A device and method for light guidance in an augmented reality system and generate virtual shadow and/or virtual fill-in regions for inserted virtual objects according to actual illumination conditions, which can be used for mobile terminals, such as mobile telephones or PDAs (personal digital assistants).
Augmented reality represents a new technological area, wherein additional visual information is for example overlaid on a current optical perception of the real environment. A basic distinction is made here between what is known as see-through technology, where a user for example looks into the real environment through a light-permeable display unit, and what is known as feed-through technology, where the real environment is recorded by a recording unit, such as a camera for example, and mixed or overlaid with a computer-generated virtual image before being shown on a display unit.
As a result a user therefore perceives both the real environment and the virtual image components, generated by computer graphics for example, as a combined representation (cumulative image). This mixing of real and virtual image components for augmented reality allows the user to execute their actions directly incorporating the overlaid and therefore simultaneously perceivable additional information.
So that an augmented reality is as realistic as possible, an important problem relates to determining the real illumination conditions, so that the virtual illumination conditions or what is known as light guidance are tailored optimally for the virtual object to be inserted. Such virtual light guidance or the tailoring of virtual illumination conditions to real illumination conditions relates below in particular to the insertion of virtual shadow and/or fill-in regions for the virtual object to be inserted.
Until now the realization of such virtual light guidance or integration of virtual shadow and/or fill-in regions in augmented reality systems was dealt with largely in a very static manner, with the position of a light source being integrated into the virtual 3D model in a fixed or unchangeable manner. The disadvantage of this is that changes in the position of the user or recording unit or light source, which also result directly in a change in the illumination conditions, cannot be taken into account.
With another known augmented reality system the illumination direction is measured dynamically by image processing, with an object of a particular shape, for example a shadow catcher, being positioned in the scene and the shadows this object casts on itself being measured using image processing methods. However this has the disadvantage that this object or shadow catcher is always visible in the image when changes occur in the illumination, which is not practical in particular for mobile augmented reality systems.
One possible object of the invention is therefore to create a device and method for light guidance in an augmented reality system, which is simple and user-friendly and can in particular be used for mobile areas of deployment.
The inventors propose using at least two light-sensitive sensors, each with a known sensor directivity pattern and having a known sensor positioning and sensor alignment in respect of the recording unit and its optical axis, it is possible for a data processing unit to determine an illumination angle in relation to the optical axis of the recording unit based on the known sensor positioning, the sensor alignment and the characteristics of the sensor directivity pattern as well as the detected sensor output signals. The light guidance or a virtual shadow and/or fill-in region for the virtual object can then be inserted in the display unit as a function of this illumination angle. It is thus possible to achieve very realistic light guidance for the virtual object with minimal outlay.
A one-dimensional illumination angle is preferably determined by establishing the relationship between two sensor output signals taking into account the sensor directivity pattern and the sensor alignment. Such a realization is very economical and also user-friendly, as the former markers or shadow catchers are no longer required.
A spatial illumination angle is preferably determined by triangulating two one-dimensional illumination angles. With such a method, as used for example in GPS (global positioning system) systems, three light-sensitive sensors suffice in principle, the alignment of said sensors not lying in a common plane. This further reduces the realization outlay.
A spatial illumination angle can further be estimated based on only one one-dimensional illumination angle as well as based on the time of day, it being possible, in particular with a daylight environment, also to take into account a respective position of the sun as a function of the time of day, in other words the vertical illumination angle. In some application instances it is therefore possible to reduce the realization outlay further. To determine the daylight environment a detection unit can for example be used to detect a color temperature of the illumination present and an analysis unit to analyze the color temperature, with the detection unit preferably being realized by the recording unit or camera that is present in any case.
For the purposes of optimizing accuracy and further simplification, the characteristics of the directivity patterns of the sensors are preferably the same and the distances between the sensors as large as possible.
The illumination angle is also determined continuously as a function of the recording unit in respect of a time axis, thereby allowing a particularly realistic light guidance to be generated for the virtual objects.
To improve accuracy further and to process difficult illumination conditions, the sensors with their sensor alignments and associated directivity patterns can preferably be disposed in a rotatable manner.
A threshold value decision unit can also be provided to determine a uniqueness of an illumination angle, with the virtual light guidance being disabled in the absence of uniqueness. Therefore no virtual shadow and/or fill-in regions are generated for the virtual object in particular in diffuse illumination conditions or illumination conditions with a plurality of light sources distributed in the space.
As far as the method is concerned, a real object is first recorded using a recording unit, having an optical axis, and displayed in a display unit. A data processing unit is then used to generate a virtual object to be inserted and display it on the display unit or overlay it on the real object. With at least two light-sensitive sensors, each having a known sensor directivity pattern, a sensor positioning and a sensor alignment, an illumination is then detected and output in each instance as sensor output signals. Using these sensor output signals and based on the known sensor positioning, the sensor alignment and the characteristics of the sensor directivity pattern, an illumination angle is then determined in relation to the optical axis and light guidance or the insertion of virtual shadow and/or fill-in regions is then carried out for the virtual object as a function of the determined illumination angle.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
According to
To realize such light guidance, in contrast to the related art, shadow objects or what are known as shadow catchers inserted into the scene are not used, rather an illumination angle is determined in relation to an optical axis of the recording unit AE by at least two light-sensitive sensors S, which are located for example on the surface of a housing of the mobile terminal H. The light-sensitive sensors S here each have a known sensor directivity pattern with a known sensor alignment and a known sensor positioning. Based on this sensor positioning, the sensor alignment and the characteristics of the sensor directivity pattern, it is then possible to evaluate the sensor output signals output at the respective sensors or their amplitude values, such that an illumination angle can be determined in relation to the optical axis of the recording unit AE, as a result of which virtual light guidance can in turn be carried out in the image on the display unit I for the virtual object or a virtual shadow region VS and/or a virtual fill-in region VA can be generated. This calculation is for example processed by a data processing unit present in any case in the mobile telecommunication terminal H, said data processing unit also being responsible for example for setting up and canceling connections and a plurality of further functionalities of the mobile terminal H.
According to
To simplify the diagram, according to
The sensors S1 and S2 have a known sensor positioning in respect of the recording unit AE and are located at a known distance d1 and d2 from the recording unit AE in
The mode of operation of the sensor directivity pattern is as follows here: a distance from the sensor to the edge of the elliptic curve or spatial elliptic club shape of the sensor directivity pattern corresponds to an amplitude of a sensor output signal SS1 and SS2, output at the sensor, when light from the light source L strikes the sensors S1 and S2 at a corresponding angle β1 or β2 to the sensor alignment SA1 or SA2. An amplitude of the sensor output signal SS1 and SS2 is therefore a direct measure of the angles β1 and β2, so a one-dimensional illumination angle α can be determined uniquely with knowledge of the characteristics of the directivity pattern RD1 and RD2 or the curve shapes and sensor positionings or distances d1 and d2, as well as the sensor alignment SA1 and SA2 in relation to the optical axis OA.
According to
The light-sensitive sensors S or S1 and S2 can for example be realized in the form of a photodiode, a phototransistor or other photo-sensitive elements, having a known directivity pattern. A directivity pattern can also be set or adjusted correspondingly by way of a lens arrangement, which is located in front of the light-sensitive sensor. Taking into account the sensor directivity patterns RD1 and RD2 and the associated sensor alignments SA1 and SA2 it is then possible to determine the resulting one-dimensional light-incidence angle or illumination angle α in one plane, which is defined through the two sensor elements S1 and S2, by establishing the relationship between the two sensor output signals SS1 and SS2, as in the monopulse method used in radar technology.
Since only one one-dimensional illumination angle a can be determined with two such light-sensitive sensors but a spatial illumination angle has to be determined for realistic light guidance, two such one-dimensional illumination angles are determined in an exemplary embodiment according to
More specifically, in
A third light-sensitive sensor is preferably disposed here on the surface of the housing of the mobile terminal H for example, such that it is located in a further plane. In the simplest instance it is disposed according to
A standard method for determining the spatial illumination angle from two one-dimensional illumination angles is the triangulation method known from GPS (global positioning system) systems for example. However any other methods can also be used to determine a spatial illumination angle.
According to a second exemplary embodiment (not shown), such a spatial illumination angle can however also be determined or estimated based on only one one-dimensional illumination angle, if the plane of the two light-sensitive sensors required for this one-dimensional illumination angle is parallel to a horizon or earth surface and the main illumination source is realized by the sun or sunlight, as is generally the case for example with a daylight environment.
According to this particular exemplary embodiment, a time of day at a defined location, from which a position of the sun or a second illumination angle perpendicular or vertical to the earth surface can be estimated, is also taken into account in addition to a one-dimensional illumination angle, to determine the spatial illumination angle. As a result only illumination changes taking place in a horizontal direction are detected by the two sensors S1 and S2 or by the one-dimensional illumination angle α, while the illumination changes taking place in a vertical direction are derived from a current time of day.
For this purpose a timer unit is used, which is generally present in any case in mobile terminals H, for example in the form of a clock with time zone data and summer-time is taken into account. A detection unit to detect a color temperature of the illumination present can also be provided to determine a daylight or artificial light environment, with an analysis unit analyzing or evaluating the detected color temperature. Since the known recording units or cameras deployed in mobile terminals H generally provide such information in respect of a color temperature in any case, the recording unit AE is used as the detection unit for color temperature and the data processing unit of the mobile terminal H is used for the analysis unit. The use of timer units and recording units that are present in any case results in a particularly simple and economical realization for this second exemplary embodiment.
Such embodiments can of course also be combined with further sensors to determine further one-dimensional illumination angles, ultimately resulting in a spatial illumination angle, on the basis of which virtual light guidance can be carried out or the virtual shadow and/or virtual fill-in regions can be generated for the virtual objects. It is possible to improve accuracy as required using this technique.
To simplify calculations further and to increase the accuracy of the calculation results, the characteristics or curves according to
To realize the most realistic light guidance possible, the illumination angle is carried out continuously in respect of time as a function of the recording unit AE. More specifically, associated calculations and corresponding light guidance are carried out for example for each recording of an image sequence. In principle however such calculations can also be restricted just to predetermined time intervals, which are independent of the functionality of the recording unit, in particular to save resources, such as computing capacity for example.
To realize the most flexible method possible and an associated device for light guidance in an augmented reality system, the sensors with their known sensor alignments and associated sensor directivity patterns can also be disposed in a rotatable manner, for example on the surface of the housing of the mobile terminal H, with the changing angle values for the sensor alignments however also having to be detected and transmitted to the data processing unit to be compensated for or taken into account.
Finally a threshold value decision unit can also be provided to determine a uniqueness of an illumination angle and therefore the illumination conditions, with the virtual light guidance for the virtual objects being disabled or no virtual shadow and/or virtual fill-in regions being generated in the image on the display unit in the absence of uniqueness. Incorrect virtual light guidance can therefore be prevented in particular in very diffuse light conditions or where there are a plurality of equivalent light sources disposed in the space, with the result that virtual objects can be displayed in a very realistic manner.
The device and method were described on the basis of a mobile telecommunication terminal, such as a mobile telephone H for example. It is however not restricted thereto and equally covers other mobile terminals, such as PDAs (personal digital assistants). It can also be used on stationary augmented reality systems. The device and method were also described on the basis of a single light source, such as an incandescent bulb or a sun. The device and method are however not restricted thereto but equally covers other main light sources, which can be made up of a plurality of light sources or different types of light sources. The device and method were also described on the basis of two or three light-sensitive sensors to determine an illumination angle. It is however not restricted thereto but equally also covers systems with a plurality of light-sensitive sensors, which can be positioned and aligned in any manner in relation to the recording unit AE and its optical axis OA.
A description has been provided with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 358 F3d 870, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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04024431.1 | Oct 2004 | EP | regional |
The application is based on and hereby claims priority to PCT Application No. PCT/EP2005/053194 filed on Jul. 5, 2005 and European Application No. EP04024431 filed on Oct. 13, 2004, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP05/53194 | 7/5/2005 | WO | 00 | 1/9/2008 |