Patent Document ID: 7565029
Application ID: 11177811
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of estimating camera position information from a series of source images that form a panorama, the method comprising: using a processor to carry out the steps of; estimating a transform between adjoining image pairs in said series based on common features within said adjoining image pairs; determining a rotational component for each transform and three-dimensional coordinates for said common features; adjusting each of the rotational components to reduce errors between corresponding ones of said coordinates in adjoining image pairs; and calculating focal lengths based on the adjusted rotational components; wherein said determining is done on the basis of an initial focal length; in the event that predetermined conditions are satisfied, concurrently refining the focal lengths and rotational components to globally reduce errors between corresponding ones of said coordinates in all image pairs; prior to said refining, adjusting a position of each of said images to an average latitude of all images in said series; setting the y-component of the x-axis of each image to zero; and setting the y-axis of each image to the cross-product of said x-axis and the respective image normal.