IP Library Granted Patent US 12,537,930
Granted Patent B2
US 12,537,930 · App. 18/836,786 · Granted Jan 27, 2026

Field expansion device, field expansion method, field expansion program, and field expansion system

Inventors: Takeru Isaka (Musashino, JP); Shinya Shimizu (Musashino, JP); Shiro Ozawa (Musashino, JP)
Assignee: NTT, Inc.
H04N13/327H04N13/122H04N13/128H04N13/139H04N13/156H04N23/698
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,537,930
App. No.
18/836,786
Granted
Jan 27, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A field-of-view expansion device includes processing circuitry configured to acquire an image around a user captured by a camera installed in a vicinity of the user, convert an image outside a center visual field of the user of the image acquired to naturally connect to a vision of the center visual field of the user, and display the image converted on a display disposed in right and left peripheral visual fields of the user across the center visual field of the user.

Claims (25)

1 . A field-of-view expansion device comprising:

processing circuitry configured to:

acquire an image around a user captured by a panoramic camera installed in a vicinity of the user;

convert an image outside a center visual field of the user of the acquired image such that (i) a representation of the image outside the center visual field of the user is compressed depending on the distance from the center visual field of the user and (ii) the representation of the image naturally connects to a vision of the center visual field of the user, wherein the representation of the image includes a compressed appearance of the backside of the user; and

display the converted image on a display disposed in right and left peripheral visual fields of the user across the center visual field of the user.

2 . The field-of-view expansion device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to;

convert an image of the center visual field of the user to coincide with a scale and a position when the user views the center visual field with a naked eye based on a correspondence between each pixel of the acquired image and a position of each pixel in real space; and

display the converted image of the center visual field on a display disposed in the center visual field of the user.

3 . The field-of-view expansion device according to claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to acquire a correspondence between each pixel of the acquired image and a position of each pixel in the real space using depth information of each position in the real space obtained from a stereo camera.

4 . A field-of-view expansion method executed by a field-of-view expansion device, the field-of-view expansion method comprising:

acquiring an image around a user captured by a panoramic camera installed in a vicinity of the user;

converting an image outside a center visual field of the user of the acquired image such that (i) a representation of the image outside the center visual field of the user is compressed depending on the distance from the center visual field of the user and (ii) the representation of the image naturally connects to a vision of the center visual field of the user, wherein the representation of the image includes a compressed appearance of the backside of the user; and

displaying the converted image on a display disposed in right and left peripheral visual fields of the user across the center visual field of the user.

5 . The field-of-view expansion method according to claim 4 , further comprising:

converting an image of the center visual field of the user to coincide with a scale and a position when the user views the center visual field with a naked eye based on a correspondence between each pixel of the acquired image and a position of each pixel in real space; and

displaying the converted image of the center visual field on a display disposed in the center visual field of the user.

6 . The field-of-view expansion method according to claim 4 , further comprising acquiring a correspondence between each pixel of the acquired image and a position of each pixel in the real space using depth information of each position in the real space obtained from a stereo camera.

7 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing therein a field-of-view expansion program that causes a computer to execute a process comprising:

acquiring an image around a user captured by a panoramic camera installed in a vicinity of the user;

converting an image outside a center visual field of the user of the acquired image such that (i) a representation of the image outside the center visual field of the user is compressed depending on the distance from the center visual field of the user and (ii) the representation of the image naturally connects to a vision of the center visual field of the user, wherein the representation of the image includes a compressed appearance of the backside of the user;

displaying the converted image on a display disposed in right and left peripheral visual fields of the user across the center visual field of the user.

8 . The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 7 , wherein the process further comprises:

converting an image of the center visual field of the user to coincide with a scale and a position when the user views the center visual field with a naked eye based on a correspondence between each pixel of the acquired image and a position of each pixel in real space; and

displaying the converted image of the center visual field on a display disposed in the center visual field of the user.

9 . The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 7 , wherein the process further comprises acquiring a correspondence between each pixel of the acquired image and a position of each pixel in the real space using depth information of each position in the real space obtained from a stereo camera.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 20, 2025
From: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
To: NTT, INC.
Reel/Frame 072556/0180 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 8, 2024
From: ISAKA, TAKERU; SHIMIZU, SHINYA; OZAWA, SHIRO
To: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 068222/0706 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250168317A1 · May 22, 2025
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