Abstract: A picture composing apparatus designed to combine a plurality of images taken by a plurality of image pickup devices. In the apparatus, a first projecting unit projects the plurality of images taken by the image pickup devices onto a projection section in accordance with an image pickup situation of the image pickup devices to generate a plurality of first projected images, and a second projecting unit projects the plurality of first projected images to a three-dimensional projection model to generate a second projected image.

Abstract: A picture composing apparatus designed to combine a plurality of images taken by a plurality of image pickup devices. In the apparatus, a first projecting unit projects the plurality of images taken by the image pickup devices onto a projection section in accordance with an image pickup situation of the image pickup devices to generate a plurality of first projected images, and a second projecting unit projects the plurality of first projected images to a three-dimensional projection model to generate a second projected image.

Abstract: In the image pickup phase (A), right and left images are taken in through two image-pickup devices (S101, S102). Then, in the next feature extraction phase (B), right and left images are respectively subjected to feature extraction (S103, S104). Thereafter, in the succeeding matching phase (C), the extracted features of right and left images are compared to check how they match with each other (step S105). More specifically, in the matching phase (C), a one-dimensional window is set, this one-dimensional window is shifted along the left image in accordance with a predetermined scanning rule so as to successively set overlapped one-dimensional windows, and a matching operation is performed by comparing the image features within one window and corresponding image features on the right image.

Abstract: In the image pickup phase (A), right and left images are taken in through two image-pickup devices (S101, S102). Then, in the next feature extraction phase (B), right and left images are respectively subjected to feature extraction (S103, S104). Thereafter, in the succeeding matching phase (C), the extracted features of right and left images are compared to check how they match with each other (step S105). More specifically, in the matching phase (C), a one-dimensional window is set, this one-dimensional window is shifted along the left image in accordance with a predetermined scanning rule so as to successively set overlapped one-dimensional windows, and a matching operation is performed by comparing the image features within one window and corresponding image features on the right image.

Abstract: Based on left and right images that have been taken by image pickup devices, a correlation processing section obtains parallax data as three-dimensional data of objects. At processing start time, a plane estimating section estimates the position of a planar object such as a road or a floor by utilizing the Hough transform based on the parallax data that have been obtained successfully for part of rectangular segments of the images, and interpolates the parallax data by using the position of the planar object. At a time point after the processing start time, a parallax variation detecting section detects an object by comparing current parallax data with the parallax data at the processing start time.

Abstract: A method for measuring stereo image disparity between right and left stereo images for each of two-dimensional blocks having a rectangular shape. In particular, the method includes the steps of deciding a level of each pixel in the right and left stereo images according to a ternary value, sequentially setting a one-dimensional window having a size of N pixels along a horizontal direction in one of the right and left stereo images by overlapping N/2 pixels, determining the disparity for each one-dimensional window by determining a portion in the other of the right and left stereo images corresponding to each one-dimensional window on the basis of the ternary value obtained through the deciding step to generate a histogram of the disparities, and determining the stereo image disparity for each of the two-dimensional blocks on the basis of the histogram of the disparities.

Abstract: A first motion detection is performed for determining a motion or a still condition by comparing a difference signal .DELTA. between an input video signal of a current frame and a video signal of a previous frame with a preset threshold value. A second motion detection is performed for determining a motion or a still condition by using a difference signal .DELTA. between an input video signal of a current frame and a video signal of a previous frame at surrounding pixels and a center pixel as a target for the second motion detection. A wrong decision correction is performed for correcting an error in a result of motion detection in the first and/or second motion detections by changing a determination of a motion condition to a still condition, or a determination of a still condition to a motion condition, wherein an error is either a wrong determination of a motion condition for a still condition or a wrong determination of a still condition for a motion condition.