US Patent 7834910 Method and apparatus for panoramic imaging

Camera system and methods to capture panoramic imagery from a camera mounted on a moving platform, using low-cost digital image sensors. The panoramic imagery appears seamless and natural to the eye. The panoramic imaging system and methods are specifically designed to accommodate the long acquisition times of low-cost digital image sensors, despite the motion of the camera during image capture. Pairs of cameras are arranged about an axis and a pairwise firing sequence enables capturing a series of adjacent images without gap or overlap. Additionally, when combined with suitable supplemental sensors, the image data provide location information about objects in the image for use in elementary photogrammetry.