IMAGE GENERATING APPARATUS FOR GENERATING THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE HAVING HIGH VISIBILITY

• US 20100079579A1
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: KIKUCHI, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,269,819 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

An image generating apparatus includes: a correction unit configured to correct point information indicating correspondence between a plurality of pieces of point information indicating feature points of subjects in an image and a plurality of pieces of distance information of the respective pieces of point information so as to reduce the pieces of distance information belonging to a distance range that is longer than a distance indicated by a specific distance information included in the pieces of distance information; an image information generation unit configured to generate image information for expressing a three-dimensional image based on the point information corrected by the correction unit; and a display unit configured to display the three-dimensional image based on the image information generated by the image information generation unit.

Claims

1. An image generating apparatus comprising:

a correction unit configured to correct point information indicating correspondence between a plurality of pieces of point information indicating feature points of subjects in an image and a plurality of pieces of distance information of the respective pieces of point information so as to reduce the pieces of distance information belonging to a distance range that is longer than a distance indicated by a specific distance information included in the pieces of distance information;

an image information generation unit configured to generate image information for expressing a three-dimensional image based on the point information corrected by the correction unit; and

a display unit configured to display the three-dimensional image based on the image information generated by the image information generation unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a correspondence information generation unit configured to generate correspondence information indicating correspondence between number information indicating the number of pieces of the point information belonging to a target subject included in the subjects, the target subject corresponding to the same distance information, and each pieces of the distance information,

wherein the correction unit comprises:

a detection unit configured to detect the second shortest distance information included in the pieces of distance information corresponding to the pieces of distance information having substantially minimum number information from among the pieces of distance information included in the correspondence information generated by the correspondence information generation unit, as the specific distance information; and

a first distance information correction unit configured to perform correction to reduce the pieces of distance information belonging to the distance range that is longer than the distance indicated by the specific distance information detected by the detection unit, the specific distance information being included in the pieces of distance information included in the point information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first distance information correction unit performs correction so that all of the pieces of distance information belonging to the distance range longer than the specific distance information detected by the detection unit are set to be the same as the specific distance information.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the correction unit comprises:

a setting unit configured to set a distance range defined by two pieces of shortest distance information included in the pieces of distance information corresponding to the pieces of distance information having substantially minimum number information from among the pieces of distance information included in the correspondence information generated by the correspondence information generation unit, as a three-dimensional display distance range; and

a second distance information correction unit configured to correct the pieces of distance information belonging to the three-dimensional display distance range in the point information so as to narrow the three-dimensional display distance range set by the setting unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit comprises a first distance information correction unit configured to performs correction so as to reduce the pieces of distance information belonging to the distance range longer than the specific distance information as distance information indicating distance to a focused subject region from among the pieces of distance information included in the point information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first distance information correction unit performs correction so that all of the pieces of distance information belonging to the distance range longer than the specific distance information are set to be the same as the specific distance information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the correction unit comprises:

a setting unit configured to set a distance range corresponding to distance information indicating distance to a focused subject region as a three-dimensional display distance range; and

a second distance information correction unit configured to correct the pieces of distance information belonging to the three-dimensional display distance range in the point information so as to narrow the three-dimensional display distance range set by the setting unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit comprises a first distance information correction unit configured to perform correction so as to reduce the pieces of distance information belonging to a distance range longer than the specific distance information as distance information corresponding to a position where depth of field exists in the pieces of distance information included in the point information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first distance information correction unit performs correction so that all of the pieces of distance information belonging to a distance range longer than the specific distance information in the pieces of distance information included in the point information are set to be the same as the specific distance information.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the correction unit comprises:

a setting unit configured to set a distance range corresponding to a position of depth of field as three-dimensional display distance range; and

a second distance information correction unit configured to correct the pieces of distance information belonging to the three-dimensional display distance range in the point information so as to narrow the three-dimensional display distance range set by the setting unit.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit comprises a first distance information correction unit configured to perform correction so as to reduce the pieces of distance information belonging to a distance range longer than the specific distance information as distance information determined based on an operation by a user in the pieces of distance information included in the point information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first distance information correction unit performs correction so that all of the pieces of distance information belonging to a distance range longer than the specific distance information in the pieces of distance information included in the point information are set to be the same as the specific distance information.

13. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for generating image,

wherein the process comprises:

correcting point information indicating correspondence between a plurality of pieces of point information indicating feature points of subjects in an image and a plurality of pieces of distance information of the respective pieces of point information so as to reduce the pieces of distance information belonging to a distance range that is longer than a distance indicated by a specific distance information included in the pieces of distance information;

generating image information for expressing a three-dimensional image based on the corrected point information corrected; and

displaying the three-dimensional image based on the generated image information.