IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD AND DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20120243786A1
• Filed: 03/22/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Koyama, Jun, Akiba, Mai
• Granted Patent: US 9,313,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/122 Improving the 3D impression of stereoscopic images by modifying image signal contents, e.g. by filtering or adding monoscopic depth cues H04N13/128 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/139 Format conversion, e.g. of frame-rate or size
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/156 Mixing image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

An image processing method to obtain a high sense of depth or high stereoscopic effect for an image and a display device utilizing the method are provided. Image data of an image is separated into image data of a plurality of objects and a background. A feature amount is obtained from the image data of each object, so that the objects are identified. The relative distance between viewer'"'"'s eye and any of the objects is determined by the data of the sizes of the objects in the image and the sizes of the objects stored in the database. The image data of each object is processed so that an object with a shorter relative distance is enlarged. The image data of each object after image processing is combined with the image data of the background, so that a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of an image is increased.

Claims

1. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

separating first image data of an image into image data of objects and image data of background;

obtaining feature amounts of objects from the image data of objects;

comparing the feature amounts of the objects with data stored in a database; and

determining front-back relations among the objects using results of the comparisons.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of processing the image data of objects according to the front-back relations among the objects.

3. The image processing method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of combining the image data of the objects after the processing with the image data of the background to generate second image data in which a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect is increased compared to the first image data.

4. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

separating first image data of an image into image data of objects and image data of background;

obtaining feature amounts of objects from the image data of objects;

comparing the feature amounts of the objects with data stored in a database;

determining front-back relations among the objects using results of the comparisons;

processing the image data of the objects in accordance with the front-back relations; and

combining the image data of the objects after the processing with the image data of the background to generate second image data.

5. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein objects which are determined to be more on a front side of the image are enlarged compared to objects which are determined to be more on a back side of the image.

6. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein outlines of objects which are determined to be more on a front side of the image are reinforced compared to outlines of objects which are determined to be more on a back side of the image.

7. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein distances between a vanishing point and center points of objects which are determined to be more on a front side of the image are lengthened compared to distances between the vanishing point and center points of objects which are determined to be more on a back side of the image.

8. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein objects which are determined to be more on a front side of the image are enlarged compared to objects which are determined to be more on a back side of the image, and

wherein outlines of the objects which are determined to be more on the front side of the image are reinforced compared to outlines of the objects which are determined to be more on the back side of the image.

9. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein objects which are determined to be more on a front side of the image are enlarged compared to objects which are determined to be more on a back side of the image, and

wherein distances between a vanishing point and center points of the objects which are determined to be more on the front side of the image are lengthened compared to distances between the vanishing point and center points of the objects which are determined to be more on the back side of the image.

10. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein outlines of objects which are determined to be more on a front side of the image are reinforced compared to outlines of objects which are determined to be more on a back side of the image, and

wherein distances between a vanishing point and center points of the objects which are determined to be more on the front side of the image are lengthened compared to distances between the vanishing point and center points of the objects which are determined to be more on the back side of the image.

11. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein objects which are determined to be more on a frontside of the image are enlarged compared to objects which are determined to be more on a backside of the image,

wherein outlines of the objects which are determined to be more on the front side of the image are reinforced compared to outlines of the objects which are determined to be more on the back side of the image, and

wherein distances between a vanishing point and center points of the objects which are determined to be more on the front side of the image are lengthened compared to distances between the vanishing point and the center points of the objects which are determined to be more on the back side of the image.

12. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein the data stored in the database comprise correlated feature amounts of model objects and sizes of the model objects.

13. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein the front-back relations between the objects are determined by data of sizes of the objects and relative sizes of the objects in the image.

14. The image processing method according to claim 4,

wherein in the second image data a sense of depth or stereoscopic effect of an image is increased compared to the first image data is obtained.

15. A display device comprising a display portion and an image processing portion, the image processing portion comprising:

an image data input portion;

a database;

a means for separating image data of an image into image data of objects and image data of background;

a means for obtaining feature amounts of objects from the image data of objects;

a means for comparing the feature amounts of the objects with data stored in the database;

a means for determining front-back relations among the objects using results of the comparisons;

a means for processing the image data of objects according to the front-back relations among the objects;

a means for combining the image data of objects after the processing with the image data of the background;

a display portion controller configured for generating an image signal from the combined image data and outputting the image signal to the display portion.

16. The display device according to claim 15,

wherein the means for processing the image data of the objects is configured to enlarge sizes of objects which are determined to be more on a front side of the image compared to sizes of objects which are determined to be more on a back side of the image.

17. The display device according to claim 15,

wherein the means for processing the image data of the objects is configured to reinforce outlines of objects which are determined to be more on a front side of the image compared to outlines of objects which are determined to be more on a back side of the image.

18. The display device according to claim 15,

wherein the means for processing the image data of the objects is configured to lengthen distances between a vanishing point and center points of objects which are determined to be more on a front side of the image compared to distances between the vanishing point and center points of objects which are determined to be more on a back side of the image.

19. The display device according to claim 15,

wherein the means for processing the image data of the objects is configured to modify the sizes of the objects.

20. An electronic device including the display device according to claim 15.