Depth Map Compression for MR Occlusion Bandwidth Limits
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing MR and AR technologies face significant bandwidth challenges due to the need to transmit depth-gradation-value maps for occlusion representation, which is computationally intensive and burdensome on communication bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
An information-processing device and method that reduces the amount of information in depth-gradation-value maps by generating meta information to represent the range of depth distances, allowing for efficient transmission and occlusion representation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a full depth-gradation-value map is transmitted to represent occlusion accurately, then occlusion representation quality is improved, but communication bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the depth-gradation-value map transmission into two parts: (1) transmitting a reduced-precision depth map with lower bit depth for general depth information, and (2) transmitting occlusion mask information separately to indicate specific occlusion areas. This segmentation allows the system to maintain accurate occlusion representation in critical areas while reducing overall bandwidth consumption by not transmitting full precision depth information for all areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by transmitting full precision depth information only for regions where occlusion occurs (occlusion areas), while using reduced precision for non-occlusion areas. The occlusion mask identifies these critical local regions, allowing the system to concentrate bandwidth resources where they are most needed for accurate occlusion representation.
2Ease of operation
If wireless communication is used to maintain device portability, then device portability is improved, but communication bandwidth availability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and transmits only the essential occlusion information needed for accurate rendering, rather than transmitting complete high-precision depth maps. By extracting occlusion mask data and reduced-precision depth information, the system reduces the communication load to match the bandwidth constraints of wireless communication while maintaining device portability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of depth map precision by transmitting depth information at lower bit depth (reduced precision) for non-critical areas, and only transmitting full precision information for occlusion areas identified by the occlusion mask. This parameter adjustment optimizes the balance between visual quality and bandwidth consumption for wireless communication.
Data Source
AI summary
An information-processing device, that is a first device, includes one or more processors configured to perform a first acquisition process to acquire a first image, perform a first map-acquisition process to acquire a first depth-gradation-value map indicating depth-gradation-value information corresponding to the first image, perform a reduction process to generate a second depth-gradation-value map by reducing an amount of information of the first depth-gradation-value map based on meta information so as to represent a range of depth distance corresponding to the meta information, and perform a first transmission process to transmit the first image and the second depth-gradation-value map to a second device.