios. The trigger signal adopts optical isolation and high-voltage threshold design to effectively avoid environmental interference and improve trigger stability. The linear arrangement and overlapping shooting design of the multi-camera modules ensure the integrity and continuity of the stitched image. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0017] Please see Figure 1 As shown, a multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device includes a roller-type meter counter, a synchronization board module, a multi-camera module, and an image stitching module.

[0018] The roller-type meter counter generates pulses as it rolls. The number of pulses generated per rotation is 2000. The number of pulses is proportional to the rolling distance. The roller sends the generated pulses to the synchronization board module in real time.

[0019] The synchronization board module uses a 24V power supply, which is stepped down to 3.3V via a DC-DC converter to power the main chip. The synchronization board has five buttons, corresponding to trigger distances of 5cm, 10cm, 20cm, 40cm, and 80cm respectively. When a button is pressed, its port is grounded and the corresponding channel is triggered. When multiple buttons are pressed simultaneously, the distance is set to be superimposed across all channels. The positive terminal of each button is connected to the 3.3V pull-up power supply via a 10K resistor, while the negative terminal is grounded. The positive terminal is also connected to the GPIO port of the synchronization board's main chip, which is configured for low-level triggering. When the "5cm" and "10cm" buttons are pressed, the trigger distance is set to 15cm.

[0020] The trigger port of the synchronization board module is output after optocoupler isolation. Pin 1 of the optocoupler is pulled up to 3.3V through a 510-ohm resistor, pin 2 is connected to the trigger GPIO port of the synchronization board's main control chip, pin 3 is grounded, and pin 4 is pulled up to 24V through a 10K resistor and is connected to the trigger port of the multi-camera module. When the synchronization board module calculates that the roller's rolling distance reaches 15cm, the trigger GPIO port outputs a high level, pins 1 and 2 of the optocoupler are not conducting, and pin 4 of the optocoupler outputs a 24V level, making pins 1 and 2 of the optocoupler conduct; at this time, pin 4 of the optocoupler is pulled low to ground. When the trigger GPIO port is triggered, it outputs a high level, making pins 1 and 2 of the optocoupler not conducting; at this time, pin 4 of the optocoupler outputs a 24V level, used to trigger the camera module to take a picture.

[0021] The multi-camera module is fixed by a long aluminum profile and arranged in a line, with a 10% overlap in the image capture area of ​​each camera. The trigger port of the multi-camera module is a falling-edge triggered circuit. The trigger signal is sent to the base of a transistor, the emitter of which is grounded, and the collector is pulled up to 1.8V through a 4.7K resistor, and the collector is connected to the trigger port of the camera module. By adjusting the resistor, the trigger threshold of the transistor is set to 18V. When the optocoupler outputs 24V, the transistor conducts, the trigger port receives the falling-edge signal, and the multiple cameras capture images synchronously. 1.8V is the IO voltage for the camera module to trigger the image capture signal. The trigger threshold of the transistor is adjusted to 18V. The reason for using such a high voltage of 18V is to eliminate interference noise; after all, the factory environment is noisy and can easily generate interference signals of several volts, easily causing false triggers; and the high voltage of 18V cannot be generated through simple coupling.

[0022] In this embodiment, the synchronization board module connects to 8 cameras, and the 8 trigger signals are simultaneously turned on and off. Each camera labels the captured images and transmits them to the image stitching module via network cable.

[0023] The image stitching module receives labeled images, identifies and removes overlapping areas from each image, merges the processed images into a wide, clear image, and stores it within the module.

[0024] The synchronization board module supports up to 16 trigger signal outputs; all 16 trigger signals can be turned on and off simultaneously; simply connect according to the actual number of camera modules used.

[0025] The image stitching method based on the above-mentioned device includes the following steps: Step 1: The roller meter counter rolls and generates pulses, which are then sent to the synchronization board module; Step 2: The synchronization board module calculates the rolling distance based on the number of pulses. When the set distance of 15cm is reached, it sends out 8 synchronous trigger signals. Step 3: After receiving the trigger signal, the 8 cameras take pictures simultaneously and transmit the numbered pictures to the image stitching module; Step 4: The image stitching module removes overlapping areas of the images and merges them to form a wide and clear image.

[0026] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device, characterized in that, It includes a roller-type meter counter, a synchronization board module, a multi-camera module, and an image stitching module; The roller-type meter counter is used to roll and generate pulses according to the rolling distance, and sends the pulses to the synchronization board module; The synchronization board module is used to receive the pulses, calculate the distance the roller counter has rolled based on the number of pulses, and then send out multiple synchronization trigger signals according to the set distance. The multi-camera modules are arranged in a line, and the shooting areas of each camera overlap. The multi-camera modules are used to receive the synchronization trigger signal and take pictures synchronously, and transmit the captured pictures to the image stitching module. The image stitching module is used to remove overlapping areas of the images and merge the processed images into a wide, clear image.

2. The multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of pulses generated by the roller counter in one rotation is greater than 2000, and the number of pulses is proportional to the rolling distance.

3. The multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The synchronization board module is equipped with five buttons, which correspond to trigger distances of 5cm, 10cm, 20cm, 40cm and 80cm respectively. When a button is pressed, its button port is grounded and triggers the corresponding channel. When multiple buttons are pressed at the same time, the set distance is the sum of the corresponding distances of each button.

4. The multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The synchronization board module is powered by 24V and stepped down to 3.3V via DC-DC converter to power the main chip. The positive terminal of the button is connected to the 3.3V pull-up power supply through a 10K resistor, the negative terminal is grounded, and the positive terminal is also connected to the GPIO port of the synchronization board module's main chip. The GPIO port is configured to be triggered by a low level.

5. The multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The trigger port of the synchronization board module is output after being isolated by an optocoupler; pin 1 of the optocoupler is pulled up to 3.3V through a 510-ohm resistor, pin 2 is connected to the trigger GPIO port of the main control chip of the synchronization board, pin 3 is grounded, and pin 4 is pulled up to 24V through a 10K resistor and is connected to the trigger port of the multi-camera module.

6. The multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The trigger port of the multi-camera module is triggered by a falling edge; the trigger signal is sent to the base of the transistor, the emitter of the transistor is grounded, and the collector is pulled up to 1.8V through a 4.7K resistor, and the collector is connected to the trigger port of the camera module; the 1.8V is the IO voltage of the camera module to trigger the photo-taking signal, and the trigger threshold of the transistor is adjusted to 18V by adjusting the resistor.

7. The multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The synchronization board module supports up to 16 trigger signal outputs, and all 16 trigger signals can be turned on and off simultaneously.

8. The multi-camera fixed-distance synchronous triggering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-camera module is fixed by a long aluminum profile, and the images captured by each camera are labeled and transmitted to the image stitching module via a network cable.

9. An image stitching method based on the apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: The roller meter counter rolls and generates pulses, which are then sent to the synchronization board module; Step 2: The synchronization board module calculates the rolling distance based on the number of pulses, and sends out multiple synchronization trigger signals when the set distance is reached; Step 3: After receiving the trigger signal, the multi-camera module takes pictures synchronously and transmits the numbered pictures to the image stitching module; Step 4: The image stitching module removes overlapping areas of the images and merges them to form a wide and clear image.

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