Three-dimentional video providing method and three dimentional video display device

• US 20060050383A1
• Filed: 01/19/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nomura, Toshio, Takemoto, Satoshi, Hamagishi, Goro
• Granted Patent: US 7,403,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/462
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/261 with monoscopic-to-stereoscopic image conversion

Abstract

A transmitting-side device (1) generates an image data by performing an image analysis toward the actually photographed two-dimensional image (100) and also generates depth information useful for converting the two-dimensional image into a stereoscopic vision-use image. Furthermore, the transmitting-side device generates additional subordinate information such as scale information, function specifying information, table specifying information, and the like, and transmits such the information to a receiving-side device (2). The receiving-side device (2) receives the image data, the depth information, and the additional subordinate information, generates a parallax image on the basis of such the information, and allows an observer to perform stereoscopic vision.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method, wherein at a time that a two-dimensional image is provided as data, depth information useful for converting the data of the two-dimensional image into a stereoscopic vision-use image and scale information of values of the depth information are provided as subordinate information of the two-dimensional image together with the data of the two-dimensional image.

16. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein information is provided by any one of methods such as broadcasting, communications, and a recording into a recording medium.

2. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method, wherein at a time that a two-dimensional image is provided as data, depth information useful for converting the data of the two-dimensional image into a stereoscopic vision-use image and definition information for allowing values corresponding to distances indicated by values of the depth information to have non-equal differences contrary to the values of the depth information having a uniform difference are provided as subordinate information together with the data of the two-dimensional image.

3. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to claim 2, wherein the definition information is information specifying an arbitrary function out of a group of functions.

4. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to claim 3, wherein information indicating which value becomes an image displaying surface position out of the values of the depth information is included in the subordinate information.

5. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to claim 2, wherein the definition information is information specifying an arbitrary table out of a group of tables in which parallax amounts are predetermined with respect to the values of the depth information.

6. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the definition information is set such that an area where the non-equal differences are large is formed at a position far from an observer, and an area where the non-equal differences are small is formed at a position close to the observer.

7. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the definition information is set such that an area where the non-equal differences are large is formed at a position far from an image displaying surface position, and an area where the non-equal differences are small is formed at a position close to the image displaying surface position.

8. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method, wherein at a time that a two-dimensional image is provided as data, depth information expressed by different size of bits depending on a screen area of the two-dimensional image is provided as subordinate information of the two-dimensional image together with the data of the two-dimensional image.

9. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to claim 8, wherein the size of bits of the depth information is rendered smaller in a peripheral area of the two-dimensional image than in a center area of the two-dimensional image.

10. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein information indicating by how many bits at which area to express the depth information is provided as subordinate information together with the data of the two-dimensional image.

11. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein information indicating by how many bits for each pixel to express the depth information is provided as subordinate information together with the data of the two-dimensional image.

12. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method, wherein at a time that a two-dimensional image is provided as data, depth information of the same value used in common is provided with respect to a plurality of pixels of the two-dimensional image as subordinate information of the two-dimensional image.

13. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method according to claim 12, wherein the depth information of the same value used in common is applied to a larger number of pixels in a peripheral area than in a center area of the two-dimensional image.

14. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method, wherein at a time that a two-dimensional image is provided as data, first depth information applied to each object in the two-dimensional image and second depth information applied to pixels constituting each object are provided as subordinate information of the two-dimensional image together with the data of the two-dimensional image.

15. A stereoscopic vision-use image providing method, wherein at a time that a two-dimensional image is provided as data, depth information applied to each object in the two-dimensional image and shape information of each object are provided as subordinate information of the two-dimensional image together with the data of the two-dimensional image.

17. A stereoscopic image display device that generates a stereoscopic vision-use image by utilizing obtained data of a two-dimensional image and subordinate information thereof, comprising:

a means for obtaining scale information and depth information from the subordinate information;

a means for generating a parallax amount on the basis of the scale information and the depth information, and a means for generating a stereoscopic vision-use image on the basis of the parallax amount.

18. A stereoscopic image display device that generates a stereoscopic vision-use image by utilizing obtained data of a two-dimensional image and subordinate information thereof, comprising:

a means for obtaining depth information and function specifying information from the subordinate information;

a means for storing a plurality of functions for allowing values corresponding to distances indicated by values of the depth information to have non-equal differences contrary to the values of the depth information having a uniform difference;

a means for selecting a function on the basis of the function specifying information;

a means for generating a parallax amount on the basis of the selected function and the depth information; and

a means for generating a stereoscopic vision-use image on the basis of the parallax amount.

19. A stereoscopic image display device according to claim 18, wherein a depth value applying a standard parallax amount is determined on the basis of information indicating an image displaying surface position.

20. A stereoscopic image display device that generates a stereoscopic vision-use image by utilizing obtained data of a two-dimensional image and subordinate information thereof, comprising:

a means for obtaining depth information and table specifying information from the subordinate information;

a means for storing a plurality of tables for allowing values corresponding to distances indicated by values of the depth information to have non-equal differences contrary to the values of the depth information having a uniform difference;

a means for selecting a table on the basis of the table specifying information;

a means for generating a parallax amount on the basis of the selected table and the depth information; and

a means for generating a stereoscopic vision-use image by utilizing the parallax amount.

21. A stereoscopic image display device that generates a stereoscopic vision-use image by utilizing obtained data of a two-dimensional image and subordinate information thereof, comprising a means for generating a stereoscopic vision-use image by applying depth information expressed by different size of bits depending on a screen area of the two-dimensional image to each pixel of screen areas in a case that the depth information expressed by different size of bits depending on the screen area is obtained from the subordinate information.

22. A stereoscopic image display device that generates a stereoscopic vision-use image by utilizing obtained data of a two-dimensional image and subordinate information thereof, comprising a means for generating a stereoscopic vision-use image by applying depth information of the same value used in common to a plurality of pixels in the two-dimensional image in a case that pieces of depth information of which number is fewer than the number of pixels in the two-dimensional image are obtained from the subordinate information.

23. A stereoscopic image display device that generates a stereoscopic vision-use image by utilizing obtained data of a two-dimensional image and subordinate information thereof, comprising;

a means for obtaining first depth information applied to each object in the two-dimensional image and second depth information applied to pixels constituting each object from the subordinate information;

a means for generating depth information of each pixel by adding the second depth information to the first depth information; and

a means for generating a stereoscopic vision-use image on the basis of the depth information of each pixel.

24. A stereoscopic image display device that generates stereoscopic vision-use image by utilizing obtained data of a two-dimensional image and subordinate information thereof, comprising;

a means for obtaining depth information applied to each object in the two-dimensional image and shape information of each object from the subordinate information;

a means for storing tables relating each pixel in a pixel group constituting each shape to the depth information;

a means for selecting the table on the basis of the shape information;

a means for generating depth information of each pixel by adding the depth information obtained from the table to the depth information applied to each object; and

a means for generating a stereoscopic vision-use image on the basis of the depth information of each pixel.