METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIA FOR CREATING THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) IMAGES OF A SCENE

• US 20110025825A1
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3DMedia Corporation
• Original Assignee: 3DMedia Corporation
• Inventors: Markas, Tassos, McNamer, Michael, Robers, Marshall, Hurst, Jason Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,508,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/06 with axial movement of lens or gate between exposures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/257 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/261 with monoscopic-to-stereoscopic image conversion

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for generating three-dimensional images of a scene are disclosed herein. According to one aspect, a method includes receiving a plurality of images of a scene. The method also includes determining attributes of the plurality of images. Further, the method includes determining, based on the attributes, a pair of images from among the plurality of images for use in creating a three-dimensional image. A user can, by use of the subject matter disclosed herein, use an image capture device for capturing a plurality of different images of the same scene and for converting the images into a three-dimensional, or stereoscopic, image of the scene. The subject matter disclosed herein includes a three-dimensional conversion process. The conversion process can include identification of suitable pairs of images, registration, rectification, color correction, transformation, depth adjustment, and motion detection and removal.

Claims

1. A method for creating a three-dimensional image of a scene, the method comprising:

using at least one processor for;

receiving a plurality of images of a scene;

determining attributes of the plurality of images; and

generating, based on the attributes, a pair of images from among the plurality of images for use in creating a three-dimensional image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pair of images comprises different perspective views of the scene.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

comparing color attributes of the images;

determining images in which the color attributes are within a predetermined color threshold; and

modifying the images within the predetermined color threshold for creating the three-dimensional image.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying similar objects in the plurality of images; and

comparing images including the similar objects for occlusion.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying similar objects in the plurality of images; and

comparing vertical displacement of the similar objects with respect to a predetermined threshold level.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing color differences between images.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying horizontal and vertical edge line analysis to images.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

applying a Hough transform to identify lines within the images; and

determining perspective view changes between the images based on the identified lines.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional image includes a stereoscopic pair representing a left view image and a right view image.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising automatically determining the left view image and the right view image for creating the stereoscopic pair.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining interest points within the left view image and the right view image for one or more of rectification and registration.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein determining interest points comprises:

performing horizontal and vertical edge detection;

filtering for strong edges of a minimum length; and

identifying crossing points of the strong edges.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining a parallax disparity between the left view image and the right view image;

determining whether the parallax disparity meets a predetermined criteria; and

if the parallax disparity does not meet the predetermined criteria, adjusting an attribute of at least one pixel in one of the left view image and the right view image such that the parallax disparity meets the predetermined criteria.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising cropping one of the left view image and the right view image.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining a parallax disparity between at least a portion of an object in the left view image and the right view image;

determining whether the parallax disparity is greater than a predetermined threshold level; and

if the parallax disparity is greater than the predetermined threshold level, removing the object from the left view image and the right view image.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising using an image capture device for capturing the plurality of images of the scene.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein using an image capture device comprises using at least one of a digital still camera, a video camera, a mobile phone, and a smart phone for capturing the plurality of images of the scene.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a three-dimensional image of the scene using the pair of images.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein generating a three-dimensional image comprises one or more of registration, rectification, color correction, matching edges of the pair of images, transformation, depth adjustment, motion detection, and removal of moving objects.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the three-dimensional image on a suitable three-dimensional image display.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein displaying the three-dimensional image comprises displaying the three-dimensional image on a device such as a digital still camera, a computer, a video camera, a digital picture frame, a set-top box, phone, or a high-definition television.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

capturing the plurality of images at a camera;

communicating the plurality of images to a computer;

at the computer, the step of determining the attributes of the plurality of images;

at the computer, creating the three-dimensional image; and

at the computer communicating the three-dimensional image to the camera.

24. A system for creating a three-dimensional image of a scene, the system comprising:

a memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions;

a computer processor that executes the computer-executable instructions;

an image generator configured to;

receive a plurality of images of a scene;

determine attributes of the plurality of images; and

determine, based on the attributes, a pair of images from among the plurality of images for use in generating a three-dimensional image.

25. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing the following steps:

receiving a plurality of images of a scene;

determining attributes of the plurality of images; and

generating, based on the attributes, a pair of images from among the plurality of images for use in generating a three-dimensional image.

26. A method for generating a three-dimensional video of a scene, the method comprising:

using at least one processor for;

receiving a video sequence comprising a plurality of still images of a scene;

determining attributes of the plurality of still images; and

determining, based on the attributes, a plurality of stereoscopic image pairs from among the plurality of still images for use in generating a three-dimensional video.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising adjusting at least one of a parallax and perspective of each image pair such that at least one of a predetermined orientation and depth results.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising sequencing stereoscopic image pairs in the three-dimensional video according to an order of the video sequence of the still images.

29. The method of claim 26 further comprising compressing the image pairs of the three-dimensional video.

30. A system for generating a three-dimensional video of a scene, the system comprising:

a memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions;

a computer processor that executes the computer-executable instructions;

an image generator configured to;

receive a video sequence comprising a plurality of still images of a scene;

determine attributes of the plurality of still images; and

determine, based on the attributes, a plurality of stereoscopic image pairs from among the plurality of still images for use in generating a three-dimensional video.

31. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing the following steps:

receiving a video sequence comprising a plurality of still images of a scene;

determining attributes of the plurality of still images; and

determining, based on the attributes, a plurality of stereoscopic image pairs from among the plurality of still images for use in generating a three-dimensional video.