An image capturing device, such as a
digital camera, is able to take photos having a resolution higher than the
native resolution capabilities of the device determined by the imager. The device can also take photos having a field-of-view (FOV) that is greater than the normal capabilities of the device. The photos taken have a higher vertical and horizontal FOV (or only an increased horizontal FOV creating a panoramic photo) than the lens of the imager allows natively. The imager of the device may be positioned to point in different directions using an
actuator, that is, the
actuator can pan and tilt the imager. The imager can also
zoom in or out at various levels and has a maximum
zoom level. To create either type of photo, an array of cells is used as a tool to capture a series of subimages where the imager is pointed in different directions for each subimage. To create the high-resolution photo, the imager is zoomed into its
maximum level and captures each of the subimages based on the array of cells. To create the extended FOV photo, the imager is panned and tilted as much as possible using the
actuator and captures each of the subimages based on the array of cells. In both cases the subimages are then stitched together to form a final image.