Stereoplexing for video and film applications

• US 20080303895A1
• Filed: 06/07/2007
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RealD Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Real D
• Inventors: Lipton, Lenny, Akka, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,373,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/49
• 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

Abstract

A method for multiplexing a stream of stereoscopic image source data including a series of left images and a series of right images combinable to form a series of stereoscopic images is provided. The primary application is for video applications, but film applications are also addressed. The method includes removing pixels from the stereoscopic image source data to form left images and right images and providing a series of single frames divided into portions, each single frame containing one right image in a first portion and one left image in a second portion. Multiplexing processes such as staggering, alternating, filtering, variable scaling, and sharpening from original, uncompressed right and left images may be employed alone or in combination, and selected or predetermined regions or segments from uncompressed images may have more pixels removed or combined than other regions.

Claims

1. A method for multiplexing a stream of stereoscopic image source data into a series of left images and a series of right images combinable to form a series of stereoscopic images, the method comprising:

removing pixels from the stereoscopic image source data to form left images and right images; and

providing a series of single frames divided into portions, each single frame containing one right image in a first portion and one left image in a second portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one left image is associated with the one right image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the portions are included within each single frame, and wherein each left image is included in substantially one half of each single frame and each right image is included in substantially another half of each single frame.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each single frame is divided by a vertically oriented border, with one right image on a first side of the single frame and one left image on a second side of the single frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image, and the method further comprises:

removing every alternate pixel from every row in the uncompressed right image to form the right image and every alternate pixel from every row in the uncompressed left image to form the left image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image, and the method further comprises:

mapping pixel information from the unprocessed left image to the left image based on information from a plurality of pixels from the unprocessed left image and mapping pixel information from the unprocessed right image to the right image based on information from a plurality of pixels from the unprocessed right image.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a process to the left image and the right image, the process selected from at least one from a group comprising:

variably applied bicubic scaling;

variable sharpening;

non-variably applied bicubic scaling; and

non-variable sharpening.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein removal of alternate pixels in each row comprises removing a first set of pixels from a first row and a different set of pixels from each row adjacent to the first row.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein removal substantially forms a “

checkerboard”

type pattern of pixels being removed from the unprocessed right image and the unprocessed left image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image, and the method further comprises:

mapping pixel information from the unprocessed left image to the left image by combining more pixels from predetermined areas of the unprocessed left image than other areas of the unprocessed left image, and mapping pixel information from the unprocessed right image to the right image by combining more pixels from predetermined areas of the unprocessed right image than other areas of the unprocessed right image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image having comprising alternating rows and remaining rows of pixels and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image comprising alternating and remaining rows of pixels, and the method further comprises:

mapping pixel information from the unprocessed left image to the left image by combining pixels from alternating rows of the unprocessed left image and selecting pixels from remaining rows of the unprocessed left image, and mapping pixel information from the unprocessed right image to the right image by combining pixels from alternating rows of the unprocessed right image and selecting pixels from remaining rows of the unprocessed right image.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image having comprising alternating rows and remaining rows of pixels and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image comprising alternating and remaining rows of pixels, and the method further comprises:

mapping pixel information from the unprocessed left image to the left image by combining at least two pixels from first positions in alternating rows of the unprocessed left image and combining at least two pixels from second positions in remaining rows of the unprocessed left image, and mapping pixel information from the unprocessed right image to the right image by combining at least two pixels from first positions in alternating rows of the unprocessed right image and combining at least two pixels from second positions in remaining rows of the unprocessed right image.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each left image and each right image is based on at least one unprocessed image, and the method further comprises:

performing a process on at least one unprocessed image to reduce image size to form at least one resultant image;

dividing each resultant image into a plurality of blocks; and

rearranging the plurality of blocks to fit within a predefined space smaller than each unprocessed image.

14. A method for compressing image data, the method comprising:

scaling at least one image along a diagonal line.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein right image and left image data configured to be combined into a stereoscopic image are compressed.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the scaling occurs using a variation of filtered pixel mapping.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming triangular sub-regions that can be rearranged to fit a precursor format, resulting in at least one region available for additional data.

17. The method of claim 17, wherein the scaling results in the image being diagonally compressed into a parallelogram shape.

19. A method for multiplexing stereoscopic image data comprising a series of images combinable to form a series of stereoscopic images, each image residing in a frame and comprising a plurality of pixels, the method comprising:

dividing at least one image into portions by processing the image to reduce the pixels in the image by removing select pixels from the image; and

placing multiple images together in a frame configured for transmission, each frame configured for transmission containing one right image in a first portion and one left image in a second portion.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one left image is associated with the one right image.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the portions are included within the frame configured for transmission, and wherein each left image is included in substantially one half of each frame configured for transmission and each right image is included in substantially another half of each frame configured for transmission.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each frame configured for transmission is divided by a vertically oriented border, with one right image on a first side of the single frame and one left image on a second side of the single frame.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image, and the method further comprises:

removing every alternate pixel from every row in the uncompressed right image to form the right image and every alternate pixel from every row in the uncompressed left image to form the left image.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image, and the method further comprises:

mapping pixel information from the unprocessed left image to the left image based on information from a plurality of pixels from the unprocessed left image and mapping pixel information from the unprocessed right image to the right image based on information from a plurality of pixels from the unprocessed right image.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising applying a process to the left image and the right image, the process selected from at least one from a group comprising:

variably applied bicubic scaling;

variable sharpening;

non-variably applied bicubic scaling; and

non-variable sharpening.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein removal of alternate pixels in each row comprises removing a first set of pixels from a first row and a different set of pixels from each row adjacent to the first row.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein removal substantially forms a “

checkerboard”

type pattern of pixels being removed from the unprocessed right image and the unprocessed left image.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image, and the method further comprises:

mapping pixel information from the unprocessed left image to the left image by combining more pixels from predetermined areas of the unprocessed left image than other areas of the unprocessed left image, and mapping pixel information from the unprocessed right image to the right image by combining more pixels from predetermined areas of the unprocessed right image than other areas of the unprocessed right image.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image having comprising alternating rows and remaining rows of pixels and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image comprising alternating and remaining rows of pixels, and the method further comprises:

mapping pixel information from the unprocessed left image to the left image by combining pixels from alternating rows of the unprocessed left image and selecting pixels from remaining rows of the unprocessed left image, and mapping pixel information from the unprocessed right image to the right image by combining pixels from alternating rows of the unprocessed right image and selecting pixels from remaining rows of the unprocessed right image.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein each left image is based on an unprocessed left image having comprising alternating rows and remaining rows of pixels and each right image is based on an unprocessed right image comprising alternating and remaining rows of pixels, and the method further comprises:

mapping pixel information from the unprocessed left image to the left image by combining at least two pixels from first positions in alternating rows of the unprocessed left image and combining at least two pixels from second positions in remaining rows of the unprocessed left image, and mapping pixel information from the unprocessed right image to the right image by combining at least two pixels from first positions in alternating rows of the unprocessed right image and combining at least two pixels from second positions in remaining rows of the unprocessed right image.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein each left image and each right image is based on at least one unprocessed image, and the method further comprises:

performing a process on at least one unprocessed image to reduce image size to form at least one resultant image;

dividing each resultant image into a plurality of blocks; and

rearranging the plurality of blocks to fit within a predefined space smaller than each unprocessed image.