6322 results about "Parallax" patented technology

Systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention can perform parallax detection and correction in images captured using array cameras. Due to the different viewpoints of the cameras, parallax results in variations in the position of objects within the captured images of the scene. Methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention provide an accurate account of the pixel disparity due to parallax between the different cameras in the array, so that appropriate scene-dependent geometric shifts can be applied to the pixels of the captured images when performing super-resolution processing. In several embodiments, detecting parallax involves using competing subsets of images to estimate the depth of a pixel location in an image from a reference viewpoint. In a number of embodiments, generating depth estimates considers the similarity of pixels in multiple spectral channels. In certain embodiments, generating depth estimates involves generating a confidence map indicating the reliability of depth estimates.

An object of the present invention is to provide a stereoscopic video recording method, a stereoscopic video recording medium, a stereoscopic video reproducing method, a stereoscopic video recording apparatus, and a stereoscopic video reproducing apparatus that are capable of more optimally performing recording and reproduction of stereoscopic video. According to one solving means of the present invention, a stereoscopic video recording method records, in a recording medium, stereoscopic video including left-eye images (2) and right-eye images (1) utilizing parallax information, by using a stereoscopic video recording apparatus (6). From video content that contains stereoscopic images, the method grasps the amount of variation in parallactic angle having a given or larger value, a variation time that the variation in parallactic angle takes, and the number of times that the variation in parallactic angle occurs. The method then calculates an evaluation value that corresponds to the degree of eye fatigue on the basis of the amount of variation, the variation time, and the number of times of the variation, encodes the video content in such a manner that the evaluation value is within a given range, and records the encoded video content in the recording medium.

Single-camera image processing methods are disclosed for 3D navigation within ordinary moving video. Along with color and brightness, XYZ coordinates can be defined for every pixel. The resulting geometric models can be used to obtain measurements from digital images, as an alternative to on-site surveying and equipment such as laser range-finders. Motion parallax is used to separate foreground objects from the background. This provides a convenient method for placing video elements within different backgrounds, for product placement, and for merging video elements with computer-aided design (CAD) models and point clouds from other sources. If home users can save video fly-throughs or specific 3D elements from video, this method provides an opportunity for proactive, branded media sharing. When this image processing is used with a videoconferencing camera, the user's movements can automatically control the viewpoint, creating 3D hologram effects on ordinary televisions and computer screens.

An electronic device for providing a display that changes based on the user's perspective is provided. The electronic device may include a sensing mechanism operative to detect the user's position relative a display of the electronic device. For example, the electronic device may include a camera operative to detect the position of the user's head. Using the detected position, the electronic device may be operative to transform displayed objects such that the displayed perspective reflects the detected position of the user. The electronic device may use any suitable approach for modifying a displayed object, including for example a parallax transform or a perspective transform. In some embodiments, the electronic device may overlay the environment detected by the sensing mechanism (e.g., by a camera) to provide a more realistic experience for the user (e.g., display a reflection of the image detected by the camera on reflective surfaces of a displayed object).

A medical robotic system provides 3D telestration over a 3D view of an anatomical structure by receiving a 2D telestration graphic input associated with one of a pair of stereoscopic images of the anatomical structure from a mentor surgeon, determining a corresponding 2D telestration graphic input in the other of the pair of stereoscopic images using a disparity map, blending the telestration graphic inputs into respective ones of the pair of stereoscopic images, and providing the blended results to a 3D display so that a 3D view of the telestration graphic input may be displayed as an overlay to a 3D view of the anatomical structure to an operating surgeon.

A three-dimensional sense adjusting unit displays three-dimensional images to a user. If a displayed reaches a limit of parallax, the user responds to the three-dimensional sense adjusting unit. According to acquired appropriate parallax information, a parallax control unit generates parallax images to realize the appropriate parallax in the subsequent stereo display. The control of parallaxes is realized by optimally setting camera parameters by going back to three-dimensional data. Functions to realize the appropriate parallax are made into and presented by a library.

A system that incorporates teachings of the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, means for generating a disparity map based on a depth map, means for determining accuracy of pixels in the depth map where the determining means identifies the pixels as either accurate or inaccurate based on a confidence map and the disparity map, and means for providing an adjusted depth map where the providing means adjusts inaccurate pixels of the depth map using a cost function associated with the inaccurate pixels. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A method and system for automated production of stereoscopic and animated images and hardcopies can utilize a light-sensitive lenticular material employing a conventional or non-conventional photographic emulsion or an instant-developing material. An automated printer can produce autostereoscopic and animated hardcopies in multiple formats from digital and non-digital sources, including single images, stereopairs, and multiple-image sets of negatives, transparencies, or prints. The printer, which includes a projection device and a material plate that can rotate around two perpendicular axes, can utilize software to automate viewing angle calculation, printer control, multiple-image alignment, distortion correction, and image processing and conversion. A digital camera can capture stereoscopic and animated images and record them digitally or on photographic film. A non-digital camera can record stereoscopic and animated images directly onto light-sensitive lenticular material employing a conventional or non-conventional photographic emulsion or an instant-developing material. The printer and cameras can utilize autostereoscopic monitors to preview parallax.

There is provided parallax correction means for correcting a parallax for each area calculated by parallax calculation means in accordance with the magnitude of a motion vector for the area detected by motion vector detection means in order to prevent the three-dimensional effect of a conversion video from greatly differing depending on an input video when the MTD method and the CID method are simultaneously used.When a depth estimate is converted into a parallax, the depth estimate is subjected to distance scale conversion in order to suppress the distortion of the conversion image, to find a tentative target phase for each parallax calculation area, and a dynamic range in which a phase difference between the parallax calculation areas is within a distortion allowable range is searched for and is subjected to distance scale conversion, to find a tentative target phase, which operations are repeated.

There are provided a method and an apparatus for generating a multi-viewpoint depth map, and a method for generating a disparity of a multi-viewpoint image. A method for generating a multi-viewpoint depth map according to the present invention includes the steps of: (a) acquiring a multi-viewpoint image constituted by a plurality of images by using a plurality of cameras (b) acquiring an image and depth information by using a depth camera; (c) estimating coordinates of the same point in a space in the plurality of images by using the acquired depth information; (d) determining disparities in the plurality of images with respect to in the same point by searching a predetermined region around the estimated coordinates; and (e) generating a multi-viewpoint depth map by using the determined disparities. According to the above-mentioned present invention, it is possible to generate a multi-viewpoint depth map within a shorter time and generate a multi-viewpoint depth map having higher quality than a multi-viewpoint depth map generated by using known stereo matching.

A wide viewing angle liquid crystal display includes color filters having a quantum dot and scattering particles and liquid crystal layer disposed in a microcavity, a distance between the color filter and the liquid crystal layer being sized to minimize display deterioration due to parallax.

A passive / active infrared imaging system apparatus for mounting on a head / helmet includes a passive infrared camera Head Pack having a removable narrow band filter cover, an objective lens, a beam splitter, an uncooled focal plane array (UFPA) package, an interface board, and a display unit such a liquid crystal display (LCD), with forward / back, up / down, and tilt adjustment functions fitting any mask, mounted in the front of said head / helmet for converting infrared light images into electronic signals. An electronic unit coupled between the UFPA of the infrared camera and the display unit, includes a controller for processing video signals from the infrared camera and supplying them to the display unit. The electronic circuit includes a wireless video & audio transceiver, a piezoelectric microphone, a voice controller, and a neural network pattern recognition chip. The display unit (such as LCD)] is inside the head pack and mounted on the head / helmet for converting electronic signals into visible light images, so that it is in front of eyes of a user, so that the user can directly view an external scene without blocking his normal vision, if the optical axis of the display unit is aligned with the optical axis of the objective lens, the system parallax is eliminated. A Battery Pack having a video controller board and battery is mounted on the rear of the head / helmet so that it gives the video output and power to the infrared system. An eye-safe near infrared laser diode with corresponding optical and electronic attachments mounted on the head / helmet illuminates targets to get images through same passive infrared system.

A three-dimensional display is provided which can produce a stereoscopic image with a natural stereoscopic depth even on different screen sizes. A stereoscopic video signal generation circuit, which supplies a stereoscopic video signal to the three-dimensional display that forms a stereoscopic image by taking advantage of binocular disparity parallax, comprises: an information retrieving means for retrieving video information on the stereoscopic image and display information on the three-dimensional display; and an offset setting means for offsetting a left-eye image and a right-eye image relative to each other according to the video information and the display information to adjust the stereoscopic depth of the image displayed.

The present invention relates in general to systems for and methods of three-dimensional viewing of displays and projections. One embodiment two layers (50, 90) are uniform polarizing filters and a birefringent layer with individually switchable elements (60) is sandwiched between them. Together these layers (50, 60, 90) constitute a parallax layer (40). This parallax layer (40) is located at a certain distance from a display (10). This placement, and the existence of opaque areas on the parallax layer (40) which permits to a viewer see a three-dimensional image. The individual elements (601–615) of the birefringent layer (60) are controlled by a control element (80), which is in communication with a head-tracking sensor (85). This allows the individual elements (601–615) of the birefringent layer (60) to be selectively turned on and off according to the position of the viewer's head.

There is disclosed a method, an apparatus, a server, a client and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a computer program stored therein for motion compensated video coding and decoding. Texture block motion information is used to derive disparity / depth motion information. Alternatively, disparity / depth motion information is used to derive texture block motion information.

Systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention can perform parallax detection and correction in images captured using array cameras. Due to the different viewpoints of the cameras, parallax results in variations in the position of objects within the captured images of the scene. Methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention provide an accurate account of the pixel disparity due to parallax between the different cameras in the array, so that appropriate scene-dependent geometric shifts can be applied to the pixels of the captured images when performing super-resolution processing. In a number of embodiments, generating depth estimates considers the similarity of pixels in multiple spectral channels. In certain embodiments, generating depth estimates involves generating a confidence map indicating the reliability of depth estimates.

A system, method and computer program tangibly embodied in a memory medium for implementing motion skip and single-loop decoding for multi-view video coding. In various embodiments, a more efficient motion skip is used for the current JMVM arrangement by 8×8 or 4×4 pel disparity motion vector accuracy, while maintaining the motion compensation process that is compliant with the H.264 / AVC design regarding hierarchical macroblock partitioning. Adaptive referencing merging may be used in order achieve a more accurate motion skip from one inter-view reference picture. In order to indicate whether a picture is to be used for motion skip, a new syntax element or syntax modification in the NAL unit header may be used.

A stereoscopic image aligning apparatus (200) automatically aligns image pairs for stereoscopic viewing in a shorter amount of time than conventional apparatuses, which is applicable to image pairs captured by a single sensor camera or a variable baseline camera, without relying on camera parameters. The stereoscopic image aligning apparatus (200) includes: an image pair obtaining unit (205) obtaining an image pair including a left-eye image and a right-eye image corresponding to the left-eye image; a corresponding point detecting unit (252) detecting a corresponding point representing a set of a first point included in a first image that is one of the images of the image pair and a second point included in a second image that is the other of the images of the image pair and corresponding to the first point; a first matrix computing unit (254) computing a homography transformation matrix for transforming the first point such that a vertical parallax between the first and second points is smallest and an epipolar constraint is satisfied; a transforming unit (260) transforming the first image using the homography transformation matrix; and an output unit (210) outputting: a third image that is the transformed first image; and the second image.

An image matching method and system for use with multiple images of a scene captured from different angles. Image matching is performed by identifying a plurality of segments within at least two images, determining an initial disparity values for pixels in the images and then determining initial disparity planes for the segments by fitting a plane to initial disparity values for the segments. A refined disparity plane set is created by iteratively refitting the disparity planes by using various fitting cost functions and weighted linear systems. A labeling of each segment to a disparity plane is made by minimizing a global energy function that includes energy terms for segment to disparity plane matching as well as penalizing disparity plane discontinuities between adjacent image segments.

A display system includes light sources disposed at two different light input ends of a light guiding plate; a double-sided prism sheet disposed on a light emitting side of the light guiding plate, and having on a first surface facing the light guiding plate a triangular prism bank extending in a direction parallel to the light input ends of the light guiding plate, and on a second surface, opposite to the first surface, a cylindrical lens bank extending in a direction parallel to the triangular prism bank; a transmissive display panel disposed on a light emitting side of the double-sided prism sheet; and a synchronization driving section causing the transmissive display panel to display two different images in synchronization with the light sources, wherein light from the light sources is emitted through the transmissive display panel at angles corresponding to right and left parallax, producing a stereoscopic display.

A pair of eyewear has transparent waveguides in each eyewear lens. An illumination subsystem directs a beam of light through the waveguides onto a wearer's eyes. A First Purkinje point imaging subsystem for each lens uses light reflected from the eyes through the waveguides. A controller calculates from the positions of the First Purkinje points the wearer's gaze parallax angle and / or the distance to an object of interest on which the gaze of the wearer's eyes converges. The output of the controller may drive variable-focus eyeglass lenses to enable a presbyopic wearer to focus on the object. Modified Alvarez variable-focus lenses are described.

A system and method for three-dimensional acquisition and modeling of a scene using two-dimensional images are provided. The present disclosure provides a system and method for selecting and combining the three-dimensional acquisition techniques that best fit the capture environment and conditions under consideration, and hence produce more accurate three-dimensional models. The system and method provide for acquiring at least two two-dimensional images of a scene, applying a first depth acquisition function to the at least two two-dimensional images, applying a second depth acquisition function to the at least two two-dimensional images, combining an output of the first depth acquisition function with an output of the second depth acquisition function, and generating a disparity or depth map from the combined output. The system and method also provide for reconstructing a three-dimensional model of the scene from the generated disparity or depth map.

A catadioptric camera having a perspective camera and multiple curved mirrors, images the multiple curved mirrors and uses the epsilon constraint to establish a vertical parallax between points in one mirror and their corresponding reflection in another. An ASIFT transform is applied to all the mirror images to establish a collection of corresponding feature points, and edge detection is applied on mirror images to identify edge pixels. A first edge pixel in a first imaged mirror is selected, its 25 nearest feature points are identified, and a rigid transform is applied to them. The rigid transform is fitted to 25 corresponding feature points in a second imaged mirror. The closes edge pixel to the expected location as determined by the fitted rigid transform is identified, and its distance to the vertical parallax is determined. If the distance is not greater than predefined maximum, then it is deemed correlate to the edge pixel in the first imaged mirror.

Directions normal to images of an object captured by at least two cameras from different points of view are aligned with each other to form corrected object images, and a correspondence is determined between at least one pixel position on a horizontal line in one of the corrected object images and at least one pixel position on the same horizontal line in another of the corrected object images. The correspondence is determined by determining a similarity in brightness and color components at the pixel positions and a parallax between the corrected object images A robust, accurate image matching can be done by making dynamic matching between all pixels on a scan line in the images captured by the cameras.

An apparatus and method for aligning a line scan camera with a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner for real-time data fusion in three dimensions is provided. Imaging data is captured at a computer processor simultaneously from the line scan camera and the laser scanner from target object providing scanning targets defined in an imaging plane perpendicular to focal axes of the line scan camera and the LiDAR scanner. X-axis and Y-axis pixel locations of a centroid of each of the targets from captured imaging data is extracted. LiDAR return intensity versus scan angle is determined and scan angle locations of intensity peaks which correspond to individual targets is determined. Two axis parallax correction parameters are determined by applying a least squares. The correction parameters are provided to post processing software to correct for alignment differences between the imaging camera and LiDAR scanner for real-time colorization for acquired LiDAR data.

Embodiments of the subject invention relate to a method and apparatus for providing a 3D image and / or 3D video. Specific embodiments can provide a 3D image and / or 3D video via a handheld media player. Examples of handheld media players via which embodiments can provide a 3D image and / or 3D video include, but are not limited to, an IPod®, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cell phone, or an IPhone®. In accordance with specific embodiments of the invention, the problem of viewing three-Dimensional (3D) images on personal or handheld media devices is solved by the use of a compatible 3D viewer. Embodiments of the viewer, can provide a 3D experience to a user from images provided on the smaller viewscreen of a smaller, personal, or handheld media device. Specific embodiments described herein provide a 3D viewer that can present two stereoscopic images (i.e., 2-Dimensional (2D) images, having horizontal disparity) to a user's or viewer's eyes, such that each eye sees only one of the two stereoscopic images. By the process of stereopsis, the images are combined by the brain into a single 3D image giving the sensation, or perception, of depth and / or distance.

A compressed light field imaging system is described. The light field 3D data is analyzed to determine optimal subset of light field samples to be (acquired) rendered, while the remaining samples are generated using multi-reference depth-image based rendering. The light field is encoded and transmitted to the display. The 3D display directly reconstructs the light field and avoids data expansion that usually occurs in conventional imaging systems. The present invention enables the realization of full parallax 3D compressed imaging system that achieves high compression performance while minimizing memory and computational requirements.

An image processing method includes: acquiring a first image and second image with a parallax, calculating a parallax indicating a shift amount of a corresponding pixel of the second image with respect to each pixel of the first image, deciding an image processing coefficient to perform edge emphasis or edge correction based on the parallax with respect to every image processing target pixel of the first image and the second image, and performing image processing on the first image and the second image using the image processing coefficient.

An improved multiple-sensor vision system for use on vehicles or aircraft. The system utilizes a plurality of fixed sensors, such as infrared sensors, that provide signals that are recorded on tape and / or stored in memory. A processor digitally samples the stored images and provides output to a helmet-mounted display. Desirably, the sensors are arrayed in series such that their images may be juxtaposed and blended to provide a wider field-of-view image. A tracking system desirably monitors the head position of the operator, which position is then used to select various images from the processor. In this way, the operator can select various views by simply looking in that direction. In one embodiment, the array of sensors is forward-looking and positioned close to the head position of the operator to minimize parallax issues. In addition to forward-looking sensors, other sensors mounted around the vehicle / aircraft may provide rearward, hemispherical, or complete spherical coverage. Sensors that monitor the status of various instruments on board the vehicle can also provide input to the helmet-mounted display, including a moving map tile that is displayed below or to the side of the main image.