IP Library Granted Patent US 12,394,124
Granted Patent B2
US 12,394,124 · App. 17/776,635 · Granted Aug 19, 2025

Texture generation apparatus, texture generation method, object, and program

Inventors: Shinobu Kuroki (Tokyo, JP); Masataka Sawayama (Tokyo, JP); Shinya Nishida (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
G06T11/40B29C64/386G06V10/50
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,394,124
App. No.
17/776,635
Granted
Aug 19, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

By performing, on an original image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a target object, a conversion for making an element histogram of a steerable pyramid of the original image the same as or similar to an element histogram of a steerable pyramid of a reference image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a reference object, for each spatial frequency band and each orientation band, histogram modulated images are obtained, and the histogram modulated images obtained for the spatial frequency bands and orientation bands are synthesized to obtain an image corresponding to a modulated image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a modulated object.

Claims (37)

1. A texture generation apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to:

convert an input original image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a target object to a spatial frequency domain original image;

convert an input reference image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a reference object to a spatial frequency domain reference image; and

perform, conversion on the spatial frequency domain original image for making a spatial frequency distribution of the spatial frequency domain original image the same as or substantially the same as spatial frequency distribution of the spatial frequency domain reference image to obtain a spatial frequency domain modulated image corresponding to a modulated image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a modulated object being difficult to distinguish from the reference object by tactile perception.

2. The texture generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to perform the conversion on the spatial frequency domain original image for making wavelet statistics of the spatial frequency distribution of the spatial frequency domain original image the same as or substantially the same as wavelet statistics of the spatial frequency distribution of the spatial frequency domain reference image, or the conversion on the spatial frequency domain original image for making a Fourier power spectrum of the spatial frequency distribution of the spatial frequency domain original image the same as or substantially the same as a Fourier power spectrum of a spatial frequency distribution of the spatial frequency domain reference image, to obtain the spatial frequency domain modulated image.

3. The texture generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to further convert the spatial frequency domain modulated image into a spatial domain to obtain the modulated image.

4. The texture generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the target object and the reference object are tactile objects that have two-dimensional distribution of convexities and concavities on surface areas.

5. The texture generation apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the modulated image has the pixel values representing depths of positions on the textured surface of the modulated object which gives a touch feeling equivalent to the reference object.

6. A texture generation apparatus, comprising:

a conversion processing circuitry configured to perform, at spatial frequency bands and orientation bands and on an original image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a target object, a conversion for making an element histogram of a steerable pyramid of the original image the same as or similar to an element histogram of a steerable pyramid of a reference image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a reference object, for each spatial frequency band and each orientation band, to obtain histogram modulated images; and

a synthesis processing circuitry configured to synthesize the histogram modulated images obtained for the spatial frequency bands and orientation bands to obtain an image corresponding to a modulated image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a modulated object.

7. The texture generation apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

a spatial frequency distribution of the pixel values representing the depths of the positions on the textured surface of the modulated object is the same as or substantially the same as a spatial frequency distribution of the pixel values representing the depths of the positions on the textured surface of the reference object, and

the modulated object and the reference object are difficult to distinguish from each other by tactile perception.

8. The texture generation apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the conversion processing circuitry comprises:

a first spatial frequency domain conversion processing circuitry configured to perform a conversion of the original image input and the reference image input into a spatial frequency domain to obtain a spatial frequency domain original image and a spatial frequency domain reference image;

a decomposition processing circuitry configured to use the spatial frequency domain original image and the spatial frequency domain reference image to obtain a complex steerable pyramid of the spatial frequency domain original image and a complex steerable pyramid of the spatial frequency domain reference image for each of the spatial frequency bands and each of the orientation bands;

a first spatial domain conversion processing circuitry configured to perform a conversion of the complex steerable pyramid of the spatial frequency domain original image and the complex steerable pyramid of the spatial frequency domain reference image into a spatial domain to obtain a complex steerable pyramid of a spatial domain of the original image and a complex steerable pyramid of a spatial domain of the reference image for each of the spatial frequency bands and each of the orientation bands, obtain a real part of the complex steerable pyramid of the spatial domain of the original image as a steerable pyramid of the original image, and obtain a real part of the complex steerable pyramid of the spatial domain of the reference image as a steerable pyramid of the reference image; and

a histogram conversion processing circuitry configured to obtain the histogram modulated images using the steerable pyramid of the reference image and the steerable pyramid of the original image, and

the synthesis processing circuitry comprises:

a second spatial frequency domain conversion processing circuitry configured to perform a conversion of the histogram modulated images into a spatial frequency domain to obtain spatial frequency domain histogram modulated images for the spatial frequency bands and the orientation bands;

a reconstruction processing circuitry configured to synthesize the spatial frequency domain histogram modulated images to obtain a spatial frequency domain modulated image; and

a second spatial domain conversion processing circuitry configured to perform a conversion of the spatial frequency domain modulated image into a spatial domain to obtain and output the modulated image.

9. A texture generation method, comprising:

converting, on an input original image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a target object to a spatial frequency domain original image;

converting an input reference image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a reference object to a spatial frequency domain reference image; and

performing a conversion on the spatial frequency domain original image for making spatial frequency distribution of the spatial frequency domain original image the same as or substantially the same as a spatial frequency distribution of the spatial frequency domain reference to obtain spatial frequency domain modulated image corresponding to a modulated image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a modulated object being difficult to distinguish from the reference object by tactile perception.

10. A texture generation method, comprising:

performing, at spatial frequency bands and orientation bands and on an original image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a target object, a conversion for making an element histogram of a steerable pyramid of the original image the same as or similar to an element histogram of a steerable pyramid of a reference image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a reference object, for each spatial frequency band and each orientation band, to obtain histogram modulated images; and

synthesizing the histogram modulated images obtained for the spatial frequency bands and orientation bands to obtain an image corresponding to a modulated image having pixel values representing depths of positions on a textured surface of a modulated object.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as the texture generation apparatus according to claim 1 .

12. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as the texture generation apparatus according to claim 6 .

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jan 1, 2026
From: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
To: NTT, INC.
Reel/Frame 074164/0597 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 13, 2022
From: KUROKI, SHINOBU; SAWAYAMA, MASATAKA; NISHIDA, SHINYA
To: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059897/0798 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220414957A1 · Dec 29, 2022
References Cited (7)
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Kuroki et al. (2019) “Haptic discrimination of 3D-printed patterns based on natural visual textures,” Printed Publication: Vision Sciences Society 2019 (VSS2019), May 2019. [cited by applicant]