US 8,953,905 B2Granted

Rapid workflow system and method for image sequence depth enhancement

AssigneeLegend3D, Inc.

InventorsJared Sandrew, Tony Baldridge, Anthony Lopez, Timothy Tranquill, Craig Cesareo

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Movies to be colorized/depth enhanced (2D→3D) are broken into backgrounds/sets or motion/onscreen-action. Background and motion elements are combined into composite frame which becomes a visual reference database that includes data for all frame offsets used later for the computer controlled application of masks within a sequence of frames. Masks are applied to subsequent frames of motion objects based on various differentiating image processing methods, including automated mask fitting/reshaping. Colors/depths are automatically applied with masks throughout a scene from the composite background and to motion objects. Areas never exposed by motion or foreground objects may be partially or fully realistically drawn/rendered/applied to the occluded areas and applied throughout the images to generate artifact-free secondary viewpoints during 2D→3D conversion. Iterative workflow is eliminated for simple artifact correction through real-time manipulation of images to avoid re-rendering of images and associated delays of sending work product to other workgroups for correction.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system configured to modify a set of time ordered digital images comprising at least one computer configured to:

obtain a source image and at least one mask associated with a region in said source image;
obtain a depth map or translation values associated with said at least one mask of said source image;
obtain a render of a left viewpoint image of said source image created with ray tracing to a left virtual camera;
obtain a render of a right viewpoint image of said source image created with ray tracing to a right virtual camera;
modify said at least one mask or an area next to said at least one mask where missing background information is located or said depth map or said translation values or any combination thereof to create at least one modified mask or modified missing background information or modified depth map or modified translation values or any combination thereof;
and,
update said left viewpoint image and said right viewpoint image based on said at least one modified mask or said modified depth map or said modified translation values or said any combination thereof without another said ray tracing to said left virtual camera and without said ray tracing to said right virtual camera.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/490,454Filed 7 Jun 2012 · continuation in part
Priority: 4 May 2001
Published: US 2012/0063681 A127 Sep 2012
Granted: 10 Feb 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

H04N 13/257
Image signal generators: colour aspects
H04N 13/266
With monoscopic-to-stereoscopic image conversion: by scanning a film
H04N
Pictorial communication

Family

Application60/288,929Us provisional application · filed 4 May 2001
PCT/US02/14192Parent of this division · filed 6 May 2002
Application11/324,815Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Jan 2006
Application12/032,969Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 18 Feb 2008
Application12/542,498Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 17 Aug 2009
Application12/913,614Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 27 Oct 2010
Application12/976,970Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 22 Dec 2010
Application13/029,862Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 17 Feb 2011
US 2012/0242790 A1Pre-grant publication · published 27 Sep 2012
US 8,385,684 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,401,336 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,396,328 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 7,907,793 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 7,577,312 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 7,333,670 B2Parent of this continuation
Application12/032,969Parent of this continuation
Application10/450,970Parent of this division
US 7,181,081 B2Parent of this division
Application11/324,815Parent of this division
US 2004/0131249 A1Published application
US 2006/0171584 A1Published application
US 2008/0205783 A1Published application
US 2011/0164109 A1Published application
US 2012/0063681 A1Published application
US 2012/0120054 A1Published application
US 8,953,905 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.