Method and device for panoramic image processing

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an image processing method comprising: receiving a stream of overlapping images; obtaining a corresponding stream of floating panoramic images by computing in real time, for each received overlapping image, an associated floating panoramic image using said overlapping image and a floating panoramic image associated with an overlapping image received prior to said overlapping image; displaying in real time with a predetermined scaling factor the stream of floating panoramic images in a preview window of a display unit, wherein the displaying comprises shifting the floating panoramic images relative to the preview window when the floating panoramic images scaled according to the predetermined scaling factor extend beyond the preview window so that at least a working portion of the overlapping image associated with the floating panoramic image being displayed is visible in the preview window.

1 . An image processing method comprising:
 receiving a stream of overlapping images;   obtaining a corresponding stream of floating panoramic images by computing in real time, for each received overlapping image, an associated floating panoramic image using said overlapping image and a floating panoramic image associated with an overlapping image received prior to said overlapping image;   displaying in real time with a predetermined scaling factor the stream of floating panoramic images in a preview window of a display unit,   wherein the displaying comprises shifting the floating panoramic images relative to the preview window when the floating panoramic images scaled according to the predetermined scaling factor extend beyond the preview window so that at least a working portion of the overlapping image associated with the floating panoramic image being displayed is visible in the preview window.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein an initial floating panoramic image is derived from a first image of the stream of overlapping images. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein an amplitude of the shifting further enables to leave a blank area of a predetermined size in the preview window thereby enabling displaying at least one subsequent floating panoramic image using the same shifting amplitude. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the stream of overlapping images is acquired by moving an imaging sensor along a predetermined direction. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the received stream of overlapping images result from a selection of acquired overlapping images acquired by moving an imaging sensor along a predetermined direction. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the computing comprises cropping a margin around the received overlapping images. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein obtaining an initial floating panoramic image comprises downsampling the first image of the stream of overlapping images and the real time computing of the floating panoramic image associated with each overlapping image comprises stitching a downsampled version of said overlapping image and the floating panoramic image associated with an overlapping image received prior to said overlapping image. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the stitching is performed by appending an inner slice of the overlapping image at an edge of the floating panoramic image associated with the overlapping image received prior to said overlapping image. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the stitching is performed by superimposing an outer slice of the overlapping image at an inner stitching portion of the floating panoramic image associated with the overlapping image received prior to said overlapping image. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the displaying of a floating panoramic image associated with a given overlapping image comprises:
 (a) revealing instantaneously an overlying portion of the floating panoramic image, wherein the overlying portion is analogous to a corresponding portion of a floating panoramic image associated with an overlapping image received prior to said given overlapping image; and   (b) revealing progressively an additional portion of the floating panoramic image.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising displaying in real time the overlapping image associated with the floating panoramic image. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising displaying a speed indicator indicative of a speed of an imaging sensor providing the stream of overlapping images. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising displaying a distance indicator indicative of a distance from an imaging sensor providing the stream of overlapping images to a forefront of a scene imaged by the imaging sensor. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising displaying a scan direction indicator indicative of a predetermined scan direction. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising displaying in the preview window a target indicator indicative of an expected display of a subsequent floating panoramic image. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising displaying a drift indicator indicative of a drift between an actual trajectory of an imaging sensor providing the stream of overlapping images and an expected trajectory of said imaging sensor. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising displaying assisting lines bounding a position of the drift indicator so as to facilitate a visual assessment of the drift. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the preview window is superimposed on the display of the overlapping image. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the preview window has predetermined dimensions. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the preview window is divided into one or more rows of cells. 
     
     
         21 . A method of scanning a retail unit comprising:
 moving an imaging sensor along a predetermined direction while acquiring a stream of overlapping images of the retail unit;   for each acquired overlapping image, computing in real time a floating panoramic image associated with said overlapping image using said overlapping image and a floating panoramic image associated with an overlapping image acquired prior to said overlapping image, wherein an initial floating panoramic image is derived from a first image of the stream of overlapping images, thereby obtaining a stream of floating panoramic images;   displaying in real time with a predetermined scaling factor the stream of floating panoramic images in a preview window of a display unit,   wherein the displaying comprises shifting the floating panoramic images relative to the preview window when the floating panoramic images scaled according to the predetermined scaling factor extend beyond the preview window so that at least a working portion of the overlapping image associated with the floating panoramic image being displayed is visible in the preview window.   
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the overlapping images are received from an image sensor of a handheld electronic device, the computing is run on a processing unit of the handheld electronic device and the display unit is comprised in said handheld electronic device. 
     
     
         23 . A computer program product implemented on a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein to cause the computer to perform an image processing method comprising:
 receiving a stream of overlapping images;   obtaining a corresponding stream of floating panoramic images by computing in real time, for each received overlapping image, an associated floating panoramic image using said overlapping image and a floating panoramic image associated with an overlapping image received prior to said overlapping image;   displaying in real time with a predetermined scaling factor the stream of floating panoramic images in a preview window of a display unit,   wherein the displaying comprises shifting the floating panoramic images relative to the preview window when the floating panoramic images scaled according to the predetermined scaling factor extend beyond the preview window so that at least a working portion of the overlapping image associated with the floating panoramic image being displayed is visible in the preview window.   
     
     
         24 . A handheld electronic device comprising:
 (a) memory;   (b) an image sensor;   (c) a display communicatively coupled to the memory; and   (d) a processing unit communicatively coupled to the memory, display and image sensor, wherein the memory includes instructions for causing the processing unit to perform an image processing method comprising:   receiving a stream of overlapping images;   obtaining a corresponding stream of floating panoramic images by computing in real time, for each received overlapping image, an associated floating panoramic image using said overlapping image and a floating panoramic image associated with an overlapping image received prior to said overlapping image;   displaying in real time with a predetermined scaling factor the stream of floating panoramic images in a preview window of the display,   wherein the displaying comprises shifting the floating panoramic images relative to the preview window when the floating panoramic images scaled according to the predetermined scaling factor extend beyond the preview window so that at least a working portion of the overlapping image associated with the floating panoramic image being displayed is visible in the preview window.