Patent ID: 7256799
Filing Date: 2007-08-14
Classification: G06T,G09G

Abstract:
1. An image stitcher for arranging a plurality of images to be stitched in m rows and n columns (m and n are natural numbers) on a monitor screen and stitching the plurality of images, the image stitcher comprising: means for setting the number of rows m and the number of columns n to arrange the plurality of images to be stitched in m rows and n columns on the monitor screen, wherein m and n each have a value greater than 1; means for displaying on the monitor screen an image arrangement pattern selection screen including a plurality of image arrangement patterns each indicating how to arrange the plurality of images in the m rows and n columns; means for causing a user to select one of the plurality of image arrangement patterns on the image arrangement pattern selection screen; means for arranging the plurality of images to be stitched in the m rows and n columns on the monitor screen in accordance with the image arrangement pattern selected by the user; means for causing the user to select one of image stitching modes for stitching the plurality of images arranged in the m rows and n columns on the monitor screen, wherein a first mode, a second mode and a third mode are previously prepared as the image stitching modes; means for automatically performing, when the first mode is selected, all of a first process for determining pairs of adjacent images between which an overlapped portion is to be extracted based on arrangement positions of the plurality of images, a second process for extracting the overlapped portion in each pair of adjacent images determined in the first process and for registering the two images of each pair based on the overlapped portion extracted in the pair, a third process for detecting corresponding points between the two images of each pair based on all the images registered in the second process, and a fourth process for finding geometric transform matrices for stitching all the images, from the corresponding points detected for each pair of adjacent images in the third process, and for stitching all the images using the geometric transform matrices; means for automatically performing the first process, the third process and the fourth process from among said first to fourth processes when the second mode is selected, and causing the user to manually register the overlapped portion between the two images of each pair instead of performing the second process; and means for automatically performing the first process and the fourth process from among said first to fourth processes when the third mode is selected, and causing the user to manually specify the corresponding points between the two images of each pair instead of performing the second and third processes.