This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application Serial No. 100117285 filed May 17, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
1. Technical Field
The disclosed embodiments relate in general to a localization device and a localization method and to a localization device assisted with augmented reality and a localization method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the location based service has gradually attracted people' attention, and the augmented reality technology is one of the most popular mobile services. The augmented reality technology, which calculates the physical location and the angle of the captured image and puts the corresponding information or picture on the captured image, aims to combining the virtual world and the real world and providing interaction between the two worlds. For example, when the image of a nearby restaurant is captured, the augmented reality technology can put the basic information and recommended menu on the image of the restaurant so as to provide the users with more convenient service. However, the correctness in determining the user's current location is a crucial factor that may affects the performance.
For most existing mobile devices, the user's location is normally obtained through the use of global positioning system (GPS), which is also adapted by most mobile devices assisted with augmented reality. However, the positioning error of the GPS ranges 3˜5 meters, and such error largely may affect the performance of the augmented reality.
One of the currently used methods for correcting the position error is through image processing. For example, the image of signboard can be obtained and used in image recognition to confirm whether the signboard matches the located shop or not. If yes, the information of augmented reality is displayed on the located shop. However, such method may require the collection of signboard images from everywhere, and the mobile devices need to spend tremendous computation time and power consumption on the processing of image recognition.
Therefore, how to provide a location method capable of promptly and effectively locating the user's current location for increasing the correctness and performance of augmented reality has become an imminent task for the industries.
The disclosure is directed to a localization device assisted with augmented reality and a localization method thereof for promptly and effectively determining the location of the localization device.
According to one exemplary embodiment, an embodiment of a localization device assisted with augmented reality is provided. The localization device embodiment includes a subject object coordinate generating unit, a relative angle determining element and a processing unit. The subject object coordinate generating unit selects at least three subject objects outside the localization device and obtains at least three subject object coordinate values of the at least three subject objects. The relative angle determining element determines at least two viewing angle differences between any two of the at least three subject objects. The processing unit generates a location coordinate value of the localization device according to the at least two viewing angle differences and the at least three subject object coordinate values.
According to another exemplary embodiment, an embodiment of a localization method assisted with augmented reality used in a localization device is provided. The localization method includes the following steps. At least three subject objects outside the localization device are selected and at least three subject object coordinate values of the at least three subject objects are obtained. At least two viewing angle differences between any two of the at least three subject objects are determined. A location coordinate value of the localization device is generated according to the at least two viewing angle differences and the at least three subject object coordinate values.
According to an alternative exemplary embodiment, an embodiment of a computer program product with a computer program is provided. After the computer program is loaded and executed in a localization device, the localization device completes a localization method assisted with augmented reality. The localization method includes the following steps. At least three subject objects outside the localization device are selected and at least three subject object coordinate values of the at least three subject objects are obtained. At least two viewing angle differences between any two of the at least three subject objects are determined. A location coordinate value of the localization device is generated according to the at least two viewing angle differences and the at least three subject object coordinate values.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
Referring to
The relative angle determining element 104 determines the at least two viewing angle differences between any two of the at least three subject objects, such as the view angle difference α between the subject object 202 and 204 and the viewing angle difference β between the subject object 204 and 206.
The processing unit 106 generates a location coordinate value of the localization device 100 according to the at least two viewing angle differences and the at least three subject object coordinate values. For example, the processing unit 106 generates the location coordinate value (x, y) of the localization device 100 according to the coordinate (x1, y1) of the subject object 202, the coordinate (x2, y2) of the subject object 204, the coordinate (x3, y3) of the subject object 206, and the view angle differences α and β.
Furthermore, the localization device 100 further includes a location information storage unit 108 for storing the at least three subject object coordinate values. The subject object coordinate generating unit 102 obtains the at least three subject object coordinate values of the at least three subject objects from the location information storage unit 108.
However, the localization device 100 can use the subject object coordinate generating unit 102 to obtain the at least three subject object coordinate values of the at least three subject objects from the Internet without using the location information storage unit 108. The at least three subject object coordinate values and the location coordinates value are such as the coordinate values of a global geography coordinate system, or the coordinate values of a user-defined plane coordinate system.
The subject object coordinate generating unit 102 includes an image capture device 110 and a screen display 112. The image capture device 110 respectively captures the images of the above at least three subject objects, and the screen display 112 respectively displays the images of the above at least three subject objects and a user interface. The user interface has an indicative mark. When the screen display 112 displays the images of the above at least three subject objects, the indicative mark selects the above at least three subject objects. The image capture device 110 can be realized by such as a video lens.
Referring to
The relative angle determining element 104 such as includes an inertial element, which can be realized by such as a magnetometer, a gravity accelerometer or a gyroscope. The magnetometer obtains the contained angle between a subject object and the right north, and the rotation angle of the localization device 100 can be estimated from the angular velocity of the gyroscope. However, the present embodiment is not limited to the above exemplification, and any element capable of measuring angle variation can be used as the relative angle determining element 104 of the present embodiment of the disclosure.
The present embodiment of the disclosure provides a localization method assisted with augmented reality and used in the localization device 100. Referring to
In step 402, when at least three subject objects are respectively selected, the localization device 100 faces the at least three subject objects respectively, and the images of the at least three subject objects displayed by the screen display 112 are respectively located on the indicative mark 306. For example, the localization device 100 faces the subject object 202 of
Then, the user, standing at substantially the same location, again rotates the localization device 100 to face the subject object 204 of
According to another method, after the subject objects 202 and 204 are selected, the relative angle determining element 104 directly detects and uses the rotation angle of the localization device 100 rotated from an angle facing the subject object 202 to an angle facing the subject object 204 as the view angle difference α, and after the subject objects 204 and 206 are selected, the relative angle determining element 104 directly detects and uses the rotation angle of the localization device 100 rotated from an angle facing the subject object 204 to an angle facing the subject object 206 as the viewing angle difference β.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The above candidate points can be generated according to an initial location of the localization device 100. For example, the landmarks closest to the initial location can be located from several landmarks and used as candidate points. As indicated in
If the localization device 100 has GPS function, then the initial location can be generated according to a received GPS positioning signal, so that the initial location of the localization device 100 can be obtained from the GPS. If the localization device 100 has wireless communication function, then the initial location can be generated from a base station positioning signal received by a wireless communication base station, so that the initial location of the localization device 100 can be obtained from the base station. If the localization device 100 cannot receive the GPS positioning signal for the time being, then the initial location can be determined according to the GPS positioning signal previously received at the vicinity, so that the possible location of the localization device 100 can be preliminarily estimated and used as the above initial location. If the localization device 100 has electronic map function, then the user can locate an initial region of the localization device 100 from an electronic map according to the user's knowledge of the current environment so as to generate the above initial location.
The location information storage unit 108 further stores the above several landmarks and their coordinate values. In step 402, several landmarks closest to the initial location are located from the landmarks stored in the location information storage unit 108 according to the initial location and used as the candidate points. In step 402, the landmarks and their coordinate values can also be obtained from the Internet.
Step 406 of
The relationships between the localization device 100 and subject objects 202, 204 and 206 of
Referring to
Next, the coordinates of the center point O1 are calculated according to the condition of the view angle difference α. If the view angle difference α<90°, given that
Thus, the possible coordinates of the center point O1 are expressed as follows:
If the view angle difference α>90° as indicated in
Thus, the possible coordinates of the center point O1 are expressed as follows:
If the view angle difference α=90°, then the coordinates of the center point O1 are expressed as:
Next, the parameter expressions of the coordinates of the center point O2 (x5, y5) on which the triangle ΔBXA lies are calculated according to the above method for obtaining the center point O1, and the coordinates of the center point O2 are calculated according to the condition of the view angle difference β.
Then, as indicated in
The present embodiment of the disclosure provides a computer program product having a computer program. After the computer program is loaded and executed in the localization device, the localization device performs the localization method assisted with augmented reality as indicated in
The present embodiment of the disclosure provides a localization device assisted with augmented reality and a localization method thereof of are capable of promptly and effectively positioning the location of the localization device for increasing the correctness and performance of the augmented reality and have the advantage of low cost.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the invention being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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100117285 | May 2011 | TW | national |