Depth map generation apparatus, method and non-transitory computer-readable medium therefor

A depth map generation method, comprising:

• providing a camera assembly with at least three cameras including a first camera, a second camera and a third camera, wherein the first camera, the second camera and the third camera are sequentially aligned on a same axis;
• generating a first depth map in a first mode, and generating a second depth map in a second mode;
• extracting histogram information from the first depth map and the second depth map;
• identifying a valid object appearing at a depth range based on the histogram information;
• and
• selecting one of the first mode and the second mode based on the depth range corresponding to the valid object, wherein an operation mode includes at least:
• the first mode using images of non-adjacent cameras, and the second mode using images of adjacent cameras;
• and
• generating a depth map based on the images obtained from the camera assembly according to the determined operation mode.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer programs for, when being executed by a processor, performing a depth map generation method, the method comprising:

• providing a camera assembly with at least three cameras including a first camera, a second camera and a third camera, wherein the first camera, the second camera and the third camera are sequentially aligned on a same axis;
• generating a first depth map in a first mode, and generating a second depth map in a second mode;
• extracting histogram information from the first depth map and the second depth map;
• identifying a valid object appearing at a depth range based on the histogram information;
• and
• selecting one of the first mode and the second mode based on the depth range corresponding to the valid object, wherein an operation mode includes at least:
• the first mode using images of non-adjacent cameras, and the second mode using images of adjacent cameras;
• and
• generating a depth map based on the images obtained from the camera assembly according to the determined operation mode.