METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND USING REDUCED RESOLUTION IMAGES AND/OR COMMUNICATING SUCH IMAGES TO A PLAYBACK OR CONTENT DISTRIBUTION DEVICE

• US 20160241838A1
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nevermind Capital LLC
• Original Assignee: NextVR, Inc. (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Cole, David, Moss, Alan McKay, Medina, Hector M.
• Application Number:
  US15/046,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20160241838A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2215/12 Shadow map, environment map
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/106 Processing image signals for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/139 Format conversion, e.g. of frame-rate or size
• 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 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/275 from 3D object models, e.g. computer-generated stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/279 the virtual viewpoint locations being selected by the viewers or determined by tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/136 Incoming video signal characteristics or properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0088 Synthesising a monoscopic image signal from stereoscopic images, e.g. synthesising a panoramic or high resolution monoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 : Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 : involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 : involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 : involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 : for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for using selective resolution reduction on images to be transmitted and/or used by a playback device are described. Prior to transmission one or more images of an environment are captured. Based on image content, motion detection and/or user input a resolution reduction operation is selected and performed. The reduced resolution image is communicated to a playback device along with information indicating a UV map corresponding to the selected resolution allocation that should be used by the playback device for rendering the communicated image. By changing the resolution allocation used and which UV map is used by the playback device different resolution allocations can be made with respect to different portions of the environment while allowing the number of pixels in transmitted images to remain constant. The playback device renders the individual images with the UV map corresponding to the resolution allocation used to generate the individual images.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information to be used to represent an environment, the method comprising:

communicating a first image map to be used to map portions of a frame to segments of an environmental model, said first image map allocating different size portions of the frame to different segments of the environmental model thereby allocating different numbers of pixels to different segments of said model; and

communicating a first frame including at least a portion of a first image to be mapped to said environmental model using said first image map.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating a second image map to be used to map portions of a frame to segments of the environmental model, said second image map allocating different size portions of the frame to different segments of the environmental model thereby allocating different numbers of pixels to different segments of said model, said second image map allocating a different number of pixels to a first segment of said model than are allocated by said first image map; and

communicating a second frame including at least a portion of a second image to be mapped to said environmental model using said second image map.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second image maps map different numbers of pixels to an area corresponding to the same portion of an environment thereby providing different resolution allocations for said same portion of the environment based on which of the first and second image maps are used.

4. An apparatus for communicating information to be used to represent an environment, the apparatus including a processor configured to operate said apparatus to:

communicate a first image map to be used to map portions of a frame to segments of an environmental model, said first image map allocating different size portions of the frame to different segments of the environmental model thereby allocating different numbers of pixels to different segments of said model; and

communicate a first frame including at least a portion of a first image to be mapped to said environmental model using said first image map.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said processor is further configured to operate said apparatus to:

communicate a second image map to be used to map portions of a frame to segments of the environmental model, said second image map allocating different size portions of the frame to different segments of the environmental model thereby allocating different numbers of pixels to different segments of said model, said second image map allocating a different number of pixels to a first segment of said model than are allocated by said first image map; and

communicate a second frame including at least a portion of a second image to be mapped to said environmental model using said second image map.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said first and second image maps map different numbers of pixels to an area corresponding to the same portion of an environment thereby providing different resolution allocations for said same portion of the environment based on which of the first and second image maps are used.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is a server providing a real time content stream while an event is ongoing.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, control a system to:

communicate a first image map to be used to map portions of a frame to segments of an environmental model, said first image map allocating different size portions of the frame to different segments of the environmental model thereby allocating different numbers of pixels to different segments of said model; and

communicate a first frame including at least a portion of a first image to be mapped to said environmental model using said first image map.