METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING 2D IMAGES TO 3D IMAGES

1 . A method of converting 2D images to 3D images, comprising:

receiving a plurality of 2D images from an imaging device;

obtaining motion parameters from a sensor associated with the imaging device;

selecting at least two 2D images from the plurality of 2D images based on the motion parameters;

determining a depth map based on the selected 2D images and the motion parameters corresponding to the selected 2D images; and

generating a 3D image based on the depth map and one of the plurality of 2D images.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating an optical flow based on the selected 2D images.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

selecting at least one image point of a first one of the selected 2D images;

projecting the at least one image point to at least one object point in an object space according to camera parameters; and

projecting the at least one object point in the object space to a second one of the selected 2D images according to the motion parameters corresponding to the second one of the selected 2D images and the camera parameters.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the imaging device includes a lens system, the method further comprising:

determining a transformation of the lens system corresponding to the selected 2D images based on the motion parameters associated with the imaging device; and

determining the depth map additionally based on the transformation of the lens system.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

determining a transformation relationship between the sensor and the lens system.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

capturing at least a first 2D image and a second 2D image of a predetermined object and the motion parameters of the imaging device corresponding to the first 2D image and the second 2D image; and

determining the transformation relationship between the sensor and the lens system based on the first 2D image and the second 2D image of the predetermined object and the motion parameters corresponding to the first 2D image and the second 2D image.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a motion of the imaging device corresponding to the selected 2D images is within a specified range.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a number of intervening images between the selected 2D images according to the motion parameters from the sensor.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

adjusting the number of intervening frames in accordance with the motion parameters from the sensor.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, based on the motion parameters, a lateral motion of the imaging device with respect to a scene under observation;

comparing the lateral motion with a threshold value; and

generating a new depth map based on the selected 2D images and the motion parameters corresponding to the selected 2D images if the lateral motion exceeds the threshold value.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

generating the new depth map by warping a previous depth map if the lateral motion is below the threshold value.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

generating the new depth map by copying a previous depth map if the lateral motion is below the threshold value.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a resolution of the depth map is different from a resolution of the 2D images.

14 . A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for converting 2D images to 3D images, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of 2D images from an imaging device;

obtaining motion parameters from a sensor associated with the imaging device;

selecting at least two 2D images from the plurality of 2D images based on the motion parameters;

determining a depth map based on the selected 2D images and the motion parameters corresponding to the selected 2D images; and

generating a 3D image based on the depth map and one of the selected 2D images.

15 . The computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein a motion of the imaging device corresponding to the selected 2D images is within a specified range.

16 . The computer-readable medium of claim 14 , the method further comprising:

determining a number of intervening frames between the selected 2D images according to the motion parameters from the sensor.

17 . The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , the method further comprising:

adjusting the number of intervening frames in accordance with the motion parameters from the sensor.

18 . The computer readable medium of claim 14 , the method further comprising:

determining, based on the motion parameters, a lateral motion of the imaging device with respect to a scene under observation;

comparing the lateral motion with a threshold value; and

generating a new depth map based on the selected 2D images and the motion parameters corresponding to the selected 2D images if the lateral motion exceeds the threshold value.

19 . The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , the method further comprising:

generating the new depth map by warping or copying a previous depth map if the lateral motion is below the threshold value.

20 . A system for converting 2D images to 3D images, comprising:

an imaging device configured to generate a plurality of 2D images;

a sensor associated with the imaging device configured to measure motion parameters of the imaging device;

a computer configured to:

receive the plurality of 2D images from the imaging device;

obtain the motion parameters from the sensor;

select at least two 2D images from the plurality of 2D images based on the motion parameters;

determine a depth map based on the selected 2D images and the motion parameters corresponding to the selected 2D images; and

generate a 3D image based on the depth map and one of the selected 2D images.

21 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the imaging device is an endoscope.