With the advent of advanced imaging and higher processing speeds in user devices as well as networks providing greater and greater bandwidth, a variety of electronic devices have been developed fairly recently to provide real-time video images from a particular user device to various other user devices. Such devices include both stationary devices, e.g., those that are relatively immobile such as desktop computers, and mobile devices such as laptop computers for situations in which the user is present at the office, at home, or while traveling. Cameras, which have been incorporated in these devices, permit users to take images or videos of people or places and provide them to the internet. In an increasing number of circumstances, such as teleconferencing, and gaming, it is desirable to provide a three dimensional (3D) image to the user's display and/or to the remote parties.
In particular, one of the forces driving device processing speed and network bandwidth is gaming, such as on-line gaming in which multiple players interact in a simulated environment. As gaming has become increasingly complex, it is sometimes desirable for a player to provide a three dimensional image so that his/her avatar in the gaming environment is able to adequately mimic his/her movements. This permits the player to interact with a variety of objects in various parts of his/her environment without having to constantly adjust the camera.
Further, the current economic and social climate has provided incentives for teleconferencing. Often, teleconferencing is performed while traveling using mobile devices. In some cases, such as while traveling, it is desirable to replace the actual background with a substitute background. However, substitute backgrounds in non-three dimensional systems do not work well for many reasons. For example, background substitution generally operates by using an image taken without the user and an image taken with the user and replacing the aspects of the images that are the same (assumed to be the original background) with the substitute background. Such a technique only works if the background does not change, making it essentially useless if the device is moved and causing problems if shadows or other illumination differences are present or if a color of the user matches that of the original background. Such problems could be reduced if three dimensional imaging were to be employed.
To produce a three dimensional image, multiple cameras are used to provide images from different viewpoints. Unfortunately, the added hardware cost, integration complexity and bulkiness present formidable problems in incorporating additional cameras into many present mobile devices, making it unlikely that multiple cameras will be incorporated into many such devices in the near future.
It is thus desirable to be able to provide a three dimensional image without employing multiple cameras in a single device.
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The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments shown so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Other elements, such as those known to one of skill in the art, may thus be present.