Precise calibration procedure for sensor-based view point control system

• US 5,796,386 A
• Filed: 06/19/1996
• Issued: 08/18/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rossignac, Jaroslaw Roman, Lipscomb, James Sargent, Menon, Jai Prakash, Wolfe, Robert Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vail, Seth D.
• Application Number:
  US08/691,694
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/158, 348/135, 348/136, 348/142, 348/143, 382/152, 382/154
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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

Abstract

In a graphics processing and display system wherein the view point is controlled according to position and orientation of a view point reference with respect to a representation of the displayed graphics data determined by a view point reference coordinate sensing system comprising a source and a sensor, wherein the sensor has a fixed position and orientation with respect to said view point reference and the source has a fixed position and orientation with respect to the schematic representation, calibration of the system requires two ordered steps: view point reference-sensor calibration and source-representation calibration. View point reference-sensor calibration is performed by registering and processing four configurations of the sensor housing. Source-representation calibration is performed by storing and processing three positions of the sensor housing.

Claims

1. In a system for processing and displaying graphics data representing at least one three-dimensional object according to a view point, wherein said view point is controlled according to position and orientation of a view point reference with respect to a source determined by a view point reference coordinate sensing system, said view point reference coordinate sensing system comprising said source and a sensor having a fixed position and orientation with respect to said view point reference, a method of determining said fixed position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said view point reference comprising the steps of:

storing a first position and orientation of said sensor with respect to a coordinate system of said source;

rotating said sensor from said first position and orientation around a first rotational axis such that said sensor has a second position and orientation with respect to said coordinate system of said source, and storing said second position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source;

storing a third position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source;

rotating said sensor from said third position and orientation around a second rotational axis substantially orthogonal to said first axis such that said sensor has a fourth position and orientation with respect to said coordinate system of said source, and storing said fourth position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source; and

determining said fixed position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said view point reference according to the stored first, second, third and fourth positions and orientations of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source,

wherein said first rotational axis passes through a pivot point having a known position relative to the position of said view point reference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said second rotational axis passes through said pivot point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining said fixed position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said view point reference includes the steps of:

calculating coordinates of said first rotational axis with respect to said coordinate system of said source according to the stored first position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source and the stored second position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source;

calculating coordinates of said second rotational axis with respect to said coordinate system of said source according to the stored third position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source and the stored fourth position and orientation of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source;

calculating a position of said pivot point with respect to said coordinate system of said source according to the calculated coordinates of said first rotational axis with respect to said coordinate system of said source and the calculated coordinates of said second rotational axis with respect to said coordinate system of said source;

calculating a position of said pivot point with respect to said sensor according to the calculated position of said pivot point with respect to said coordinate system of said source and at least one of the stored first position of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source and the stored second position of said sensor with respect to said coordinate system of said source;

calculating said position of said view point reference with respect to said sensor according to the calculated position of said pivot point with respect to said sensor and said known position of said pivot point with respect to said view point reference;

calculating said orientation of said view point reference with respect to said sensor according to the calculated coordinates of at least one of said first and second rotational axes with respect to said coordinate system of said source.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of calculating a position of said pivot point with respect to said source includes the steps of:

calculating coordinates of a line with respect to said coordinate system of said source, wherein said line is perpendicular to said first and second rotational axes;

calculating coordinates of a first plane with respect to said coordinate system of said source, wherein said first plane is perpendicular to said line and wherein lies said first rotational axis;

calculating coordinates of a second plane with respect to said coordinate system of said source, wherein said second plane is perpendicular to said line and wherein lies said second rotational axis;

calculating coordinates of a first projected axis with respect to said coordinate system of said source, wherein said first projected axis is defined by projecting said first axis onto said second plane;

calculating coordinates of a second projected axis with respect to said coordinate system of said source, wherein said second projected axis is defined by projecting said second axis onto said first plane;

calculating coordinates of a first endpoint with respect to said coordinate system of said source, wherein said first endpoint is defined by an intersection of said first rotational axis with said second projected axis;

calculating coordinates of a second endpoint with respect to said coordinate system of said source, wherein said second endpoint is defined by an intersection of said second rotational axis with said first projected axis; and

equating position of said pivot point with respect to said coordinate system of said source to a position along a line between said first and second endpoints.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein in said step of equating said position of said pivot point with respect to said coordinate system of said source to a position along a line between said first and second endpoints, said position of said pivot point is equated with position of one of said first and second endpoints according to a weighting function.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of calculating said orientation of said view point reference with respect to said sensor includes the step of:

setting said orientation of said view point reference with respect to said sensor to a direction along an axis orthogonal to said first and second rotational axes.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of calculating said orientation of said view point reference with respect to said sensor includes the step of:

setting said orientation of said view point reference with respect to said sensor to a direction along an axis orthogonal to said first rotational axis and said second projected axis.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of calculating said orientation said view point reference with respect to said sensor includes the step of:

setting said orientation of said view point reference with respect to said sensor to a direction along an axis orthogonal to said first projected axis and said second rotational axis.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said sensor is affixed to a head mounted display, wherein said first position and orientation differs from said second position and orientation in side to side head motion, and said third position and orientation differs from said fourth position and orientation in up and down head motion.

10. In a system for processing and displaying graphics data representing at least one three-dimensional object according to a view point, wherein said view point is controlled according to position and orientation of a sensor with respect to a representation of said at least one three-dimensional object determined by a view point reference coordinate sensing system, said view point reference coordinate sensing system comprising said sensor and source having a fixed position and orientation with respect to said representation, a method of determining said fixed position and orientation of said source with respect to said representation comprising the steps of:

placing said sensor in a first predetermined position with respect to a coordinate system of said representation and registering a first position point;

moving said sensor to a second predetermined position with respect to said coordinate system of said representation and registering a second position point;

moving said sensor to a third position with respect to said coordinate system of said representation and registering a third position point; and

determining said fixed position and orientation of said source with respect to said representation according to the registered first, second and third position points,

wherein said first and second predetermined positions with respect to said coordinate system of said representation correspond to first and second predetermined positions with respect to a coordinate system of said at least one three-dimensional object, and wherein said first predetermined position, said second predetermined position and said third position with respect to said coordinate system of said representation have a predetermined sense.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining said fixed position and orientation of said source with respect to said representation includes the steps of:

calculating coordinates of an origin of a first intermediate coordinate system with respect to said coordinate system of said representation according to position of said first predetermined point with respect to said coordinate system of said representation;

calculating coordinates of a first axis of said first intermediate coordinate system with respect to said coordinate system of said representation, wherein said first axis is defined by a vector that joins said first predetermined point to said second predetermined point;

calculating coordinates of a second axis of said first intermediate coordinate system with respect to said coordinate system of said representation, wherein said second axis is an axis normal to a plane defined by said first and second predetermined points and a third predetermined point;

calculating coordinates of a third axis of said first intermediate coordinate system, wherein said third axis is orthogonal to said first and second axes.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

calculating coordinates of an origin of a second intermediate coordinate system with respect to said coordinate system of said representation according to position of said registered first position point with respect to said coordinate system of said representation;

calculating coordinates of a first axis of said second intermediate coordinate system with respect to said coordinate system of said representation, wherein said first axis is defined by a vector that joins said first position point to said second position point;

calculating coordinates of a second axis of said second intermediate coordinate system with respect to said coordinate system of said representation, wherein said second axis is an axis normal to a plane defined by said first and second predetermined points and a third predetermined point; and

calculating coordinates of a third axis of said second intermediate coordinate system, wherein said third axis is orthogonal to said first and second axes.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

performing a sequence of coordinate system transformations according to coordinates of said origin, first axis, second axis and third axis of said first intermediate coordinate system with respect to said coordinate system of said representation and according to coordinates of said origin, first axis, second axis and third axis of said second intermediate coordinate system with respect to said coordinate system of said representation to determine said fixed position and orientation of said source with respect to said representation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said view point is controlled according to a scale factor that relates physical dimensions of said representation to physical dimensions of said at least one three-dimensional object, further comprising the step of:

performing a coordinate system transformation according to said scale factor to determine said fixed position and orientation of said source with respect to said representation.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

determining said scale factor by dividing distance between said first and second position points with distance between said first and second predetermined points.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said scale factor is measured and supplied to said system by a user.