Object guiding method, mobile viewing system and augmented reality system

• US 9,074,899 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Chao-Kuang
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US13/896,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20130253824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/431, 701/438, 701/439, 701/440, 701/441, 701/442, 701/444, 701/445, 701/446, 701/447, 701/448, 701/454, 701/459, 701/466, 701/467, 701/469, 701/532, 701/537, 701/300, 701/302, 340/944, 340/988, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 340/995.17, 340/995.22, 340/995.24, 340/995.26, 340/995.27, 342/450
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

An augmented reality system having a server and a mobile viewing is provided. The mobile viewing system registers that the mobile viewing system enters a building at the server. Several wireless access points are disposed in the building, and the mobile viewing system is connected to some of the wireless access points. The mobile viewing system receives a request message from the server and captures an image via an image capture module according to the request message. The server obtains a location of the mobile viewing system according to the connected wireless access points and the image captured, and generates an object guiding message or an object indicating message according to the location of the mobile viewing system. The mobile viewing system displays the object guiding message or the object indicating message on the viewing unit.

Claims

1. An object indicating method for an augmented reality system, wherein the augmented reality system comprises a mobile viewing system and a server, the mobile viewing system comprises an image capture module and a viewing unit, the objecting indicating method comprising:

registering that the mobile viewing system enters a building at the server, wherein a plurality of wireless access points are disposed in the building, and the mobile viewing system is connected to at least one first wireless access point among the wireless access points;

receiving a first request message from the server and capturing an image via the image capture module according to the first request message;

obtaining a location of the mobile viewing system according to the at least one first wireless access point and the image captured by the image capture module;

generating an object guiding message or an object indicating message according to the location of the mobile viewing system; and

displaying the object guiding message or the object indicating message on the viewing unit.

2. The object indicating method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a second request message to the server for querying a location of a contact, wherein the contact is registered at the server;

receiving a confirm message from the contact and obtaining the location of the contact by the server;

generating the object guiding message for guiding a user of the mobile viewing system toward to the contact;

transmitting the object guiding message to the mobile viewing system; and

displaying the object guiding message on the viewing unit.

3. The object indicating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of monitors are disposed in the building, and the object indicating method further comprising:

transmitting a third request message to the server for querying a target place in the building;

estimating crowdedness according to a plurality of images captured by the monitors;

estimating a path from the mobile viewing system to the target place according to the crowdedness;

generating the object guiding message according to the path;

transmitting the object guiding message to the mobile viewing system; and

displaying the object guiding message on the viewing unit.

4. The object indicating method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

determining if there is an informative object near the mobile viewing system according to an orientation and the location of the mobile viewing system by the server;

if there is an informative object near the mobile viewing system, sending a fourth request message to the mobile viewing system for capturing an image of the informative object by the server;

capturing the image of the informative object and transmitting the image of the informative object to the server;

recognizing the informative object and generating the object indicating message according to the image of the informative object, wherein the object indicating message corresponds to the informative object;

transmitting the object indicating message to the mobile viewing system; and

displaying the object indicating message on the viewing unit.

5. The object indicating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a user of the mobile viewing system watches a view through a view window area of the viewing unit, the object indicating message corresponds to an informative object in a coverage of the view, and the object indicating method further comprises:

tracking the informative object and displaying the object indicating message; and

receiving an update message from the server to update the object indicating message without capturing an image of the informative object.

6. The object indicating method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

determining if a recognition result of the informative object is correct;

if the recognition result is not correct, capturing a second image of the informative object and transmitting the second image to the server; and

recognizing the informative object according to the second image for updating the recognition result.

7. An augmented reality system, comprising:

a server; and

a mobile viewing system, comprising an image capture module and a viewing unit, wherein the mobile viewing system registers that the mobile viewing system enters a building at the server, wherein a plurality of wireless access points are disposed in the building, and the mobile viewing system is connected to at least one first wireless access point among the wireless access points,

wherein the mobile viewing system receives a first request message from the server and captures an image via the image capture module according to the first request message,

wherein the server obtains a location of the mobile viewing system according to the at least one first wireless access point and the image captured by the image capture module, and generates an object guiding message or an object indicating message according to the location of the mobile viewing system,

wherein the mobile viewing system displays the object guiding message or the object indicating message on the viewing unit.

8. The augmented reality system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mobile viewing system registers an electronic ticket via a near field communication (NFC) unit disposed on the mobile viewing system and a NFC unit disposed at an entrance of the building.

9. The augmented reality system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the server stores a data base recoding a location of each of the wireless access point, a plurality of building objects in the building and a location of the each of the building objects,

wherein the mobile viewing system reports the at least one first wireless access point to the server, and transmits the image captured by the image capture module to the server,

wherein the server recognizes a first object in the image as one of the building objects, and obtains the location of the mobile viewing system according to the location of the one of the building objects, the locations of the at least one first wireless access point, and an orientation of the mobile viewing system.

10. The augmented reality system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mobile viewing system transmits a second request message to the server for querying a location of a contact, wherein the contact is registered at the server,

wherein the server receives a confirm message from the contact and obtains the location of the contact,

wherein the server generates the object guiding message for guiding a user of the mobile viewing system toward to the contact, and transmits the object guiding message to the mobile viewing system,

wherein the mobile viewing system displays the object guiding message on the viewing unit.

11. The augmented reality system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a plurality of monitors are disposed in the building, and the mobile viewing system transmits a third request message to the server for querying a target place in the building,

wherein the server estimates crowdedness according to a plurality of images captured by the monitors, estimates a path from the mobile viewing system to the target place according to the crowdedness, generates the object guiding message according to the path, and transmits the object guiding message to the mobile viewing system,

wherein the mobile viewing system displays the object guiding message on the viewing unit.

12. The augmented reality system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the server determines if there is an informative object near the mobile viewing system according to an orientation and the location of the mobile viewing system;

if there is an informative object near the mobile viewing system, the server sends a fourth request message to the mobile viewing system for capturing an image of the informative object,

wherein the mobile viewing system captures the image of the informative object and transmitting the image of the informative object to the server,

wherein the server recognizes the informative object and generating the object indicating message according to the image of the informative object, wherein the object indicating message corresponds to the informative object,

wherein the server transmits the object indicating message to the mobile viewing system, and the mobile viewing system displays the object indicating message on the viewing unit.

13. The augmented reality system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a user of the mobile viewing system watches a view through a view window area of the viewing unit, the object indicating message corresponds to an informative object in a coverage of the view, and the mobile viewing system tracks the informative object and displaying the object indicating message,

wherein the mobile viewing system receives an update message from the server to update the object indicating message without capturing an image of the informative object.

14. The augmented reality system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the mobile viewing system determines if a recognition result of the informative object is correct,

if the recognition result is not correct, the mobile viewing system captures a second image of the informative object and transmits the second image to the server,

wherein the server recognizes the informative object according to the second image for updating the recognition result.

15. A mobile viewing system, comprising:

a viewing unit;

an image capture module; and

a processing unit, wherein the processing unit registers that the mobile viewing system enters a building at the server, wherein a plurality of wireless access points are disposed in the building, and the mobile viewing system is connected to at least one first wireless access point among the wireless access points,

wherein the processing unit receives a first request message from the server and the image capture module captures an image according to the first request message,

wherein the processing unit displays an object guiding message or an object indicating message received from the server on the viewing unit, wherein a location of the mobile viewing system is obtained by the server according to the at least one first wireless access point and the image captured by the image capture module, and the object guiding message or the object indicating message is generated by the server according to the location of the mobile viewing system.

16. The mobile viewing system as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a near field communication (NFC) unit, wherein the processing unit registers an electronic ticket via the near field communication (NFC) unit disposed on the mobile viewing system and a NFC unit disposed at an entrance of the building.

17. The mobile viewing system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the processing unit transmits a second request message to the server for querying a location of a contact, and the contact is registered at the server,

wherein the processing unit displays the object guiding message on the viewing unit, and the object guiding message is generated by the server for guiding a user of the mobile viewing system toward to the contact after the server receives a confirm message from the contact and the location of the contact is obtained by the server.

18. The mobile viewing system as claimed in claim 15, wherein a plurality of monitors are disposed in the building, and the processing unit transmits a third request message to the server for querying a target place in the building,

wherein the processing unit displays the object guiding message on the viewing unit, the object guiding message is generated according to a path estimated according to crowdedness from the mobile viewing system to the target place, and the crowdedness is estimated according to a plurality of images captured by the monitors.

19. The mobile viewing system as claimed in claim 15, wherein a user of the mobile viewing system watches a view through a view window area of the viewing unit, the object indicating message corresponds to an informative object in a coverage of the view, and the processing unit tracks the informative object and displays the object indicating message,

wherein the processing unit receives an update message from the server to update the object indicating message without capturing an image of the informative object.

20. The mobile viewing system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the processing unit determines if a recognition result of the informative object is correct,

if the recognition result is not correct, the image capture module captures a second image of the informative object and the processing unit transmits the second image to the server, wherein the informative object is recognized by the server according to the second image for updating the recognition result.