Patent ID: 7463280
Filing Date: 2008-12-09
Classification: G03B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A digital camera system, comprising: a plurality of digital cameras disposed in substantially fixed relation to each other such that each of the plurality of digital cameras has a field of view that overlaps a field of view of at least one other of the plurality of digital cameras to create a stereoscopic field of view; a mass storage device storing pixel vector maps for each of the plurality of digital cameras, wherein each of the pixel vector maps defines a coordinate system of the corresponding one of the plurality of digital cameras; and a controller that substantially simultaneously activates the plurality of digital cameras to capture image data for a three-hundred-and-sixty degree horizontal stereoscopic field of view; and a processor executing software that generates a first digital three-dimensional model of the three-hundred-and-sixty degree horizontal stereoscopic field of view using the image data captured by the plurality of digital cameras and the pixel vector maps, wherein the controller further captures additional image data from a separate location, and the software generates a second digital three-dimensional model from the additional image data and merges the first and second digital three-dimensional models to create a comprehensive digital three-dimensional model.