Publications / 2018 Proceedings of the 35th ISARC, Berlin, Germany

A Method of Providing a Panoramic Image Using Single Image Transmission System

Yuya Hamamachi and Masamitsu Kurisu
Pages 495-500 (2018 Proceedings of the 35th ISARC, Berlin, Germany, ISBN 978-3-00-060855-1, ISSN 2413-5844)
Abstract:

This paper describes a method of providing a panoramic image using single image transmission system. In recent years, demands for small robots performing inspection work by remote control are expanded. On the remote control of robots, to provide information of environment around the robots is important for operators. Multiple images are usually transmitted to the operators’ sides. In some cases, a large or special image generated from multiple images by image processing units is transmitted to the operators’ sides. In order to transmit multiple images, multiple image trans- mission systems are required. On the contrary, generating special images also require a dedicated image processing unit. However, small robots cannot mount such devices due to size limitation. Therefore, we develop a method of providing a panoramic image using single image transmission system. We assume that robots are too small to mount a dedicated image processing unit or multiple image transmission systems. This system is assumed to target cameras with analog outputs. An image which is different from a previously trans- mitted image is transmitted every transmission. Before the transmission, a special code is added into each frame to distinguish which camera acquires the frame. We develop a tiny processing board to mount the system on small robots. First, we explain a method of spherical projections to generate a panoramic image. Multiple images are transmitted with single image transmission system after adding the code into the images. Availability of our proposed system is shown by an experiment that providing a panoramic image using two cameras.

Keywords: Small Inspection Robots, Remote Control, Multiple Cameras, Teleoperation, Single Image Transmission System, Analog Cameras