SYSTEM AND METHOD OF VISUAL LAYERING

• US 20140125704A1
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sievert, Otto K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,229,538 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/54 with projector
• 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 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

A camera identifies a physical object positioned in a workspace. A display displays first digital information into the workspace. A layering module treats the physical object as a first layer in the workspace and treats the first digital information as a second layer in the workspace. A controller controls the visual adjacency of the first and second layers via display of the first digital information.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a camera to identify a physical object positioned in a workspace;

a display to display first digital information in the workspace;

a layering module to treat the physical object as a first layer in the workspace and to treat the first digital information as a second layer in the workspace; and

a controller to control the visual order of the first and second layers via display of the first digital information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera is at least one of an infrared camera or a visible-light camera.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the controller to alter the display of the first digital information to maintain an existing visual order between the first and second layers in response to a change in position of the physical object relative to the first digital information.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising;

a user input module to receive user input; and

the controller to alter the display of the first digital information to alter the visual order of the first and second layers.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the display to display second digital information in the workspace; and

the layering module to treat the second digital information as a third layer in the workspace; and

the controller to control display of the first and second digital information to alter the visual order between the first, second, and third layers.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is a digital projector.

7. A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to:

identify a physical object positioned in a workspace;

associate the physical object with a first layer;

display digital information as a second layer in the workspace; and

alter the visual adjacency between the first and second layers.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, comprising further instructions that cause the computer to:

maintain an existing visual adjacency between the first and second layers in response to a change in position of the physical object relative to the displayed digital information.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, comprising further instructions that cause the computer to:

display additional digital information as a third layer in the workspace; and

alter the visual adjacency between the first, second, and third layers.

10. A method for a projector-camera system, comprising:

identifying a physical object positioned in a workspace;

associating the physical object with a first layer;

projecting digital information as a second layer into the workspace; and

altering the visual adjacency between the first and second layers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the physical object is identified via infrared sensing.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the digital information comprises a digital image or digital video feed.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

maintaining an existing visual adjacency between the first and second layers in response to a change in position of the physical object relative to the projected digital information.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein altering the visual adjacency comprises:

receiving user input;

altering the visual adjacency of the first and second layers in response to the user input.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

projecting additional digital information as a third layer into the workspace; and

altering the visual adjacency between the first, second, and third layers.