IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0934956
(2004-09-03)
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등록번호 |
US-7375745
(2008-05-20)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Rai,Barinder Singh
- Jeffrey,Eric
- Cheng,Brett Anthony
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출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
8 인용 특허 :
15 |
초록
▼
A digital imaging device is operated to capture a first image in a digital format. At least two non-contiguous portions of the first image are rendered in a display of the digital imaging device. The at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image are used to align a live version of a second
A digital imaging device is operated to capture a first image in a digital format. At least two non-contiguous portions of the first image are rendered in a display of the digital imaging device. The at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image are used to align a live version of a second image in the display, wherein the second image is an extension of the first image. The second image is captured in a digital format. A corner matching algorithm is applied to determine an offset of the second image with respect to the first image, wherein the offset is required to achieve a substantially accurate alignment of the first and second images. Application of the corner matching algorithm is limited to an overlap region intervening between the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image.
대표청구항
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The invention claimed is: 1. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device, comprising: capturing a first image in a digital format; displaying at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image in a display of the digital imaging device, wherein the at least
The invention claimed is: 1. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device, comprising: capturing a first image in a digital format; displaying at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image in a display of the digital imaging device, wherein the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image are separated from each other by an intervening live region of the display; using the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image to align a live version of a second image in the display, wherein the second image is an extension of the first image; capturing the second image in a digital format; and applying a computer implemented corner feature matching algorithm to determine an offset of the second image with respect to the first image required to achieve a substantially accurate alignment of the first and second images, wherein application of the computer implemented corner feature matching algorithm is limited to an overlap region of the first and second images present between the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image, wherein a corner feature is defined by a limited pixel are within which large contrast changes exist between pixels in both horizontal and vertical directions. 2. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first image represents a left portion of a broader image and the second image represents a right portion of the broader image. 3. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image includes an upper right portion of the first image and a lower right portion of the first image, the overlap region existing between the upper right portion of the first image and the lower right portion of the first image. 4. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 1, further comprising: computationally translating the second image relative to the first image by the determined offset. 5. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 4, further comprising: digitally combining the second image having been translated with the first image to generate a composite image. 6. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 1, further comprising: digitally analyzing an alignment of the first image and the live version of the second image to assist with using the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image to align the live version of the second image in the display, wherein the digitally analyzing is limited to the overlap region present between the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image. 7. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 6, further comprising: indicating a sufficient alignment of the first image and the live version of the second image by illuminating a signal light. 8. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 6, further comprising: indicating an insufficient alignment of the first image and the live version of the second image by illuminating a warning light. 9. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 6, wherein capturing the second image in the digital format is performed automatically upon identifying a sufficient alignment of the first image and the live version of the second image. 10. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 6, wherein digitally analyzing the alignment of the first image and the live version of the second image includes, computationally identifying corner features present in the first image within the overlap region present between the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image, computationally identifying corner features present in the live version of the second image within the overlap region present between the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image, computationally recognizing an alignment of common identified corner features present in the first image and the live version of the second image within the overlap region present between the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image, and indicating alignment of the common identified corner features present in the first image and the live version of the second image within the overlap region present between the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image, wherein each of the corner features is defined by a limited pixel area within which large contrast changes exit between pixels in both horizontal and vertical directions. 11. A method for stitching digital images together onboard a digital imaging device as recited in claim 10, wherein indicating alignment of the common identified corner features present in the first image and the live version of the second image is performed by changing a color of a number of pixels corresponding to the common identified corner features. 12. A method for aligning digital images to be stitched together, comprising: displaying at least two non-contiguous portions of a first image in a display of a digital imaging device, wherein the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image are separated from each other by an intervening live region of the display; computationally identifying corner features of the first image present within an overlap region intervening between the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image; computationally identifying corner features of a live version of a second image within the overlap region, wherein the live version of the second image is visible in the display in conjunction with the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image, the second image representing an extension of the first image; computationally identifying alignment of corner features of the first and second images within the overlap region; and indicating identified alignment of corner features of the first and second images within the overlap region, wherein each of the corner features is define by a limited pixel area within which large contrast changes exist between pixels in both horizontal and vertical directions. 13. A method for aligning digital images to be stitched together as recited in claim 12, wherein indicating identified alignment of corner features of the first and second images within the overlap region is performed by changing a color of a number of pixels corresponding to identified aligned corner features. 14. A method for aligning digital images to be stitched together as recited in claim 12, wherein the first image represents a left portion of a broader image and the second image represents a right portion of the broader image. 15. A method for aligning digital images to be stitched together as recited in claim 12, wherein indicating identified alignment of corner features of the first and second images within the overlap region is performed by illuminating a signal light. 16. A method for aligning digital images to be stitched together as recited in claim 12, further comprising: indicating an insufficient alignment of the first image and the live version of the second image by illuminating a warning light. 17. A digital imaging device, comprising: an image capture device configured to capture a first image and a second image in an electronic format, the first image and the second image having an amount of overlap; a display panel configured to display the first image and the second image to be captured by the image capture device; and a graphics controller including, image alignment circuitry defined to retain a display of at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image in the display panel to facilitate alignment of the second image, wherein the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image are separated from each other by an intervening live region of the display, corner detection circuitry defined to identify corner features of the first image present within an overlap region intervening between the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image, the corner detection circuitry further defined to identify corner features of the second image that are present within the overlap region, wherein each of the corner features is defined by a limited pixel area within which large contrast changes exist between pixels in both horizontal and vertical directions, corner matching circuitry defined to identify alignment of corner features of the first and second images within the overlap region, and image stitching circuitry defined to use the identified alignment of corner features of the first and second images within the overlap region to translate the second image relative to the first image and digitally combine the translated second image with the first image. 18. A digital imaging device as recited in claim 17, wherein the display panel is a viewfinder for the image capture device. 19. A digital imaging device as recited in claim 17, wherein the first image represents a left portion of a broader image and the second image represents a right portion of the broader image. 20. A digital imaging device as recited in claim 17, wherein the at least two non-contiguous portions of the first image represent an alignment template, the alignment template being selectable from a set of alignment templates capable of being defined by the image alignment circuitry. 21. A digital imaging device as recited in claim 17, wherein the corner detection circuitry and the corner matching circuitry are defined to avoid processing portions of the first and second images beyond the overlap region. 22. A digital imaging device as recited in claim 17, further comprising: a processor defined to orchestrate operations between the image capture device, the display panel, and the graphics controller. 23. A graphics controller, comprising: image alignment circuitry defined to display non-contiguous portions of a first image in a display panel during alignment of a second image in the display panel, wherein the non-contiguous portions of the first image are separated from each other by an intervening region of the display panel within which a portion of the second image is to be displayed; corner detection circuitry defined to identify corner features of the first and second images within the intervening region between the non-contiguous portions of the first image to be displayed in the display panel, wherein each of the corner features is defined by a limited pixel area within which large contrast changes exist between pixels in both horizontal and vertical directions; corner matching circuitry defined to recognize alignment of identified corner features of the first and second images within the intervening region between the non-contiguous portions of the first image to be displayed in the display panel; and image stitching circuitry defined to use the recognized alignment of identified corner features of the first and second images to translate the second image relative to the first image and digitally combine the translated second image with the first image. 24. A graphics controller as recited in claim 23, wherein each of the non-contiguous portions of the first image are at least partially present within the second image. 25. A graphics controller as recited in claim 23, wherein the non-contiguous portions of the first image represent an alignment template, the alignment template being selectable from a set of alignment templates capable of being defined by the image alignment circuitry. 26. A graphics controller as recited in claim 23, wherein the corner detection circuitry and the corner matching circuitry are defined to avoid processing portions of the first and second images beyond the intervening region between the non-contiguous portions of the first image to be displayed in the display panel. 27. A graphics controller as recited in claim 23, wherein the first image represents a left portion of a broader image and the second image represents a right portion of the broader image. 28. A graphics controller as recited in claim 27, wherein the non-contiguous its portions of the first image include an upper right portion of the first image and a lower right portion of the first image.
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