Method and system for reconstructing 3D interactive walkthroughs of real-world environments

• US 20050018058A1
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Aliaga, Daniel G., Carlbom, Ingrid B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,027,049 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/205 Image-based rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/16 using multiple overlapping images; Image stitching

Abstract

An omnidirectional video camera captures images of the environment while moving along several intersecting paths forming an irregular grid. These paths define the boundaries of a set of image loops within the environment. For arbitrary viewpoints within each image loop, a 4D plenoptic function may be reconstructed from the group of images captured at the loop boundary. For an observer viewpoint, a strip of pixels is extracted from an image in the loop in front of the observer and paired with a strip of pixels extracted from another image on the opposite side of the image loop. A new image is generated for an observer viewpoint by warping pairs of such strips of pixels according to the 4D plenoptic function, blending each pair, and then stitching the resulting strips of pixels together.

Claims

1. A method of gathering image data of an environment comprising:

recording images of the environment at various points of intersecting paths within a plane of the environment, at least a portion of the intersecting paths defining boundaries of an image loop;

determining a three-dimensional position and orientation relative to the environment corresponding to each image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of recording images comprises:

using a hemispherical field-of-view omnidirectional camera with an effective center-of-projection to record the images.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of recording images further comprises:

conveying the omnidirectional camera to each of the various points along the intersecting paths, the omnidirectional camera being conveyed at a fixed height.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the steps of using the omnidirectional camera and conveying the omnidirectional camera are performed by wired or wireless control.