Digital 3D/360 ° camera system
View Patent ↗The digital 3D/360° camera system is an omnidirectional stereoscopic device for capturing image data that may be used to create a 3-dimensional model for presenting a 3D image, a 3D movie, or 3D animation. The device uses multiple digital cameras, arranged with overlapping fields of view, to capture image data covering an entire 360° scene. The data collected by one, or several, digital 3D/360° camera systems can be used to create a 3D model of a 360° scene by using triangulation of the image data within the overlapping fields of view.
1. A method for generating a three-hundred-sixty degree digital representation of an area, comprising:
capturing an image from each of a plurality of digital cameras having a field of view that overlaps with the field of view of at least one other digital camera among the plurality of digital cameras forming a stereoscopic field of view;
generating a composite pixel vector map based on the images associated with the plurality of digital cameras and defining a coordinate system of the plurality of digital cameras in terms of at least:
camera position data defining the position of each of the plurality of digital cameras, and
a plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps, each camera-specific pixel vector map associated with a camera of the plurality of digital cameras; and
generating a three-hundred-sixty degree digital representation of the area surrounding the plurality of digital cameras based at least on the stored composite pixel vector map.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating the plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps using directional vectors defining the path between a reference point of each camera and a plurality of image pixels within the field of view of each camera.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein generating the plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps comprises:
defining a first camera reference point for a first camera of the plurality of digital cameras and a second camera reference point for a second camera of the plurality of digital cameras; and
determining the displacement between the first camera reference point and the second camera reference point.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein generating the plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps further comprises:
identifying a first image pixel associated with an end point within the field of view of the first camera;
determining a vector between the first camera reference point and the first image pixel;
identifying a second image pixel associated with the end point within the field of view of a second camera; and
determining a vector between the second camera reference point and second image pixel.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining the relative position of the end point within the coordinate system of the plurality of digital cameras based on the camera-specific pixel vector maps and camera position data.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the defined path between the reference point of each camera and the plurality of image pixels comprises a distinct reference point of each camera for each of the plurality of image pixels within the field of view of each camera.
7. The method of claim 1 . wherein:
the plurality of digital cameras comprise a first plurality of digital cameras and a second plurality of digital cameras, and
the second plurality of digital cameras is positioned in a location different from the first plurality of digital cameras to image the area from a different point of view.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generation of the three-hundred-sixty degree digital representation of the area occurs via at least one processor associated with the plurality of digital cameras.
9. A system for generating a three-hundred-sixty degree digital representation of an area, comprising:
a plurality of digital cameras having a field of view that overlaps with the field of view of at least one other digital camera among the plurality of digital cameras forming a stereoscopic field of view,
a controller which causes each camera of the plurality of digital cameras to capture an image;
a processor executing software that generates a composite pixel vector map based on the images associated with the plurality of digital cameras and defining a coordinate system of the plurality of digital cameras in terms of at least:
camera position data defining the position of each of the plurality of digital cameras, and
a plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps, each camera-specific pixel vector map associated a camera of the plurality of digital cameras; and
wherein the system generates a three-hundred-sixty degree digital representation of the area surrounding the plurality of digital cameras based at least on the stored composite pixel vector map.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the system generates the plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps using directional vectors defining the path between a reference point of each camera and a plurality of image pixels within the field of view of each camera.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the system generates the plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps by:
defining a first camera reference point for a first camera of the plurality of digital cameras and a second camera reference point for a second camera of the plurality of digital cameras; and
determining the displacement between the first camera reference point and the second camera reference point.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the system generates the plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps by:
identifying a first image pixel associated with an end point within the field of view of the first camera;
determining a vector between the first camera reference point and the first image pixel;
identifying a second image pixel associated with the end point within the field of view of a second camera; and
determining a vector between the second camera reference point and second image pixel.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the system determines the relative position of the end point within the coordinate system of the plurality of digital cameras based on the camera-specific pixel vector maps and camera position data.
14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the defined path between the reference point of each camera and the plurality of image pixels comprises a distinct reference point of each camera for each of the plurality of image pixels within the field of view of each camera.
15. The system of claim 9 , wherein:
the plurality of digital cameras comprise a first plurality of digital cameras and a second plurality of digital cameras, and
the second plurality of digital cameras is positioned in a location different from the first plurality of digital cameras to image the area from a different point of view.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a digital camera system comprising a plurality of digital cameras to:
cause each camera of the plurality of digital cameras to capture an image having a field of view that overlaps with the field of view of at least one other digital camera among the plurality of digital cameras forming a stereoscopic field of view;
generate a composite pixel vector map based on the images associated with the plurality of digital cameras and defining a coordinate system of the plurality of digital cameras in terms of at least:
camera position data defining the position of each of the plurality of digital cameras, and
a plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps, each camera-specific pixel vector map associated with a camera of the plurality of digital cameras; and
generate a three-hundred-sixty degree digital representation of the area surrounding the plurality of digital cameras based at least on the stored pixel vector map.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the digital camera system to:
generate the plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps using directional vectors defining the path between a reference point of each camera and a plurality of image pixels within the field of view of each camera.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein generating the plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps comprises:
defining a first camera reference point for a first camera of the plurality of digital cameras and a second camera reference point for a second camera of the plurality of digital cameras; and
determining the displacement between the first camera reference point and the second camera reference point.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein generating the plurality of camera-specific pixel vector maps further comprises:
identifying a first image pixel associated with an end point within the field of view of the first camera;
determining a vector between the first camera reference point and the first image pixel;
identifying a second image pixel associated with the end point within the field of view of a second camera; and
determining a vector between the second camera reference point and second image pixel.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed:
determine the relative position of the end point within the coordinate system of the plurality of digital cameras based on the camera-specific pixel vector maps and camera position data.
21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the defined path between the reference point of each camera and the plurality of image pixels comprises a distinct reference point of each camera for each of the plurality of image pixels within the field of view of each camera.
22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein:
the plurality of digital cameras comprise a first plurality of digital cameras and a second plurality of digital cameras, and
the second plurality of digital cameras is positioned in a location different from the first plurality of digital cameras to image the area from a different point of view.