IP Library Granted Patent US 10,210,660
Granted Patent B2
US 10,210,660 · App. 15/096,157 · Granted Feb 19, 2019

Removing occlusion in camera views

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,210,660
App. No.
15/096,157
Granted
Feb 19, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image processing system is designed to generate a canvas view that has smooth transition between binocular views and monocular views. Initially, the image processing system receives top/bottom images and side images of a scene and calculates offsets to generate synthetic side images for left and right view of a user. To realize smooth transition between binocular views and monocular views, the image processing system first warps top/bottom images onto corresponding synthetic side images to generate warped top/bottom images, which realizes the smooth transition in terms of shape. The image processing system then morphs the warped top/bottom images onto the corresponding synthetic side images to generate blended images for left and right eye views with the blended images. The image processing system creates the canvas view which has smooth transition between binocular views and monocular views in terms of image shape and color based on the blended images.

Claims (36)

1. A method comprising:

receiving a primary image associated with a primary camera, the primary image occluded by an object in a first field of view of the primary camera, wherein the object is a support post of a camera system attached to the primary camera;

receiving a secondary image associated with a secondary camera, the secondary image occluded by the object in a second field of view of the secondary camera;

identifying a portion of the primary image occluded by the object;

filtering the primary image to exclude the portion of the primary image occluded by the object;

determining an optical flow from the secondary image to the filtered primary image; and

generating a combined image by filling the portion of the primary image occluded by the object with image data from the secondary image based on the optical flow, wherein the combined image simulates an image captured by the primary camera without the object occluding the first field of view.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a portion of the secondary image occluded by the object;

filtering the secondary image to exclude the portion of the secondary image occluded by the object; and

wherein the optical flow from the secondary image to the primary image excludes the filtered portion of the secondary image.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a blend area in the primary image adjacent to the filtered area excluding the portion of the primary image occluded by the object; and wherein

generating the combined image comprises filling the blend area with color components from the primary image and color components from the secondary image according to a transition function.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the transition function is a linear function.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the transition function is based on the similarity of color components in the primary image and the secondary image in the blend area.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the transition function is based on the optical flow.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the object is in a different portion of the second field of view of the second camera relative to the first field of view of the primary camera.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions, the computer program instructions when executed by a computer processor causes the processor to perform steps of:

receiving a primary image associated with a primary camera, the primary image occluded by an object in a first field of view of the primary camera, wherein the object is a support post of a camera system attached to the primary camera;

receiving a secondary image associated with a secondary camera, the secondary image occluded by the object in a second field of view of the secondary camera;

identifying a portion of the primary image occluded by the object;

filtering the primary image to exclude the portion of the primary image occluded by the object;

determining an optical flow from the secondary image to the filtered primary image; and

generating a combined image by filling the portion of the primary image occluded by the object with image data from the secondary image based on the optical flow, wherein the combined image simulates an image captured by the primary camera without the object occluding the first field of view.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , further comprising:

identifying a portion of the secondary image occluded by the object;

filtering the secondary image to exclude the portion of the secondary image occluded by the object; and

wherein the optical flow from the secondary image to the primary image excludes the filtered portion of the secondary image.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , further comprising:

identifying a blend area in the primary image adjacent to the filtered area excluding the portion of the primary image occluded by the object; and wherein

generating the combined image comprises filling the blend area with color components from the primary image and color components from the secondary image according to a transition function.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the transition function is a linear function.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the transition function is based on the similarity of color components in the primary image and the secondary image in the blend area.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the transition function is based on the optical flow.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the object is in a different portion of the second field of view of the second camera relative to the first field of view of the primary camera.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 18, 2021
From: FACEBOOK, INC.
To: META PLATFORMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 058897/0824 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2016
From: CABRAL, BRIAN KEITH; BRIGGS, FORREST SAMUEL
To: FACEBOOK, INC.
Reel/Frame 039161/0463 →