Image displaying method and apparatus

• US 7,830,334 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takemoto, Kazuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala; Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury; Afroza Y
• Application Number:
  US10/898,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20050024388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,297 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 Multi-user, collaborative environment

Abstract

Image exhibiting method of exhibiting an image of mixed reality space is provided. A three-dimensional visual-field area of an observer in the mixed reality space is calculated, a virtual visual-field object representing the visual-field area is generated, and the virtual visual-field object is superimposed on the image of the mixed reality space to be exhibited.

Claims

1. An image exhibiting method of exhibiting an image of mixed reality space, comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring a three-dimensional object corresponding to an observer image sensing unit, wherein the three-dimensional object indicates a three-dimensional shape of a visual-field area being sensed by the observer image sensing unit, and wherein positions of a front clipping surface and a rear clipping surface of the three-dimensional object with respect to a view point of the observer image sensing unit are determined based on an internal parameter of the observer image sensing unit;

a sensing step of sensing a real space by using an exhibiter image sensing unit;

a superimposing step of generating an image of mixed reality space by superimposing the three-dimensional object on an image of the real space obtained in said sensing step, based on position and orientation of the exhibiter image sensing unit; and

a display step of displaying the image of mixed reality space on a display unit.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the three-dimensional object is a quadrangular pyramid.

2. An image exhibiting apparatus for exhibiting an image of mixed reality space, comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring a three-dimensional object corresponding to an observer image sensing unit, wherein the three-dimensional object indicates a three-dimensional shape of a visual-field area being sensed by the observer image sensing unit, and wherein positions of a front clipping surface and a rear clipping surface of the three-dimensional object with respect to a view point of the observer image sensing unit are determined based on an internal parameter of the observer image sensing unit;

an exhibiter image sensing unit for sensing a real space;

a superimposing unit for (i) generating an image of mixed reality space by superimposing the three-dimensional object on an image of the real space obtained by said exhibiter image sensing unit; and

a display unit for displaying the image of mixed reality space.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said exhibiter image sensing unit and said display unit constitute a head mounted display.

3. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for causing a computer execute an image exhibiting process of exhibiting an image of mixed reality space, said process comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring a three-dimensional object corresponding to an observer image sensing unit, wherein the three-dimensional object indicates a three-dimensional shape of a visual-field area being sensed by the observer image sensing unit, and wherein positions of a front clipping surface and a rear clipping surface of the three-dimensional object with respect to a view point of the observer image sensing unit are determined based on an internal parameter of the observer image sensing unit;

a sensing step of sensing a real space by using an exhibiter image sensing unit;

a superimposing step of generating an image of mixed reality space by superimposing the three-dimensional object on an image of the real space obtained in said sensing step, based on position and orientation of the exhibiter image sensing unit; and

a display step of displaying the image of mixed reality space on a display unit.