Moving image generating apparatus, moving image generating method and moving image generating program

1. A moving image generating apparatus for generating three-dimensional moving image to display a subject as a three-dimensional object, comprising:

a plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators, wherein each of said two-dimensional moving image generators is provided to a different position from each other, of which relative positions with respect to each of said two-dimensional moving image generators is predetermined respectively, and each of said two-dimensional moving image generators captures the subject at different timing intermittently and generates a two-dimensional captured moving image respectively, and

a three-dimensional moving image generator operable to generate the three-dimensional moving image of which frame rate is higher than a frame rate of the two-dimensional captured moving image, based on both the relative positions of said plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators and the two-dimensional captured moving images generated by said two-dimensional moving image generators; and wherein

said two-dimensional captured moving image includes a plurality of captured frames which is obtained intermittently and sequentially,

while one of said two-dimensional moving image generators captures two consecutive captured frames, another of said two-dimensional moving image generators capture one captured frame, and

said three-dimensional moving image generator includes:

an interpolated frame generator operable to generate an interpolated frame to be inserted between the two consecutive captured frames, by interpolating between the two captured frames obtained by said two-dimensional moving image generator;

a three-dimensional object generator operable to generate a three-dimensional object of the subject, based on both the interpolated frame inserted between the two captured frames which are obtained by said two-dimensional moving image generator and the one captured frame obtained by said other two-dimensional moving image generators; and

a moving image processing unit operable to generate the three-dimensional moving image based on the three-dimensional object received from said three-dimensional object generator sequentially.

2. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

equal to or more than three of said two-dimensional moving image generators; and wherein

each of said two-dimensional moving image generators captures the subject at each timing when the subject is not captured by the other two-dimensional moving image generators, so that each of said two-dimensional moving image generators generates the two-dimensional captured moving image at such timing that is complementary to the timing when each of the two-dimensional captured moving image is generated by said other two-dimensional moving image generators; and

said three-dimensional moving image generator generates the three-dimensional moving image having a frame rate that is equal to a frame rate of the two-dimensional captured moving image multiplied by the number of the two-dimensional moving image generators, based on the two-dimensional captured moving image received from said equal to or more than three two-dimensional moving image generators.

3. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein

said two-dimensional captured moving image includes a plurality of captured frames which is obtained intermittently and sequentially, and

said three-dimensional moving image generator includes:

an object transforming unit operable to generate the three-dimensional object of the subject at each of the timings when each of the captured frames is obtained, by transforming the three-dimensional object generated by said three-dimensional object generator, based on both relative positions of each of said two-dimensional moving image generators with respect to at least two of said two-dimensional moving image generators and each of the captured frames, corresponding to each of the captured frames generated by at least two of said two-dimensional moving image generators.

4. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said moving image processing unit receives an input of a viewpoint from which the subject is observed, and generates the three-dimensional moving image when the subjects is observed from the viewpoint.

5. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

an image storing unit operable to store the two-dimensional captured moving image generated by said two-dimensional moving image generators, wherein said image storing unit stores the two-dimensional captured moving images, in an order of the timings when said two-dimensional moving image generators capture, in every said two-dimensional moving image generator.

6. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said image storing unit is provided every said two-dimensional moving image generator, and further comprising:

a time announcing unit operable to announce time to said two-dimensional moving image generators.

7. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

an image storing unit operable to store the two-dimensional captured moving image generated by said two-dimensional moving image generators,. wherein said image storing unit stores the two-dimensional captured moving images of said two-dimensional moving image generators, in an order of the timings when said two-dimensional moving image generators capture.

8. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:

a time announcing unit operable to announce a time to said two-dimensional moving image generators.

9. A moving image generating method for generating three-dimensional moving image to display a subject as a three-dimensional object, comprising steps of:

capturing the subject at different timing intermittently, thereby generating a two-dimensional captured moving image respectively by using a plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators, each of which is provided to a different position from each other, of which relative positions with respect to each of said two-dimensional moving image generators is predetermined respectively,

generating the three-dimensional moving image of which frame rate is higher than a frame rate of the two-dimensional captured moving image, based on both the relative positions of said plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators and the two-dimensional captured moving image generated by said two-dimensional moving image generators; and wherein

said two-dimensional captured moving image includes a plurality of captured frames which is obtained intermittently and sequentially,

while one of said two-dimensional moving image generators captures two consecutive captured frames, another of said two-dimensional moving image generators capture one captured frame, and

said three-dimensional moving image generator includes:

an interpolated frame generator operable to generate an interpolated frame to be inserted between the two consecutive captured frames, by interpolating between the two captured frames obtained by said two-dimensional moving image generator;

a three-dimensional object generator operable to generate a three-dimensional object of the subject, based on both the interpolated frame inserted between the two captured frames which are obtained by said two-dimensional moving image generator and the one captured frame obtained by said other two-dimensional moving image generators; and

a moving image processing unit operable to generate the three-dimensional moving image based on the three-dimensional object received from said three-dimensional object generator sequentially.

10. A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute a method for generating three-dimensional moving image to display a subject as a three-dimensional object, said method comprising:

a two-dimensional moving image generating module operable to capture the subject at different timing intermittently, thereby generating a two-dimensional captured moving image respectively by using a plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators, each of which is provided to a different position from each other, of which relative positions with respect to each of said two-dimensional moving image generators is predetermined respectively, and

a three-dimensional moving image generating module operable to generate the three-dimensional moving image of which frame rate is higher than a frame rate of the two-dimensional captured moving image, based on both the relative positions of said plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators and the two-dimensional captured moving image generated by said two-dimensional moving image generators; and wherein

said two-dimensional captured moving image includes a plurality of captured frames which is obtained intermittently and sequentially,

while one of said two-dimensional moving image generators captures two consecutive captured frames, another of said two-dimensional moving image generators capture one captured frame, and

said three-dimensional moving image generating module includes:

an interpolated frame generator operable to generate an interpolated frame to be inserted between the two consecutive captured frames, by interpolating between the two captured frames obtained by said two-dimensional moving image generator;

a three-dimensional object generator operable to generate a three-dimensional object of the subject, based on both the interpolated frame inserted between the two captured frames which are obtained by said two-dimensional moving image generator and the one captured frame obtained by said other two-dimensional moving image generators; and

a moving image processing unit operable to generate the three-dimensional moving image based on the three-dimensional object received from said three-dimensional object generator sequentially.

11. A moving image generating apparatus for generating three-dimensional moving image of a subject, comprising:

a plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators, and

a three-dimensional moving image generator,

wherein each of said two-dimensional moving image generators is located in a distinct and predetermined position, and

wherein each of said two-dimensional moving image generators captures the subject intermittently, at a timing different from the other two-dimensional moving image generators, in a moving image, and

wherein said three-dimensional moving image generator is operable to generate the three-dimensional moving image with a frame rate higher than a frame rate of the two-dimensional captured moving image, based on both the relative positions of said plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators and the two-dimensional captured moving image generated by said two-dimensional moving image generators; and wherein

said two-dimensional captured moving image includes a plurality of captured frames which is obtained intermittently and sequentially,

while one of said two-dimensional moving image generators captures two consecutive captured frames, another of said two-dimensional moving image generators capture one captured frame, and

said three-dimensional moving image generator includes:

an interpolated frame generator operable to generate an interpolated frame to be inserted between the two consecutive captured frames, by interpolating between the two captured frames obtained by said two-dimensional moving image generator;

a three-dimensional object generator operable to generate a three-dimensional object of the subject, based on both the interpolated frame inserted between the two captured frames which are obtained by said two-dimensional moving image generator and the one captured frame obtained by said other two-dimensional moving image generators; and

a moving image processing unit operable to generate the three-dimensional moving image based on the three-dimensional object received from said three-dimensional object generator sequentially.

12. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein a three-dimensional image is generated for every time that any of said-dimensional moving image generators captures the subject intermittently.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the generating the three-dimensional moving image comprises:

for each respective image wherein the subject is captured by one of the plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators, interpolating a corresponding image for each of the other two-dimensional moving image generators.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein, interpolating a corresponding image for each of the other two-dimensional moving image generators comprises:

for each interpolated image, adding interpolated frames to the video sequence of a camera in the timing locations of the captured frames of another camera.

15. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein both the interpolated frame inserted between the two captured frames which are obtained by said two-dimensional moving image generator and the one captured frame obtained by said other two-dimensional moving image generators represent the subject at the same point in time.

16. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein one of said two-dimensional moving image generators captures a captured two-dimensional frame of the subject at a point in time;

wherein said interpolated frame generator generates a two-dimensional interpolated frame representing the subject at said point in time for another of said plurality of two-dimensional moving image generators; and

wherein said three-dimensional moving image generator generates a three-dimensional object of the subject based on said captured two-dimensional frame and said two-dimensional interpolated frame, each of which represent the subject at said point in time.

17. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said three-dimensional moving image generator generates a plurality of said three-dimensional objects representing said subject at a plurality of said points in time based on a plurality of two-dimensional frames captured respectively by respective two-dimensional moving image generators, together with respective two-dimensional interpolated frames, and

wherein said three-dimensional moving image generator generates a three-dimensional moving image based on said plurality of three-dimensional objects.

18. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 16 ,

wherein the interpolated frame generator generates said two-dimensional interpolated frame based on: adding interpolated frames to the video sequence of a camera in the timing locations of the captured frames of another camera.

19. The moving image generating apparatus as claimed in claim 17 ,

wherein the interpolated frame generator generates said two-dimensional interpolated frame based on: adding interpolated frames to the video sequence of a camera in the timing locations of the captured frames of another camera.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a display means for reproducing the three dimensional moving image on a screen of the object imaged by the two dimensional moving image generators.