Patent Document

TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to digital cameras and methods.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     Newer model digital cameras have included a “panorama” feature, which allows a user of the digital camera to capture multiple adjacent images that are “stitched” together into a single image at a later time. In order for a stitching algorithm to succeed, there needs to be a substantial overlap between adjacent images so that the stitching algorithm can find features common between the two adjacent images.  
         [0003]     The most common existing solutions for providing image alignment feedback to the user consist of one of two techniques. The first technique displays a portion of the previously captured image (usually 33% or 50% of the previous image) adjacent to a reduced-size liveview image. This technique requires the liveview image to be reduced in size, meaning that fewer visual features will be available to the user. This technique is used in Canon digital camera models S30, S40, and S45.  
         [0004]     A second technique is to overlay a portion of the previous image opaquely over a full-screen liveview image. While this approach does not reduce the liveview image, it conceals up to half of the liveview by obstructing a substantial portion of the previous image. The disadvantage of this approach is that the user is unable to see any changes in the image composition that takes place in the portion of the liveview image that is obstructed by the overlaid previous image.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention provides for digital cameras and methods that improves on existing methods of image alignment for panorama image capture. The present invention identifies those features that likely will be used by a stitching algorithm, and it highlights those features for a user by superimposing them on top of a “liveview” image displayed on a display of the digital camera. An edge detection algorithm (filter) is applied to the previously captured image to identify desired edge features, and the camera selects and displays (overlays) those features of the previous image on top of the subsequent “liveview” image that are relevant to aligning the camera for the subsequent image. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     The various features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention may be more readily understood with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:  
         [0007]      FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  are rear and front views, respectively, of an exemplary digital camera in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram that illustrates an exemplary method in accordance with the principles of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0009]     Referring to the drawing figures,  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  are rear and front views, respectively, of an exemplary digital camera  10  in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As is shown in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b , the exemplary digital camera  10  comprises a handgrip section  20  and a body section  30 . The handgrip section  20  includes a power button  21  or switch  21  having a lock latch  22 , a record button  23 , a strap connection  24 , and a battery compartment  26  for housing batteries  27 . The batteries may be inserted into the battery compartment  26  through an opening adjacent a bottom surface  47  of the digital camera  10 .  
         [0010]     As is shown in  FIG. 1   a , a rear surface  31  of the body section  30  comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD)  32  or viewfinder  45 , a rear microphone  33 , a joystick pad  34 , a zoom control dial  35 , a plurality of buttons  36  for setting functions of the camera  10  and an output port  37  for downloading images to a computer, for example. As is shown in  FIG. 1   b , a zoom lens  41  extends from a front surface  42  of the digital camera  10 . A metering element  43  and front microphone  44  are disposed on the front surface  42  of the digital camera  10 . A pop-up flash unit  45  is disposed adjacent a top surface  46  of the digital camera  10 .  
         [0011]     An image sensor  11  is coupled to processing circuitry  12  (illustrated using dashed lines) are housed within the body section  30 , for example. An exemplary embodiment of the processing circuitry  12  comprises a microcontroller (μC)  12  or central processing unit (CPU)  12 . The CPU  12  is coupled to a nonvolatile (NV) storage device  14 , and a high speed (volatile) storage device  15 , such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)  15 .  
         [0012]     In the digital camera  10 , the processing circuitry  12  (microcontroller (μC)  12  or CPU  12 ) embodies a processing algorithm  13  that comprises an edge detection algorithm  13  in accordance with the principles of the present invention to provide image alignment feedback for panorama (composite) images. This will be discussed in more detail with reference to  FIG. 2 .  
         [0013]     An exemplary edge detection algorithm  13  is disclosed in “A Simplified Approach to Image Processing” by Randy Crane, ISBN: 0-13-226416-1. This Laplacian convolution provides a fast and efficient method for identifying edges within an image.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram that illustrates an exemplary method  60  in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The exemplary method  60  comprises the following steps.  
         [0015]     A user captures  61  (stores  61 ) an image that is to be used as part of a panorama image sequence. The captured image is processed  62  using the edge detection filter  13 .  
         [0016]     The camera applies  63  the edge detection filter to that portion of the captured image that will overlap with the next image of the panorama sequence. For instance, if the user is taking a sequence of pictures for a panorama composite, traversing from left to right, the camera can apply the edge detection filter to the right half of each image, since the right half of an image will overlap with the left half of the next image.  
         [0017]     Once the camera has applied the edge detection filter, it computes  64  a histogram of the resultant values in order to identify a threshold value. The threshold value is selected  65  such that a small portion of the total number of image pixels are considered “edges”. For instance, 10-15% of the total pixels may be designated edges. By using the histogramming function, the camera  10  can accommodate either very busy images (those with many edges) or very bland images (those with few edges) without cluttering the liveview image.  
         [0018]     Once the edges are identified and the threshold has been applied, the camera extracts  66  the image information (pixels) near the edges from the previously taken image, and superimposes  67  only those pixels over the liveview image. The definition of “near” in this case is dependent on display size, but a radius of 2-3 pixels is considered reasonable.  
         [0019]     By applying the method of identifying edge features and superimposing only those elements of the previous image that are near those edges over the current liveview image, the user is provided a full-screen display that is minimally obscured with prior image information. Only those elements of the previous image that are important for alignment obscure the liveview image.  
         [0020]     This approach eliminates the disadvantage of using a reduced-size image as found in Canon digital cameras, for example. Furthermore, it eliminates the disadvantage of overlaying a large portion of the previous image (as much as 50% of it) over a full-screen liveview, interfering with the composition of the current image.  
         [0021]     This approach also allows a number of adjustments to be made, by either changing  68  the percentage of pixels that will be identified as “edges”, or by changing  69  the radius (or extent) around the edges that are sampled to display on the liveview image. By altering the threshold value  65 , the user of this technique can alter the number of edges that the user of the camera will see superimposed on the liveview image. A higher threshold value increases the likelihood of the user seeing false edges, while a lower threshold value decreases the number of edges displayed. The false edges that can be detected with a higher threshold may provide more alignment features, but it also obscures more of the current liveview image. Fewer edges decrease the clutter obscuring the current liveview image, allowing for better composition of the current image, but provides fewer features for alignment. Altering the radius of pixels that are sampled around edges likewise alters the level of obscuration of the liveview image. A larger radius includes more features around the edges to use for alignment, but it also obscures more of the liveview image. Conversely, a smaller radius reduces the visibility of alignment features.  
         [0022]     This method is easily identifiable in application, since it essentially overlays only edge features from the previous image over the current liveview image. By obscuring the current liveview as little as possible, the camera  10  provides the user the best possible solution to the problem of aligning adjacent images during a panorama sequence.  
         [0023]     Thus, digital cameras and methods that use edge detection for providing image alignment feedback for panorama (composite) images have been disclosed. It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of some of the many specific embodiments that represent applications of the principles of the present invention. Clearly, numerous and other arrangements can be readily devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

Technology Category: 5