Methods and apparatus for capturing, processing and/or communicating images
An unobstructed image portion of a captured image from a first camera of a camera pair, e.g., a stereoscopic camera pair including fisheye lenses, is combined with a scaled extracted image portion generated from a captured image from a second camera in the camera pair. An unobstructed image portion of a captured image from the second camera of the camera pair is combined with a scaled extracted image portion generated from a captured image from the first camera in the camera pair. As part of the combining obstructed image portions which were obstructed by part of the adjacent camera are replaced in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the obstructions are due to adjacent fisheye lens. In various embodiments fish eye lenses which have been cut to be flat on one side are used for the left and right cameras with the spacing between the optical axis approximating the spacing between the optical axis of a human person's eyes.
1. An image processing method, the method comprising:
receiving a left image captured by a left side camera of a camera pair, said left side camera including a first asymmetric lens which has a flat right side portion, said first asymmetric lens having a flat right side and a right side view obscured by a component of a right side camera in said camera pair, said left image including a first unobstructed image portion and a first obstructed image portion which was obstructed by the component of the right side camera, said first unobstructed image portion corresponding to a left side of said left image and said first obstructed image portion corresponding to a right side of said left image;
receiving a right image captured by the right side camera of the camera pair, said right side camera including a second asymmetric lens which has a flat left side portion and having a left side view obscured by a component of the left side camera in said camera pair, the flat right side portion of the first asymmetric lens extending parallel to the flat left side portion of the second asymmetric lens, said right image including a second unobstructed image portion and a second obstructed image portion, said second obstructed image portion corresponding to a left side of said right image and said second unobstructed image portion corresponding to a right side of said right image;
scaling said second unobstructed image portion corresponding to the right side of said right image to generate a scaled portion of the right image; and
generating a composite left image by combining the first unobstructed image portion with the scaled portion of said right image.
2. The method of claim 1 ,
scaling said first unobstructed image portion corresponding to the left side of said left image to generate a scaled portion of the left image;
generating a composite right image by combining an unobstructed image portion of the right image with the scaled portion of said left image;
storing said generated composite left image or communicating said generated composite left image to a playback device; and
storing said generated composite right image or communicating said generated composite right image to a playback device.
3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein said left side camera includes a first camera body and a first fish eye lens, said first fish eye lens having a left side portion which extends out in front of said first camera body and out beyond a left side of said first camera body which has a left side portion which extends leftward beyond a left side of the first camera body of the left side camera; and
wherein said right side camera includes a second camera body and a second fish eye lens, said second fish eye lens having a right side portion which extents out in front of said second camera body and out beyond a right side of said second camera body.
4. The method of claim 3 ,
wherein said left image is an image that was captured by the left side camera of said camera pair at the same time the right image was captured by the right side camera of said camera pair camera pair.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein said first fish eye lens has a non-circular front face facing away from said left side camera, said front face including a flat portion which is adjacent to and extends parallel to a flat portion of the second fish eye lens of said right side camera.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein generating a composite left image includes:
aligning a portion of an object in an unobstructed portion of the left image with a corresponding portion of the object included in the scaled portion of said right image; and
combining the unobstructed portion of the left image with the aligned scaled portion of said right image to generate said composite left image.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said composite left image includes image content of a field of view which is greater than 180 degrees.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said left side camera and said right side camera of said camera pair have parallel optical axis.
9. The method of claim 3 , wherein scaling said second unobstructed image portion corresponding to the right side of said right image includes scaling to reduce the size of one or more objects in said second unobstructed image portion of said right image.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said lens of the left side camera is a first fish eye lens and the lens of the right side camera is a second fish eye lens, the first fish eye lens obstructing the left side of the right side camera's field of view and the second fish eye lens obstructing the right side of the left side camera's field of view.
11. The method of claim 2 ,
wherein scaling said first unobstructed image portion corresponding to the left side of said left image to generate a scaled portion of the left image includes scaling to reduce the size of one or more objects in said first unobstructed image portion of said left image.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein generating a composite right image includes:
aligning a portion of an object in an unobstructed portion of the right image with a corresponding portion of the object included in the scaled portion of said left image; and
combining the unobstructed portion of the right image with the aligned scaled portion of said left image to generate said composite right image.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
combining the composite left image and composite right image into a single frame;
encoding said frame to generate an encoded stereoscopic image frame; and
transmitting the generated encoded stereoscopic image frame to a stereoscopic playback device.
14. A system, the system comprising:
a receiver configured to receive:
i) a left image captured by a left side camera of a camera pair, said left side camera including a first asymmetric lens which has a flat right side portion, said first asymmetric lens having a flat right side and a right side view obscured by a component of a right side camera in said camera pair, said left image including a first unobstructed image portion and a first obstructed image portion which was obstructed by the component of the right side camera, said first unobstructed image portion corresponding to a left side of said left image and said first obstructed image portion corresponding to a right side of said left image; and
ii) a right image captured by the right side camera of the camera pair, said right side camera including a second asymmetric lens which has a flat left side portion and a left side view obscured by a component of the left side camera in said camera pair, the flat right side portion of the first asymmetric lens extending parallel to the flat left side portion of the second asymmetric lens, said right image including a second unobstructed image portion and a second obstructed image portion, said second obstructed image portion corresponding to a left side of said right image and said second unobstructed image portion corresponding to a right side of said right image; and
a processor configured to:
scale said second unobstructed image portion corresponding to the right side of said right image to generate a scaled portion of the right image; and
generate a composite left image by combining the first unobstructed image portion with the scaled portion of said right image.
15. The image processing system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a memory storing said generated composite left image or communicating said generated composite left image to a playback device.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein said processor is configured to:
scale said first unobstructed image portion corresponding to the left side of said left image to generate a scaled portion of the left image;
generate a composite right image by combining an unobstructed image portion of the right image with the scaled portion of said left image; and
store said generated composite left image in said memory.
17. The of claim 16 , further comprising:
said camera pair, and
wherein said first asymmetric lens extends outward in front of and to the left of a first camera body of said left side camera with the left side of said first asymmetric lens extending beyond the left side of the first camera body; and
wherein said second asymmetric lens extends outward in front of and to the right of a second camera body of said right side camera with the right side of said second asymmetric lens extending beyond the right side of the second camera body.
18. A non-transitory computer readable medium including machine executable instructions which, when executed by a processor of an apparatus control the apparatus to perform the steps of:
receiving a left image captured by a left side camera of a camera pair, said left side camera including a first asymmetric lens which has a flat right side portion, said first asymmetric lens having a flat right side and a right side view obscured by a component of a right side camera in said camera pair, said left image including a first unobstructed image portion and a first obstructed image portion which was obstructed by the component of the right side camera, said first unobstructed image portion corresponding to a left side of said left image and said first obstructed image portion corresponding to a right side of said left image;
receiving a right image captured by the right side camera of the camera pair, said right side camera including a second asymmetric lens which has a flat left side portion and a left side view obscured by by a component of the left camera in said camera pair, the flat right side portion of the first asymmetric lens extending parallel to the flat left side portion of the second asymmetric lens, said right image including a second unobstructed image portion and a second obstructed image portion, said second obstructed image portion corresponding to a left side of said right image and said second unobstructed image portion corresponding to a right side of said right image;
scaling said second unobstructed image portion corresponding to the right side of said right image to generate a scaled portion of the right image; and
generating a composite left image by combining the first unobstructed image portion with the scaled portion of said right image.