IMAGE GENERATING APPARATUS, IMAGE GENERATING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20160300323A1
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nara Institute of Science and Technology, National University Corporation, Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nara Institute of Science and Technology, National University Corporation, Rocoh Company, Ltd.
• Inventors: KAWAI, Norihiko, SATO, Tomokazu, YOKOYA, Naokazu, NAKAGAWA, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,186,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/12 Panospheric to cylindrical image transformations

Abstract

An image generating apparatus for generating an output image based on an input panorama image, includes a parameter input unit inputting an output range parameter and a correction parameter, the output range parameter designating an output range in the panorama image, the correction parameter designating a correction part to be corrected in the output image; and an image correction unit correcting the correction part designated by the correction parameter in the output image. Further, the image correction unit calculates a similarity between the correction part and peripheral pixels and corrects the correction part based on the similarity and the peripheral pixels, and the output image is generated from the output range of the panorama image and is the panorama image corrected by the correction.

Claims

1. An image generating apparatus for generating an output image based on an input panorama image, comprising:

a parameter input unit configured to input an output range parameter and a correction parameter, the output range parameter designating an output range in the panorama image, the correction parameter designating a correction part to be corrected in the output image; and

an image correction unit configured to correct the correction part designated by the correction parameter in the output image,

wherein the image correction unit is configured to calculate a similarity between the correction part and peripheral pixels and correct the correction part in the output image based on the similarity and the peripheral pixels, and

wherein the output image is generated from the output range of the panorama image, the output range being designated by the output range parameter, and is the panorama image corrected by the correction.

2. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image correction unit is configured to calculate the similarity more than once by using a number of pixels or a resolution of the output image or the output image whose direction has been changed.

3. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image correction unit is configured to set

a first projection surface indicating a surface of a range to be output to the output image,

a second projection surface formed by moving the first projection surface to an area indicated by the output range parameter,

first coordinates on the first projection surface,

second coordinates, which correspond to the first coordinates, on the second projection surface, and

a sphere inscribed in the first projection surface and the second projection surface, and

to calculate a distance between the first coordinates on the first projection surface and the second coordinates on the second projection surface based on an arc length calculated based on a radius of the sphere and a length of one side of the first projection surface.

4. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image correction unit is configured to change the output range based on a ratio of the correction part to the output range.

5. The image generating apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the change of the output range is to enlarge the output range.

6. The image generating apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the change of the output range is to decrease a number of pixels of the output range.

7. The image generating apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the change of the output range is to change a number of pixels of the output range to be equal or substantially equal to a resolution of the panorama image.

8. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image correction unit is configured to correct the correction part in the output image more than once while determining whether to further correct before each correction based on a number of pixels of the output image.

9. An image generating method of generating an output image based on an input panorama image, comprising:

a parameter input step of inputting an output range parameter and a correction parameter, the output range parameter designating an output range in the panorama image, the correction parameter designating a correction part to be corrected in the output image; and

an image correction step of correcting the correction part designated by the correction parameter in the output image,

wherein in the image correction step, a similarity between the correction part and peripheral pixels is calculated, and the correction part in the output image is corrected based on the similarity and the peripheral pixels, and

wherein the output image is generated from the output range of the panorama image, the output range being designated by the output range parameter, and is the panorama image corrected by the correction.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a program for causing a computer to perform an image generating method of generating an output image based on an input panorama image, the image generating method including:

a parameter input step of inputting an output range parameter and a correction parameter, the output range parameter designating an output range in the panorama image, the correction parameter designating a correction part to be corrected in the output image; and

an image correction step of correcting the correction part designated by the correction parameter in the output image,

wherein in the image correction step, a similarity between the correction part and peripheral pixels is calculated, and the correction part in the output image is corrected based on the similarity and the peripheral pixels, and

wherein the output image is generated from the output range of the panorama image, the output range being designated by the output range parameter, and is the panorama image corrected by the correction.