Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Olympus Imaging Corporation

Sony Corporation

Other

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Sharp K.k.

Tadashi Uchiumi

Toshio Nomura

Seiji Sato

Takeshi Makiyama

Noritaka Koizumi

Masahiro Shioi

Tomohiro Ikai

Ken Mashitani

Hiroyuki Katata

Hideaki Yoshida

Hidehiko Sekizawa

Norio Ito

Yoshiya Yamamoto

Ryuji Kitaura

Masatoshi Tsujimoto

Tomoko Aono

Takashi Oshima

Keiichi Hibi

Hirotaka Nakano

Tsuneko Kura

Jiro Nakabayashi

Maki Takahashi

Tsuneaki Iwano

Nobuyuki Ema

Shinya Hasegawa

Youji Kanada

Hiroaki Yabe

Akira Iwamoto

Motohiro Ito

Kazuto Ohara

Osamu Nakamura

Shuichi Watanabe

Hiroshi Kusao

Hiroyasu Hamamura

Tamaki Nakamura

Takashi Yasumoto

Yoshio Umeda

Osamu Hakamura

Shingo Nagataki

Motohiro Itoh

A prediction vector generation device generating a prediction vector of a disparity vector of a target block in a non-base viewpoint image includes a conversion pixel determination unit determining at least one pixel position in a depth block corresponding to the target block in a depth map corresponding to the non-base viewpoint image, a disparity vector conversion unit calculating a representative value of a depth value of the at least one pixel position determined by the conversion pixel determination unit and converting the representative value into a disparity vector, and a prediction vector determination unit generating the prediction vector of the disparity vector of the target block by using the disparity vector generated by the disparity vector conversion unit. This prediction vector generation device provides good encoding efficiency and suppresses increases in the amount of computation.

Image encoding device

Prediction vector generation device, image encoding device, image decoding device, prediction vector generation method, and program

A disparity vector generation section generates disparity vectors indicating a part of a disparity between a first layer image and a second layer image different from the first layer image and different part of the disparity based on a code indicating the part of the disparity. A predicted image generation section reads a reference image of a region indicated by the disparity vector generated by the disparity vector generation section from a reference image storage section that stores the reference image and generates a predicted image based on the read reference image.

Image decoding device and image encoding device

A photographing apparatus has two binocular stereoscopic modes. In two-take photography mode, a 3D image file is generated from left and right monocular images acquired by performing monocular photographing twice, and the 3D image file thus generated is recorded. In one-take photography mode, a 3D image file is generated from left and right monocular images acquired by performing binocular photographing once, and the 3D image file thus generated is recorded. When the 3D image file is recorded, a homogeneity tag is recorded in 3D metadata, as tag information of the header data portion of the 3D image file. The homogeneity tag is information about the homogeneity of the two monocular images and describes whether the two monocular images have been acquired in the one-take photography mode in which monocular images highly homogeneous are provided, or in the two-take photography mode in which monocular images not so homogeneous are provided.

3D image file, photographing apparatus, image reproducing apparatus, and image processing apparatus

The present invention is directed to a stereo image processing apparatus adapted for performing stereoscopic reproduction of images without depending upon header information of file to have ability to recover or restore header information for stereoscopic display which has been broken or missing, which includes an image input unit () for inputting plural main images constituting stereo images, a stereo information encoding unit () for encoding stereo information for stereoscopic display control with respect to the inputted plural main images into an image like bar code, and an image synthesis unit () for synthesizing the inputted plural main images and an encoded image of the stereo information in the state where corresponding areas for respective images are partitioned.

Stereo image reproducing apparatus, stereo image reproduction method, stereo image reproduction program, and recording medium having such program recorded therein

A stereoscopic image processing method capable of preventing occurrence of undesirable cutout of image when a stereoscopic combined image is printed out is provided. A stereoscopic combined image can be created and recorded using a digital still camera. This stereoscopic combined image is a single image formed by arranging a plurality of view-point images. At first, left view-point image data and right view-point image data are stored in a memory by performing photographing twice. Then, the data of the two images are arranged laterally into a single image. Through this processing, original stereoscopic combined image data is created. Padding areas (dummy areas) are added to the original stereoscopic combined image data at the upper and lower sides thereof. Namely, a processed image containing the original stereoscopic combined image is created.

Method, device and program for processing stereoscopic images and recording medium storing the program

An operation unit switches the operating mode between a 3D display output mode in which the images of the 3D image file are displayed as a stereoscopic images and a 2D display output mode in which one of the images of the 3D image file is displayed as an ordinary planar image. The 3D image file is composed of stereoscopic image data which represents a plurality of monocular images constituting a multi-ocular stereoscopic image and information which is added to the stereoscopic image data and which indicates that the data is stereoscopic data. In the 2D display output mode, a control unit makes an output unit display an image of the 3D image file read from a medium by a media reader and also display a mark on the same screen, indicating that the image displayed in the 2D display output mode is based on the 3D image file.

Image outputting apparatus and program

An image signal composed of sequential frames is input to a 3-dimensional image creating apparatus, frame by frame. A controller () designates the presence/absence of reduction, the presence/absence of joining and 2D select. An image converter () creates image data in the format designated by the presence/absence of reduction and the presence/absence of joining. A 3D information creator () creates 3D information necessary for displaying the image as a 3-dimensional image by formatting the presence/absence of reduction, the presence/absence of joining and 2D select. A multiplexer () converts image data and 3D information in a predetermined format and outputs them to the outside. In this way, it is possible to make the image data for 3-dimensional display versatile and select an arbitrary viewpoint image efficiently.

3-dimensional image creating apparatus, 3-dimensional image reproducing apparatus, 3-dimensional image processing apparatus, 3-dimensional image processing program and recording medium recorded with the program

A server () analyzes request information from a client () by a request analyzer () and selects necessary image data from multiple viewpoint image data () to be output to an image generator (). The image data is generated by interpolation and output to an image synthesizer (), in which a plurality of images data is synthesized in a form suitable for encoding. An encoder () encodes the image data and transfers it to a network (). The client () receives the encoded image data, decodes the data through a decoder () and outputs the decoded image data to an image processor (), where it is converted into a stereoscopic display format and displayed on a display unit (). The client () includes an input unit () for changing the viewpoint, and transmits the request information of viewpoint alternation to the network () by a request output unit ().

Image data delivery system, image data transmitting device thereof, and image data receiving device thereof

Disclosed herein is a 3-D image display unit that can be controlled flexibly to protect the user from eyestrain and operated easily. The 3-D image display unit includes measuring means for measuring a display time of a 3-D image, parallax adjusting means for instructing 3-D image forming means to adjust the parallax of the 3-D image. In the case where the 3-D image display time measured by the measuring means exceeds a predetermined time, the parallax adjusting means instructs the 3-D image forming means to reduce the parallax of the 3-D image to be formed, thereby the display means comes to display a 3-D image having a small parallax. The user can thus be protected from eyestrain.

3-D image display unit, 3-D image recording device and 3-D image recording method

An image data recording apparatus includes a three-dimensional display control information generation unit receiving a parameter indicating a condition for picking up a three-dimensional image, and encoding the parameter so as to generate image pick-up condition information, and a file generation unit generating a multimedia information file including both of the image pick-up condition information and three-dimensional image data or at least one of the three-dimensional image data and two-dimensional image data.

Image data generation apparatus for adding attribute information regarding image pickup conditions to image data, image data reproduction apparatus for reproducing image data according to added attribute information, and image data recording medium related thereto

3-Dimensional image creation device, 3-dimensional image reproduction device, 3-dimensional image processing device, 3-dimensional image processing program, and recording medium containing the program

An image shooting and display apparatus includes: a plurality of image pickup portions. An image pickup controller switches image pickup portions to be used in accordance with the image shooting mode. It also switches the image shooting mode in accordance with the image pickup portions to be actuated in accordance with the usage condition of the apparatus. A mode switching controller switches shooting mode and display mode, and controls image pickup portions suitable for each mode by way of the image pickup controller and also controls an image display portion.

Image shooting apparatus, display apparatus and image shooting and display apparatus

A sub-sampling portion () sub-samples images of data corresponding to the left and right viewpoints. A joining method selector () selects the joining method that minimizes the discontinuity at the boundary in the joined image when the sub-sampled images of data are joined. A joining portion () joins the plurality of images data, based on the selected joining method. An encoder () encodes the joined image data, and a joining method encoder () encodes the information of the joining method. A multiplexer () multiplexes these pieces of coded data. In this way, the continuity of the joined image is improved, whereby the coding efficiency is enhanced.

Image encoder, image decoder, record medium, and image recorder

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Osaka, Japan

Tadashi Uchiumi