METHOD OF CAPTURING, PROCESSING, AND RENDERING IMAGES

• US 20110102433A1
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Captivemotion, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Captivemotion, Inc.
• Inventors: Kraver, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 8,395,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10021 Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30208 Marker matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/285 using a sequence of stereo image pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of capturing and processing a series of images incorporating a plurality of digitized markers is presented. A position of a first digitized marker is located in a first image frame. A second, succeeding image frame is searched for the first digitized marker. When the first digitized marker is not found in the second, succeeding image frame, a best guess position of the first marker in the second, succeeding image frame is interpolated by processing translation information of a second marker geometrically interconnected to the first marker. The first image frame may be captured with a first video camera having a first optical position to generate a first image representation. The first image frame may be captured with a second video camera having a second optical position to generate a second image representation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of capturing and processing a series of images incorporating a plurality of digitized markers, comprising:

locating a position of a first digitized marker in a first image frame;

searching for the first digitized marker in a second, succeeding image frame; and

when the first digitized marker is not found in the second, succeeding image frame, interpolating a best guess position of the first marker in the second, succeeding image frame by processing translation information of a second marker geometrically interconnected to the first marker.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interconnected digitized markers are generated in a three-dimensional mesh representation.

3. The method of claim 1, including capturing the first image frame with a first video camera having a first optical position to generate a first image representation.

4. The method of claim 3, further including processing the first image representation through a marker segmentation algorithm to obtain a first image segmentation representation.

5. The method of claim 3, including capturing the first image frame with a second video camera having a second optical position to generate a second image representation.

6. The method of claim 5, including synchronizing the first and second image representations to generate a composite image representation representing correlated first and second image representations.

7. The method of claim 5, further including:

dragging a projected tracking point in the first image representation until a third, matching marker is overlapped;

locking the first image representation to prevent further use of the third, matching marker; and

projecting a line from the third, matching marker in the first image representation into view of the second image representation, wherein if a fourth marker is identified along the line, the fourth marker is used in the second, succeeding image frame of the second image representation, and if the fourth marker is not identified;

utilizing the closest, fifth marker from the projected tracking point in the first image representation to the projected line in the second, succeeding image frame.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of digitized markers vary in texture or color.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first marker and the second marker match in color or texture.

10. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium including a computer usable program code for capturing and processing a series of images, said computer program product including;

computer usable program code for locating a position of a first digitized marker in a first image frame;

computer usable program code for searching for the first digitized marker in a second, succeeding image frame; and

computer usable program code for, when the first digitized marker is not found in the second, succeeding image frame, interpolating a best guess position of the first marker in the second, succeeding image frame by processing translation information of a second marker geometrically interconnected to the first marker.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the plurality of interconnected digitized markers are generated in a three-dimensional mesh representation.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, including computer usable program code for capturing the first image frame with a first video camera having a first optical position to generate a first image representation.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, including computer usable program code for capturing the first image frame with a second video camera having a second optical position to generate a second image representation.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, including computer usable program code for synchronizing the first and second image representations to generate a composite image representation representing correlated first and second image representations.

15. A computer system for capturing and processing a series of images, comprising:

a memory device; and

a processing device electrically connected to the memory device, wherein the processing device is configured to;

locate a position of a first digitized marker in a first image frame;

search for the first digitized marker in a second, succeeding image frame; and

when the first digitized marker is not found in the second, succeeding image frame, interpolate a best guess position of the first marker in the second, succeeding image frame by processing translation information of a second marker geometrically interconnected to the first marker.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of interconnected digitized markers are generated in a three-dimensional mesh representation.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the processing device is configured to capture the first image frame with a first video camera having a first optical position to generate a first image representation.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the processing device is configured to capture the first image frame with a second video camera having a second optical position to generate a second image representation.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the processing device is configured to synchronize the first and second image representations to generate a composite image representation representing correlated first and second image representations.