Patent ID: 6262760
Filing Date: 2001-07-17
Classification: G01C,H04N

Abstract:
A system for extracting a strip of visual image information from a portion of a panoramic picture of associated horizontal surroundings at a given elevation, comprising:omnidirectional visual means for producing a band-like panoramic pictorial image of a horizontal view of said associated surroundings at said given elevation;processing means for both converting said pictorial image into image signals in pixel form and extracting therefrom strips of image data respectively representative of an average intensity of successive individual bins of pixel locations of an image ring superimposed upon said pictorial image, whereby all pixels not within said image ring are ignored or eliminated, thereby compressing the image data associated with said pictorial image, said processing means including:a CCD array including individual light detectors arrayed in the configuration of said image ring, and responsive to said pictorial image, for directly extracting said strips of image data from said ring, and providing the strips of image data as an analog image output signal; andcolor detection means for recording on said strips of image data an RGB value for each one of said bins in addition to the average intensity thereof;wherein said color detection means includes means for computing the average of the red, green, and blue values for each pixel, and selecting the brightest pixel of each bin as being representative of that bin.