A Novel High-Resolution Panoramic Camera

Panoramic cameras that are capable of capturing very large fields of view are offering new opportunities for video surveillance systems to achieve better performance in terms of better coverage, less cameras that are required and lower installation cost. Despite this potential, builders of surveillance systems are still reluctant to use panoramic cameras since they are still much more expensive than conventional cameras while the video quality is usually poorer than simply using multiple individual cameras due to drawbacks such as low frame rate, non-uniform resolution, the multiple viewpoint problem, a cumbersome design etc. In this project, UtopiaCompression Corp. (UC) with our collaborators will develop an innovative panoramic video camera to address the issues with the existing design. The camera is based on a novel combination of multiple conventional cameras and planar mirrors. While being compact, lightweight and low cost, the new camera is capable of acquiring panoramic images of a large filed-of-view at video rate, with high and substantially uniform resolution, and from a single viewpoint.