Patent · US Expired

Camera system with both a wide angle view and a high resolution view

US6738073B2 · kind B2 · utility

271Cited by
43References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 30, 2002
Grant dateMay 18, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 30, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N9/8233
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An improved surveillance system which includes a multi-lens camera system and a viewer. The camera system includes a plurality of single lens cameras each of which have a relatively wide angle lens. These single lens cameras simultaneously capture images that can be seamed into a panorama. The camera system also includes a high resolution camera (i.e. a camera with a telephoto lens) that can be pointed in a selected direction that is within the field of view of the other cameras. The system displays a view window into the panorama that is created from images captured by the wide angle lenses. The image from the high resolution camera is either superimposed on top of the panoramic image or it is displayed on a separate monitor. If it is displayed in the panorama, the higher solution image is positioned at the point in the panorama which is displaying the same area in space at a lower resolution. Thus an operator sees a relatively low resolution panorama; however, a selected portion of the panorama is displayed at a high resolution. An operator can point the high resolution camera toward any desired location, thereby providing an output which shows more detail in a selected area of t…

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