Image analysis – Image transformation or preprocessing – Image storage or retrieval
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-23
2004-06-01
Johnson, Timothy M. (Department: 2625)
Image analysis
Image transformation or preprocessing
Image storage or retrieval
C707S793000, C715S252000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06744934
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for generating an image file storing a group of image data sets representing a group of still images photographed in such a manner that 2-dimensional coordinates, a viewpoint, and the like thereof are different for each image, and to a method and an apparatus for progressively reproducing the image file, as well as to a computer-readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to execute these methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a method for realistically representing an image of a scene or of an object, a method of interactive reproduction of a group of still images comprising images whose spatial relationships to each other have been predetermined is known. For example, for a group of still images obtained by photographing an object from multiple directions at an equal angle interval, an image with a changing viewpoint can be reproduced interactively by reproducing a still image first and by specifying a direction of rotation of the object with a mouse or the like. For a group of still images obtained by photographing with a focal point changing gradually from the near distance to the far distance, objects in the near and far distances can be displayed clearly by interactively changing the focal point. As has been described above, a group of still images can be reproduced interactively when the group of still images are obtained by changing display dimensions in various ways, such as changing a viewpoint at the time of photographing up and down, right and left, and back and forth, or changing a focal point, or changing an interval of photographing a moving object.
Meanwhile, as a format for storing image data, various formats such as JPEG, GIF, and TIFF have been known. According to another format proposed recently, image data are decomposed into a hierarchy based on resolution or density resolution and data at each layer of the hierarchy (hierarchical data) are stored after coding and compression thereof. More specifically, according to this storage format, image data are decomposed into hierarchical data according to multiple resolutions or density resolutions through wavelet transform or the like carried out thereon, and the hierarchical data at each resolution or density resolution are coded and compressed according to the hierarchy and saved in a file.
This storage format has the following characteristics:
(1) Unlike a DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) method used in the conventional JPEG format, no artifacts such as block distortion are created, since image data are not processed in blocks.
(2) Only resolution information which is necessary upon transfer of image data needs to be transferred, since the image data have been coded hierarchically. This enables efficient image transfer.
(3) Various kinds of image processing such as frequency enhancing processing can be carried out comparatively easily, since image data are decomposed into data at multiple resolutions or multiple density resolutions.
(4) Simultaneous decomposition of space and frequency according to multiple-resolution analysis is possible. In a low frequency range wherein coding efficiency is greatly affected, an orthogonal transform is carried out in a wide range, whereas in a high frequency range, an orthogonal transform is possible in a narrow range. Therefore, even when quantization noise near an edge of an image is generated, spatial spread of the noise can be suppressed. As a result, the noise is not easy to perceive.
Like a FlashPix file proposed by Eastman Kodak Co., a file format enabling storage of data sets having different characteristics in a file has also been proposed. Hierarchical data decomposed into multiple resolutions or density resolutions can be stored in such a file according to the FlashPix standard.
When image data comprising hierarchical images, such as in the above-described format file or a FlashPix standard file, are displayed on a monitor or the like, data transfer to the monitor and image reproduction on the monitor is carried out from a low resolution or low density resolution (hereinafter, simply expressed as resolution) to high resolution. This is called progressive transfer (or progressive reproduction in the case of reproduction). When the data transferred progressively are displayed on a monitor, an entire low resolution image is displayed first, and images with gradually improving clarity are reproduced in accordance with increasing resolution of the data.
By interactively reproducing a group of still images as has been described above, reproduced images can be provided with reality and liveliness. However, image data representing such a group of still images have a substantially large amount of information and transfer thereof is not efficient. For example, when a group of still images are generated by photographing an object from viewpoints all around the object, in order to reproduce the images smoothly, angular resolutions of at least 60 divisions and 15 divisions in horizontal and vertical directions respectively are necessary. Therefore, at least 900 angular display dimensions are necessary, and the amount of the image data thus becomes 900 times that of a still image. Therefore, when all images in the group of still images are transferred and reproduced, interactive display of the images is time-consuming. Furthermore, by transferring and reproducing the still images frame by frame, the content of the image can be understood to some degree, but the group of still images cannot obtain the interactive characteristic which the image group should have, until all the images are transferred.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been created based on consideration of the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for generating an image file to enable reduction in reproduction wait time when a group of still images such as the one described above are interactively reproduced, and a method and an apparatus for progressively reproducing the image file, as well as a computer-readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to execute the methods.
An image file generating method of the present invention is a method of generating an image file storing a group of image data sets representing a group of still images comprising a plurality of still images having predetermined spatial relationships to each other, and the method comprises the steps of:
obtaining hierarchical image data in each hierarchical layer by forming the group of image data sets into a hierarchy in such a manner that the number of display dimension divisions in one hierarchical layer is larger than that of a preceding layer; and
storing the hierarchical data in each hierarchical layer in the image file.
“Having predetermined spatial relationships to each other” means that changes in a viewpoint, a focal point, a position on the move, a resolution, and the like of an object included in the group of still images are interactively reproducible, as in the case where the object is viewed from different positions, or have different focal points, photographing intervals, or resolutions.
The “display dimension” means a dimension used upon interactive reproduction of the group of still images, and the viewpoint position, the focal point position, the photographing interval, the resolution and the like can be listed as the dimension. Not only 1 display dimension but also a plurality of display dimensions can be used.
The phrase that “the number of display dimension divisions in one hierarchical layer is larger” means that at least one of the numbers of the viewpoints, the focal points, the photographing intervals, the resolutions, and the like is larger than the number of display dimension divisions of the preceding hierarchical layer. In this specification, “having a higher display dimension” means that the number of display dimension divisions is large.
Out of the image data in each hierarchical layer, i
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Johnson Timothy M.
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