Patent ID: 9571818
Date: 2017-02-14
CPC Classifications: G06K,G06T,H04N

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method for generating depth maps from a set of stereo images, the method comprising: generating a ratio map associated with a first image and a second image in the set of stereo images, wherein, for each pixel in the second image, the ratio map associates the pixel with a ratio of a first intensity value for the pixel based on the second image to a second intensity value for a corresponding pixel based on the first image, and wherein the first image is captured by a first image sensor using ambient illumination, and the second image is captured by the first image sensor using flash illumination; generating a disparity map associated with the second image wherein, for each pixel in the second image, the disparity map associates the pixel with a disparity value according to a pixel-matching algorithm that compares pixels in the second image to corresponding pixels in a fourth image in the set of stereo images, wherein the pixel-matching algorithm calculates at least one cost value for determining the disparity value, wherein the cost value is based, in part, on a difference between values of a ratio associated with the pixel and a ratio associated with an offset pixel in the second image that is offset from the pixel, and wherein a third image is captured by a second image sensor substantially simultaneously with the first image being captured by the first image sensor and the fourth image is captured by the second image sensor substantially simultaneously with the second image being captured by the first image sensor; and generating a depth map associated with the second image, wherein, for each pixel in the second image, the depth map associates the pixel with a depth value that is calculated based, in part, on the disparity value associated with the pixel.