IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20090315981A1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Dae-jong, JUNG, Kil-soo, CHUNG, Hyun-kwon
• Application Number:
  US12/490,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20090315981A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/261 with monoscopic-to-stereoscopic image conversion

Abstract

An image processing method and an image processing apparatus, the image processing method including: extracting background depth information and object depth information from meta data with respect to video data; creating a depth map for a background of a frame of the video data using the background depth information; and creating a depth map for an object of the frame of the video data by using the object depth information, wherein the object is a normal object that contacts the background or a highlighted object that does not contact the background.

Claims

1. An image processing method of an image processing apparatus, the image processing method comprising:

extracting background depth information and object depth information from meta data with respect to video data;

creating, by the image processing apparatus, a depth map for a background of a frame of the video data using the extracted background depth information; and

creating, by the image processing apparatus, a depth map for an object of the frame of the video data using the extracted object depth information,

wherein the object depth information distinguishes between when the object is a normal object that contacts the background and a highlighted object that does not contact the background.

2. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the creating of the depth map for the object comprises extracting object region information to identify a region of the object in the frame from the extracted object depth information; and

the object region information comprises coordinates to identify the region of the object, a mask on which a shape of the object is indicated, and/or color information of the object to distinguish the object from the background.

3. The image processing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the creating of the depth map for the background comprises creating the depth map for the background using coordinates of the background, depth values of the background corresponding to the coordinates, and a panel position value representing a depth value of an output screen for the video data; and

the background depth information comprises the coordinates of the background, the depth values of the background, and the panel position value.

4. The image processing method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the creating of the depth map for the object further comprises:

when the object is the normal object and the object region information comprises the coordinates to identify the region of the object, detecting coordinates identical to the coordinates indicating the region of the normal object from among the coordinates of the background; and

creating the depth map for the normal object using the background depth values corresponding to the detected coordinates as depth values for the region of the normal object.

5. The image processing method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the creating of the depth map for the object further comprises:

when the object is the normal object and the object region information is the mask on which the shape of the object is indicated, extracting reference information representing coordinates identical to the coordinates indicating the region of the normal object from among the coordinates of the background, from the object depth information; and

creating the depth map for the normal object using the background depth values corresponding to the identical coordinates as depth values for the region of the normal object, using the reference information.

6. The image processing method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the creating of the depth map for the object further comprises, when the object is the highlighted object, creating the depth map for the highlighted object using, as a depth value of the region of the highlighted object, a value obtained using an offset value included in the object depth information and the panel position value of the background depth information.

7. The image processing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the creating of the depth map for the highlighted object comprises obtaining the value by adding or subtracting the offset value to/from the panel position value.

8. The image processing method as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

the creating of the depth map for the object further comprises, if the object is the highlighted object, adjusting the depth map for the highlighted object by applying a predetermined depth map to the region of the highlighted object; and

the object depth information comprises effect information indicating the predetermined depth map.

9. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising determining, based on shot information included in the meta data to classify frames of the video data into units of shots, whether the frame is classified into a new shot not previously processed,

wherein the extracting of the background depth information comprises:

when the frame is classified into the new shot, extracting the background depth information to be applied to the frame classified into the new shot, and

when the frame is not classified into the new shot, using previously extracted background depth information and/or a previously created depth map for the background to be applied to the frame.

10. The image processing method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the shot information comprises output time information of an initially output frame from among frames classified into a single shot and/or output time information of a finally output frame from among the frames; and

the determining of whether the frame is classified into the new shot comprises determining, based on the output time information of the initially output frame and/or the output time information of the finally output frame, whether the frame is classified into the new shot.

11. The image processing method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising extracting information on an output period of time of frames including the normal object from among frames classified into a current shot, into which the frame is classified, from the meta data.

12. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising reading the meta data from a disc on which the video data is recorded or downloading the meta data from a server via a communication network.

13. The image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the meta data comprises identification information to identify the video data, and the identification information comprises a disc identifier to identify a disc on which the video data is recorded and a title identifier to identify a title including the video data from among titles included in the disc.

14. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the creating of the depth map for the object further comprises:

when the object is the normal object, detecting coordinates identical to the coordinates indicating the region of the normal object from among coordinates of the background, and creating the depth map for the normal object using background depth values corresponding to the detected coordinates as depth values for the region of the normal object; and

when the object is the highlighted object, creating the depth map for the highlighted object using, as a depth value of the region of the highlighted object, a value obtained using an offset value included in the object depth information and a panel position value included in the meta data to represent a depth value of an output screen for the video data.

15. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the meta data comprises information to indicate whether the object is the normal object or the highlighted object.

32. A computer readable information storage medium storing a program to execute the image processing method of claim 1 and implemented by an image processing apparatus.

16. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a meta data analyzer to extract background depth information and object depth information from meta data with respect to video data and to analyze the meta data; and

a depth map generator to create a depth map for a background of a frame of the video data using the extracted background depth information and to create a depth map for an object of the frame of the video data using the extracted object depth information,

wherein the object depth information distinguishes between when the object is a normal object that contacts the background and a highlighted object that does not contact the background.

17. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein:

the depth map generator extracts object region information to identify a region of the object in the frame from the extracted object depth information; and

the object region information comprises coordinates to identify the region of the object, a mask on which a shape of the object is indicated, and/or color information of the object to distinguish the object from the background.

18. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein:

the depth map generator creates the depth map for the background using coordinates of the background, depth values of the background corresponding to the coordinates, and a panel position value representing a depth value of an output screen for the video data; and

the background depth information comprises the coordinates of the background, the depth values of the background, and the panel position value.

19. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein, when the object is the normal object and the object region information comprises the coordinates to identify the region of the object, the depth map generator obtains coordinates identical to the coordinates indicating the region of the normal object from among the coordinates of the background and creates the depth map for the normal object using the background depth values corresponding to the obtained coordinates as depth values for the region of the normal object.

20. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein, when the object is the normal object and the object region information is the mask on which the shape of the object is indicated, the depth map generator extracts reference information representing coordinates identical to the coordinates indicating the region of the normal object from among the coordinates of the background, from the object depth information, and creates the depth map for the normal object using the background depth values corresponding to the identical coordinates as depth values for the region of the normal object, using the reference information.

21. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein, when the object is the highlighted object, the depth map generator creates the depth map for the highlighted object using, as a depth value of the region of the highlighted object, a value obtained using an offset value included in the object depth information and the panel position value of the background depth information.

22. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the depth map generator obtains the value by adding or subtracting the offset value to/from the panel position value.

23. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein:

when the object is the highlighted object, the depth map generator adjusts the depth map for the highlighted object by applying a predetermined depth map to the region of the highlighted object; and

the object depth information comprises effect information indicating the predetermined depth map.

24. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein:

the meta data comprises shot information to classify frames of the video data into units of shots;

the meta data analyzer determines, based on the shot information, whether the frame is classified into a new shot not previously processed;

when the frame is classified into the new shot, the depth map generator generates the depth map for the object using the background depth information to be applied to the frame classified into the new shot; and

when the frame is not classified into the new shot, the depth map generator uses previously extracted background depth information and/or a previously created depth map for the background to be applied to the frame.

25. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein:

the shot information comprises output time information of an initially output frame from among frames classified into a single shot and/or output time information of a finally output frame from among the frames; and

the meta data analyzer determines, based on the output time information of the initially output frame and/or the output time information of the finally output frame, whether the frame is classified into the new shot.

26. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein the meta data analyzer extracts information on an output period of time of frames including the normal object from among frames classified into a current shot, into which the frame is classified, from the shot information.

27. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the meta data is read from a disc on which the video data is recorded or downloaded from a server via a communication network.

28. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the meta data comprises identification information to identify the video data, and the identification information comprises a disc identifier to identify a disc on which the video data is recorded and a title identifier to identify a title including the video data from among titles included in the disc.

29. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein:

when the object is the normal object, the depth map generator obtains coordinates identical to the coordinates indicating the region of the normal object from among coordinates of the background and creates the depth map for the normal object using background depth values corresponding to the obtained coordinates as depth values for the region of the normal object; and

when the object is the highlighted object, the depth map generator creates the depth map for the highlighted object using, as a depth value of the region of the highlighted object, a value obtained using an offset value included in the object depth information and a panel position value included in the meta data to represent a depth value of an output screen for the video data.

30. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the meta data comprises information to indicate whether the object is the normal object or the highlighted object.

31. A computer readable information storage medium for use with an image processing apparatus, the computer-readable information storage medium comprising:

meta data used by the image processing apparatus to convert video data into a three-dimensional (3D) image, wherein;

the meta data comprises background depth information and object depth information;

the background depth information comprises coordinates of a background of a frame of the video data, depth values of the background corresponding to the coordinates, and a panel position value representing a depth value of an output screen for the video data;

the object depth information represents a region of an object on the frame as coordinates or a mask on which a shape of the object is indicated;

the background depth information and the object depth information are respectively used by the image processing apparatus to generate a depth map for the background and a depth map for the object; and

the object depth information indicates to the image processing apparatus when the object is a normal object that contacts the background or a highlighted object that does not contact the background.

33. A meta data transmitting method performed in a server connected to an image processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, by the server, a request for meta data to convert video data into a three-dimensional (3D) image from the image processing apparatus; and

transmitting, by the server, the meta data to the image processing apparatus in response to the request, wherein;

the meta data comprises background depth information and object depth information;

the background depth information comprises coordinates of a background of a frame of the video data, depth values of the background corresponding to the coordinates, and a panel position value representing a depth value of an output screen for the video data;

the object depth information comprises coordinates to identify a region of an object of the frame of the video data or a mask on which a shape of the object is indicated; and

the object depth information distinguishes between when the object is a normal object that contacts the background or a highlighted object that does not contact the background.

34. A server connected to an image processing apparatus, the server comprising:

a transceiver to receive a request for meta data to convert video data into a three-dimensional (3D) image from the image processing apparatus, and to transmit the meta data to the image processing apparatus in response to the request; and

a meta data storage to store the meta data, wherein;

the meta data comprises background depth information and object depth information;

the background depth information comprises coordinates of a background of a frame of the video data, depth values of the background corresponding to the coordinates, and a panel position value representing a depth value of an output screen for the video data;

the object depth information comprises coordinates to identify a region of an object of the frame of the video data or a mask on which a shape of the object is indicated; and

the object depth information distinguishes between when the object is a normal object that contacts the background or a highlighted object that does not contact the background.