Creating overlapping real and virtual images

• US 6,753,879 B1
• Filed: 07/03/2000
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Deleeuw, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Caschera, Antonio
• Application Number:
  US09/609,724
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 345/751-783, 345/502-522, 345/629, 345/863, 345/473, 345/633, 345/632, 353/50, 463/50, 348/601, 348/598, 348/836, 348/787, 348/789, 604/95.01, 606/32
• US Class Current: 345/629
• 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: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image

Abstract

A computer generated image may be displayed inside an enclosure. The enclosure may include a transreflective surface so that the user can view the image generated by the computer system overlaid with a body part of the user. The computer generated images may move relative to the known position of the body part. As a result, the illusion is created that the physical body part interacts in a meaningful way with the computer generated image.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining the location of a human controlled object;

overlaying a computer generated image for viewing over said human controlled object by reflecting one of said computer generated image and an image of said object and transmitting the other of said computer generated image and said object image; and

controlling said computer generated image so that said computer generated image appears to interact with said human controlled object.

2. The method of claim 1 including providing an enclosure for viewing a human body part and said computer generated image.

3. The method of claim 2 including providing a port in said enclosure that enables viewing of both said human body part and said computer generated image.

4. The method of claim 3 including reflecting one of said human body part or said computer generated image for viewing through said port.

5. The method of claim 1 including providing a transreflective layer that reflects one of said computer generated image and said object and transmits the other of said image and said object for viewing.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the location of the object includes determining the location of said object in three dimensions.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein determining the location of said object in three dimensions includes imaging said object with at least two imaging devices.

8. The method of claim 1 including creating the impression that a user is disassembling an image into one or more parts.

9. The method of claim 1 including enabling the user to manually assemble a plurality of computer generated images into a composite whole.

10. The method of claim 1 including creating an apparent image of an object to be formed.

11. A system comprising:

an enclosure;

a first port positioned to enable a user to look into said enclosure;

a second port arranged to allow the user to insert an object into said enclosure;

a third port arranged to receive a computer-generated image; and

a transreflective sheet arranged to enable said computer-generated image and said object to be viewed through said first port in an overlapping arrangement.

12. The system of claim 11 including a processor-based system having a storage and a display device aligned with said third port, said storage storing instructions that enable said processor-based system to determine the location of the object, overlay the computer generated image for viewing over said object and control said computer generated image so that the image appears to interact with the object.

13. The system of claim 12 including a plurality of video cameras for imaging the object in said enclosure.

14. The system of claim 11 including a plurality of lights inside said enclosure underneath said transreflective sheet to illuminate the object.

15. The system of claim 11 including a device to create the appearance of three dimensions from a two dimensional image.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein at least one of said ports includes an anaglyphic device.

17. The system of claim 11 where said sheet transmits an image of the object and reflects the computer-generated image.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein said second port receives the user'"'"'s hand into said enclosure.

19. An article comprising a medium storing instructions that, if executed, enable a processor-based system to:

determine the location of a human controlled object in the form of a block of sculptable material;

overlay a computer generated image for viewing over said human controlled object;

control said image so that said image appears to interact with said human controlled object;

create an apparent image of a sculpture to be formed from the object; and

display said apparent image at a predefined location within said object to enable a user to cut said image from said object.