Patent Publication Number: US-2011069146-A1

Title: System and method for processing images

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods for processing data, and more particularly to a system and a method for processing image data. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     With the development of computer networks and multimedia applications, video technology, that is, digitally capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing motion, has found widespread application. Such video can be seen as made up of a plurality of images. 
     As is known, when capturing video record, more than one video camera is preferable since the images captured thereby provide a variation in perspectives of the event or footage. 
     However, the images to be integrated may share area with others. Such redundantly occupied area increases required storage space for the video and occupies undue bandwidth during transmission of the video data. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system for processing images. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating division of a coordinate plane of a scene as processed in the system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for processing images. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The application is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
     In general, the word “module” as used hereinafter, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware. It will be appreciated that modules may comprised connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and may comprise programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system  100  for processing images. In the present embodiment, the system  100  includes a plurality of video cameras  1  and a data processing device  2 . The video cameras  1  may include a first video camera, a second video camera, a third video camera, a fourth video camera, and a fifth camera video, and so forth. The video cameras  1  are placed at different locations of a scene to capture images of the scene from different angles. The data processing device  2  may be a computer, a decoder, or an encoder, for example. The data processing device  2  includes a plurality of function modules (see below description) operable to process the captured images to generate a panoramic image of scene by incorporating all the captured images. 
     In one embodiment, the function modules of the data processing device  2  may include a division module  20 , an image selection module  21 , an identification module  22 , a usable area determination module  23 , a character mark module  24 , an image compression module  25 , an image integration module  26 , and an image output module  27 . 
     In other embodiments, the system  100  may include more than one data processing device  2  in which the function modules  20 - 27  are distributed. For example, the division module  20 , the image selection module  21 , the identification module  22 , the usable area determination module  23 , and the character mark module  24  can be included in an encoder, and the image compression module  25 , the image integration module  26 , and the image output module  27  in a decoder. 
     In one embodiment, at least one processor  28  of the data processing device  2  executes one or more computerized codes of the function modules  20 - 27 . The one or more computerized codes of the functional modules  20 - 27  may be stored in a storage system  29  of the data processing device  2 . 
     The division module  20  is operable to divide a coordinate plane of the scene into a plurality of partitions according to predetermined division points. In one embodiment, the number of the partitions equals the number of the video cameras  1 . An example of such division of the coordinate plane of the scene is illustrated in  FIG. 2 , where it can be seen that the coordinate plane of the scene, which is represented by characters a, b, c, and d, is divided into five partitions, namely, A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , and A 5 , according to division points p 1 ˜p 5 . 
     The image selection module  21  is operable to select an image from the images captured by the video cameras  1 . In one embodiment, the selection may be random. 
     The identification module  22  is operable to identify information of the selected image. In one embodiment, the information includes the video camera  1  on which the selected image was captured. Here, each image captured by the video cameras  1  bears a mark indicating the video camera  1  on which it was captured. 
     The usable area determination module  23  is operable to determine a usable area of the selected image according to the information and the division of the coordinate plane of the scene, so as to distinguish unusable areas of the selected image. In one embodiment, the usable areas of images captured by different video cameras  1  are different. In the example of the division of the scene illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the partition A 1  may be the usable area of the image captured by the first video camera, the partition A 2  may be the usable area of the image captured by the second video camera, the partition A 3  may be the usable area of the image captured by the third video camera, the partition A 4  may be the usable area of the image captured by the fourth video camera, and the partition A 5  may be the usable area of the image captured by the fifth video camera. 
     The character mark module  24  is operable to mark a character into each pixel point of the unusable areas of the selected image. The character may be any character. 
     The image compression module  25  is operable to compress the selected image by deleting the pixel points marked by the character to generate a compressed image. 
     The image integration module  26  is operable to integrate all the compressed images to generate a panoramic image of the scene. 
     The image output module  27  is operable to output the panoramic image of the scene. 
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for processing images. Depending on the embodiment, additional blocks in the flow of  FIG. 3  may be added, others removed, and the ordering of the blocks may be changed. 
     In block S 10 , the video cameras  1  placed at different locations of a scene capture images of the scene. 
     In block S 11 , the division module  20  divides a coordinate plane of the scene into a plurality of partitions according to predetermined division points. In one embodiment, the number of partitions equals the number of the video cameras  1 . 
     In block S 12 , the image selection module  21  selects an image from the images captured by the video cameras  1 . In one embodiment, the selection may be random. 
     In block S 13 , the identification module  22  identifies information of the selected image, such as, here, on which video camera the  1  the selected image was captured. In the embodiment, each image captured by the video cameras  1  may includes a mark indicating the video camera  1  on which the image was captured. 
     In block S 14 , the usable area determination module  23  determines a usable area of the selected image according to the information and the division of the coordinate plane of the scene for distinguishing unusable areas of the selected image. In one embodiment, the usable areas of the images captured by different video cameras are different. 
     In block S 15 , the character mark module  24  marks a character into each pixel point of the unusable areas of the selected image. The character may be any character. 
     In block S 16 , the image compression module  25  compresses the selected image by deleting the pixel points marked by the character to generate a compressed image. 
     In block S 17 , the image selection module  21  determines if all the images captured by the video cameras  1  have been selected. If at least one image has not been selected, block S 12  is repeated. If all the images have been selected, block S 18  is implemented. 
     In block S 18 , the image integration module  26  integrates all the compressed images to generate a panoramic image of the scene. 
     In block S 19 , the image output module  27  outputs the panoramic image of the scene. 
     Although certain inventive embodiments of the present disclosure have been specifically described, the present disclosure is not to be construed as being limited thereto. 
     Various changes or modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.