Information processing method and information processing apparatus

• US 7,760,242 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Anabuki, Mahoro
• Primary Examiner(s): SELBY, GEVELL V
• Application Number:
  US11/235,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20060071945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: 345/633, 348/41, 348/135, 348/139, 348/208.14, 348/211.11
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches

Abstract

An information processing method includes steps of: acquiring arrangement information indicating the position or the position and orientation of an index arranged in a physical space; capturing an image in the physical space; detecting the index from the captured image; and calculating the position and/or orientation of a viewpoint of the captured image based on the arrangement information and the detected index.

Claims

1. An information processing method comprising:

acquiring a first image of an index arranged in a physical space, wherein the first image is captured by a first image capturing unit having a known position and orientation in a first coordinate system, and a position or a position and orientation of the index is unknown;

calculating arrangement information indicating a position or a position and orientation of the index in the first coordinate system, the arrangement information being calculated based on the first image and the known position and orientation of the first image capturing unit;

capturing a second image of the index in the physical space using a second image capturing unit, wherein the second image capturing unit is movable, a positional relationship between the second image capturing unit and the first image capturing unit is unfixed, and the position and/or orientation of the second image capturing unit is unknown;

detecting an image coordinate of the index from the second image in a second coordinate system; and

calculating the position and/or orientation of a viewpoint of the second image by associating the image coordinate of the index in the second coordinate system with the arrangement information indicating the position or position and orientation of the index in the first coordinate system.

2. The information processing method according claim 1,

wherein the arrangement information is information indicating the position or the position and orientation in a world coordinate system, and

wherein calculating the position and/or orientation of the viewpoint of the captured second image is performed in the world coordinate system.

3. The information processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the arrangement information is acquired from an image captured by a first image capturing unit whose position and orientation in the world coordinate system are known.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the arrangement information is acquired based on an output from an index arrangement measuring unit that measures the position or the position and orientation of the index.

5. The information processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the position or the position and orientation of the index in the physical space is variable.

6. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for an information processing apparatus to perform the information processing method according to claim 1.

7. An information processing method comprising:

generating an index image from a position of an index in a first coordinate system and a position and orientation of a projection unit;

projecting the generated index image on a physical space using the projection unit;

capturing an image of the projected index image in the physical space using an image capturing unit, wherein the image capturing unit is movable, a positional relationship between the image capturing unit and the projection unit is unfixed, and a position and/or orientation of the image capturing unit is unknown;

detecting an image coordinate of the projected index image from the image in a second coordinate system; and

calculating the position and/or orientation of a viewpoint of the image by associating the image coordinate of the projected index image in the second coordinate system with the arrangement information indicating the position of the index in the first coordinate system.

8. The information processing method according to claim 7, further comprising changing a projection condition of the index.

9. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for an information processing apparatus to perform the information processing method according to claim 7.

10. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a first image capturing unit configured to capture a first image of an index arranged in a physical space, wherein the first image capturing unit has a known position and orientation in a first coordinate system, and a position or a position and orientation of the index is unknown;

an index-arrangement calculating unit configured to calculate arrangement information indicating the position or the position and orientation of the index in the first coordinate system, the arrangement information being calculated based on the first image and the known position and orientation of the first image capturing unit;

a second image capturing unit configured to capture a second image of the index in the physical space, wherein the second image capturing unit is movable, a positional relationship between the second image capturing unit and the first image capturing unit is unfixed, and the position and/or orientation of the second image capturing unit is unknown;

an index detecting unit configured to detect an image coordinate of the index from the second image in a second coordinate system; and

a viewpoint position-orientation calculating unit configured to calculate the position and/or orientation of a viewpoint of the second image by associating the image coordinate of the index in the second coordinate system with the arrangement information indicating the position or position and orientation of the index in the first coordinate system.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the first capturing unit includes a plurality of image capturing units.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the first capturing unit is fixed in the physical space.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the index is a real object whose position or position and orientation in the physical space is variable.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the index is capable of autonomous movement in the physical space.

15. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an index image generating unit configured to generate an index image from a position of an index in a first coordinate system and a position and orientation of a projection unit;

an index projecting unit configured to project the generated index image on a physical space;

a capturing unit configure to capture an image of the projected index image in the physical space using an image capturing unit, wherein the capturing unit is movable, a positional relationship between the image capturing unit and the projection unit is unfixed, and a position and/or orientation of the capturing unit is unknown;

an index detecting unit configured to detect an image coordinate of the projected index image from the captured image in a second coordinate system; and

a viewpoint position-orientation calculating unit configured to calculate the position and/or orientation of a viewpoint of the captured image by associating the image coordinate of the projected index image in the second coordinate system with the arrangement information indicating the position of the index in the first coordinate system.