SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENHANCED STEREO IMAGING

• US 20140071245A1
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Shehane, Patrick, Zhang, Guanghua Gary, Lin, Michael, Nguyen, Hugh Phu
• Application Number:
  US13/609,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20140071245A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/133 Equalising the characteristics of different image components, e.g. their average brightness or colour balance
• 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 13/25 using two or more image sensors with different characteristics other than in their location or field of view, e.g. having different resolutions or colour pickup characteristics; using image signals from one sensor to control the characteristics of another sensor

Abstract

A system and method for stereoscopic image capture. The method includes capturing a first image with a first camera and capturing a second image with a second camera. The second camera comprises a lower resolution sensor than a sensor of the first camera. The method further includes determining a third image based on adjusting the first image to a resolution of the lower resolution sensor of the second camera and generating a stereoscopic image comprising the second image and the third image.

Claims

1. A method for stereoscopic image capture, said method comprising:

capturing a first image with a first camera;

capturing a second image with a second camera, wherein said second camera comprises a lower resolution sensor than a sensor of said first camera;

determining a third image based on adjusting said first image to a resolution of said lower resolution sensor of said second camera; and

generating a stereoscopic image comprising said second image and said third image.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said stereoscopic image is a video frame.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said first image and said second image are captured substantially simultaneously.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said second camera is operable to capture said second image in less time than said first camera is operable to capture said first image.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said first camera operates at a first power consumption level and said second camera operates at a second power consumption level, and wherein said first power consumption level is greater than said second power consumption level.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said adjusting said first image comprises downsampling by determining an average value of a plurality of pixels of said first image to include in said third image.

7. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

determining a first region of interest in said first image;

determining a second region of interest in said second image, wherein said adjusting of said first image is based on matching said first region of interest with said second region of interest.

8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said first camera is operable to capture an image while said second camera is capturing video.

9. A system for image capture, said system comprising:

an image capture module operable for capturing a first image with a first camera and operable for capturing a second image with a second camera, wherein said first image has a first resolution and said second image has a second resolution, and wherein said second resolution is lower than said first resolution;

a downsampling module operable to downsample said first image to said second resolution to form a third image; and

an image output module operable to output a stereoscopic image comprising said second image and said third image.

10. The system as described in claim 9 wherein said stereoscopic image is a video frame.

11. The system as described in claim 9 wherein said image capture module is operable to capture said first image and said second image coincidentally.

12. The system as described in claim 9 wherein said second camera is operable to capture said second image in less time than said first camera is operable to capture said first image.

13. The system as described in claim 9 wherein said first camera operates at a first power consumption level and said second camera operates at a second power consumption level, and wherein said first power consumption level is greater than said second power consumption level.

14. The system as described in claim 9 wherein said downsampling module is operable to downsample said first image by averaging a plurality of pixels of said first image to include in said third image.

15. The system as described in claim 9 wherein said first camera comprises a first sensor and said second camera comprises a second sensor, and wherein said first sensor and said second sensor share a common aperture.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon, computer executable instructions that, if executed by a computer system cause the computer system to perform a method of capturing a stereoscopic image, said method comprising:

capturing a first image with a first camera;

capturing a second image with a second camera, wherein said first image has a first resolution and said second image has a second resolution, and wherein said second resolution is lower than said first resolution;

determining a third image based on downscaling said first image to said second resolution; and

outputting a stereoscopic image comprising said second image and said third image.

17. The computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 16 wherein said stereoscopic image is a video frame.

18. The computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 16 wherein said first image and said second image are captured substantially simultaneously.

19. The computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 16 wherein said first camera comprises a first sensor and said second camera comprises a second sensor, and wherein said first sensor and said second sensor share a single aperture.

20. The computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 16 wherein said downscaling said first image comprises determining an average value of a plurality of pixels of said first image to include in said third image.