Detail-preserving depth estimation from a single image based on modified fully convolutional residual network and gradient network

Abstract

Predicting a convincing depth map from a monocular single image is a daunting task in the field of computer vision. In this paper, we propose a novel detail-preserving depth estimation (DPDE) algorithm based on a modified fully convolutional residual network and gradient network. Specifically, we first introduce a new deep network that combines the fully convolutional residual network (FCRN) and a U-shaped architecture to generate the global depth map. Meanwhile, an efficient feature similarity-based loss term is introduced for training this network better. Then, we devise a gradient network to generate the local details of the scene based on gradient information. Finally, an optimization-based fusion scheme is proposed to integrate the depth and depth gradients to generate a reliable depth map with better details. Three benchmark RGBD datasets are evaluated from the perspective of qualitative and quantitative, the experimental results show that the designed depth prediction algorithm is superior to several classic depth prediction approaches and can reconstruct plausible depth maps.