IMAGE GENERATION APPARATUS AND IMAGE GENERATION METHOD

• US 20140300693A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirata, Shinichi, Furumura, Kyoko, Yamagishi, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,284,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/39
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/02 with scanning movement of lens or cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/246 Calibration of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

A region-of-interest setting portion sets, during image pickup, a region of interest in an image picked up using a camera built in portable equipment. A component image generation unit generates a component image in which, with the image picked up using the camera built in the portable equipment, posture information of the portable equipment and the region-of-interest information set by the region-of-interest setting portion are associated. A panoramic image generation unit combines a plurality of component images between which the posture of the portable equipment is different to generate a synthesis image.

Claims

1. An image generation apparatus, comprising:

a region-of-interest setting portion configured to set, during image pickup, a region of interest in an image picked up using a camera built in portable equipment;

a component image generation unit configured to generate a component image in which, with the image picked up using the camera built in the portable equipment, posture information of the portable equipment and the region-of-interest information set by the region-of-interest setting portion are associated; and

a synthesis image generation unit configured to combine a plurality of component images between which the posture of the portable equipment is different to generate a synthesis image.

2. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the region-of-interest setting portion receives information of a region of interest designated to a picked up image displayed on a display of the portable equipment through a touch panel and sets the region of interest.

3. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a facial expression decision portion configured to decide a facial expression of a camera operator picked up by the camera built in the portable equipment; and

a degree-of-interest setting portion configured to set a degree of interest to the region of interest in response to the facial expression of the camera operator decided by the facial expression decision portion.

4. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a voice recognition portion configured to recognize a voice of a camera operator acquired by the camera built in the portable equipment; and

a tag setting portion configured to set a tag based on the voice acquired by the voice recognition portion to the region of interest.

5. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a camera operator detection portion configured to detect a camera operator whose image is picked up by the camera built in the portable equipment;

the region-of-interest setting portion setting a region of the camera operator detected by the camera operator detection portion as the region of interest.

6. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display, when the synthesis image is to be displayed, the region of interest set to the synthesis image so as to be positioned at the center of the display of the portable equipment.

7. An image generation method, comprising:

a region-of-interest setting step of setting, during image pickup, a region of interest in an image picked up using a camera built in portable equipment;

a component image generation step of generating a component image in which, with the image picked up using the camera built in the portable equipment, posture information of the portable equipment and the region-of-interest information set at the region-of-interest setting step are associated; and

a synthesis image generation step of combining a plurality of component images between which the posture of the portable equipment is different to generate a synthesis image.

8. A non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium storing a program, the program causing a computer to implement:

a region-of-interest setting function for setting, during image pickup, a region of interest in an image picked up using a camera built in portable equipment;

a component image generation function for generating a component image in which, with the image picked up using the camera built in the portable equipment, posture information of the portable equipment and the region-of-interest information set by the region-of-interest setting function are associated; and

a synthesis image generation function for combining a plurality of component images between which the posture of the portable equipment is different to generate a synthesis image.