Patent ID: 8248410

Claim:
A method for generating a depth map from an image comprising pixels and motion vectors correlated to the pixels, the method comprising: (a) grouping the motion vectors into a predefined number of vector groups, each motion vector being assigned to an image block encompassing a plurality of pixels, each vector group defining a vector-group area within said image, the perimeter shape of each vector-group area being defined by the outer side of its image blocks along its perimeter; (b) defining border regions along the perimeters of adjacent vector-group areas, said border regions having widths spanning into both adjacent vector-group areas, pixels within border regions being border pixels; (c) assigning a separate and distinct depth value to each of the vector-group areas; (d) defining a first gradient for said image by assigning depth values to border pixels dependent upon their proportional distance to the adjacent vector-group areas that define them and proportional to the depth values of the adjacent vector-group areas that define them; (e) defining a second gradient for said image by computing gradient information for only edge pixels of said image, the computed depth gradient information of each edge pixel being dependent upon the rate of change of the depth value of the edge pixel; and (f) applying a surface reconstruction technique for surface gradient integration to the second gradient to obtain the depth map.