Omnidirectional sensing and combined multiple sensing

Conventional T.V. cameras are limited in their field of view. A real-time omnidirectional camera which can acquire an omnidirectional (360 degrees) field of view at video rate could be applied in a variety of fields such as autonomous navigation, telepresence, virtual reality, remote monitoring. We have developed a new omnidirectional image sensor named HyperOmni Vision which consists of a CCD camera and a hyperboloidal mirror placed in front of the camera. An important feature of using the hyperboloidal mirror is that it has a focal point (center of projection). Using this interesting characteristic, we can easily generate any desired image projected on any designated image plane, such as a pure perspective image or or a panoramic image, from the omnidirectional input image deformed by the hyperboloidal mirror. The omnidirectional image is suitable for rough understanding of the environment, but resolution of the omnidirectional camera is not sufficient for detailed analysis of an interesting object. We have developed a new multiple visual sensing sensor on a single camera with two types of imaging; omnidirectional imaging which can obtain a 360 degrees field of view with limited resolution and binocular vision which can obtain a high resolution image with a limited field of view