OCCLUDING AUGMENTED REALITY OBJECTS

• US 20160314622A1
• Filed: 12/06/2013
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aurasma Limited (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: DAVIS, Stephen, SAKLATVALA, George
• Granted Patent: US 10,186,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/62 Semi-transparency
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2215/16 Using real world measurements to influence rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/10 Segmentation; Edge detection motion-based segmentation G06T7/215
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80

Abstract

Techniques for occluding augmented reality objects are described in various implementations. In one example implementation, a method may include receiving an image captured by an image capture device and identifying a foreground object depicted in the image. The foreground object may be free of fiducial markers and may be positioned between the image capture device and a background depicted in the image. The method may also include generating an augmented reality image depicting an augmented reality object at least partially occluded by the foreground object such that, when the augmented reality image is displayed, the augmented reality object appears to be positioned behind the foreground object.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing system, an image captured by an image capture device;

identifying, using the computing system, a foreground object depicted in the image, the foreground object being free of fiducial markers and being positioned between the image capture device and a background depicted in the image; and

generating, using the computing system, an augmented reality image depicting an augmented reality object at least partially occluded by the foreground object such that, when the augmented reality image is displayed, the augmented reality object appears to be positioned behind the foreground object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the augmented reality image comprises drawing the augmented reality object onto the image except in a portion of the image that is occupied by the foreground object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the augmented reality image comprises alpha blending the foreground object such that the foreground object appears semi-transparent in the augmented reality image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a transparency value associated with the foreground object is based on a confidence level associated with identification of the foreground object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the foreground object comprises comparing the image to an initialization image captured by the image capture device, the initialization image depicting the background and not depicting the foreground object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the foreground object comprises generating a map of pixels and corresponding foreground confidence values, the foreground confidence values representing a level of certainty that the pixels are associated with the foreground object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the foreground confidence values are based on a known attribute of an expected foreground object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the known attribute comprises color information indicating likely ranges of colors associated with the expected foreground object.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the known attribute comprises shape information indicating likely shapes associated with the expected foreground object.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the known attribute comprises position information indicating likely regions where the expected foreground object will be positioned in the image.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the foreground confidence values are based on previously received images.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the foreground confidence values affect how the pixels are rendered in the augmented reality image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein transparency values of the pixels are based on the foreground confidence values.

14. A system comprising:

a processor resource;

an image capture device to capture images;

a foreground object identification module executable on the processor resource to receive an image from the image capture device and to identify a foreground object depicted in the image using markerless identification; and

an augmented reality engine executable on the processor resource to generate an augmented reality image depicting an augmented reality object at least partially occluded by the foreground object such that, when the augmented reality image is displayed, the augmented reality object appears to be positioned behind the foreground object.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor resource, cause the processor resource to:

receive an image;

identify a foreground object depicted in the image using markerless identification; and

generate an augmented reality image depicting an augmented reality object at least partially occluded by the foreground object such that, when the augmented reality image is displayed, the augmented reality object appears to be positioned behind the foreground object.