Stereoscopic image generation apparatus, stereoscopic image generation method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9507165-B2
Application number	US-67136709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2009
Priority date	Jun 6, 2008
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Influences of physiological stereoscopic elements are removed by image processing using projection transformation. A horopter-plane image projection unit 311 is designed to project a non-stereo image supplied via a signal line 129 onto a cylindrical plane (horopter plane) including a horopter circle. The size of the horopter circle is specified using, for example, the radius as horopter circle information. Additionally, the relationship with two eyes is specified by the interocular distance. A display surface right-eye projection unit 316 is designed to project an image projected on the horopter plane onto a display surface for the right eye. A display surface left-eye projection unit 317 is designed to project the image projected on the horopter plane onto a display surface for the left eye. Therefore, retinal images that are identical to each other are supplied to the two eyes to remove influences of physiological stereoscopic elements, and stereoscopic depth is given.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A stereoscopic image generation apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry configured to
project a two-dimensional input image data onto an imaginary cylindrical plane including an imaginary circle to generate a cylindrical image data using imaginary cylindrical plane information, wherein the imaginary cylindrical plane is configured such that a retinal image of a point on the imaginary circle formed in the right eye and a retinal image of the point formed in the left eye are identical, and wherein the imaginary circle is a horopter circle with a circumference tangent to the left eye, the right eye and a point of convergence; and
project the cylindrical image data onto an imaginary flat display surface with reference to each of the two eyes to generate a first display image for the right eye by calculating a corresponding point on the imaginary flat display surface corresponding to a point on the imaginary cylindrical plane when viewed by the right eye for each point on the imaginary cylindrical plane using the imaginary cylindrical plane information, and a second display image for the left eye by calculating a corresponding point on the imaginary flat display surface corresponding to a point on the imaginary cylindrical plane when viewed by the left eye for each point on the imaginary cylindrical plane using the imaginary cylindrical plane information, wherein the first display image and the second display image are different, and wherein a retinal image formed in the right eye corresponding to the first display image and a retinal image formed in the left eye corresponding to the second display image have no binocular disparity.

2. The stereoscopic image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the imaginary circle has a radius that is set in accordance with an assumed observation distance or a display size.

3. The stereoscopic image generation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to measure a distance between the imaginary flat display surface and an observation position, wherein the radius of the imaginary circle is set in accordance with an observation distance measured by the processing circuitry.

4. The stereoscopic image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the imaginary circle has a radius that is set so that the degree of distortion in the first display image and the second display image is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

5. The stereoscopic image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry is further configured to
generate degree-of-depth information using the two-dimensional input image;
combine the degree-of-depth information with the cylindrical image; and
project the cylindrical image with the degree-of-depth information combined therewith onto the imaginary flat display surface to generate the first display image and the second display image.

6. The stereoscopic image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the point of convergence is set so that a degree of distortion in the first display image and the second display image falls within an acceptable range.

7. The stereoscopic image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the imaginary cylindrical plane information includes at least one of horopter circle information that identifies a size of the horopter circle, interocular distance information that identifies a distance between the right eye and the left eye, and observation distance information that identifies an assumed observation distance for the two-dimensional input image data.

8. A stereoscopic image generation apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry configured to
project a two-dimensional input image data onto imaginary two-dimensional planes that are respectively perpendicular to lines of sight of two eyes to generate data of cylindrical irradiation images respectively corresponding to the two eyes of an observer, wherein the lines of sight of the two eyes converge at a point on an imaginary cylindrical plane including an imaginary circle, wherein the imaginary circle is a horopter circle, wherein the horopter circle's circumference is tangent to the left eye, the right eye and the point of convergence, wherein a convergence angle of one convergence point on the horopter circle is equal to the convergence angle of any other point on the horopter circle, and wherein the data of cylindrical irradiation images corresponding to data of images on points on the imaginary cylindrical plane when viewed by the two eyes; and
project the corresponding data of cylindrical irradiation images onto an imaginary flat display surface with reference to the two eyes to generate a first display image for the right eye by calculating a corresponding point on the imaginary flat display surface corresponding to a point on the imaginary cylindrical plane when viewed by the right eye for each point on the imaginary cylindrical plane, and a second display image for the left eye by calculating a corresponding point on the imaginary flat display surface corresponding to a point on the imaginary cylindrical plane when viewed by the left eye for each point on the imaginary cylindrical plane, wherein the first display image and the second display image are different, and wherein a retinal image formed in the right eye corresponding to the first display image and a retinal image formed in the left eye corresponding to the second display image are identical and have no binocular disparity.

9. The stereoscopic image generation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein imaginary positions of the data of cylindrical irradiation images are set in accordance with an assumed observation distance.

10. The stereoscopic image generation apparatus according to claim 9 , the processing circuitry is further configured to measure a distance between the imaginary flat display surface and an observation position of the observer, wherein the imaginary positions of the data of cylindrical irradiation images are set in accordance with an observation distance measured by the processing circuitry.

11. A stereoscopic image generation method comprising:
projecting, using processing circuitry, a two-dimensional input image data onto an imaginary cylindrical plane including an imaginary circle to generate a cylindrical image data using imaginary cylindrical plane information, wherein the cylindrical imaginary plane is configured such that a retinal image of a point on the imaginary circle formed in the right eye and a retinal image of the point formed in the left eye are identical, and wherein the imaginary circle is a horopter circle with a circumference tangent to the left eye, the right eye and a point of convergence; and
projecting, using the processing circuitry, the cylindrical image data onto an imaginary flat display surface with reference to each of the two eyes to generate a first display image for the right eye by calculating a corresponding point on the imaginary flat display surface corresponding to a point on the imaginary cylindrical plane when viewed by the right eye for each point on the imaginary cylindrical plane using the imaginary cylindrical plane information, and a second display image for the left eye by calculating a corresponding point on the imaginary flat display surface corresponding to a point on the imaginary cylindrical plane when viewed by the left eye for each point on the imaginary cylindrical plane using the imaginary cylindrical plane information, wherein the first display image and the second display image are different, and wherein a retinal image formed in the right eye corresponding to the first display image and a retinal

Assignees

• Ueda Kazuhiko
• Ogata Masami
• Hatasawa Yasunari
• Gomi Shinichiro
• Nakamura Yusuke
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Ueda Kazuhiko
• Ogata Masami
• Hatasawa Yasunari
• Gomi Shinichiro
• Nakamura Yusuke

Classifications

• H04N13/388

  Volumetric displays, i.e. systems where the image is built up from picture elements distributed through a volume · CPC title

• H04N13/302

  for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays · CPC title

• G02B30/34 Primary

  Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. three-dimensional [3D] slide viewers · CPC title

• H04N13/363 Primary

  using image projection screens (volumetric display H04N13/388) · CPC title

• G06T15/20 Primary

  Perspective computation · CPC title