System and method for optically communicating information between a display and a camera

• US 6,798,445 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2000
• Issued: 09/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brumitt, Barrett L., Shafer, Steven A. N., Harris, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hannett, James M.
• Application Number:
  US09/658,396
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.11, 348/211.99, 348/211.1, 348/211.2, 348/211.8, 348/734
• US Class Current: 348/207.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2224 related to virtual studio applications

Abstract

A system and a method for optically communicating information between a display and a camera that is observing the display. In general, the transmission of information is unidirectional in a direction from the display to the camera. The display transmits information to the camera that is observing the display by displaying a series of symbols and images (such as an alphabet) on the display. Information (such as a network address of the display or camera) may be transmitted to the camera without any prior shared knowledge between the two. The present invention also is capable of determining a spatial location (or pose) of the display (relative to a camera observing the display) by observing a pattern presented on the display and using well-known correlation techniques.

Claims

1. A method for optically communicating information between an image source and an image detector, comprising:

notifying the image detector through the image source that the image source is prepared to transmit the information;

defining communication symbols by transmitting each one of the communication symbols from the image source to the image display;

optically transmitting the information from the image source to the image detector using at least some of the communication symbols; and

geometrically determining a spatial location of the image source using a localization pattern transmitted by the image source.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the image detector is a stereo camera and geometrically determining the spatial location of the image source further comprises using a correlation process, and wherein the localization pattern includes a random pattern arranged such that a likelihood of a strong maximum in the correlation process is maximized.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the image detector is a monocular camera and geometrically determining the spatial location of the image source further comprises detecting at least three points on the image source.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein geometrically determining the spatial location of the image source further comprises determining a relative position on a plane of each of the points.

5. A method for optically communicating information between an image source and an image detector observing the image source and not otherwise in communication with each other, comprising:

displaying an attention signal on the image source to notify the image detector that the image source is ready to establish an optical communication link;

defining communication symbols to the image detector by displaying each one of the communication symbols in sequence;

displaying at least some of the communication symbols previously defined to the image detector so as to represent the information being communicated to the image detector; and

determining a spatial location of the image source by optically communicating a localization pattern to the image detector and using a correlation process to correlate each pixel in the pattern to the spatial location of the image source.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the pattern is a random pattern that provides a strong correlation maximum for the correlation process.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the image detector is one of:

(a) a stereo camera arrangement;

(b) a monocular camera arrangement.