WO2012066768A1

WO2012066768A1 - Stereo image generation device and stereo image generation method

Info

Publication number: WO2012066768A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/006348
Authority: WO
Inventors: 孝幸有馬; 郁雄渕上; 中村　剛
Original assignee: パナソニック株式会社
Priority date: 2010-11-19
Filing date: 2011-11-14
Publication date: 2012-05-24

Abstract

Provided are a stereo image generation device and a stereo image generation method capable of capturing a high-resolution stereo image, without using two high-resolution image capturing means. The present invention is provided with: a first image capturing unit (10-1) having a high-resolution; a second image capturing unit (10-2) having a lower resolution than the first image capturing unit (10-1); an image resizing unit (24) which converts a first captured image to contain a predetermine number of pixels, and converts a second captured image to contain a predetermined number of pixels; an image encoding unit (27) which encodes the first captured image and the second captured image which are converted by the image resizing unit (24); and a stereo image format conversion unit (28) which generates a stereo image by converting the first captured image and the second captured image encoded by the image encoding unit (27), to a stereo image format.

Description

Stereo image generation apparatus and stereo image generation method

The present invention relates to a stereo image generating apparatus and a stereo image generating method suitable for use in a compound eye camera for capturing a stereo image.

As a method of generating a stereo image, a compound eye camera and an image processing method described in Patent Document 1 are known. The compound eye camera described in Patent Document 1 has a plurality of imaging units (that is, cameras), enables imaging of stereo images, and selects one of the plurality of imaging units to perform two-dimensional imaging. It is possible.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-090914

However, in the configuration of the compound eye camera described in Patent Document 1 described above, since the resolution of the plurality of imaging units is the same, it is necessary to use two high-resolution imaging units to capture a high-resolution stereo image. There is a problem that the cost is increased and the mounting area is increased.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a stereo image generation apparatus and a stereo image generation method capable of capturing a high-resolution stereo image without using two high-resolution imaging means. The purpose is to do.

The stereo image generating apparatus of the present invention includes a first number of pixels, a first imaging unit that captures the first captured image, a second number of pixels smaller than the first number of pixels, A second imaging unit that captures the second captured image, and an image that converts the first captured image to a predetermined number of pixels and converts the second captured image to the predetermined number of pixels. A resizing unit; an image encoding unit that encodes the first captured image and the second captured image converted by the image resizing unit; the first captured image encoded by the image encoding unit; A stereo image format conversion unit that converts the two captured images into a stereo image format to generate a stereo image.

According to the above-described configuration, the first imaging unit including the first imaging unit having a high resolution and the second imaging unit having a lower resolution than the first imaging unit is provided. Resizing to a predetermined number of pixels, resizing the second captured image captured by the second imaging unit to a predetermined number of pixels, encoding the resized first captured image and second captured image, and encoding Since the first captured image and the second captured image are converted into a stereo image format to generate a stereo image, a high-resolution stereo image can be captured without using two high-resolution imaging means. It becomes possible. Further, since two high-resolution imaging means are not used, the cost can be reduced and the mounting area can be reduced.

In the above configuration, the conversion of the first captured image and the conversion of the second captured image performed by the image resizing unit are enlargement, reduction, or equal magnification conversion.

According to the above configuration, the number of pixels of the first captured image captured by the first imaging unit and the number of pixels of the second captured image captured by the second imaging unit can be matched.

In the above configuration, the predetermined number of pixels is the first number of pixels.

According to the above configuration, the number of pixels of the second captured image captured by the second imaging unit can be matched with the number of pixels of the first captured image captured by the first imaging unit.

In the above configuration, the first imaging unit includes a first angle of view, and the second imaging unit includes a second angle of view narrower than the first angle of view, and the first imaging unit. An angle of view correction unit for trimming an image, and the image encoding unit is trimmed by the angle of view correction unit, the first captured image whose number of pixels is converted by the image resizing unit, and the image resizing unit The second captured image in which the number of pixels is converted is encoded.

According to the above configuration, the first captured image can be reduced by providing the angle of view correction unit.

In the above configuration, an angle-of-view information holding unit that holds angle-of-view correction information is provided, and the angle-of-view correction unit performs trimming based on the angle-of-view correction information.

According to the above configuration, the processing time in trimming can be shortened by providing the angle-of-view information holding unit that holds the angle-of-view correction information.

In the above configuration, a position correction unit that corrects at least one of vertical shift, horizontal shift, rotational shift, and size shift with respect to either the first captured image or the second captured image. The image encoding unit is corrected by the position correction unit, converted to a predetermined number of pixels by the image resizing unit, and corrected by the position correction unit, and the image resizing unit. And the second captured image converted into the predetermined number of pixels.

According to the above configuration, the position correction unit that corrects at least one of vertical shift, horizontal shift, rotational shift, and size shift with respect to either the first captured image or the second captured image. With this, it is possible to generate a highly accurate stereo image from the first captured image and the second captured image.

In the above configuration, a position correction information holding unit that holds position correction information is provided, and the position correction unit has at least one of vertical deviation, horizontal deviation, rotation deviation, and size deviation based on the position correction information. to correct.

According to the above configuration, the position correction information holding unit for holding the position correction information is provided, so that the processing time in the position correction can be shortened.

In the above configuration, color correction for correcting the color of the first captured image and / or the second captured image with respect to the color difference between the first captured image and the second captured image. The image encoding unit encodes the first captured image and the second captured image that have been color-corrected by the color correction unit.

According to the above configuration, the color correction of the first captured image and / or the second captured image can be performed by providing the color correction unit.

In the above configuration, when the conversion of the first captured image and the conversion of the second captured image performed by the image resizing unit are enlargement conversions, super-resolution processing is used.

According to the above configuration, by performing the super-resolution processing, it is possible to enhance a clear feeling even if a blurred portion is generated by enlarging the captured image. That is, high image quality can be achieved.

In the above-described configuration, an image filter unit that performs an averaging process on a peripheral portion of each of the first captured image and the second captured image is provided, and the image encoding unit includes pixels in the image resizing unit. After the number conversion, the first captured image that has been subjected to the averaging process by the image filter unit and the first image that has been subjected to the averaging process by the image filter unit after the number of pixels has been converted by the image resizing unit. Two captured images are encoded.

According to the above configuration, by providing the image filter unit, it is possible to blur the periphery of each of the first captured image and the second captured image, and between the first and second image capturing units. Deterioration of the image quality of the stereo image due to the difference in lens distortion can be reduced.

The stereo image generation method of the present invention includes a first imaging step of capturing a first captured image with a first number of pixels in a first imaging unit, and a first imaging number that is greater than the first number of pixels in a second imaging unit. A second imaging step of capturing a second captured image with a small second number of pixels, and converting the first captured image to a predetermined number of pixels and converting the second captured image; The image resizing step to obtain the predetermined number of pixels, the image encoding step for encoding the first captured image and the second captured image converted in the image resizing step, and the encoded in the image encoding step A stereo image format conversion step of generating a stereo image by converting the first captured image and the second captured image into a stereo image format.

According to the above method, the first captured image captured by the first imaging unit using the first imaging unit having a high resolution and the second imaging unit having a lower resolution than the first imaging unit. Is set to a predetermined number of pixels, the second captured image captured by the second imaging unit is set to a predetermined number of pixels, and the resized first captured image and second captured image are encoded as described above. Since the encoded first captured image and second captured image are converted into a stereo image format to generate a stereo image, a high-resolution stereo image is captured without using two high-resolution image capturing means. It becomes possible to do.

According to the present invention, two images are picked up by two image pickup means having different resolutions, a low-resolution image is enlarged to the number of pixels of the high-resolution image, and a stereo image is generated. Since two are not used, the cost can be kept low and the mounting area can be kept small.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the stereo image production | generation apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention The flowchart which shows the preview process of the stereo image generation apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the processing result in each step of step S13-step S15 and step S17-step S18 of the preview process of FIG. The flowchart which shows the imaging | photography process of the stereo image generation apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the processing result in each step of step S30-step S32 and step S34 of the imaging | photography process of FIG. (A)-(g) The figure which shows the optical axis shift | offset | difference when arrange | positioning two imaging parts to the stereo image production | generation apparatus of FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a stereo image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a stereo image generating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a high-resolution imaging unit 10-1, a low-resolution imaging unit 10-2, a zoom control unit 11, an autofocus control unit 12, and a shutter. A control unit 13, an exposure control unit 14, a white balance control unit 15, a camera operation unit 16, a control unit 17, two camera signal processing units 18-1 and 18-2, and an angle of view correction unit 19; , Angle-of-view information holding unit 20, position correction unit 21, position correction information holding unit 22, color correction unit 23, image resizing unit 24, super-resolution processing unit 25, image filter unit 26, and image An encoding unit 27, a stereo image format conversion unit 28, an image storage unit 29, a format conversion unit 30, a display control unit 31, and a display unit 32 are provided.

The imaging units 10-1 and 10-2 each include an imaging element such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), and outputs an imaging signal. In the present embodiment, an image obtained by imaging with the imaging unit 10-1 is defined as a first captured image, and an image obtained by imaging with the imaging unit 10-2 is defined as a second captured image. In the present embodiment, the imaging unit 10-1 has a first angle of view, and the imaging unit 10-2 has a second image that is narrower than the first angle of view of the imaging unit 10-1. Has horns.

The zoom control unit 11 performs zoom control of the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2. The autofocus control unit 12 performs autofocus control of the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2. The shutter control unit 13 performs shutter control of the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2. The exposure control unit 14 performs exposure control of the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2. The white balance control unit 15 performs white balance control of the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2.

The camera operation unit 16 operates the stereo image generation device 1, and a signal at the time of operation is input to the control unit 17. The control unit 17 outputs an operation signal corresponding to an operation on the camera operation unit 16 to the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2. In the preview process, the camera signal processing unit 18-1 resizes the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 in accordance with the size of the display unit 32. In the preview process, the camera signal processing unit 18-2 resizes the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2 according to the size of the display unit 32. In the present embodiment, at the time of preview processing, a first captured image (L: left image) of VGA size (W640 pixels, H480 pixels) is output from the camera signal processing unit 18-1, and the camera signal processing unit 18- 2 outputs a second captured image (R: right image) of VGA size (W640 pixels, H480 pixels). W640 pixel indicates that the number of pixels in the horizontal direction is 640 pixels, and H480 indicates that the number of pixels in the vertical direction is 480 pixels. At the time of shooting processing, a first captured image (L: left image) of 13 megapixels is output from the camera signal processing unit 18-1, and a second imaging of 3 megapixels is output from the camera signal processing unit 18-2. Assume that an image (R: right image) is output.

The angle-of-view correction unit 19 reduces the angle of view of the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 based on the angle-of-view correction information held in the angle-of-view information holding unit 20. For example, the field angle is set to 8 megapixels. Note that the angle of view is not corrected for the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2. The position correction unit 21 corrects the position of the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 based on the position correction information held in the position correction information holding unit 22. In this case, as position correction, at least one of “vertical shift”, “horizontal shift”, “rotational shift”, or “size shift” is performed. The position correction may be performed on the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2. That is, the position correction unit 21 performs position correction on either the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 or the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2.

The color correction unit 23 determines the first color difference between the second captured image captured by the image capturing unit 10-2 and the first captured image captured by the image capturing unit 10-1 after position correction. The color correction is performed on the captured image and the second captured image (first captured image or second captured image). The image resizing unit 24 converts the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 to a predetermined number of pixels, converts the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2, The number of pixels is the same as that of the first captured image. In the present embodiment, resizing is performed only for the second captured image, and 3 megapixels are upsampled to 8 megapixels to match the image sizes of the first captured image and the second captured image.

Further, the image resizing unit 24 converts the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 into a predetermined number of pixels, and the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2 is also a predetermined pixel. Convert to a number. Note that the conversion of the first captured image and the conversion of the second captured image performed by the image resizing unit 24 include “magnification” in addition to “enlargement” and “reduction”.

When the conversion of the second captured image is an enlargement conversion, the super-resolution processing unit 25 performs the enlargement process by the super-resolution process without performing the enlargement process in the image resizing unit 24. It is possible to select enlargement processing by the resizing unit 24 or enlargement by super-resolution processing. The super-resolution process is a process that increases the sharpness of a blurred portion by enlarging an image (that is, a process for improving image quality). In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which enlargement processing is performed not by the super-resolution processing unit 25 but by the image resizing unit 24. The image filter unit 26 makes each pixel of the first captured image and the second captured image inconspicuous the pixel shift between the left and right images due to the difference in lens distortion between the two image capturing units 10-1 and 10-2. An averaging process is performed to blur the periphery. By providing the image filter unit 26, it is possible to reduce deterioration of the image quality of the stereo image due to a difference in lens distortion between the two imaging units 10-1 and 10-2.

The image encoding unit 27 performs the conversion of the number of pixels by the image resizing unit 24, and further performs the conversion of the number of pixels by the first captured image subjected to the averaging process by the image filter unit 26 and the image resizing unit 24. Further, the second captured image that has been subjected to the averaging process by the image filter unit 26 is encoded (compressed). In this case, for example, compression is performed in a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format. The stereo image format conversion unit 28 converts the first captured image and the second captured image encoded by the image encoding unit 27 into a stereo image format and generates a stereo image. In this case, for example, JPEG format is converted to MPO (Multi-Picture Format) format. The image storage unit 29 has a flash memory (such as an SD memory) and stores the stereo image generated by the stereo image format conversion unit 28. The format conversion unit 30 converts the first captured image and the second captured image that have been converted to the number of pixels suitable for the display unit 32 by the image resizing unit 24 into a format for displaying on the display unit 32. The display control unit 31 controls the display unit 32 to display the first captured image and the second captured image converted into a format (for example, pixel-by-pixel) for display on the display unit 32 by the format conversion unit 30. I do. The display unit 32 is, for example, a liquid crystal display.

Next, the operation of the stereo image generating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the preview processing of the stereo image generating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. In the preview process, the image capturing unit 10-1 and the image capturing unit 10-2 are activated by a user operation, and the continuous image captured by the image capturing unit 10-1 and the image capturing unit 10-2 is used to determine a composition that the user wants to capture. This is a process of sequentially displaying a picked-up image on the display unit 32, and photographing itself including storage of the picked-up image has not been performed yet.

In FIG. 2, the user instructs the camera operation unit 16 to start the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2 (step S10). In response to this user instruction, the control unit 17 outputs an instruction to activate the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2 (step S11). After outputting the activation instruction, steps S13 to S21 are repeated until the user instructs the camera operation unit 16 to end photographing. The determination for repeating the processes in steps S13 to S21 is performed in steps S12 and S22.

While the user does not instruct the end of shooting, first, the camera signal processing units 18-1 and 18-2 resize the captured images captured by the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2 in accordance with the size of the display unit 32 (step). S13). Next, the view angle correction unit 19 reads the view angle correction information held in the view angle information holding unit 20, and trims the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 (step S14).

Next, the position correction unit 21 reads out the position correction information held in the position correction information holding unit 22, and the first correction image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 based on the position correction information is At least one of the shift, the horizontal shift, the rotation shift, and the size shift is corrected (step S15). Next, the color correction unit 23 corrects the difference in color between the left and right images, that is, the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 and the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2 (step S16). ). Next, the image resizing unit 24 adjusts the right and left images, that is, the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 and the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2 in accordance with the size of the display unit 32. The image is resized and further compressed in half in the horizontal direction (step S17). Next, the format conversion unit 30 performs format conversion in accordance with the stereo image (3D) display format of the display unit 32 (step S18). Next, the display control unit 31 transfers the display data in accordance with the data reception timing of the display unit 32, and displays the preview image in stereo on the display unit 32 (step S19).

Next, the control unit 17 determines whether or not the user has instructed photographing using the camera operation unit 16 (step S20), and when the photographing is instructed (that is, when the determination in step S20 is “Yes”), in step S21. Perform shooting processing. Details of this photographing process will be described later. On the other hand, when the photographing is not instructed (that is, when the determination in step S20 is “No”), the photographing process is not performed. The above processing is repeated until the user instructs the camera operation unit 16 to end photographing. When the user instructs the end of shooting, the control unit 17 stops the operation of each of the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2 (step S23), and then ends this process.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing processing results in steps S13 to S15 and steps S17 to S18 when the specifications of the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2 and the display unit 32 are determined as follows. .
Imaging unit 10-1: 13 megapixel camera, focal length equivalent to 27 mm (35 mm film equivalent) Imaging unit 10-2: 3 megapixel camera, focal length equivalent to 35 mm (35 mm film equivalent display unit 32: VGA (Video Graphics Array) size ( (W640 x H480 pixels)

In step S13, the first captured image is approximately H ((480 × 1.3) + β) pixels and approximately W ((640 × 1.3) + α) pixels. The second captured image is H480 pixels and W640 pixels. Here, due to the difference in angle of view between the focal lengths of 35 mm and 27 mm, shooting with a 27 mm camera enables shooting at a wide angle of about 1.3 times in the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, after trimming a 27 mm camera image, the 27 mm camera is set in the camera signal processing unit 18-1 so that it outputs an image about 1.3 times larger than the VGA size so that the angle of view is the same as 35 mm. To do. Furthermore, the 27 mm camera has H ((480 × 1.3) + β) pixels and W ((640 × 1.3), with the expectation that the image size will be reduced by correcting vertical / horizontal / size / rotation. + Α) is captured. Here, the meanings of α and β are obtained by correcting the shift of the optical axis when the two cameras are arranged in the stereo image generating device, the shift of the angle of view of each camera itself, and the shift of the optical axis. This means that the camera signal processing unit is set to output a large image size of α pixels in the horizontal direction and β pixels in the vertical direction so that the effective pixels are not reduced. FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (g) show the deviation of the optical axis that occurs when two cameras are arranged in a stereo image generating apparatus. Here, the two cameras in FIGS. 6A to 6G correspond to the two imaging units described above.

In step S14, the first captured image is about H (480 + β) pixels and about W (640 + α) pixels. The second captured image remains H480 pixels and W640 pixels. In step S15, the first captured image is about H480 pixels and about W640 pixels. The second captured image remains H480 pixels and W640 pixels. In step S17, the first captured image is H480 pixels and W320 pixels. The second captured image is H480 pixels and W320 pixels. In step S18, the first captured image and the second captured image are alternated to become H480 pixels and W640 pixels.

(Shooting process)
Next, the photographing process in step S21 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the photographing process in FIG. Here, the shooting process is a process in the preview process after the image displayed on the display unit 32 is confirmed, the composition to be shot is determined, and the user gives a shooting instruction to the camera operation unit 16. This is processing from image resizing to storing a stereo image in the image storage unit 29. In FIG. 4, the camera signal processing unit 18-1 resizes the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 in accordance with the user-set image size, while the camera signal processing unit 18-2 The second captured image captured by 10-2 is resized according to the image size set by the user (step S30).

Next, the angle-of-view correction unit 19 reads the angle-of-view correction information from the angle-of-view information holding unit 20, and trims the first captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-1 (step S31). Next, the position correction unit 21 reads the position correction information from the position correction information holding unit 22, and “up / down shift”, “horizontal shift”, “rotation” with respect to the first captured image captured by the image capturing unit 10-1. At least one of “deviation” or “size deviation” is corrected (step S32).

Next, the color correction unit 23 corrects the color difference between the left and right images (step S33). That is, the color difference between the second captured image captured by the image capturing unit 10-2 and the first captured image captured by the image capturing unit 10-1 after position correction is corrected. Next, the image resizing unit 24 enlarges the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2 in accordance with the size of the first captured image after the angle of view correction (step S34). Next, the image encoding unit 27 encodes the left and right images (for example, compresses them in the JPEG format). That is, the second captured image captured by the image capturing unit 10-2 and the first captured image captured by the image capturing unit 10-1 after position correction are encoded (step S35). Next, the stereo image format conversion unit 28 converts the left and right images encoded by the image encoding unit 27, that is, the first captured image and the second captured image, into a stereo image format (step S36). When the left and right images are converted into a stereo image format, this process is finished.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing processing results in steps S30 to S32 and step S34 when the specifications of the imaging units 10-1 and 10-2 are determined as follows.
Imaging unit 10-1: 13 megapixel camera, focal length equivalent to 27 mm (35 mm film equivalent) Imaging unit 10-2: 3 megapixel camera, focal length equivalent to 35 mm (35 mm film equivalent)

In step S30, the first captured image is H3120 pixels and W4160 pixels. The second captured image is H1536 pixels and W2048 pixels. In step S31, the first captured image is about H2400 pixels and about W3200 pixels. Here, due to the difference in angle of view between the focal lengths of 35 mm and 27 mm, shooting with a 27 mm camera enables shooting at a wide angle of about 1.3 times in the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, when a 27-mm camera image is trimmed by the angle-of-view correction unit 19, the number of pixels is about 1 / 1.3 times. However, even with cameras having the same number of pixels, since the angle of view varies, the image size after trimming varies. In the present embodiment, the first captured image is trimmed to match the angle of view of the second captured image, but the imaging unit 10-1 has an optical zoom function, and the imaging unit 10-2 includes In the configuration having only the electronic zoom function without the optical zoom function, the angle of view of the image pickup unit 10-1 is set to the image pickup unit 10-2 by optically zooming the image pickup unit 10-1 side during shooting. When it becomes narrower than the angle of view, the second captured image captured by the imaging unit 10-2 is trimmed.

The second captured image remains H1536 pixels and W2048 pixels. In step S32, the first captured image is H (2400-β) pixels and W (3200-α) pixels. The second captured image remains H1536 pixels and W2048 pixels. In step S34, the first captured image is H (2400-β) pixels and W (3200-α) pixels. The second captured image has H (2400-β) pixels and W (3200-α) pixels, and has the same number of pixels as the first captured image. Here, the meanings of α and β are to correct the deviation of the optical axis when the two cameras (imaging units) are arranged in the stereo image generation device, the deviation of the angle of view of each camera itself, and the deviation of the optical axis. Indicates the number of pixels to be reduced.

Thus, according to the stereo image generating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the first imaging unit 10-1 having a high resolution and the second imaging unit having a lower resolution than the first imaging unit 10-1. 10-2, the first captured image is converted to a predetermined number of pixels, and the second captured image is converted to a predetermined number of pixels. The image resizing unit 24 and the image resizing unit 24 convert the second captured image. An image encoding unit 27 that encodes the first captured image and the second captured image, and the first captured image and the second captured image encoded by the image encoding unit 27 are converted into a stereo image format and stereo. Since a stereo image format conversion unit 28 that generates an image is provided, a high-resolution stereo image can be captured without using two high-resolution imaging means. Further, since two high-resolution imaging means are not used, the cost can be reduced and the mounting area can be reduced.

Although the present invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-259158) filed on November 19, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has an effect that a high-resolution stereo image can be captured without using two high-resolution imaging means, and is applied to a compound-eye camera for capturing a stereo image and the like. Is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stereo image production | generation apparatus 10-1, 10-2 Image pick-up part 11 Zoom control part 12 Autofocus control part 13 Shutter control part 14 Exposure control part 15 White balance control part 16 Camera operation part 17 Control part 18-1, 18-2 Camera signal processing unit 19 View angle correction unit 20 View angle information holding unit 21 Position correction unit 22 Position correction information holding unit 23 Color correction unit 24 Image resizing unit 25 Super-resolution processing unit 26 Image filter unit 27 Image encoding unit 28 Stereo image Format conversion unit 29 Image storage unit 30 Format conversion unit 31 Display control unit 32 Display unit

Claims

A first imaging unit having a first number of pixels and capturing a first captured image;
A second imaging unit having a second pixel number smaller than the first pixel number and imaging a second captured image;
An image resizing unit that converts the first captured image into a predetermined number of pixels and converts the second captured image into the predetermined number of pixels;
An image encoding unit for encoding the first captured image and the second captured image converted by the image resizing unit;
A stereo image format conversion unit that converts the first captured image and the second captured image encoded by the image encoding unit into a stereo image format to generate a stereo image;
Stereo image generating apparatus comprising:
The stereo image generating device according to claim 1,
The stereo image generation apparatus in which the conversion of the first captured image and the conversion of the second captured image performed by the image resizing unit are conversion of enlargement, reduction, or equal magnification.
The stereo image generating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The stereo image generating device, wherein the predetermined number of pixels is the first number of pixels.
The stereo image generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The first imaging unit includes a first angle of view;
The second imaging unit includes a second field angle narrower than the first field angle,
An angle-of-view correction unit that trims the first captured image;
The image encoding unit includes the first captured image trimmed by the angle of view correction unit and the number of pixels converted by the image resizing unit, and the second imaging of which the number of pixels is converted by the image resizing unit. Stereo image generation device for encoding images.
The stereo image generating device according to claim 4,
An angle-of-view information holding unit for holding angle-of-view correction information;
The field angle correction unit is a stereo image generation device that performs trimming based on the field angle correction information.
The stereo image generating device according to claim 1,
A position correction unit that corrects at least one of vertical shift, horizontal shift, rotational shift, or size shift with respect to either the first captured image or the second captured image,
The image encoding unit is corrected by the position correcting unit, converted to a predetermined number of pixels by the image resizing unit, corrected by the position correcting unit, and corrected by the image resizing unit. A stereo image generation device that encodes the second captured image converted into the number of pixels.
The stereo image generating device according to claim 6,
A position correction information holding unit for holding position correction information;
The position correction unit is a stereo image generation device that corrects at least one of vertical shift, horizontal shift, rotation shift, and size shift based on the position correction information.
The stereo image generating device according to claim 1,
A color correction unit that corrects the color of the first captured image and / or the second captured image with respect to the color difference between the first captured image and the second captured image;
The image encoding unit is a stereo image generation device that encodes the first captured image and the second captured image that have been subjected to color correction by the color correction unit.
The stereo image generating device according to claim 2,
A stereo image generation apparatus that uses super-resolution processing when the conversion of the first captured image and the conversion of the second captured image performed by the image resizing unit are enlargement conversions.
The stereo image generating device according to claim 1,
An image filter unit that performs an averaging process on the periphery of each of the first captured image and the second captured image;
The image encoding unit converts the number of pixels by the image resizing unit, and then performs the averaging process by the image filter unit, and converts the number of pixels by the image resizing unit, A stereo image generation apparatus that encodes the second captured image subjected to the averaging process by the image filter unit.
A first imaging step of capturing a first captured image with a first number of pixels in the first imaging unit;
A second imaging step of imaging a second captured image with a second number of pixels smaller than the first number of pixels in a second imaging unit;
An image resizing step that converts the first captured image to a predetermined number of pixels and converts the second captured image to the predetermined number of pixels;
An image encoding step for encoding the first captured image and the second captured image converted in the image resizing step;
A stereo image format conversion step of converting the first captured image and the second captured image encoded in the image encoding step into a stereo image format to generate a stereo image;
Stereo image generation method comprising: