Full high-definition real-time depth estimation for three-dimensional video system

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3-D) video brings people strong visual perspective experience, but also introduces large data and complexity processing problems. The depth estimation algorithm is especially complex and it is an obstacle for real-time system implementation. Meanwhile, high-resolution depth maps are necessary to provide a good image quality on autostereoscopic displays which deliver stereo content without the need for 3-D glasses. This paper presents a hardware implementation of a full high-definition (HD) depth estimation system that is capable of processing full HD resolution images with a maximum processing speed of 125 fps and a disparity search range of 240 pixels. The proposed field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based architecture implements a fusion strategy matching algorithm for efficiency design. The system performs with high efficiency and stability by using a full pipeline design, multiresolution processing, synchronizers which avoid clock domain crossing problems, efficient memory management, etc. The implementation can be included in the video systems for live 3-D television applications and can be used as an independent hardware module in low-power integrated applications. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.