METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGES

• US 20110103680A1
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: MASHITANI, KEN, Takemoto, Satoshi, Hamagishi, Goro
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A three-dimensional sense adjusting unit displays three-dimensional images to a user. If a displayed reaches a limit of parallax, the user responds to the three-dimensional sense adjusting unit. According to acquired appropriate parallax information, a parallax control unit generates parallax images to realize the appropriate parallax in the subsequent stereo display. The control of parallaxes is realized by optimally setting camera parameters by going back to three-dimensional data. Functions to realize the appropriate parallax are made into and presented by a library.

Claims

1. -148. (canceled)

149. A three-dimensional image displaying apparatus comprising:

a storage unit which stores first parallax information including parallax amounts varying depending on locations with respect to a three-dimensional image to be displayed; and

an output unit which outputs the three-dimensional image generated in accordance with the first parallax information.

150. The apparatus according to claim 149, further comprising a control unit which adjusts a parallax among a plurality of viewpoint images in accordance with the first parallax information to generate the three-dimensional image.

151. The apparatus according to claim 150, wherein

the storage unit further stores second parallax information including parallax amounts different from those of the first parallax information, and

the control unit selects one of the first parallax information and the second parallax information to adjust the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images.

152. The apparatus according to claim 149, wherein the first parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for differentiating a parallax in a center area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed from a parallax in a peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

153. The apparatus according to claim 152, wherein the first parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for reducing the parallax in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

154. The apparatus according to claim 152, wherein the first parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images so that an object in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed is seen away from a user.

155. The apparatus according to claim 150, wherein the control unit processes at least one of the plurality of viewpoint images to adjust the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images.

156. A three-dimensional image processing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit which stores first parallax information including parallax amounts varying depending on locations with respect to a three-dimensional image to be displayed; and

an output unit which outputs the three-dimensional image generated in accordance with the first parallax information.

157. The apparatus according to claim 156, further comprising a control unit which adjusts a parallax among a plurality of viewpoint images in accordance with the first parallax information to generate the three-dimensional image.

158. The apparatus according to claim 157, wherein

the storage unit further stores second parallax information including parallax amounts different from those of the first parallax information, and

the control unit selects one of the first parallax information and the second parallax information to adjust the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images.

159. The apparatus according to claim 156, wherein the first parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for differentiating a parallax in a center area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed from a parallax in a peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

160. The apparatus according to claim 159, wherein the first parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for reducing the parallax in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

161. The apparatus according to claim 159, wherein the first parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images so that an object in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed is seen away from a user.

162. The apparatus according to claim 157, wherein the control unit processes at least one of the plurality of viewpoint images to adjust the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images.

163. A three-dimensional image displaying apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional image based on a plurality of viewpoint images, the apparatus comprising:

a storage unit which stores parallax information including parallax amounts to determine a parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images; and

a control unit which creates the plurality of viewpoint images with the parallax in accordance with the parallax information.

164. The apparatus according to claim 163, wherein the parallax amounts vary depending on locations with respect to the plurality of viewpoint images.

165. The apparatus according to claim 163, wherein the parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for differentiating a parallax in a center area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed from a parallax in a peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

166. The apparatus according to claim 165, wherein the parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for reducing the parallax in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

167. The apparatus according to claim 165, wherein the parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images so that an object in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed is seen away from a user.

168. The apparatus according to claim 163, wherein the control unit processes at least one of the plurality of viewpoint images to adjust the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images.

169. A three-dimensional image processing apparatus for a plurality of viewpoint images to display a three-dimensional image, the apparatus comprising:

a storage unit which stores parallax information including parallax amounts to determine a parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images; and

a control unit which creates the plurality of viewpoint images with the parallax in accordance with the parallax information.

170. The apparatus according to claim 169, wherein the parallax amounts vary depending on locations with respect to the plurality of viewpoint images.

171. The apparatus according to claim 169, wherein the parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for differentiating a parallax in a center area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed from a parallax in a peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

172. The apparatus according to claim 171, wherein the parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for reducing the parallax in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

173. The apparatus according to claim 171, wherein the parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images so that an object in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed is seen away from a user.

174. The apparatus according to claim 169, wherein the control unit processes at least one of the plurality of viewpoint images to adjust the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images.

175. A three-dimensional image processing method comprising the steps of:

storing first parallax information including parallax amounts varying depending on locations with respect to a three-dimensional image to be displayed; and

outputting the three-dimensional image generated in accordance with the first parallax information.

176. The method according to claim 175, further comprising the step of adjusting a parallax among a plurality of viewpoint images in accordance with the first parallax information to generate the three-dimensional image.

177. The method according to claim 176, further comprising the steps of:

storing second parallax information including parallax amounts different from those of the first parallax information; and

selecting one of the first parallax information and the second parallax information to adjust the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images.

178. The method according to claim 175, wherein the first parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for differentiating a parallax in a center area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed from a parallax in a peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

179. The method according to claim 178, wherein the first parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for reducing the parallax in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

180. The method according to claim 178, wherein the first parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images so that an object in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed is seen away from a user.

181. The method according to claim 176, wherein the adjusting step includes processing at least one of the plurality of viewpoint images to adjust the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images.

182. A three-dimensional image processing method for displaying a three-dimensional image based on a plurality of viewpoint images, the method comprising the steps of:

storing parallax information including parallax amounts to determine a parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images; and

creating the plurality of viewpoint images with a parallax in accordance with the parallax information.

183. The method according to claim 182, wherein the parallax amounts vary depending on locations with respect to the plurality of viewpoint images.

184. The method according to claim 182, wherein the parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for differentiating a parallax in a center area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed from a parallax in a peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

185. The method according to claim 184, wherein the parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images for reducing the parallax in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed.

186. The method according to claim 184, wherein the parallax information varies the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images so that an object in the peripheral area of the three-dimensional image to be displayed is seen away from a user.

187. The method according to claim 182, wherein the creating step including processing at least one of the plurality of viewpoint images to adjust the parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images.

188. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium having a program, when executed, controlling a computer to perform the steps of:

storing first parallax information including parallax amounts varying depending on locations with respect to a three-dimensional image to be displayed; and

outputting the three-dimensional image generated in accordance with the first parallax information.

189. A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium having a program for displaying a three-dimensional image based on a plurality of viewpoint images, when executed, controlling a computer to perform the steps of:

storing parallax information including parallax amounts to determine a parallax among the plurality of viewpoint images; and

creating the plurality of viewpoint images with a parallax in accordance with the parallax information.