Systems and methods for generating depth maps using a set of images containing a baseline image

A method of generating a depth map from a plurality of images captured from different viewpoints, comprising:

• normalizing a set of images using calibration data stored in a storage device using an address conversion module, where:
• the set of images comprises a plurality of images that are:
• captured from different viewpoints including sampling diversity;
• include different occlusions sets;
• wherein the occlusion set of a first image is the portion of a scene visible in a second image that is occluded in the first image;
• and
• the set of images includes:
• images captured using the same imaging characteristics;
• and
• images captured using different imaging characteristics;
• detect and meter parallax using a parallax confirmation and measurement module, where detecting and metering parallax comprises:
• determining the parallax that yields the highest correlation between pixels from images captured using the same imaging characteristics accounting for the positions of the imagers that captured the images by:
• performing redundant pair-wise measurements between pixels from images captured using the same imaging characteristics to determine pixel correlation for different parallax-induced shifts;
• keeping track of various pair-wise measurements and calculating a parallax difference that yields the highest pixel correlation ignoring pixels in the images that are in an exposed occlusion set;
• and
• aligning portions of different images to compensate for parallax using an image pixel correlation module based upon the measured parallax and the stored calibration data;
• obtaining a higher resolution image having a resolution that is higher than the resolutions of the images in the set of images using a super-resolution module, where color information around the edge of the foreground object that is visible to the baseline image and in the occlusion set of the second image is reconstructed in the higher resolution image using the pixels captured by the first image;
• and
• generating a depth map for the higher resolution image using the parallax confirmation and measurement module based upon the measured parallax;
• wherein obtaining an image having a resolution that is higher than the resolutions of the images in the set of images comprises:
• fusing the aligned image portions;
• performing super-resolution processing on the fused image portions to synthesize a super-resolution image;
• and
• selecting at least one distance as a focal plane and applying blurring to pixels in the higher resolution image with depths in the depth map that are not proximate a focal plane.