VIDEO PROCESSING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20030128273A1
• Filed: 12/08/1999
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: SATO, HIROAKI, NORO, HIDEO, MATSUURA, TOMOHIKO, MATSUI, TAICHI
• Granted Patent: US 6,704,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/10 Processing, recording or transmission of stereoscopic or multi-view image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/139 Format conversion, e.g. of frame-rate or size
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/007 Aspects relating to detection of stereoscopic image format, e.g. for adaptation to the display format

Abstract

When stereoscopic video data is distributed through a network, some terminal cannot process the distributed stereoscopic video data because the format of the data does not correspond to the terminal. Likewise, when video data are input from a plurality of types of cameras with different stereoscopic video data formats, data of an incompatible format cannot be processed. In order to prevent this problem, there is provided a stereoscopic video apparatus which inputs stereoscopic video data, converts the format of the input stereoscopic video data into a format suitable to output operation, and outputs the converted stereoscopic video data to a network.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic video processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting stereoscopic video data;

conversion means for converting a format of the stereoscopic video data inputted by said input means into a format suited to outputting the data to a network; and

output means for outputting the stereoscopic video data converted by said conversion means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stereoscopic video data input to said input means is line sequential format data.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising compression means for compressing the stereoscopic video data converted by said conversion means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises discrimination means for discriminating the format of the stereoscopic video data input to said input means, and

said conversion means converts the format of the stereoscopic video data in accordance with discrimination performed by said discrimination means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said conversion means performs conversion to a format in which a 1-frame area is segmented into two consecutive areas, and a left-eye image is assigned to one area, and a right-eye image to the other area.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said conversion means converts the format of the stereoscopic video data into a top-down split-screen format.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said conversion means converts the format of the stereoscopic video data into a side-by-side split-screen format.

8. A stereoscopic video processing method comprising:

the input step of inputting stereoscopic video data;

the conversion step of converting a format of the stereoscopic video data input in the input step into a format suited to outputting the data to a network; and

the output step of outputting the stereoscopic video data converted in the conversion step.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the stereoscopic video data is line sequential format data.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the compression step of compressing the stereoscopic video data converted in the conversion step.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the discrimination step of discriminating the format of the stereoscopic video data input in the input step, and

the conversion step comprises converting the format of the stereoscopic video data in accordance with discrimination performed in the discrimination step.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the conversion step comprises performing conversion to a format in which a 1-frame area is segmented into two consecutive areas, and a left-eye image is assigned to one area, and a right-eye image to the other area.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the conversion step comprises converting the format of the stereoscopic video data into a top-down split-screen format.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the conversion step comprises converting the format of the stereoscopic video data into a side-by-side split-screen format.

15. A program which is stored in a storage medium and loaded and executed by a computer to process stereoscopic video data, comprising:

the input step of inputting stereoscopic video data of a plurality of formats;

the input step of inputting stereoscopic video data;

the conversion step of converting a format of the stereoscopic video data input in the input step into a format suited to outputting the data to a network; and

the output step of outputting the stereoscopic video data converted in the conversion step to the network.

16. A stereoscopic video processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting compressed stereoscopic video data;

reconstruction means for reconstructing input stereoscopic image data;

discrimination means for discriminating a format type of stereoscopic video data which can be displayed on a display device;

conversion means for converting the stereoscopic image data reconstructed by said reconstruction means into a format corresponding to said display device on the basis of the discrimination result obtained by said discrimination means; and

output means for outputting the stereoscopic image data converted by said conversion means to said display device.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said input means receives stereoscopic video data through a network line.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said input means comprises means for reading out data from a file.

19. A stereoscopic video processing method comprising:

the input step of inputting stereoscopic video data;

the reconstruction step of reconstructing input stereoscopic image data;

the discrimination step of discriminating a format type of stereoscopic video data which can be displayed on a display device;

the conversion step of converting the stereoscopic image data reconstructed in the reconstruction step into a format corresponding to said display device on the basis of the discrimination result obtained in the discrimination step; and

the output step of outputting the stereoscopic image data converted in the conversion step to said display device.

20. A program which is stored in a storage medium and loaded and executed by a computer to process stereoscopic video data, comprising:

the input step of inputting stereoscopic video data;

the reconstruction step of reconstructing input stereoscopic image data;

the discrimination step of discriminating a format type of stereoscopic video data which can be displayed on a display device;

the conversion step of converting the stereoscopic image data reconstructed in the reconstruction step into a format corresponding to said display device on the basis of the discrimination result obtained in the discrimination step; and

the output step of outputting the stereoscopic image data converted in the conversion step to said display device.

21. A stereoscopic video processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting image data obtained by image sensing means of a plurality of systems;

synthesizing means for synthesizing the input image data into one stereoscopic video data;

compression means for compressing the synthesized image; and

output means for outputting the compressed image data.

22. A stereoscopic video processing method comprising:

the input step of inputting image data obtained by image sensing means of a plurality of systems;

the synthesizing means of synthesizing the input image data into one stereoscopic video data;

the compression means for compressing the synthesized image; and

the output means for outputting the compressed image data.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the output step comprises outputting the stereoscopic video data compressed in the compression step to the Internet.

24. A stereoscopic video processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting stereoscopic video data;

detection means for detecting lightness information of each of video data obtained from said input means;

correction means for correcting right-eye and left-eye video data on the basis of the lightness information detected by said detection means;

generation means for generating stereoscopic video data by combining the video data corrected by said correction means; and

output means for outputting the stereoscopic video data generated by said generation means.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said input means inputs stereoscopic video data through a network.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said output means outputs the stereoscopic video data generated by said generation means through a network.

27. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said detection means detects luminance values at corresponding points of the right-eye and left-eye video data.

28. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said detection means detects a luminance of overall video data obtained by said image sensing means of the plurality of systems.

29. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said correction means reduces a luminance difference.

30. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said generation means combines the video data by reducing the two video data of the two systems obtained by said image sensing means to ½

and combining the video data.

31. A stereoscopic video processing method comprising:

the input step of inputting video data;

the detection step of detecting lightness information of video data obtained by said input means;

the correction step of correcting right-eye and left-eye video data on the basis of the lightness information detected in the detection step;

the generation step of generating stereoscopic video data by combining the video data corrected in the correction step; and

the output step of outputting the stereoscopic video data generated in the generation step.

32. A program which is stored in a storage medium and loaded and executed by a computer to process stereoscopic video data, comprising:

the detection step of detecting lightness information of each of video data obtained by image sensing means of a plurality of systems;

the correction step of correcting one of the video data on the basis of the lightness information detected in the detection step;

the generation step of generating stereoscopic video data by combining the video data corrected in the correction step; and

the output step of outputting the stereoscopic video data generated in the generation step.

33. A stereoscopic video processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting stereoscopic video data;

conversion means for converting a format of the stereoscopic video data input to said input means into a format suited to outputting the data; and

output means for outputting the stereoscopic video data converted by said conversion means.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said output means outputs data to a network.

35. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said output means outputs data to a display apparatus, and said conversion means converts the format of the stereoscopic video data input to said input means into a format of stereoscopic video data corresponding to said display apparatus.

36. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said input means inputs the stereoscopic video data through a network.

37. The apparatus according to claim 33, further comprising correction means for correcting image quality such that color appearances of right-eye and left-eye images of the input stereoscopic video data match with each other.

38. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said correction means matches brightness levels of right-eye and left-eye images with each other.