Apparatus, method, and computer program for analyzing image data

• US 8,345,086 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirasawa, Yasutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Chirag R
• Application Number:
  US12/555,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 348 42- 60, 382184-185, 375/240.16, 359462-464
• US Class Current: 348/49
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10021 Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

An image data analyzing apparatus includes a monocular visual depth information determiner for determining the anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of one of a left image and a right image forming stereoscopic image data of time-division display type, a binocular visual depth information determiner for determining the anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in a plurality of images assumed to be the left image and right image, and a left-right image discriminator for outputting left-right image identification information in agreement with an assumption of the binocular visual depth information determiner if a pair of determination results show a high rate of agreement, and outputting left-right image identification information in agreement with a reverse setting of the assumption if the pair of determination results show a low rate of agreement.

Claims

1. An image data analyzing apparatus, comprising:

a monocular visual depth information determiner for receiving stereoscopic image data of time-division display type composed of a left image for a left eye of a user and a right image for a right eye of the user, and determining a first anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of one of the left image and the right image;

a binocular visual depth information determiner for receiving the stereoscopic image data of time-division display type, selecting an image assumed to be the left image and an image assumed to be the right image, and determining a second anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of a plurality of images containing the selected left image and right image; and

a left-right image discriminator for receiving a first determination result relating to the first anteroposterior relationship from the monocular visual depth information determiner, and a second determination result relating to the second anteroposterior relationship from the binocular visual depth information determiner, comparing the first determination result with the second determination result, determining that an assumption set by the binocular visual depth information determiner is correct if a rate of agreement between the first determination result of the monocular visual depth information determiner and the second determination result of the binocular visual depth information determiner is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, and outputting identification information representing whether each image frame of the stereoscopic image data is the left image or the right image as identification information in agreement with the assumption.

2. The image data analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the left-right image discriminator determines that the assumption set by the binocular visual depth information determiner is incorrect if the rate of agreement between the first determination result of the monocular visual depth information determiner and the second determination result of the binocular visual depth information determiner is lower than the predetermined threshold value, and outputs the identification information representing whether each image frame of the stereoscopic image data is the left image or the right image as identification information in agreement with a reverse setting of the assumption.

3. The image data analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the monocular visual depth information determiner and the binocular visual depth information determiner generates a plurality of determination results relating to a plurality of regions,

wherein the left-right image discriminator receives and compares a plurality of first determination results of the monocular visual depth information determiner and a plurality of second determination results of the binocular visual depth information determiner,

determines that the assumption set by the binocular visual depth information determiner is correct if the rate of agreement is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold value, and outputs identification information representing whether each image frame of the stereoscopic image data is the left image or the right image as identification information in agreement with the assumption, and

determines that the assumption set by the binocular visual depth information determiner is incorrect if the rate of agreement is lower than the predetermined threshold value, and outputs the identification information representing whether each image frame of the stereoscopic image data is the left image or the right image as identification information matching an inverted setting of the assumption.

4. The image data analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the binocular visual depth information determiner divides image frames of the stereoscopic image data of time-division display type into an even frame and an odd frame,

sets up a first assumption that the even frame is the left image and that the odd frame is the right image, or an assumption reverse to the first assumption, and determines under the set assumption the second anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of the plurality of images containing the left image and the right image.

5. The image data analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the binocular visual depth information determiner performs a stereomatching process on the plurality of images containing the selected left image and right image in order to determine the second anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in the image frame of the plurality of images containing the selected left image and right image.

6. The image data analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monocular visual depth information determiner determines the first anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in the image frame from an image blur of the regions or a vertical positional relationship of the regions contained in the image frame of one of the left image and the right image.

7. The image data analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monocular visual depth information determiner determines the first anteroposterior relationship of two regions by detecting an overlap between the two regions through tracking the two regions moving on a plurality of left images or right images.

8. A liquid-crystal shutter control apparatus, comprising:

a monocular visual depth information determiner for receiving stereoscopic image data of time-division display type composed of a left image for a left eye of a user and a right image for a right eye of the user, and determining a first anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of one of the left image and the right image;

a binocular visual depth information determiner for receiving the stereoscopic image data of time-division display type, selecting an image assumed to be the left image and an image assumed to be the right image, and determining a second anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of a plurality of images containing the selected left image and right image;

a left-right image discriminator for receiving a first determination result relating to the first anteroposterior relationship from the monocular visual depth information determiner, and a second determination result relating to the second anteroposterior relationship from the binocular visual depth information determiner, comparing the first determination result with the second determination result, determining that an assumption set by the binocular visual depth information determiner is correct if a rate of agreement between the first determination result of the monocular visual depth information determiner and the second determination result of the binocular visual depth information determiner is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, and outputting identification information representing whether each image frame of the stereoscopic image data is the left image or the right image as identification information in agreement with the assumption;

a shutter drive signal output unit for outputting a shutter drive signal driving liquid-crystal shutter eyeglasses that are switched by image frames forming the stereoscopic image data; and

a signal inverter for receiving an identification signal output from the left-right image discriminator, and the shutter drive signal output from the shutter drive signal output unit, modifying the shutter drive signal in response to the identification signal and outputting modified shutter drive signal as a control signal to the liquid-crystal shutter eyeglasses.

9. The liquid-crystal shutter control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the signal inverter exclusive OR gates the identification signal output from the left-right image discriminator and the shutter drive signal output from the shutter drive signal output unit, and outputs exclusive OR gate results as the control signal to the liquid-crystal shutter eyeglasses.

10. A polarization control apparatus, comprising:

a monocular visual depth information determiner for receiving stereoscopic image data of time-division display type composed of a left image for a left eye of a user and a right image for a right eye of the user, and determining a first anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of one of the left image and the right image;

a binocular visual depth information determiner for receiving the stereoscopic image data of time-division display type, selecting an image assumed to be the left image and an image assumed to be the right image, and determining a second anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of a plurality of images containing the selected left image and right image;

a left-right image discriminator for receiving a first determination result relating to the first anteroposterior relationship from the monocular visual depth information determiner, and a second determination result relating to the second anteroposterior relationship from the binocular visual depth information determiner, comparing the first determination result with the second determination result, determining that an assumption set by the binocular visual depth information determiner is correct if a rate of agreement between the first determination result of the monocular visual depth information determiner and the second determination result of the binocular visual depth information determiner is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, and outputting identification information representing whether each image frame of the stereoscopic image data is the left image or the right image as identification information in agreement with the assumption;

a polarizer drive signal output unit for outputting a polarizer drive signal driving a polarizer that is switched by image frames forming the stereoscopic image data; and

a signal inverter for receiving an identification signal output from the left-right image discriminator, and the polarizer drive signal output from the polarizer drive signal output unit, modifying the polarizer drive signal in response to the identification signal and outputting modified polarizer drive signal as a control signal to the polarizer.

11. The polarization control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the signal inverter exclusive OR gates the identification signal output from the left-right image discriminator and the polarizer drive signal output from the polarizer drive signal output unit, and outputs exclusive OR gate results as the control signal to the polarizer.

12. An image data analyzing method, comprising the steps of:

receiving stereoscopic image data of time-division display type composed of a left image for a left eye of a user and a right image for a right eye of the user, and determining in a first determination a first anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of one of the left image and the right image;

receiving the stereoscopic image data of time-division display type, selecting an image assumed to be the left image and an image assumed to be the right image, and determining in a second determination a second anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of a plurality of images containing the selected left image and right image; and

receiving a first determination result of the first determination relating to the first anteroposterior relationship, and a second determination result of the second determination relating to the second anteroposterior relationship, comparing the first determination result with the second determination result, determining that an assumption set in the second determination is correct if a rate of agreement between the first determination result and the second determination result is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, and outputting identification information representing whether each image frame of the stereoscopic image data is the left image or the right image as identification information in agreement with the assumption.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with a computer program for causing a computer to execute an image analysis process, the image analysis process comprising the steps of:

receiving stereoscopic image data of time-division display type composed of a left image for a left eye of a user and a right image for a right eye of the user, and determining in a first determination a first anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of one of the left image and the right image;

receiving the stereoscopic image data of time-division display type, selecting an image assumed to be the left image and an image assumed to be the right image, and determining in a second determination a second anteroposterior relationship of regions contained in an image frame of a plurality of images containing the selected left image and right image; and

receiving a first determination result of the first determination relating to the first anteroposterior relationship, and a second determination result of the second determination relating to the second anteroposterior relationship, comparing the first determination result with the second determination result, determining that an assumption set in the second determination is correct if a rate of agreement between the first determination result and the second determination result is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, and outputting identification information representing whether each image frame of the stereoscopic image data is the left image or the right image as identification information in agreement with the assumption.