Patent ID: 6950120

Claim:
An image processing method for synthesizing first image data sensed by a first image sensing means with second image data sensed by a second image sensing means to make panoramic image data, said method comprising the steps of: retrieving image data sensed at a first time instant t 1 from among a group of the first image data; retrieving image data sensed at a second time instant t 2 from among a group of the second image data, where the second time instant t 2 is a time occurring after the first time instant t 1 by a time period corresponding to a known distance r between the first image sensing means and the second image sensing means so that t 2 =t 1 +r/v, wherein the first image sensing means and the second image sensing means are arranged separately on a mobile object with the known distance r between them the mobile object is moving in a moving direction with a velocity v, the first image sensing means is arranged to have an image sensing direction substantially aligned with the moving direction of the mobile object, the second image sensing means is arranged to have an image sensing direction aligned with a direction opposite to the moving direction of the mobile object, and each of the first and second image data is recorded with information indicating when the image data was sensed; and synthesizing the image data retrieved at the first time instant and the second time instant to make panoramic image data of a panoramic image from a location of the first image sensing means at the first time instant.