Processing of image obtained by multi-eye camera

(54) PROCESSING OF IMAGE OBTAINED BY MULTI-EYE CAMERA

(75) Inventors: Motohiro Ishikawa, Yokohama (JP);

Katsumi Iijima, Hachioji (JP); Kotaro
Yano, Yokohama (JP); Sunao
Kurahashi, Kawasaki (JP); Katsuhiko
Mori, Kawasaki (JP); Takeo Sakimura,
Urayasu (JP)

(73) Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)

( * ) Notice: This patent issued on a continued prosecution application filed under 37 CFR 1.53(d), and is subject to the twenty year patent term provisions ol 35 U.S.C. 154(a)(2).

Subject to any disclaimer, the term ol this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.

(21) Appl. No.: 08/926,817

(22) Filed: Sep. 10, 1997

(30) Foreign Application Priority Data

Sep. 11, 1996 (JP) 8-261207

Nov. 15, 1996 (JP) 8-304666

Nov. 22, 1996 (JP) 8-327821

(51) Int. CI. G06K 9 00

(52) U.S. CI 382/154; 382/291; 345/419

(58) Field of Search 382/154, 291;

348/42, 43, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 705, 706; 345/419, 139, 435, 113, 114, 115, 116; 356/12, 13

(56) References Cited

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5,617,334 A * 4/1997 Tseng et al 708/203

5,675,377 A * 10/1997 Gibas 348/47

5,703,961 A * 12/1997 Rogina et al 382/154

5,734,743 A * 3/1998 Matsugu et al 382/154

5,745,156 A * 4/1998 Jain et al 382/154

5,793,375 A * 8/1998 Tanaka 345/426

5,825,915 A * 10/1998 Michimoto et al 382/154

5,903,303 A 5/1999 Fukushima et al.

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS

EP 0 642 275 A2 3/1995

JP 07007747 1/1995

JP 07110505 4/1995

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

European Search Report, mailed Dec. 10, 1997.

* cited by examiner

Primary Examiner—Samir Ahmed
Assistant Examiner—-Vikkram Bali

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Morgan & Finnegan, LLP

(57) ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a binocular camera which can realize panoramic view and stereoscopic view during image sensing. There is also disclosed a binocular camera which has two image sensing optical systems, a circuit for synthesizing right and left sensed parallax image signals to a panoramic image or a three-dimensional image, and a display for displaying the synthesized image signal.

29 Claims, 50 Drawing Sheets