Method for using a motorized camera mount for tracking in augmented reality

• US 20020191003A1
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Information Decision Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Information Decision Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Hobgood, Andrew W., Ebersole, John F., Ebersole, John F. Jr., Walker, John F.
• Granted Patent: US 6,903,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects

Abstract

The invention is a method for displaying otherwise unseen objects and other data using augmented reality (the mixing of real view with computer generated imagery). The method uses a motorized camera mount that can report the position of a camera on that mount back to a computer. With knowledge of where the camera is looking, and the size of its field of view, the computer can precisely overlay computer-generated imagery onto the video image produced by the camera. The method may be used to present to a user such items as existing weather conditions, hazards, or other data, and presents this information to the user by combining the computer generated images with the user'"'"'s real environment. These images are presented in such a way as to display relevant location and properties of the object to the system user. The primary intended applications are as navigation aids for air traffic controllers and pilots in training and operations, and use with emergency first responder training and operations to view and avoid/alleviate hazardous material situations, however the system can be used to display any imagery that needs to correspond to locations in the real world.

Claims

1. A method for using a motorized camera mount as a tracking system for Augmented Reality (AR) comprising:

capturing an image or view of the real world;

determining the orientation of a camera being carried by the camera mount by obtaining information from the motorized camera mount;

using a computer to generate a graphical image representing unseen information that corresponds to the known orientation of the viewpoint of the camera;

augmenting a view of the real world with the computer generated image; and

presenting the augmented view to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the augmenting step comprises using onboard video mixing through use of a video capture device with the computer, and the capturing step comprises capturing a video of reality.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the augmenting step comprises using an external video mixing solution, to combine real and computer-generated graphical elements outside of the computer.

4. The method of claim 1 for use in operations.

5. The method of claim 1 for use in training.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the determining step comprises calibrating the camera and camera mount.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the camera mount is coupled to a fixed platform.

8. The method of claim 1 where the determining step comprises using the camera and camera mount in conjunction with a separate tracking system to generate a combined position and orientation value.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the determining step comprises using the camera and camera mount and using the computer to request the current camera position to thus utilize a feedback architecture.

10. The method of claim 1 in which the determining step comprises using the camera and camera mount and using a feed-forward architecture.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the camera mount is not stationary.

12. The method of claim 11 in which the camera mount is attached to a vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11 in which the camera mount is attached to an aircraft.

14. The method of claim 11 in which the camera mount is attached to a watercraft or ship.

15. The method of claim 11 in which the camera mount is attached to a gimbaled arm.

16. The method of claim 1 in which the determining step comprises the motorized camera mount reporting the field of view of the camera to the computer.