METHOD, DEVICE AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE

• US 20150138238A1
• Filed: 09/16/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: WAGG, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,747,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

A device for superimposing a graphic on an image which comprises:

• • a selection unit configured to select a plurality of specified points on the image which represent areas of background;
  • an image processing unit configured to i) determine a colour characteristic of the image at the plurality of specified points;
  • ii) determine a location for graphic insertion;
  • iii) determine the difference in colour between at least one of the plurality of specified points and the location for graphic insert;
  • iv) define areas within the location for graphic insert as a foreground region or a background region on the basis of the determined colour difference;
  • v) overlay the graphic on the image to form a graphic image; and
  • vi) overlay the foreground regions of the location for composition onto the graphic image, is described.

Claims

1. A device for superimposing a graphic on an image comprising:

selection circuitry configured to select a plurality of specified points on the image which represent areas of background;

image processing circuitry configured to i) determine a colour characteristic of the image at the plurality of specified points;

ii) determine a location for graphic insertion;

iii) determine the difference in colour between at least one of the plurality of specified points and the location for graphic insert;

iv) define areas within the location for graphic insert as a foreground region or a background region on the basis of the determined colour difference;

v) overlay the graphic on the image to form a graphic image; and

vi) overlay the foreground regions of the location for composition onto the graphic image.

2. A device according to claim 1, further wherein the image processing circuitry is configured to determine the colour characteristic at each of the specified points at a periodic time interval and storage configured to store the colour characteristic of the image at the selected plurality of points every time interval.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the determined colour characteristic at each selected point overwrites the previous colour characteristic at each specified point.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing circuitry is further configured to determine that the area within the location for graphic insert is a foreground region by applying a logistic function to a probability value, the probability value indicating the probability that the area is a background region or a foreground region calculated on the basis of the difference in colour between the selected specified point and the location for graphic insert.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein the image is a cut-out from a second image, the second image having a higher resolution than the cut-out and wherein the specified points and the location for graphic insert are located within the cut-out from the second image.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing circuitry is further configured to determine the position of at least one foreground object in the image using a tracking algorithm and defining the position as a foreground region.

7. A method for superimposing a graphic on an image comprising the steps of:

selecting a plurality of specified points on the image which represent areas of background;

determining a colour characteristic of the image at the plurality of specified points;

determining a location for graphic insertion;

determining the difference in colour between at least one of the plurality of specified points and the location for graphic insert;

defining areas within the location for graphic insert as a foreground region or a background region on the basis of the determined colour difference;

overlaying the graphic on the image to form a graphic image; and

overlaying the foreground regions of the location for composition onto the graphic image.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising determining the colour characteristic at each of the specified points at a periodic time interval and storing the colour characteristic of the image at the selected plurality of points every time interval.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the determined colour characteristic at each selected point overwrites the previous colour characteristic at each specified point.

10. A method according to claim 7, comprising determining that the area within the location for graphic insert is a foreground region by applying a logistic function to a probability value, the probability value indicating the probability that the area is a background region or a foreground region calculated on the basis of the difference in colour between the selected specified point and the location for graphic insert.

11. A method according to claim 7 wherein the image is a cut-out from a second image, the second image having a higher resolution than the cut-out and wherein the specified points and the location for graphic insert are located within the cut-out from the second image.

12. A method according to claim 7, comprising determining the position of at least one foreground object in the image using a tracking algorithm and defining the position as a foreground region.

13. A computer program containing computer readable instructions which, when loaded onto a computer, configures the computer to perform a method according to claim 7.

14. A computer program product configured to store the computer program of claim 13 therein or thereon.