UAV Virtual Un-Zoomed Imaging With Multi-Camera View Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in capturing both zoomed-in and wide-angle views due to the limitations of long-focal-length lenses, which are expensive, bulky, and add weight, reducing overall performance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a combination of a longer-focal-length camera and multiple wider-angle cameras on the UAV to generate a virtual un-zoomed image by fusing images from these cameras, providing a 360-degree field of view and smooth transitions between zoomed-in and zoomed-out views.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a long-focal-length lens is used to capture zoomed-in images, then the target appears magnified, but the lens becomes expensive and bulky, increasing weight and reducing UAV performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the wide-angle view by fusing images from multiple cameras. Instead of using a physical wide-angle lens, the system synthesizes a virtual wide-angle image from multiple standard cameras, eliminating the need for heavy optical hardware while achieving the same functional effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical optical system (physical wide-angle lens) with a computational image processing system. By using image fusion algorithms to combine views from multiple cameras, the system achieves wide-angle效果 without the mechanical bulk of specialized optics.
2Area of stationary object
If a variable zoom lens is used to achieve wider FOV, then the FOV increases, but the lens becomes expensive and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the wide-angle viewing function into multiple segments, using several standard cameras positioned at different locations on the UAV. Each camera captures a portion of the overall scene, and the image fusion system combines these segments into a complete virtual wide-angle view, replacing a single complex zoom lens.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes standard cameras multi-functional by using them both for their primary imaging purpose and for generating virtual wide-angle views. The same cameras used for normal operation are also utilized to create panoramic and wide-angle images through image fusion, eliminating the need for specialized variable zoom lenses.
3Area of stationary object
If an additional camera with a wider FOV lens is added, then the wide-angle FOV is achieved, but the weight and complexity of the UAV increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the wide-angle view by fusing images from multiple cameras. Instead of using a physical wide-angle lens, the system synthesizes a virtual wide-angle image from multiple standard cameras, eliminating the need for heavy optical hardware while achieving the same functional effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the imaging functions of multiple standard cameras to achieve wide-angle coverage. By combining the views from several cameras through image fusion, the system creates a unified virtual wide-angle image that replaces the need for a single heavy wide-angle camera.
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, a computing device receives, from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a first image from a first camera on the UAV and a plurality of second images from a plurality of second cameras on the UAV. The plurality of second cameras may be positioned on the UAV for providing a plurality of different fields of view in a plurality of different directions around the UAV. Further, the first camera has a longer focal length than the second cameras. The computing device presents, on a display, a composite image including at least a portion of the first image within a merged image generated from the plurality of second images. The presented composite image enables a user to at least one of: zoom out from the at least one first image to the merged image, or zoom in from the merged image to the at least one first image.