Patent ID: 8179431

Claim:
A multi-eye photographing apparatus comprising: a plurality of photographing units for photographing a subject at a plurality of photographing positions to obtain a plurality of images of the subject; a subject detection unit for detecting a predetermined subject from a base image which is one of the plurality of images; a subject information generation unit for generating subject information which includes information of a position and size of the predetermined subject in the base image; a photographing information generation unit for generating photographing information which includes information of a baseline length, convergence angle, and zoom magnification of each of the plurality of photographing units at a time of the photographing; and a determination unit for determining whether or not the predetermined subject detected from the base image is included in another image other than the base image based on an angle α and a field angle γ, which are calculated by: employing a zoom magnification of a base photographing unit that obtains the base image, the information regarding the size of the predetermined subject, and an actual size of the predetermined subject, to calculate a distance D 1 from the base photographing unit to the predetermined subject; employing the information regarding the position of the predetermined subject, a pixel pitch in a horizontal direction of an imaging element of the base photographing unit, and the zoom magnification of the base photographing unit, to calculate an angle β that represents a direction of the predetermined subject with respect to an optical axis of the base photographing unit; employing the distance D 1 , the angle β, a baseline length, and a convergence angle, to calculate the angle α that represents a direction of the predetermined subject with respect to an optical axis of another photographing unit; and employing a pixel pitch in a horizontal direction of an imaging element of the another photographing unit, and a zoom magnification of the another photographing unit, to calculate the field angle γ of the another photographing unit, and outputting a result of the determination.