Depth perception

• US 8,270,768 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2006
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Ernst, Fabian Edgar, Op De Beeck, Marc Joseph Rita, Varekamp, Christiaan
• Primary Examiner(s): Repko, Jason M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perlman, David
• Application Number:
  US11/813,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20090003728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,441 Days
• Field of Search: 345419-427, 345473-475, 345/646, 382/154, 382/224, 382/264, 382/285
• US Class Current: 382/285
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/282 for generating image signals corresponding to three or more geometrical viewpoints, e.g. multi-view systems

Abstract

A method of rendering a multi-view image comprising a first output image and a second output image on basis of an input image (102) is disclosed. The method comprises: creating a modulation image (100) comprising irregular shaped objects (106-112); modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image (102) on basis of further pixel values of the modulation image (100), resulting into an intermediate image (104); and generating the multi-view image by means of warping the intermediate image on basis of the disparity data.

Claims

1. A method of rendering a multi-view image based on an input image and disparity data, the method comprising acts of:

generating noise to form a first image;

filtering the first image with a low-pass filter to form a second image;

classifying the pixels of the second image as belonging to one or more of a plurality of irregular shaped objects by means of a threshold to form a modulation image comprising the irregular shaped objects;

modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image based on further pixel values of the modulation image, resulting in an intermediate image; and

generating the multi-view image by warping the intermediate image based on the disparity data.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a size of the irregular shaped objects is related to the disparity data.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein an average size of the irregular shaped objects is the same order of magnitude as an average value of the disparity data.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of the input image is a substantially homogeneous region.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein generating noise is performed by a random noise generator.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input image is one of a sequence of input images and the created modulation image is based on a motion vector computed based on the sequence of input images to which the input image belongs.

6. A method of rendering a multi-view image based on an input image and disparity data, the method comprising acts of:

generating noise to form a first image;

filtering the first image with a low-pass filter to form a second image;

classifying the pixels of the second image by means of a threshold to form a modulation image comprising irregular shaped obiects;

modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image based on the disparity data, resulting in an intermediate image; and

generating the multi-view image by warping the intermediate image based on the disparity data.

8. A rendering unit for rendering a multi-view image based on an input image and disparity data, the rendering unit comprising:

a processor for

generating noise to form a first image,

filtering the first image with a low-pass filter to form a second image, and

classifying the pixels of the second image as belonging to one or more of a plurality of irregular shaped objects by means of a threshold to form a modulation image comprising the irregular shaped objects; and

a modulator for modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image on basis of further pixel values of the modulation image, resulting into an intermediate image,

wherein the processor generates the multi-view image by warping the intermediate image on basis of the disparity data.

9. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a signal corresponding to an input image;

a display device for rendering a multi-view image based on the input image and disparity data, the rendering unit comprising;

a processor for

generating noise to form a first image,

filtering the first image with a low-pass filter to form a second image, and

classifying the pixels of the second image as belonging to one or more of a plurality of irregular shaped objects by means of a threshold to form a modulation image comprising the irregular shaped objects; and

a modulator for modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image on basis of further pixel values of the modulation image, resulting into an intermediate image,

wherein the processor generates the multi-view image by warping the intermediate image on basis of the disparity data, and displays the multi-view image on the display device.

10. A computer program product embodying non-transitory computer instructions readable by a computer arrangement, the instructions comprising a method to render a multi-view image based on an input image and disparity data, the method comprising acts of:

generating noise to form a first image;

filtering the first image with a low-pass filter to form a second image;

classifying the pixels of the second image as belonging to one or more of a plurality of irregular shaped obiects by means of a threshold to form a modulation image comprising the irregular shaped objects;

modulating pixel values of a portion of the input image based on further pixel values of the modulation image, resulting in an intermediate image; and

generating the multi-view image by warping the intermediate image based on the disparity data.