METHOD OF CONTROLLING STEREO CONVERGENCE AND STEREO IMAGE PROCESSOR USING THE SAME

• US 20150062297A1
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Irina
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/002 Eyestrain reduction by processing stereoscopic signals or controlling stereoscopic devices

Abstract

A method of controlling a stereo convergence and an image processor using the method are provided. The method includes: detecting objects from a stereo image; grouping the detected objects into at least one or more objects according to setup specification information; and moving at least one of left and right eye images of a stereo image of the grouping or a setup area including the grouping in a horizontal or vertical direction or in the horizontal and vertical directions.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a stereo convergence, the method comprising:

detecting objects from a stereo image comprising a left eye image and a right eye image;

grouping the detected objects into at least one object group according to setup specification information; and

moving at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image of the stereo image of the object group or a setup area comprising the object group in a horizontal or vertical direction, or in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

correcting a distorted image after moving the at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the objects comprises detecting objects which are included in common in the left eye image and the right eye image of the stereo image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected objects are grouped based on distances between an imaging surface of a camera and the detected objects.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the distances between the imaging surface of the camera and the detected objects are calculated based on disparity vectors (DVs) of feature points (FPs) of the detected objects.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the setup area comprises grouping of detected objects corresponding to at least one of a particular distance, a particular character, and a particular background, the at least one of the particular distance, the particular character, and the particular background being selected through a user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image of the stereo image is moved in the horizontal or vertical direction, or in the horizontal and vertical directions, based on a distribution of disparity vectors (DVs) of the object group or the setup area comprising the object group.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving of the stereo image comprises:

determining an area of interest comprising the object group;

extracting feature points (FPs) from the area of interest;

calculating disparity vectors (DVs) by matching portions of the left eye image and the right eye image corresponding to the extracted FPs; and

moving at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image of the stereo image of the object group or a setup area comprising the object group in the horizontal or vertical direction, or in the horizontal and vertical directions, according to the distribution of the calculated DVs.

9. The method of claim 1, where the moving of the stereo image comprises:

generating disparity vectors (DVs) of the object group or the setup area comprising the object group;

determining a convergence adjustment value based on the generated DVs; and

moving the left eye image in the horizontal or vertical direction, or in the horizontal and vertical directions, and moving the right eye image in a direction opposite to a movement direction of the left eye image, based on the determined convergence adjustment value.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of the convergence adjustment value comprises:

calculating a histogram illustrating a disparity vector (DV) and frequency by using the generated DVs; and

calculating the convergence adjustment value for matching a distribution of the DVs of the calculated histogram with an initially set target distribution.

11. A system on chip comprising:

a memory which stores setup specification information and image data;

a convergence adjustment area detector which groups objects detected from a stereo image comprising a left eye image and a right eye image into at least one or more object groups according to the setup specification information, and detects the object group or a setup area comprising the object group; and

a convergence adjuster which moves at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image of the stereo image in a horizontal or vertical direction, or in both the horizontal and vertical directions, to adjust a convergence.

12. The system on chip of claim 11, wherein the convergence adjustment area detector comprises:

an object detector which detects the objects from the stereo image;

an object classifier which classifies the detected objects into the plurality of object groups based on distances between an imaging surface of a camera and the detected objects; and

a convergence adjustment area determiner which selects at least one object group from the plurality of object groups, based on an initially set threshold distance and detects the selected object group or a setup area comprising the selected object group.

13. The system on chip of claim 11, wherein the convergence adjuster comprises:

a feature extractor which extracts feature points (FPs) of the at least one object group or the setup area comprising the at least one object group from the left eye image or the right eye image of the stereo image;

a disparity vector (DV) calculator which calculates disparity vectors (DVs) by matching portions of the left eye image and the right eye image corresponding to the extracted FPs; and

a convergence controller which moves at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image of the stereo image of the object group or a setup area comprising the object group in the horizontal or vertical direction, or in the horizontal and vertical directions, based on the calculated DVs.

14. The system on chip of claim 13, wherein the convergence controller comprises:

a histogram generator which calculates a histogram illustrating a disparity vector (DV) and frequency by using the calculated disparity vectors (DVs);

a convergence adjustment value calculator which calculates an image movement value in a horizontal or vertical direction, or in both the horizontal and vertical directions, of the left eye image or the right eye image for matching a distribution of DVs of the calculated histogram with a target distribution; and

an image mover which moves at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image in the horizontal or vertical direction, or in the horizontal and vertical directions, according to the image movement value.

15. The system on chip of claim 11, wherein the convergence adjuster moves at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image in the horizontal or vertical direction, or in the horizontal and vertical directions, based on the calculated DVs.

16. A method of controlling a stereo convergence, the method comprising:

detecting one or more objects in a left eye image of a stereo image, and one or more objects in a right eye image of the stereo image;

grouping the detected objects into a plurality of object groups according to specification information and characteristics of the objects, each of the object groups comprising one object from the left eye image and one object from the right eye image;

selecting one of the object groups from among the plurality of object groups;

determining feature points (FPs) of the objects in the selected object group;

determining disparity vectors (DVs) with respect to the FPs; and

moving the left eye image with respect to the right eye image in order to adjust the DVs of the selected object.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the left eye image is moved with respect to the right eye image to adjust an average value of the DVs to a target disparity value.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the specification information comprises a target distance between an imaging surface of a camera and the object.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the one of the object groups is selected based on a particular distance, a particular character, and/or a particular background.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the particular distance, the particular character, and/or the particular background is set by the user.