METHOD FOR COMBINING IMAGES RELATING TO A THREE-DIMENSIONAL CONTENT

• US 20130135435A1
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S.I.Sv.El. Societa' Italiana Per Lo Sviluppo Dell'Elettronica S.P.A. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Original Assignee: 3Dswitch S. R. L., Sisvel Technology S.r.l. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Inventors: D'Amato, Paolo, Pennisi, Dario, Ballocca, Giovanni
• Granted Patent: US 9,549,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/10 Processing, recording or transmission of stereoscopic or multi-view image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/156 Mixing image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/183 On-screen display [OSD] information, e.g. subtitles or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/003 Aspects relating to the "2D+depth" image format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/005 Aspects relating to the "3D+depth" image format

Abstract

A method for superimposing images on three-dimensional content, wherein a video stream is received which includes the three-dimensional content and a depth map for superimposing images on the three-dimensional content. Once the video stream has been received, images are superimposed on the three-dimensional content in a position in depth dependent on the superimposition depth map (DM). The superimposition depth map contains information about the depth of the three-dimensional content and is inserted as an image contained in a frame (C) of the video stream. The depth map has a smaller number of pixels than that of a two-dimensional image associated with the three-dimensional content. The invention also relates to devices enabling the implementation of the methods.

Claims

1. A method for superimposing images on a three-dimensional content, wherein a video stream is received which comprises said three-dimensional content and a depth map (DM, DM′

) for superimposing images on said three-dimensional content, said depth map (DM, DM′

) containing information about the depth of said three-dimensional content, and being inserted as an image in a frame (C) of said video stream,

the method being characterized in that said depth map (DM, DM′

) is transmitted with the only purpose to allow in the playback phase the superimposition of images to said three-dimensional content, said superimposition being made in a position in depth depending on said superimposition depth map (DM, DM′

),

and in that said depth map (DM, DM′

) has a smaller number of pixels than that of a two-dimensional image associated with said three-dimensional content.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said superimposition depth map only contains information about the depth of pixels located in the lower half, preferably in the lower third, of said three-dimensional content.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the superimposition depth map has a non-uniform resolution, in particular the lower half or third of said depth map has a higher resolution than the upper part.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said superimposition depth map has a lower resolution than a two-dimensional image associated with said three-dimensional content.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said three-dimensional content is an image consisting of a plurality of pixels, and wherein said depth map is obtained by undersampling a depth map whose elements correspond to the depth of the pixels of said three-dimensional content.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein, after undersampling said depth map, the undersampled map is divided into blocks and each pixel of the block is given a same value equal to the minimum depth of the pixels of said block or to the mean value of the depth of the pixels of the block.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein, prior to undersampling said depth map, the depth map is divided into blocks and each pixel of the block is given a same value equal to the minimum depth of the pixels of said block or to the mean value of the depth of the pixels of the block.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein said blocks have a size equal to a multiple of an elementary block of 2×

2 pixels.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said superimposition depth map is entered into a portion of said frame not intended for display.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said depth map is broken up into blocks distributed in areas of said frame (C) which are not occupied by said three-dimensional content.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said frame comprises a right image, a left image and said depth map, wherein said depth map is broken up into blocks distributed in regions of the frame (C) which are not occupied by said three-dimensional content, and wherein said frame (C) is coded according to the H.264 coding standard.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said three-dimensional content comprises a two-dimensional image and information which allows to rebuild the other image of a stereoscopic pair, and wherein said superimposition depth map is entered into a portion of the two-dimensional image.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said frame comprises a flag adapted to indicate to the receiver the position of said superimposition depth map within said frame.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein said video stream comprises a flag adapted to indicate to the receiver the position of said superimposition depth map within said frame, said flag being external to said frame.

15. A device for reproducing three-dimensional content, comprising

means for receiving a video stream containing three-dimensional content,

means for combining an image with said three-dimensional content,

characterized in that said means for combining an image with said three-dimensional content is adapted to implement a method according to claim 1.

16. A stereoscopic video stream (1101) comprising a plurality of frames and characterized in that it comprises at least one three-dimensional content and at least one superimposition depth map (DM, DM′

) inserted as an image within a frame of said plurality of frames, said superimposition depth map (DM, DM′

) comprising a smaller number of pixels than that of a two-dimensional image associated with said three-dimensional content, said stereoscopic video stream being adapted to be used in a method according to claim 1.