System and method for transitioning between real images and virtual images

• US 7,173,672 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2002
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gibbs, Simon, Hoch, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/215,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20030030734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 348/584, 348/585, 348/586, 348/589, 348/598, 348/600, 348/578, 348/722, 463/43, 463/42, 345/629, 345/630, 345/632, 345/633
• US Class Current: 348/589
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23617 by inserting additional data into a data carousel, e.g. inserting software modules into a DVB carousel arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2224 related to virtual studio applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

The invention illustrates a system and method of blending a virtual scene and a real scene comprising: capturing a real image of a real event from a real camera; receiving an instrumentation data based on the real event; and rendering a virtual image wherein the virtual image is based on the instrumentation data and the real image.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a world model module that creates a world model associated with a real event, the world model comprising static and dynamic nodes, each static node associated with a static object in the real event and each dynamic node associated with a dynamic object in the real event;

a rendering module that generates a virtual image at a virtual perspective, wherein rendering module generates the virtual image by using the world model and instrumentation data; and

a compositing module that blends the virtual image and a real image of the real event into a resultant image, wherein, within the resultant image, a proportion between the virtual image and the real image varies in accordance with the instrumentation data to transition between the virtual image and the real image.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the instrumentation data includes one of a camera position, a camera zoom, a camera pan, a camera tile, a camera field-of-view, and an object location.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the rendering module further determines a blending priority for an object within the real image, wherein the blending priority is based on the instrumentation data.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the blending priority is based on a perspective angle change of the object.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the rendering module uses the instrumentation data to align the virtual image with a viewpoint of a real camera device.

6. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a sensor that generates the instrumentation data by measuring a physical parameter associated with the real event.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the physical parameter includes one of a force exerted on an object and a location of the object.

8. A method comprising:

obtaining a world model associated with a real event, the world model comprising static and dynamic nodes, each static node associated with a static object in the real event and each dynamic node associated with a dynamic object in the real event;

rendering a virtual image at a virtual perspective, wherein the virtual image is rendered by using the world model and instrumentation data from the real event; and

blending the virtual image with a real image of the real event into a resultant image, wherein, within the resultant image, a proportion between the virtual image and the real image varies in accordance with the instrumentation data to transition between the virtual image and the real image.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the instrumentation data includes one of a camera position, a camera zoom, a camera pan, a camera tilt, a camera field-of-view, and an object location.

10. The method according to claim 8 further comprising tracking a parameter of a real camera via the instrumentation data.

11. The method according to claim 8 further comprising using the instrumentation data to align a viewpoint of a real camera with a viewpoint of the virtual image.

12. The method according to claim 8 further comprising using the instrumentation data to calculate a perspective angle change of an object within the real image.

13. The method according to claim 8 further comprising using the instrumentation data to position the real image relative to the virtual image.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing a method comprising;

obtaining a world model associated with a real event, the world model comprising static and dynamic nodes, each static node associated with a static object in the real event and each dynamic node associated with a dynamic object in the real event;

rendering a virtual image at a virtual perspective, wherein the virtual image is rendered by using the world model and instrumentation data from the real event; and

blending the virtual image with a real image of the real event into a resultant image, wherein, within in the resultant image, a proportion between the virtual image and the real image varies in accordance with the instrumentation data to transition between the virtual image and the real image.