Imove, Inc.

Scott Gilbert

Michael C Park

Stuart J Golin

G David Ripley

David J Kaiman

Thomas Baker

An interactive computer program for seaming a number of images into a panorama. Various parameters which affect how the images are seamed can be changed interactively. Parameters such as position, orientation, focal length, which image will be visible where images overlap, and the opacity curve can be changed. The result of any change is immediately visible. A user can move the control points, thereby 'morphing' or distorting the contribution to the panorama of an image. Each pixel is assigned an 'alpha' value which indicates the opacity value of that pixel in an area where images overlap. Alpha values can be changed according to a pre-established curve. The original images are not changed. Instead, only the transform between the original images and the final panorama is changed.

Interactive image seamer for panoramic images

A method and apparatus for generating views of an environment with proper perspective and parallax. This invention captures panoramic views at many points in the environment, preferably by using fisheye lenses with subhemispherical fields of views to yield overlapping fisheye images that are seemed together, and stores them as planar polygons, which have been extended to include imagery occluded at their viewing position but visible at nearby points. Three-dimensional information on the environmental source of these polygons is determined and stored, enabling the playback system to simulate parallax as well as to produce stereographic images. Given a location and orientation in the environment, the playback system finds a nearby capture point and translates the polygons at that point to the specified location, producing an image. It then rotates that image to the desired orientation which it then displays.

Seaming polygonal projections from subhemispherical imagery

Panoramic movie which utilizes a series of captured panoramic images to display movement as observed by a viewer looking in a selected direction

Movement through multi-dimensional space is simulated using a series of panoramic images which are projected or displayed in sequence. The user's direction of view, that is the selected view window, is maintained as the series of images is projected or displayed. Motion in directions other than forward or reverse is simulated by utilizing &ldquo;branch&rdquo; points in the sequence. Each path from a branch point simulates motion in a different direction. Branch points are generally indicated to a viewer by visual indicators called &ldquo;hot spots&rdquo;; however, branch points may also be hidden and activated in response to the viewer's selected direction of view. If a branch point is indicated by a visual indicator, a user can select motion in a desired direction by clicking on a &ldquo;hot spot&rdquo;. In order to conserve storage space, the image representing each panorama can be stored in a compressed format. Only the portion of the panorama necessary to create a &ldquo;view window&rdquo; that is, the portion of the image displayed in response to the user's direction of view, is decompressed at view time. An index methodology is used to store the panoramic images. Use of the indexing methodology allows the images to be retrieved in both the forward and backward direction to simulate movement in either direction. Sound is provided in a special format, so that special effects can be provided based on the user's point of view and dependent upon the direction of motion selected by the user.

Panoramic movies which simulate movement through multidimensional space

The present invention provides a very flexible, digital system for capturing and storing panoramic images using progressive scan (that is, non interlaced) technology. The system includes a digital image input device and an associated control computer. Since the image capture device is digital it can be easily and flexibly controlled by software in the control computer. The image input device has six lenses positioned on the six faces of a cube. While the image input system can have other lens configurations, the use of six lenses in a cubic configuration is optimal for a system that is used to capture a spherical panorama. The six lenses simultaneously focuses different images on six CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices). The image input device also includes an embedded controller, and data compression circuitry. The embedded controller controls the exposure time of the CCDs (i.e. the effective aperture and effective shutter speed) and reads image data from the CCDs. The image data read from the CCDs is compressed, multiplexed, and sent to the control computer. The control computer stores the images in frames, each of which have one image from each of the six lenses. Each frame includes six images that were simultaneously recorded and any associated information, such as audio tracks, textual information, or environmental information such as GPS (Global Position System) data or artificial horizon data. The control computer includes a user interface which allows a user to specify control information such as frame rate, compression ratio, gain, etc. The control computer sends control information to the embedded controller which in turn controls the CCDs and the compression circuitry. The images can be sent from the control computer to a real time viewer so that a user can determine if the correct images are being captured. The images stored at the control computer are later seamed into panoramas and made into panoramic movies.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Scott Gilbert