Image Processing Device, and related Depth Estimation System and Depth Estimation Method

A depth estimation system, comprising:

• at least one virtual image generating unit set on a location facing a detective direction of the depth estimation system;
• an image capturing unit disposed by the virtual image generating unit and having a wide visual field function, the image capturing unit generating a capturing image containing the virtual image generating unit via the wide visual field function;
• and
• an image processing device electrically connected to the image capturing unit, the image processing device being adapted to determine a first sub-image and a second sub-image on the capturing image, to compute relationship between a feature of the first sub-image and a corresponding feature of the second sub-image, and to compute a depth map about the capturing image via disparity of the foresaid relationship;
• wherein the feature of the first sub-image is correlated with the corresponding feature of the second sub-image, and a scene of the first sub-image is at least partly overlapped with a scene of the second sub-image.

A depth estimation method applied to an image processing device having a receiving unit and a processing unit, the depth estimation method comprising:

• receiving a capturing image by the receiving unit;
• determining a first sub-image and a second sub-image on the capturing image by the processing unit;
• computing relationship between a feature of the first sub-image and a corresponding feature of the second sub-image by the processing unit;
• and
• computing a depth map about the capturing image via disparity of the foresaid relationship by the processing unit, wherein the feature of the first sub-image is correlated with the corresponding feature of the second sub-image, and a scene of the first sub-image is at least partly overlapped with a scene of the second sub-image.