US 9,025,895 B2Granted

Systems and methods for decoding refocusable light field image files

AssigneePelican Imaging Corporation

InventorsKartik Venkataraman, Semyon Nisenzon, Dan Lelescu

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Abstract

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention are configured to render images using light field image files containing an image synthesized from light field image data and metadata describing the image that includes a depth map. One embodiment of the invention includes a processor and memory containing a rendering application and a light field image file including an encoded image and metadata describing the encoded image, where the metadata comprises a depth map that specifies depths from the reference viewpoint for pixels in the encoded image. In addition, the rendering application configures the processor to: locate the encoded image within the light field image file; decode the encoded image; locate the metadata within the light field image file; and post process the decoded image by modifying the pixels based on the depths indicated within the depth map to create a rendered image.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for rendering an image using a light field image file, the system comprising:

a processor;
and
memory containing a rendering application and a light field image file;
wherein the light field image file is structured using the JPEG File Interchange Format (JFIF) and comprises:
an encoded image;
and
metadata describing the encoded image stored within an application marker segment within the light field image file, where the metadata can be utilized to post-process the encoded image;
wherein the metadata comprises a depth map that specifies depths for pixels in the encoded image;
and
wherein the rendering application directs the processor to render an image having at least one focus area at a particular depth by applying post processing to the encoded image using metadata contained within the light field image by:
locating the encoded image within the light field image file by locating a start of image marker within the light field image file;
decoding the encoded image;
locating the metadata within the light field image file;
and
processing the decoded image by modifying the pixels of the decoded image based on the depths of the pixels indicated within the depth map to create a rendered image by applying a depth based effect to the pixels of the decoded image.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/481,313Filed 9 Sep 2014 · continuation
Priority: 28 Sep 2011
Published: US 2015/0003752 A11 Jan 2015
Granted: 5 May 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

H04N 13/178
Image signals comprising non-image signal components, e.g. headers or format information: metadata, e.g. disparity information
G06T 3/4007
Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting: based on interpolation, e.g. bilinear interpolation
G06T 3/4053
Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting: based on super-resolution, i.e. the output image resolution being higher…
G06T 7/50
Image analysis: depth or shape recovery

Family

Application61/540,188Us provisional application · filed 28 Sep 2011
Application13/631,736Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Sep 2012
Application13/955,411Parent of this continuation · filed 31 Jul 2013
US 8,542,933 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 24 Sep 2013
Application14/477,374Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Sep 2014
US 8,831,367 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 9 Sep 2014
US 2015/0003752 A1Pre-grant publication · published 1 Jan 2015
US 2013/0077882 A1Published application
US 2013/0315494 A1Published application
US 2014/0369615 A1Published application
US 9,036,931 B2Related patent
US 9,025,895 B2This patent

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