Method of and scaling unit for scaling a three-dimensional model and display apparatus

• US 20050093892A1
• Filed: 12/09/2002
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leia Inc.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Redert, Peter-Andre
• Granted Patent: US 7,167,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/144 for flicker reduction

Abstract

A method of scaling a three-dimensional model (100) into a scaled three-dimensional model (100) in a dimension which is related with depth which method is based on properties of human visual perception. The method is based on discrimination or distinguishing between relevant parts of the information represented by the three-dimensional model for which the human visual perception is sensitive and in irrelevant parts of the information represented by the three-dimensional model for which the human visual perception is insensitive. Properties of the human visual perception are e.g. sensitivity to a discontinuity in a signal representing depth and sensitivity to a difference of luminance values between neighboring pixels of a two-dimensional view of the three-dimensional model.

Claims

1. A method of scaling a three-dimensional model (100) into a scaled three-dimensional model (108) in a dimension which corresponds to a viewing direction of a viewer towards the three-dimensional model (100), characterized in that scaling is based on properties of human visual perception of the viewer.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a first one of the properties of human visual perception is sensitivity to a discontinuity (109-113) in the three-dimensional model (100) in a dimension which is related with depth.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a second one of the properties of human visual perception is sensitivity to a difference of luminance values between neighboring pixels of a two-dimensional view (312) of the three-dimensional model (100).

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a third one of the properties of human visual perception is sensitivity to a difference of color values between neighboring pixels of a two-dimensional view (312) of the three-dimensional model (100).

5. A method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the method comprises a discontinuity detection step to detect a C₀-discontinuity (109-113) in the three-dimensional model (100) in the dimension which is related with depth.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the method comprises:

a luminance contrast detection step to determine a particular luminance contrast value of a particular pixel with a neighboring pixel, with the particular pixel belonging to a two-dimensional image (312) which is a view of the three-dimensional model; and

a luminance contrast dependent scaling step to scale a depth value of an element which corresponds with the particular pixel on basis of the particular luminance contrast value.

7. A method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the method comprises:

a color difference detection step to determine a particular color difference value of a particular pixel with a neighboring pixel, with the particular pixel belonging to a two-dimensional image (312) which is a view of the three-dimensional model; and

a color difference dependent scaling step to scale a depth value of an element which corresponds with the particular pixel on basis of the particular color difference value.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the method comprises:

a range detection step to estimate a range of depth values in a portion of the three-dimensional model in the dimension which is related with depth; and

a comparison step to compare the range of depth values with an output range of depth values.

9. A scaling unit (200, 201, 203, 300) for scaling a three-dimensional model (100) into a scaled three-dimensional model (108) in a dimension which corresponds to a viewing direction of a viewer towards the three-dimensional model, characterized in that the scaling unit (200, 201, 203, 300) is designed to scale on the basis of properties of human visual perception of the viewer.

10. An image display apparatus (400) comprising:

receiving means (402) for receiving a signal representing a three-dimensional model (100);

a scaling unit (404) for scaling the three-dimensional model (100) into a scaled three-dimensional model (108) in a dimension which corresponds to a viewing direction of a viewer towards the three-dimensional model; and

display means (406) for visualizing a view of the scaled three-dimensional model (108), characterized in that the scaling unit (404) is designed to scale on the basis of properties of human visual perception of the viewer.