Adjustable Parallax Distance, Wide Field of View, Stereoscopic Imaging System

摘要

An imaging system and methods for using an imaging system where the operator is able to variably adjust the parallax distance for enhanced stereo performance are disclosed. In addition, by coordinating the parallax distance with the optical settings of the camera, artificial 3D experiences can be created that give a user the perception of observing a scene from a distance different than that actually employed. The imaging system may also include a plurality of stereo camera supersets, wherein a first one or more stereo camera supersets are positioned at a different height relative to a first stereo camera superset. Novel specific uses of the camera system, such as in capturing events of interest are described. Useful techniques for extracting or encoding wide field of view images from memory are also disclosed.

主权项

1. A wide field-of-view stereoscopic camera system comprising:
a support structure having M arms, where M is an integer equal to or greater than 2, each of the arms being spaced around a constructive circle and having a mount point, coincident with the circle, defining a radius of the circle, wherein the radius is half of a parallax distance, and the circle defines a horizontal plane and the circle defines a constructive right cylinder that contains that circle and that has an axis perpendicular to the horizontal plane and wherein each of the arms has a length adjustment to vary the distance between the center of the circle and the mount point; N digital cameras, wherein N is at least equal to M, each digital camera having a lens with a focal point and an optical axis and producing an image encoded in a digital output and having a horizontal field of view and a vertical field of view; the digital cameras mounted to the support structure so that each arm supports at least one digital camera so that (i) the focal point thereof is proximate to such arm's mount point and (ii) the optical axis thereof is generally tangent to the cylinder; and an image processor, coupled to the digital output of each of the N digital cameras, to form a stereo view pair, wherein the processor forms a left view from the digital outputs of a first set of the N cameras and forms a right view from the digital outputs of a second set of the N cameras, wherein the first and second sets are disjoint.