Active aid for a handheld camera

• US 20010041073A1
• Filed: 02/01/2001
• Published: 11/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ALST Technical Excellence Center
• Original Assignee: ALST Technical Excellence Center
• Inventors: Vitsnudel, Ilia, Sorek, Noam, Fridental, Ron
• Application Number:
  US09/775,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20010041073A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/431
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/225 based on a marking or identifier characterising the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/235 based on user input or interaction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/107 with manual scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/195 the array comprising a two-dimensional array or a combination of two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/19594 using a television camera or a still video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0452 Indicating the scanned area, e.g. by projecting light marks onto the medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/959 by adjusting depth of field during image capture, e.g. maximising or setting range based on scene characteristics

Abstract

Apparatus for imaging an object, consisting of a projector, which is adapted to project and focus a marker pattern onto the object, and a hand-held camera, which is adapted to capture an image of a region defined by the marker pattern when the marker pattern is focussed onto the object.

Claims

1. Apparatus for imaging an object, comprising:

a projector, which is adapted to project and focus a marker pattern onto the object; and

a hand-held camera, which is adapted to capture an image of a region defined by the marker pattern when the marker pattern is focussed onto the object.

2. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the projector is fixedly coupled to the hand-held camera.

3. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the marker pattern comprises a marker-pattern depth-of-field, and wherein the hand-held camera comprises a camera depth-of-field, and wherein the marker-pattern depth-of-field is a predetermined function of the camera depth-of-field.

4. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the marker pattern comprises a marker-pattern depth-of-field, and wherein the hand-held camera comprises a camera depth-of-field, and wherein the marker-pattern depth-of-field is substantially the same as the camera depth-of-field.

5. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the hand-held camera is comprised in a mobile telephone.

6. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the projector comprises a mask and one or more illuminators which project an image of the mask onto the object so as to form the marker pattern thereon.

7. Apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein at least one of the mask and the one or more illuminators are adjustable in position so as to generate a different marker pattern responsive to the adjustment.

8. Apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein the one or more illuminators comprise a plurality of illuminators, at least some of the plurality having different wavelengths.

9. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, and comprising a central processing unit (CPU), and wherein the marker pattern comprises a plurality of elements having a predetermined relationship with each other, and wherein the CPU corrects a distortion of the image of the region responsive to a captured image of the elements and the predetermined relationship.

10. Apparatus according to

claim 9

, wherein the distortion comprises at least one distortion chosen from a group of distortions comprising translation, scaling, rotation, shear, and perspective.

11. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein a projector-optical-axis of the projector is substantially similar in orientation to a camera-optical-axis of the camera.

12. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein a projector-optical-axis of the projector is substantially different in orientation from a camera-optical-axis of the camera.

13. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the projector comprises one or more illuminators, and wherein the hand-held camera comprises an imaging sensor, and wherein the illuminators are fixedly coupled to the imaging sensor so as to form the marker pattern at a conjugate plane of the sensor.

14. Apparatus according to

claim 13

, wherein the one or more illuminators comprise respective one or more mirrors which are implemented with the imaging sensor as one monolithic element, and a source which illuminates the one or more mirrors.

15. Apparatus according to

claim 14

, wherein the one or more mirrors comprise diffractive optics.

16. Apparatus according to

claim 13

, wherein the one or more illuminators comprise respective one or more holes which are implemented within the sensor, and a source and a light guide which is adapted to direct light from the source through the one or more holes.

17. Apparatus according to

claim 13

, and comprising a central processing unit (CPU), wherein the CPU is adapted to measure at least one parameter in a first group of parameters comprising an intensity of the marker pattern and an intensity of the image, and to alter an intensity of the one or more illuminators responsive to at least one parameter of a second group of parameters comprising a distance of the object from the camera, the measured marker pattern intensity, and the measured image intensity.

18. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, and comprising a CPU which is adapted to analyze a position of an image of the marker pattern produced in the hand-held camera, and to generate a sensory signal to a user of the apparatus responsive to the analyzed position of the marker pattern image relative to the image of the region.

19. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the projector comprises a first and a second optical beam generator, and wherein the marker pattern comprises a respective first and second image of each beam on the object, and wherein the marker pattern is in focus when the first and second images substantially coincide.

20. Apparatus according to

claim 19

, wherein a first wavelength of the first beam is substantially different from a second wavelength of the second beam.

21. Apparatus according to

claim 19

, wherein a first orientation of the first beam is substantially different from a second orientation of the second beam.

22. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the projector comprises a beam director which is adapted to vary a position of the marker pattern, wherein the hand-held camera comprises an imaging sensor and a CPU which is coupled to the sensor and the beam director, so that the CPU varies the position of the marker pattern responsive to a characteristic of the image of the region.

23. Apparatus according to

claim 22

, wherein the region comprises text, and wherein the CPU is adapted to analyze the image of the region to characterize the text, and wherein the characteristic of the image comprises a text characteristic.

24. Apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the region comprises a portion of the object which is related to the marker pattern by a predetermined geometrical relationship.

25. Apparatus according to

claim 24

, wherein the region is substantially framed by the marker pattern.

26. A method for imaging an object, comprising:

projecting a marker pattern with a projector;

focussing the marker pattern onto the object;

defining a region of the object by the focussed marker pattern; and

capturing an image of the region with a hand-held camera.

27. A method according to

claim 26

, and comprising fixedly coupling the projector to the hand-held camera.

28. A method according to

claim 26

, wherein focussing the marker pattern comprises focussing the marker pattern responsive to a marker-pattern depth-of-field, wherein capturing the image comprises focussing the camera on the region within a camera depth-of-field, and wherein the marker-pattern depth-of-field is a predetermined function of the camera depth-of-field.

29. A method according to

claim 26

, wherein focussing the marker pattern comprises focussing the marker pattern within a marker-pattern depth-of-field, wherein capturing the image comprises focussing the camera on the region within a camera depth-of-field, and wherein the marker-pattern depth-of-field is substantially the same as the camera depth-of-field.

30. A method according to

claim 26

, wherein the hand-held camera is comprised in a mobile telephone.

31. A method according to

claim 26

, wherein the projector comprises a mask and one or more illuminators and wherein projecting the marker pattern comprises projecting an image of the mask onto the object so as to form the marker pattern thereon.

32. A method according to

claim 31

, wherein projecting the marker pattern comprises adjusting a position of at least one of the mask and the one or more illuminators so as to generate a different marker pattern responsive to the adjustment.

33. A method according to

claim 26

, wherein projecting the marker pattern comprises projecting a plurality of elements having a predetermined relationship with each other, and wherein capturing the image comprises correcting a distortion of the image of the region utilizing a central processing unit (CPU) responsive to a captured image of the elements and the predetermined relationship.

34. A method according to

claim 33

, wherein the distortion comprises at least one distortion chosen from a group of distortions comprising translation, scaling, rotation, shear, and perspective.

35. A method according to

claim 26

, wherein the projector comprises one or more illuminators, wherein the hand-held camera comprises an imaging sensor, and wherein projecting the marker pattern comprises fixedly coupling the illuminators to the imaging sensor, and wherein focussing the marker pattern comprises focussing the pattern at a conjugate plane of the sensor.

36. A method according to

claim 35

, wherein the one or more illuminators comprise respective one or more mirrors which are implemented with the imaging sensor as one monolithic element, and wherein projecting the marker pattern comprises illuminating the one or more mirrors.

37. A method according to

claim 36

, wherein the one or more mirrors comprise diffractive optics.

38. A method according to

claim 35

, wherein the one or more illuminators comprise respective one or more holes which are implemented within the sensor and a source and a light guide, and wherein projecting the marker pattern comprises directing light from the source via the light guide through the one or more holes.

39. A method according to

claim 35

, and comprising measuring at least one parameter in a first group of parameters comprising an intensity of the marker pattern and an intensity of the image, and altering an intensity of the one or more illuminators responsive to at least one parameter of a second group of parameters comprising a distance of the object from the camera, the measured marker pattern intensity, and the measured image intensity.

40. A method according to

claim 26

, and comprising analyzing a position of an image of the marker pattern produced in the hand-held camera, and generating a sensory signal to a user of the apparatus responsive to the analyzed position of the marker pattern image relative to the image of the region.

41. A method according to

claim 26

, wherein the projector comprises a first and a second optical beam generator, and wherein the marker pattern comprises a respective first and second image of each beam on the object, and wherein focussing the marker pattern comprises aligning the first and second images to substantially coincide.

42. A method according to

claim 26

, wherein the camera comprises a CPU, and wherein capturing the image comprises determining a characteristic of the image of the region with the CPU, and wherein projecting the marker pattern comprises varying a position of the marker pattern with a beam director comprised in the projector responsive to a signal from the CPU and the characteristic of the image.

43. A method according to

claim 42

, wherein determining the characteristic of the image comprises:

analyzing the image of the region to recover text therein; and

determining a text characteristic of the text.

44. A method according to

claim 26

, wherein defining the region comprises relating a portion of the object to the marker pattern by a predetermined geometrical relationship.

45. A method according to

claim 44

, wherein relating a portion of the object comprises framing the portion by the marker pattern.