CONTROL APPARATUS, STEREOSCOPIC IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS, AND CONTROL METHOD

• US 20120013708A1
• Filed: 07/12/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: OKUBO, Ryoichi
• Application Number:
  US13/180,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20120013708A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20021 Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/77 Retouching; Inpainting; Scratch removal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/122 Improving the 3D impression of stereoscopic images by modifying image signal contents, e.g. by filtering or adding monoscopic depth cues H04N13/128 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0074 Stereoscopic image analysis

Abstract

Finger coverage in an image for making a viewer sense a stereoscopic image is quickly detected with low load. A central controller includes a difference determiner which determines existence of a difference based on a predetermined determination standard by comparing left eye image data and right eye image data for making a viewer to sense a stereoscopic image based on the predetermined determination standard, and an execution controller which, when it is determined by the difference determiner that there is a difference, enables a controlled unit to execute a process different from when it is determined that there is no difference.

Claims

1. A control apparatus comprising:

a difference determiner which determines existence of a difference based on a predetermined determination standard by comparing left eye image data and right eye image data for making a viewer sense a stereoscopic image based on the predetermined determination standard; and

an execution controller which, when it is determined by the difference determiner that there is a difference, enables a controlled unit to execute a process different from when it is determined that there is no difference.

2. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined determination standard is quantity of light.

3. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined determination standard is resolution.

4. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined determination standard is a shape of a subject.

5. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the difference determiner compares the left eye image data and the right eye image data by using data corresponding to an area excluding at least a center portion of an image based on the left eye image data, and data corresponding to an area excluding at least a center portion of an image based on the right eye image data.

6. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controlled unit is a notifying unit which notifies about information, and

when it is determined by the difference determiner that there is a difference, the execution controller enables the notifying unit to notify the result of the determination that there is the difference.

7. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controlled unit is an image storage unit which stores the left eye image data and the right eye image data, and

the execution controller stores the left eye image data and the right eye image data in the image storage unit only when the difference determiner determines that there is no difference.

8. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controlled unit is an image substitutor which substitutes partial image data of one of the left eye image data and the right eye image data with partial image data of the other of the left eye image data and the right eye image data, and

when the difference determiner determines that there is a difference, the execution controller enables the image substitutor to substitute the partial image data of one of the left eye image data and the right eye image data with the partial image data of the other of the left eye image data and the right eye image data, so as to reduce a difference in a portion having the difference.

9. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controlled unit is an image cut-out unit which cuts out a part of each of the left eye image data and the right eye image data, and

when the difference determiner determines that there is a difference, the execution controller enables the image cut-out unit to cut out the part of each of the left eye image data and the right eye image data so as to exclude a portion having the difference.

10. A stereoscopic image capturing apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

the control apparatus of claim 1; and

an image pickup unit which generates the left eye image data and the right eye image data.

11. A control method comprising:

determining existence of a difference based on a predetermined determination standard by comparing left eye image data and right eye image data for making a viewer sense a stereoscopic image based on the predetermined determination standard; and

when there is the difference, executing a process that is different from a process executed when there is no difference.