Depth Perception

• US 20090003728A1
• Filed: 01/12/2006
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ernst, Fabian Edgar, Varekamp, Christiaan, Op De Beeck, Marc Joseph Rita
• Granted Patent: US 8,270,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/285
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/282 for generating image signals corresponding to three or more geometrical viewpoints, e.g. multi-view systems

Abstract

A method of rendering a multi-view image comprising a first output image and a second output image on basis of an input image (102) is disclosed. The method comprises: creating a modulation image (100) comprising irregular shaped objects (106-112); modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image (102) on basis of further pixel values of the modulation image (100), resulting into an intermediate image (104); and generating the multi-view image by means of warping the intermediate image on basis of the disparity data.

Claims

1. A method of rendering a multi-view image on basis of an input image (102) and disparity data, the method comprising:

creating a modulation image (100) comprising irregular shaped objects (106-112);

modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image (102) on basis of further pixel values of the modulation image (100), resulting into an intermediate image (104); and

generating the multi-view image by means of warping the intermediate image (104) on basis of the disparity data.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, whereby the size of the irregular shaped objects (106-112) is related to the disparity data.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, whereby the average size of the irregular shaped objects (106-112) has the same order of magnitude as the average value of the disparity data.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, whereby the portion of the input image (102) is a substantially homogeneous region.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, whereby creating the modulation image (100) comprises:

creating a first image by generating noise;

filtering the first image with a low-pass filter, resulting into a second image; and

classifying the pixels of the second image by means of a threshold, resulting into the modulation image (100).

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, whereby modulating of pixel values is based on the disparity data.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, whereby creating the modulation image (100) is based on a motion vector which is computed on basis of a sequence of input images to which the input image (102) belongs.

8. A rendering unit (200) for rendering a multi-view image on basis of an input image (102) and disparity data, the rendering unit comprising:

creating means (206) for creating a modulation image (100) comprising irregular shaped objects (106-112);

modulating means (202) for modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image (102) on basis of further pixel values of the modulation image (100), resulting into an intermediate image (104); and

generating means (204) for generating the multi-view image by means of warping the intermediate image (104) on basis of the disparity data.

9. An image processing apparatus (400) comprising:

receiving means (402) for receiving a signal corresponding to an input image (100);

a rendering unit (200) for rendering a multi-view image, as claimed in claim 8; and

a display device (504) for displaying the multi-view image.

10. A computer program product to be loaded by a computer arrangement, comprising instructions to render a multi-view image on basis of an input image (102) and disparity data, the computer arrangement comprising processing means and a memory, the computer program product, after being loaded, providing said processing means with the capability to carry out:

creating a modulation image (100) comprising irregular shaped objects (106-112);

modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image on basis of further pixel values of the modulation image (100), resulting into an intermediate image (104); and

generating the multi-view image by means of warping the intermediate image (104) on basis of the disparity data.