Imaging system for producing a sequence of composite images which combine superimposed real images and synthetic images

• US 5,479,597 A
• Filed: 04/27/1992
• Issued: 12/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Institut National De L'audiovisuel Etablissement Public
• Inventors: Fellous, Armand
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burwell, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US07/877,961
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 395/154, 395/119, 395/120, 382/41
• US Class Current: 715/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2224 related to virtual studio applications

Abstract

A method of producing images comprising a free combination of real images obtained by a filming system containing a real camera and of synthetic images obtained through a graphics computer equipped with image synthesizing software, wherein: a prior parametric modeling is carried out of the filming system from real images each containing at least one test point whose geometrical position in real space is known, the position of these test points in the image being transmitted to the computer at the same time as the measured values of captured physical dimensions, characteristic of the geometry and of the optics of the real camera and of its support For each image; then, the abovementioned physical dimensions captured for each image are measured in synchronism with the generation of the real images; the captured dimensions are transmitted in real time and in synchronism with the generation of images to the graphics computer in order to determine the parameters of the model of the filming system; a sequence of synthetic digital images is generated whilst deducing from these parameters the computational characteristics of each synthetic image so as to obtain a perfect geometrical coherence between each real image and each corresponding synthetic image; and part of the real image is mixed with part of the synthetic image.

Claims

1. An imaging system for producing a sequence of composite images constituted by a superimposed combination of real images featuring the real world and of synthetic images representing a virtual world comprising;

at least one filming system including camera means mounted on mobile support means capable of creating a sequence of real images;

a plurality of sensor means arranged at various locations on said camera means and its mobile support means for continuously measuring a plurality of physical data characterizing said filming system, said data including geometrical and optical data;

electronic control means for (a) receiving said data for each real image, (b) generating a time-code for each real image, and (c) transmitting, with the data for each real image, single packets which include said time code and a synchronizing pulse;

a graphics computer equipped with software for synthesizing images;

and linking means for carrying said single packet and the data for their respective real images between said electronic control means and said graphics computer.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the camera means is one of the following:

a video camera;

a high-definition television camera;

a cinematographic camera.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, comprising several real filming systems.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least one test monitor for receiving in real time the combinations of real images and of synthetic images.