Patent ID: 7945088

Claim:
An apparatus for generating a stereoscopic image based on an original image by synthesizing images for left and right eyes, the apparatus comprising: pixel value storing means for storing a pixel value for each of the pixels included in the original image; depth value storing means for storing a depth value for each of the plurality of pixels included in the original image; threshold storing means for storing a threshold; determining means for determining the depth value for each of the pixels included in the original image based on a comparison of pixel values between a pixel and at least one neighboring pixel, the determining means comprising: selecting means for sequentially selecting a plurality of pixels included in the original image in accordance with an arrangement of the plurality of pixels; changing means for changing the depth value of a pixel based on a comparison between pixel values of the selected pixel by the selecting means and an adjacent pixel of the selected pixel; means for determining whether a pixel value of the selected pixel by the selecting means is larger than a pixel value of an adjacent pixel lying in a prescribed direction; counting means for counting a number of pixels for which pixel values are determined to be larger than the pixel value of the selected pixel, the counted pixels lying in the prescribed direction; and comparing means for comparing the number counted by the counting means to the threshold stored in the threshold storing means, wherein the changing means changes the depth value stored in the depth value storing means based on a result of the comparison obtained by the comparing means, and stereograph means for generating a stereoscopic image based on the pixel values of the pixels determined by the determining means, wherein when the selected pixel is selected by the selecting means, the stereograph means performs a stereograph processing on the selected pixel based on a depth value of the selected pixel, which is stored in the depth value storing means.