Stereoscopic image processing apparatus and method

• US 6,366,691 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2000
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Sogawa, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US09/667,005
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 382/151, 382/153, 382/154, 348/116, 348/118, 348/119, 348/122, 348/129, 348/113, 348/143, 345/419, 345/420, 345/421, 345/427
• US Class Current: 382/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images

Abstract

A stereoscopic image processing apparatus comprises a stereo processing circuit 6 and a pairing filter 13. The stereo processing circuit 6 identifies a correlated destination of each pixel block in a reference image in a comparative image by searching along the same horizontal line as the pixel block. The stereo processing circuit 6 also calculates the parallax of the pixel block based on a deviation between the position of the pixel block and the position of the correlated destination. The pairing filter 13 judges the smallest parallax in the parallaxes of the plural pixel blocks as a valid parallax when plural pixel blocks located on the same horizontal line in the reference image have the same correlated destination.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic image processing apparatus comprising:

a first image producing unit which produces a first photographed image of an object scene;

a second image producing unit which produces a second photographed image of said object scene;

a stereo matching unit which identifies within the second photographed image a correlated destination of each pixel block in first photographed image by searching along the same horizontal line as said pixel block of the first photographed image and calculates a parallax of said pixel block based on a deviation between a position of said pixel block of the first photographed image and a position of said correlated destination; and

a filter which, when plural pixel blocks located on the same horizontal line in said first photographed image have the same correlated destination in said second photographed image, judges the smallest parallax in the parallaxes of said plural pixel blocks as a valid parallax.

2. The stereoscopic image processing apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said filter judges the parallax, which has not been judged as the valid parallax, as valid parallax, if it has a value smaller than a predetermined value.

3. A stereoscopic image processing method comprising:

producing a first photographed image of an object scene;

producing a second photographed image of said object scene;

identifying within the second photographed image a correlated destination of each pixel block in first photographed image by searching along the same horizontal line as said pixel block of the first photographed image;

calculating a parallax of said pixel block based on a deviation between a position of said pixel block of the first photographed image and a position of said correlated destination; and

judging, when plural pixel blocks located on the same horizontal line in first photographed image have the same correlated destination in said second photographed image, the smallest parallax in the parallaxes of said plural pixel blocks as a valid parallax.

4. The stereoscopic image processing method as recited in claim 3, wherein said step of judging the parallax having the smallest value judges the parallax, which has not been judged as the valid parallax, as a valid parallax if it has a value smaller than a predetermined value.

5. The stereoscopic image processing method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

counting the number of parallaxes which have not been judged as the valid parallax.

6. A stereoscopic image processing apparatus comprising:

a first image producing unit which produces a first photographed image of an object scene;

a second image producing unit which produces a second photographed image of said object scene;

a stereo matching unit which identifies within the second photographed image a correlated destination of each pixel block in first photographed image by searching along the same horizontal line as said pixel block of the first photographed image and calculates a parallax of said pixel block based on a deviation between a position of said pixel block of the first photographed image and a position of said correlated destination; and

a filter which, when plural pixel blocks located on the same horizontal line in said first photographed image have the same correlated destination in said second photographed image, judges parallaxes each of which has a value smaller than a predetermined value as valid parallaxes.

7. The stereoscopic image processing apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said filter judges the smallest parallax in the parallaxes, which have been judged as the valid parallaxes, as a valid parallax.