Method to capture, store, distribute, share, stream and display panoramic image or video

1. A system for capturing and assembling panoramic image data, the system comprising:

(a) a panoramic image capture device having image assembly parameters, the panoramic image capture device configured to capture image content data, the image content data including two images taken from different perspectives, each image having an overlap region such that when the two images are combined the overlap regions form an overlapping area, at least one of the two images having its overlap region partially obscured within an image field of view, the image assembly parameters containing at least information about the obscured part of the image field of view;

(b) an encoding device coupled to the panoramic image capture device, the encoding device configured to combine the image content data and the image assembly parameters into a panoramic image file; and

(c) a decoding device configured to receive the panoramic image file and assemble, based on the image assembly parameters, at least a portion from each of the two images into an output image, an image assembly width of the overlapping area being adjusted using the image assembly parameters.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the panoramic capture device comprises a plurality of camera modules configured to capture the image content data from multiple perspectives.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least two of the plurality of camera modules are in a generally back-to-back configuration.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least two of the plurality of camera modules are in a generally side-by-side configuration.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the panoramic image capture device further comprises an image processing unit configured to synchronize data from the plurality of camera modules.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image assembly parameters further comprise at least the relative position and orientation of the capture device.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the panoramic image capture device comprises an image processing unit configured to reduce differences between different images captured in multiple directions.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the image processing unit in the panoramic capture device uses at least one of the image assembly parameters to evaluate differences between the different images.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the panoramic capture device comprises a camera module configured to capture the image content data from multiple perspectives.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the decoding device selectively assembles multiple portions of the image content data into the output image using the image assembly parameters.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the panoramic image capture device captures multiple original images and combines the multiple original images in the image content data.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image assembly parameters are encoded with at least one marker to create at least one marked image.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image content data and at least some image assembly parameters are captured in real time.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image assembly parameters further comprise at least one of an orientation of the capture device, a scene image content position, an orientation of the image content data, a size of an image, a speed of the panoramic image capture device, an acceleration of the panoramic image capture device, a distance of an object from the panoramic image capture device, and information of the mechanical parts of the image capture device visible inside the image field of view.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the panoramic image capture device comprises a wide-angle camera module.

16. A method for capturing and assembling panoramic image data, the method comprising:

(a) capturing, using a panoramic image capture device having image assembly parameters, image content data, the image content data including two images taken from different perspectives, each image having an overlap region such that when the two images are combined the overlap regions form an overlapping area, at least one of the two images having its overlap region partially obscured within an image field of view, the image assembly parameters containing at least information about the obscured part of the image field of view;

(b) encoding the image content data and the image assembly parameters into a panoramic image file; and

(c) assembling, based on the image assembly parameters, at least a portion from each of the two images into an output image, an image assembly width of the overlapping area being adjusted using the image assembly parameters.

17. A method for receiving and assembling panoramic image data, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a panoramic image file, the panoramic image file including image assembly parameters and image content data, the image content data including two images taken from different perspectives, each image having an overlap region such that when the two images are combined the overlap regions form an overlapping area, at least one of the two images having its overlap region partially obscured within an image field of view, the image assembly parameters containing at least information about the obscured part of the image field of view; and

(b) assembling, based on the image assembly parameters, at least a portion from each of the two images into an output image, an image assembly width of the overlapping area being adjusted using the image assembly parameters.

18. A panoramic imager comprising:

(a) a panoramic image capture device having image assembly parameters, the panoramic image capture device configured to capture image content data, the image content data including two images taken from different perspectives, each image having an overlap region such that when the two images are combined the overlap regions form an overlapping area, at least one of the two images having its overlap region partially obscured within an image field of view, the image assembly parameters containing at least information about the obscured part of the image field of view;

(b) an encoding device electrically coupled to the panoramic image capture device, the encoding device configured to encode the image content data and the image assembly parameters into a panoramic image file; and

(c) a decoding device configured to receive the panoramic image file and assemble, based on the image assembly parameters, at least a portion from each of the two images into an output image, an image assembly width of the overlapping area being adjusted using the image assembly parameters.

19. The panoramic imager of claim 18 , wherein the decoding device is further configured to communicate to the panoramic image capture device which part of the native panoramic images are displayed.

20. The panoramic imager of claim 18 , further comprising:

(d) a decoding device configured to communicate to the panoramic image capture device information computed during the image assembly.