Camera Array Nodal Clusters Reduce Parallax
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current camera array configurations, particularly those in a rosette formation, suffer from significant parallax errors when capturing multiple directions simultaneously, leading to alignment issues and unnatural images due to insufficient overlap and increased parallax, which complicates image stitching and results in radial Moire patterns.
Innovation Solution
A camera array system with outward-facing camera clusters arranged every 90 degrees around a common plate, providing substantial overlapping angles and intersecting views to reduce parallax errors, featuring a plurality of cameras mounted on a plate structure with a central upward-facing camera for comprehensive coverage and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cameras are arranged in a rosette formation with all cameras facing out and away from each other, then multiple directions can be captured simultaneously, but parallax error increases and view overlap decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera array is divided into multiple nodal formations, each containing multiple cameras positioned at specific nodal points. This segmentation allows each nodal formation to capture views from its specific viewpoint, and when combined with other nodal formations, provides comprehensive multi-directional coverage while maintaining minimal parallax within each formation.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple nodal formations are nested together on a common plate structure, with each nodal formation containing multiple cameras nested at specific positions. This nested arrangement allows the system to achieve both compact form factor and reduced parallax by having cameras at different depths but aligned to share common nodal viewpoints.
2Area of stationary object
If cameras are placed further apart to reduce material depth constraints, then more coverage area is achieved, but object omissions increase due to insufficient overlap
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional arrangement to a three-dimensional nested doll formation where cameras are positioned at different depths (z-dimension) but aligned to share common nodal viewpoints. This allows cameras to be physically closer together while maintaining sufficient overlap, as the nested arrangement provides multiple viewing angles from different depths that complement each other.
3Area of stationary object
If multiple camera shots are stitched together to create a single image, then comprehensive coverage is achieved, but radial Moire patterns and warping occur due to lens distortion and parallax
Solution Approach 1:
Each nodal formation captures images with minimal parallax and consistent perspective from its specific viewpoint, ensuring high local quality for objects in that formation's field of view. The segmented approach means that stitching is performed between nodal formations rather than between widely separated cameras, reducing the severity of warping and Moire patterns in the final composite image.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of outward-facing cameras, arranged in nodal clusters surrounding and mounted to the top plate of a plate structure, with the plate structure having an elevated platform for an additional upward-facing camera. The nodal clusters and the configuration of clusters on the top plate enable overlaps in coverage between clusters and more informationally dense coverage within each cluster.