Method and apparatus for determining the alteration of the shape of a three dimensional object

• US 8,035,639 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gerhard Witte
• Original Assignee: Gerhard Witte
• Inventors: Witte, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kimbinh T
• Application Number:
  US11/871,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20090002364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/427, 382/132, 382/141, 382/100, 382/103, 701/29, 701/35, 701/301, 701/129, 348/370, 702/35
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/647 by matching two-dimensional images to three-dimensional objects

Abstract

A method for determining the alteration of the shape of a three-dimensional object from at least one two-dimensional image of the object, wherein the original three-dimensional model shape of the object is known—or is ascertained from the at least one two-dimensional image of the object. The three-dimensional model shape is rotated such that at least one two-dimensional projection of the three-dimensional model shape matches or resembles at least one partial area or contour of the at least one two-dimensional image of the object, and the area or areas are ascertained in which the at least one two-dimensional image of the object deviates from the two-dimensional projection(s) of the three-dimensional model shape, wherein the deviating two-dimensional area or areas are identified as deformed areas and, after the deformed area or areas have been back-projected onto the three-dimensional model shape, the three-dimensional deformation of the three-dimensional object is ascertained.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining an alteration of a shape of a three-dimensional object from at least one two-dimensional image of the object, wherein the original three-dimensional shape of the object is known or is ascertained from the at least one two-dimensional image of the object as a three-dimensional model shape, including;

rotating, in a computer system including a processor, the three-dimensional model shape such that at least one two-dimensional image or projection of the three-dimensional model shape matches or resembles at least one partial area or contour of the at least one two-dimensional image of the object,

ascertaining at least one area in which the at least one two-dimensional image of the object deviates from the at least one two-dimensional projection of the three-dimensional model shape by comparing the at least one two-dimensional image of the object with the at least one two-dimensional projection,

identifying the at least one deviating two-dimensional area as a deformed area and,

back projecting the at least one deformed area onto the three-dimensional model shape to ascertain a three-dimensional deformation of the three-dimensional object as the alteration of the shape of the three-dimensional object.

3. The method for determining the alteration of the shape of a three-dimensional object according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the object is a motor vehicle or part of a motor vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one or more three-dimensional non-deformed model shapes and/or one or more model shapes comprising reference deformations are stored in a database as reference shapes for the three-dimensional object.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a matching method for determining the similarity or for determining areas of similarity between the two-dimensional image of the deformed three-dimensional object and a two-dimensional projection of a three-dimensional model shape is used.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the location, size or dimensions of one or more deformations to the three-dimensional object are ascertained on the basis of the incidence of light and/or silhouette on the two-dimensional image of the object.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one two-dimensional image or recording of the object is produced by means of a digital camera or a mobile telephone.

8. A method for determining the level of damage to an object, according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising comparing the determined level of damage with at least one reference damage which has already been quantified with respect to at least one of a level of damage or on the basis of a classification of the areas of the object with respect to their level of damage if damage has occurred in said area in order to ascertain the level of damage to the object.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein on the basis of determining the deformation, the method ascertains which replacement parts of the object or motor vehicle have to be repaired or replaced and/or how long repair work will take.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein current price information for replacement parts is ascertained from a database in order to calculate the damage to the object or motor vehicle.

11. A non-transitory program storage medium or computer program product comprising a program which, causes a computer to perform a method according to claim 1 or 2.

12. A device for determining the alteration of the shape of a three-dimensional object, comprising:

a) a database in which one or more of the following data are stored;

reference data of three-dimensional shapes of a class of objects as a model shape;

data which classify areas of the respectively stored three-dimensional model shapes with respect to the level of damage to be assessed in such an area;

reference damage for the respectively stored three-dimensional model shapes which comprises damage of different sizes or intensities to different areas of the object and which are configured to be combined with each other and compared with a recording of a damaged object; and

price lists for hourly rates and/or replacement parts; and

b) a computational unit which is connected to the database and configured to receive, as an input, at least one two-dimensional image or photograph of a deformed or damaged object, wherein the computational unit is configured to evaluate the inputted image data of the deformed or damaged object according to the method of claim 1 or 2, in order to determine at least one of a location or size of a deformation or damage, and wherein the computational unit is configured to assign the inputted image data, with the aid of supplementary inputted information to reference data or to compare the inputted image data with the supplementary inputted information with reference data, so as to ascertain at least one of the location or locations or the size of the respective deformation or damage.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the computational unit is configured to ascertain financial damage corresponding to an ascertained deformation or damage.

14. A system comprising a device according to claim 12, and a data recording unit.

2. A method for determining an alteration of a shape of a three-dimensional object from at least one two-dimensional image of the object comprising,

rotating, in a computer system including a processor, a plurality of three-dimensional model shapes corresponding to respectively different reference objects, each model representing a respectively different reference deformation such that the at least one two-dimensional image matches or resembles at least one partial area or contour of the at least one two-dimensional image of each of the plurality of three-dimensional model shapes corresponding to a respective one of the reference objects,

back-projecting in the computer system the at least one two-dimensional image of the object onto a plurality of three-dimensional model shapes;

and

comparing in the computer system the at least one back-projected two-dimensional image of the object with the plurality of the three-dimensional model shapes corresponding to the reference objects comprising the reference deformations to ascertain whether one or more of the reference deformations is present.