COMPUTER SIMULATION OF VISUAL IMAGES USING 2D SPHERICAL IMAGES EXTRACTED FROM 3D DATA

• US 20110273451A1
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Salemann, Leo J.
• Application Number:
  US12/776,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20110273451A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/427
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

A system, method, and computer-readable instructions for virtual real-time computer simulation of visual images of perspective scenes. A plurality of 2D spherical images are saved as a data set including 3D positional information of the 2D spherical images corresponding to a series of locations in a 3D terrain, wherein each 2D spherical image comprises a defined volume and has an adjacency relation with adjacent 2D spherical images in 3D Euclidean space. As the input for a current virtual position changes based on simulated movement of the observer in the 3D terrain, a processor updates the current 2D spherical image to an adjacent 2D spherical image as the current virtual position crosses into the adjacent 2D spherical image.

Claims

1. A method for virtual real-time computer simulation of visual images of perspective scenes, comprising:

(a) saving a plurality of 2D spherical images as a data set including 3D positional information of the 2D spherical images corresponding to a series of locations in a 3D terrain, wherein each 2D spherical image comprises a defined volume and has an adjacency relation with adjacent 2D spherical images in 3D Euclidean space;

(b) receiving an input for a current virtual position of an observer in the 3D terrain, wherein the virtual position in the 3D terrain is mapped to a corresponding 2D spherical image for that location in 3D Euclidean space, wherein the virtual position places the observer virtually within a current 2D spherical image;

(c) rendering a simulated spherical image for the current 2D spherical image, wherein the simulated spherical image is mapped onto a 3D sphere from a point of view (POV) that is a center of the 3D sphere looking outward;

(d) displaying a portion of the simulated spherical image representing a field of view (FOV) based on an eye-point of the observer; and

(e) as the input for the current virtual position changes based on simulated movement of the observer in the 3D terrain, updating the current 2D spherical image to an adjacent 2D spherical image as the current virtual position crosses into the adjacent 2D spherical image, and repeating steps (c) through (e).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the spherical images are saved as a data set represented as a lattice structure having three dimensions.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the lattice comprises a 3D array wherein each spherical image comprises a position identifier representing its x, y, z position in the 3D array.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein simulated movement of the virtual position of the observer within a boundary of the 3D sphere is displayed in the field of view (FOV) using image zooming techniques as the eye-point approaches the boundary.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein simulated movement of the virtual position of the observer across a boundary of the 3D sphere into an adjacent 3D sphere is rendered using image blending techniques as the eye-point passes the boundary.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein simulated movement comprises left, right, up, down, forward, and backward directional movement based on input received.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the field of view (FOV) of the observer is updated based on input received.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of two-dimensional (2D) spherical images are extracted from a three-dimensional (3D) terrain and object database, wherein the extracted 2D spherical images correspond to the series of locations in the 3D terrain, and wherein the series of locations are defined in 3D Euclidean space by Cartesian coordinates.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the extracted 2D spherical images are extracted using a virtual camera having a defined spherical view within the 3D terrain to directly capture the extracted 2D spherical images.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the extracted 2D spherical images are extracted using a virtual camera having a non-spherical field of view within the 3D terrain by capturing multiple images at each of the series of locations in the 3D terrain and stitching the multiple images into a panoramic image resulting in the extracted 2D spherical image.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, adapted to be executed by a processor to implement the method of claim 1.

11. A virtual reality system for virtual real-time computer simulation of visual images of perspective scenes, comprising:

a storage device of the virtual reality system having stored therein a plurality of 2D spherical images as a data set including 3D positional information of the 2D spherical images corresponding to a series of locations in a 3D terrain, wherein each 2D spherical image comprises a defined volume and has an adjacency relation with adjacent 2D spherical images in 3D Euclidean space;

a processor of the virtual reality system for receiving an input from an input device for a current virtual position of an observer in the 3D terrain, wherein the virtual position in the 3D terrain is mapped to a corresponding 2D spherical image for that location in 3D Euclidean space, wherein the virtual position places the observer virtually within a current 2D spherical image;

wherein the processor renders a simulated spherical image for the current 2D spherical image, wherein the simulated spherical image is mapped onto a 3D sphere from a point of view (POV) that is a center of the 3D sphere looking outward;

a display device of the virtual reality system for displaying a portion of the simulated spherical image representing a field of view (FOV) based on an eye-point of the observer;

wherein as the input for the current virtual position changes based on simulated movement of the observer in the 3D terrain, the processor updates the current 2D spherical image to an adjacent 2D spherical image as the current virtual position crosses into the adjacent 2D spherical image.

12. The virtual reality system of claim 11 wherein the spherical images are saved as a data set represented as a lattice structure having three dimensions.

13. The virtual reality system of claim 12 wherein the lattice comprises a 3D array wherein each spherical image comprises a position identifier representing its x, y, z position in the 3D array.

14. The virtual reality system of claim 11 wherein simulated movement of the virtual position of the observer within a boundary of the 3D sphere is displayed in the field of view (FOV) using image zooming techniques as the eye-point approaches the boundary.

15. The virtual reality system of claim 11 wherein simulated movement of the virtual position of the observer across a boundary of the 3D sphere into an adjacent 3D sphere is rendered using image blending techniques as the eye-point passes the boundary.

16. The virtual reality system of claim 11 wherein simulated movement comprises left, right, up, down, forward, and backward directional movement based on input received.

17. The virtual reality system of claim 11 wherein the field of view (FOV) of the observer is updated based on input received.

18. The virtual reality system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of two-dimensional (2D) spherical images are extracted from a three-dimensional (3D) terrain and object database, wherein the extracted 2D spherical images correspond to the series of locations in the 3D terrain, and wherein the series of locations are defined in 3D Euclidean space by Cartesian coordinates.

19. The virtual reality system of claim 18 wherein the extracted 2D spherical images are extracted using a virtual camera having a defined spherical view within the 3D terrain to directly capture the extracted 2D spherical images.

20. The virtual reality system of claim 18 wherein the extracted 2D spherical images are extracted using a virtual camera having a non-spherical field of view within the 3D terrain by capturing multiple images at each of the series of locations in the 3D terrain and stitching the multiple images into a panoramic image resulting in the extracted 2D spherical image.