Stereoscopy method and stereoscopy apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12033343-B2
Application number	US-202217689022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2022
Priority date	Mar 10, 2021
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

Stereoscopy in which at least one image of a scene is recorded from a first viewing angle, and at least one image of the scene is recorded from a second viewing angle. The scene is recorded multiple times from the first viewing angle. A first combination image is obtained from the various images recorded from the first viewing angle, said combination image according to the stipulation of a comparison algorithm having smaller differences in relation to at least one image also recorded from the second viewing angle or smaller differences in relation to a second combination image obtained from the images from the second viewing angle than each individual image recorded from the first viewing angle. An image of the scene with the depth information is obtained from the first combination image and at least one image from the second viewing angle or the second combination image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Stereoscopy method, comprising:
recording at least one image of a scene from a first viewing angle,
recording at least one image of the scene from a second viewing angle which differs from the first viewing angle, and
obtaining an image of the scene with depth information from the images of the scene recorded from the first viewing angle and the second viewing angle,
wherein the scene is recorded multiple times from the first viewing angle,
wherein a first combination image is obtained from the various images recorded from the first viewing angle, said combination image according to the stipulation of a comparison algorithm having smaller differences in relation to at least one image recorded from the second viewing angle or smaller differences in relation to a second combination image obtained from the images from the second viewing angle than each individual image recorded from the first viewing angle, and
wherein the image of the scene with the depth information is obtained from the first combination image and at least one image from the second viewing angle or the second combination image.

2. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein an illumination situation of the scene during the various recordings from the first viewing angle is set differently in each case.

3. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first combination image is obtained by linear combination of the images obtained from the first viewing angle.

4. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the comparison algorithm assesses the similarity of images using correlation algorithms.

5. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the correlation of two images is used as a measure of the similarity of said images.

6. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the scene is also recorded multiple times from the second viewing angle, and
wherein a second combination image is obtained from the various images recorded from the second viewing angle, said second combination image according to the stipulation of a comparison algorithm having smaller differences in relation to the first combination image than each individual image recorded from the second viewing angle, and
wherein the image of the scene with the depth information is obtained from the first combination image and the second combination image.

7. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second combination image is obtained by linear combination of the images obtained from the second viewing angle.

8. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second combination image is obtained by forming the mean value or median of the images obtained from the second viewing angle.

9. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first combination image and/or the second combination image are or is obtained using machine learning.

10. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first combination image and/or the second combination image are sought with the target of a minimization of the sum of squared deviations.

11. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the illumination situation of the scene is set differently in each case for the various images recorded from the second viewing angle.

12. Method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the different illumination situations are provided by way of one light source or a plurality of light sources for illuminating the scene, said light source or sources being controlled differently depending on the illumination situation.

13. Method according to claim 1 ,
which is used in a stereo microscope.

14. Method according to claim 13 ,
which is used for the purposes of collision prevention.

15. Stereoscopy apparatus, comprising:
at least one optical arrangement for recording images of a scene from a first viewing angle and for recording images of the scene from a second viewing angle which differs from the first viewing angle,
at least one light source for illuminating the scene, and
a control and evaluation unit for evaluating images of the scene recorded from the first viewing angle and the second viewing angle,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured
to obtain a first combination image from various images recorded from the first viewing angle, said combination image according to the stipulation of a comparison algorithm having smaller differences in relation to at least one image recorded from the second viewing angle or in relation to a second combination image obtained from the images from the second viewing angle than each individual image recorded from the first viewing angle, and
to obtain the image of the scene with the depth information from the first combination image and at least one image of the second optical arrangement or the second combination image.

16. Stereoscopy apparatus according to claim 15 ,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured
to obtain said first combination image from various images which are recorded from the first viewing angle with a different illumination situation in each case.

17. Stereoscopy apparatus according to claim 15 ,
wherein one light source is present or a plurality of light sources are present for illuminating the scene, said light source or light sources being able to be controlled by way of the control and evaluation unit, and
in that the control and evaluation unit is configured to control the at least one light source to provide the different illumination situations of the scene.

18. Stereoscopy apparatus according to claim 15 ,
wherein a first optical arrangement is present for recording the images of the scene from the first viewing angle and
in that a second optical arrangement is present for recording the images of the scene from the second viewing angle.

19. Stereoscopy apparatus according to claim 18 ,
wherein the first optical arrangement and the second optical arrangement each have a camera.

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Microscopy Gmbh

Inventors

• Omlor Lars
• Stich Timo
• Dietrich Christian

Classifications

• H04N13/271

  wherein the generated image signals comprise depth maps or disparity maps · CPC title

• G06T2207/10012

  Stereo images · CPC title

• G06T2207/20212

  Image combination · CPC title

• G06T7/593 Primary

  from stereo images · CPC title

• G06T2207/10056

  Microscopic image · CPC title