Panoramic Imaging Tiltable System Horizon Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Panoramic imaging systems face challenges with image distortions and artifacts when panning or tilting, particularly in overlapping areas, leading to complex image flows that complicate scene interpretation.
Innovation Solution
A tiltable system with a central camera and lateral cameras, each equipped with a lens assembly and image sensor, featuring a larger field of view perpendicular to the rotation axis, a tilting mechanism, and an image processing unit that maintains the virtual horizon's position through stitching and spatial transformation, reducing image flow complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the camera is allowed to tilt for panoramic imaging, then the field of view is expanded, but image distortions and complex image flows are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the field of view characteristics between central and lateral cameras. The lateral cameras are configured with a larger field of view in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis compared to the central camera. This localized optimization ensures that the virtual horizon position is maintained during tilting, reducing image flow complexity in critical overlapping regions while preserving the expanded field of view benefit.
2Stability of the object's composition
If lateral cameras have a larger field of view perpendicular to the rotation axis, then the virtual horizon position is maintained during tilting, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the imaging system into distinct functional roles: a central camera for primary imaging and lateral cameras with specialized larger field of view for horizon maintenance during tilting. This segmentation allows each camera type to be optimized for its specific function, making the overall system more manageable despite the increased complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the field of view parameter specifically for lateral cameras compared to the central camera. By configuring lateral cameras with a larger field of view in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis, the system maintains virtual horizon position stability during tilting operations, justifying the increased device complexity through improved imaging stability.
3Area of moving object
If multiple images are stitched together to form a panorama, then the horizontal field of view is enlarged, but image artifacts and distortions are generated in overlapping areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses image quality in overlapping areas by configuring lateral cameras with a larger field of view perpendicular to the rotation axis. This ensures that the virtual horizon position is maintained during tilting, reducing image flow complexity and artifacts in critical overlapping regions where multiple images are stitched together, while still achieving the enlarged horizontal field of view.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present inventive concept relates to a tiltable system (10) for panoramic imaging of a scene. The tiltable system (10) comprising: a central camera (110), a first and a second lateral camera (120, 130) arranged to image the scene in different directions (112, 122, 132) relative to a rotation axis (102), wherein the first and the second lateral camera (120, 130) are arranged on opposing lateral sides of the central camera (110), wherein the central camera (110), the first lateral camera (120), and the second lateral camera (130) each having an imaging system comprising a lens assembly (114, 124, 134) and an image sensor (116, 126, 136); a tilting mechanism (140) enabling the tiltable system (10) for panoramic imaging to tilt about the rotation axis (102); and an image processing unit (150) comprising a stitching function (152) configured to stitch together images (310, 320, 330) captured by the central camera (110), the first lateral camera (120), and the second lateral camera (130) to form a panoramic image of the scene, the panoramic image having a virtual horizon, and to, upon tilting of the tiltable system (10) for panoramic imaging, maintain the position of the virtual horizon of the panoramic image in the scene; wherein the imaging systems of the first and second lateral cameras (120, 130) have a larger field of view (204) in a direction (104) perpendicular to the rotation axis (102) than the imaging system of the central camera (110).