METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USING FILTERING TO IMPROVE IMAGE PATCH MATCHING AND/OR FOR USING DEPTH INFORMATION GENERATED FROM STEREO IMAGES

Methods and apparatus for processing images captured by cameras for use in stereo depth determinations are described and/or for using depth information generated by processing such images is described. Images are captured using a reference camera and at least one additional camera. Filtering is implemented as part of a patch matching process to reduce the risk of erroneous matches, e.g., due to image blur in one image but not another. The filtering may be, and sometimes is, implemented on a patch basis. A candidate patch is generated by filtering a portion of an image captured by a camera, e.g., a second camera by performing a sharpening or blurring operation to a portion of the image to generate a candidate patch. The amount of blurring or sharpening that is applied to generate the candidate patch depends, in some embodiments, on the relative difference between the candidate patch and the reference patch. Thus in some embodiments the amount of sharpening and blurring is dependent on both the content of the reference patch as well as the portion of the second image used to generate the candidate patch.