Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for fixating a camera on a target point using image alignment

US6396961B1 · kind B1 · utility

69Cited by
10References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 31, 1998
Grant dateMay 28, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 31, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N23/687
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for fixating a camera, mounted on a motorized mount, on a target point. The method includes receiving a plurality of images representative of a scene; selecting, within the plurality of images, a first display reference image containing the target point at a first coordinate location; estimating, in a current image within the plurality of images, a transformation that maps the current image to the first display reference image; estimating a second coordinate location of the target point in the current image using the transformation; computing an image slip between the target point in the current image and the target point in the first display reference image; converting the image slip into an angular correction for fixating the camera; modifying the angular correction by using closed-loop control with the motorized mount; and warping the current image using the transformation to align the current image with the first display reference image. This warping step provides a stable view of the scene even in the presence of camera movements that cannot be eliminated using mechanical stabilization, and in the presence of motor control lags and oscillations due to measurement and …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.