Method and apparatus for relating and combining multiple images of the same scene or object(s)

Patent 5706416 Issued on January 6, 1998. Estimated Expiration Date:

November 13, 2015. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

A system and method for superimposing images
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Inventors

Application

No. 558012 filed on 11/13/1995

US Classes:

345/427Space transformation

Examiners

Primary: Nguyen, Phu K.
Assistant: Vo, Cliff N.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Cesari and McKenna, LLP

International Class

G06F 015/00

Abstract

Digitally encoded images having common subject matter are spatially related to one another and combined utilizing a projective coordinate transformation, the parameters of which are estimated featurelessly. For a given input image frame, the universe of possible changes in each image point consistent with the projective coordinate transformation is defined and used to find the projective-transformation parameters which, when applied to the input image, make it look most like a target image. The projective model correctly relates images of common (static) subject matter taken by a single camera at a fixed location, free to rotate about its center of projection (e.g., free to rotate about its optical axis, and to pan and tilt) and having a lens free to zoom; and planar scenes recorded by a camera free to move arbitrarily (including translation or other movements of the center of projection itself).

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