Device and Method for Presenting an Image of the Surrounding World

• US 20070247457A1
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Totalforsvarets Forskningsinstitut (FOI)
• Original Assignee: Totalforsvarets Forskningsinstitut (FOI)
• Inventors: Carleberg, Per, Gustafsson, Torbjorn
• Application Number:
  US11/630,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20070247457A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/420
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/00 Sighting devices for indirect laying of fire F41G3/16; bombsights F41G3/24 ; structurally associated with laser telemeters F41G3/065; mounting tubular or beam shaped aiming devices on firearms F41G11/001
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/26 Peepholes; Windows; Loopholesmanufacture or composition of glass C03; Covers therefor informative reference: transparent bullet-proof laminates F41H5/0407; layered products essentially comprising glass B32B17/06
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/02 Land vehicles with enclosing armour, e.g. tanks endless-track vehicles, steering thereof B62D ; vehicles for placing portable or sectional bridges E01D15/127; vehicles carrying floating bridges E01D15/22
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/12 Panospheric to cylindrical image transformations

Abstract

A device and a method for displaying an image of the surroundings to a user (90), comprising an image sensor device (10), which records image information of a surrounding world, connected via a transmission device (20) to a central unit (30), and a head-mounted display device (40), where the central unit (30) displays images from the image sensor device (10). The invention comprises that the central unit (30) generates a virtual 3D world where image information (8) is projected in real time from the image sensor device (10) as textures in a 3D world. Parts of the 3D world are then displayed on the display device (40) in real time.

Claims

1. A device for displaying an image of the surroundings to a user (90), comprising an image sensor device (10), which records image information of a surrounding world, connected via a transmission device (20) to a central unit (30), and a head-mounted display device (40), where the central unit (30) displays images from the image sensor device (10), characterised in that the device comprises a head position sensor (51) detecting the position (52) and viewing direction (53) of the user;

the central unit (30) comprises a computer graphics processing unit (32);

the central unit (30) generates a virtual 3D world;

the central unit (30) projects image information (8) in real time from the image sensor device (10) as textures in the 3D world; and

the central unit (30) displays parts of the 3D world on the display device (40) in real time.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that that part of the 3D world which is displayed on the display device (40) is determined by information from the head position sensor (50).

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the central unit (30) projects stored image information (8) as textures in the 3D world.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the virtual 3D world is in the form of part of a cylinder, a sphere or a semi-sphere.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the transmission channel (20) is bidirectional so that only the images requested by the central unit are sent to the central unit (30).

6. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the display device (40) is a display to be carried in connection with the user'"'"'s eyes, for instance a head-mounted miniature display.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that image sensor device (10) comprises means for digitising the images from the image sensors.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the image sensor device (10) comprises a camera (13) arranged close to the user, preferably on the user'"'"'s head.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the image sensor device (10) comprises an additional camera (12).

10. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the central unit (30) projects virtual objects in the 3D world.

11. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the device comprises two or more head position sensors (51) connected to two or more users (90) and two or more display devices (40) to show corresponding parts of the 3D world to the respective users (90).

12. A method of displaying an image of the surroundings to a user (90), comprising an image sensor device (10) which records image information (8) of a surrounding world, a transmission device (20), a central unit (30), a display device (40) and a head position sensor (50), characterised in that

the central unit (30) comprising a computer graphics processing unit (32) generates a virtual 3D world;

the head position sensor (50) sends information about the position (52) and the viewing direction (53) of the user to the central unit (30);

the central unit imports virtually the user (90) into the virtual 3D world based on the information from the head position sensor (50);

the image sensor device (10) sends image information (8) to the central unit (30) through the transmission device (20);

the computer graphics processing unit (32) projects in real time image information (8) from the image sensor device (10) as textures in the 3D world in real time;

the central unit (30) sends the parts of the 3D world which are positioned in an area around the viewing direction of the user to the display device (40) to be displayed.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that the image sensor device (10) digitises the images (8).

14. A method as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that the central unit (30) sends a request to the image sensor device (10) for the image information (8) that is to be displayed.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, characterised in that the image sensor device (10) sends the requested image information (8) to the central unit (30).

16. A method as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that the central unit (30) imports into the 3D world an interior of a vehicle (5) or the like to give the user (90) one ore more reference points.

17. A method as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that the central unit (30) imports into the 3D world a virtual object, for instance a combat vehicle or a house, to assist the user in obtaining a better image of the surroundings.

18. A method as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that the central unit (30) imports into the 3D world image information from a camera in the vicinity of the user, preferably a camera (13) on the user'"'"'s head.

19. A method as claimed in any one of claim 12, characterised in that the central unit (30) imports into the 3D world image information from an additional camera (12).

20. A method as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that the virtual 3D world is in the form of part of a cylinder, a sphere or a semi-sphere.