Digital 3D/360 degree 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 calibrating a camera system having a plurality of cameras on a housing, comprising:
aligning the housing to a coordinate system;
calibrating each camera of the plurality of cameras with respect to the coordinate system, wherein calibrating includes:
exposing each pixel in the camera to two distinct points, wherein the locations of the two distinct points within the coordinate system are known,
determining a pixel vector for each pixel based on the locations of the two distinct points, and
generating a pixel vector map including pixel vectors for each of the pixels in the camera; and
generating a composite pixel vector map including pixel vector maps for each of the plurality of cameras.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coordinate system is a three-dimensional coordinate system.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the two distinct points include a first point being a camera reference point and a second point being on an object in an image captured by the camera.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the camera reference point is a center of the camera.
5. The method of claim 1 , further including determining the locations of the two distinct points based on a location of the camera and a location of a plurality of axes defining the coordinate system.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of axes are each defined by a line passing through the housing.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the location of one of the two distinct points includes determining a distance from the camera to each of the plurality of lines passing through the housing.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining the location of the other of the two distinct points includes determining a distance an object in a field of view of the camera to each of the plurality of lines passing through the housing.
9. The method of claim 6 , further including determining a location of each of the cameras, including:
determining a coordinate location of each of the plurality of cameras within the coordinate system based on the plurality of lines, and
determining a distance between each of the plurality of a cameras and at least one other camera based on the coordinate locations.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the composite pixel vector map further includes the locations of each of the cameras.
11. A digital camera system, comprising:
a camera housing aligned to a coordinate system;
a plurality of digital cameras having overlapping fields of view rigidly mounted to the housing;
a mass storage device storing image data; and
a controller in communication with the plurality of digital cameras and the mass storage device, the controller configured to calibrate the camera system, including:
exposing each pixel in the camera to two distinct points, wherein the locations of the two distinct points within the coordinate system are known,
determining a pixel vector for each pixel based on the locations of the two distinct points,
generating a pixel vector map including pixel vectors for each of the pixels in the camera, and
generating a composite pixel vector map including pixel vector maps for each of the plurality of cameras.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the coordinate system is a three-dimensional coordinate system.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the two distinct points include a first point being a camera reference point and a second point being on an object in an image captured by the camera.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the camera reference point is a center of the camera.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine the locations of the two distinct points based on a location of the camera and a location of a plurality of axes defining the coordinate system.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of axes are each defined by a line passing through the housing.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein determining the location of one of the two distinct points includes determining a distance from the camera to each of the plurality of lines passing through the housing.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein determining the location of the other of the two distinct points includes determining a distance an object in a field of view of the camera to each of the plurality of lines passing through the housing.
19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine a location of each of the cameras, including:
determining a coordinate location of each of the plurality of cameras within the coordinate system based on the plurality of lines, and
determining a distance between each of the plurality of a cameras and at least one other camera based on the coordinate locations.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the composite pixel vector map further includes the locations of each of the cameras.