Projection capture system, programming and method

• US 9,369,632 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Short, David Bradley
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhuiyan, Fayez
• Application Number:
  US14/130,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20140139717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 348/333.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/54 with projector
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00283 with a television apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/19594 using a television camera or a still video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3179 Video signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3185 Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 including sensor feedback

Abstract

In one example, a projection capture system includes: a controller; a workspace camera operatively connected to the controller for capturing still images and video images of an object in a workspace; and a projector operatively connected to the controller. The controller is configured to control the workspace camera and the projector to capture an image of a real object in the workspace and to project the object image into the workspace. In another example, a workspace collaboration method includes: capturing a digital image of a real object in a first workspace; simultaneously projecting the object image into multiple workspaces including the first workspace; capturing a digital image of an altered object image as it is being altered in one of the workspaces; and simultaneously projecting the altered object image into multiple workspaces including the first workspace.

Claims

1. A projection capture system, comprising:

a controller;

a workspace camera operatively connected to the controller for capturing still images and video images of an object on a work surface of a first workspace;

a projector operatively connected to the controller;

the controller configured to;

control the workspace camera to capture an image of a real object on the work surface, and

cause simultaneous projecting of the image of the real object into multiple workspaces including the first workspace, wherein the image of the real object projected into the first workspace is projected onto the work surface; and

an object recognition device operatively connected to the controller for distinguishing the real object on the work surface from an object image projected onto the work surface.

2. The projection capture system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the projector to project the image of the real object onto the work surface as a one-to-one scale digital duplicate of the real object.

3. The projection capture system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to control the projector to project the image of the real object onto the work surface at the same position occupied by the real object when the image of the real object was captured by the camera.

4. The projection capture system of claim 1, wherein the controller, the camera, and the projector are housed together as a single portable unit.

5. The projection capture system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

control the camera and the projector to capture an image of the image of the real object as the image of the real object is being altered in the first workspace including the work surface, and

project the altered image of the real object into the first workspace.

6. The projection capture system of claim 1, further comprising:

an input/output device operatively connected to the controller through which digital information is received from and sent to a device external to the projection capture system; and

a video conferencing camera, a microphone, and a speaker each operatively connected to the input/output device for sending video and audio information to an external device and for receiving video and audio information from an external device.

7. The projection capture system of claim 6, wherein the controller, the cameras, the projector, the input/output device, the microphone, and the speaker are housed together as a single portable unit.

15. The projection capture system of claim 1, further comprising a mirror above the projector to reflect light from the projector onto the work surface, wherein the camera is located higher than the projector.

16. The projection capture system of claim 1, wherein the projector is a light source for the camera during capture of the still images and the video images by the camera.

17. The projection capture system of claim 16, wherein a time sequencing of different color light produced by the projector is synchronized with a video frame rate of the camera during the capture of the video images by the camera.

8. A non-transitory processor readable medium including instructions that when executed:

cause a camera to capture an image of a real object on a work surface in a first workspace of a projection capture device including the camera and a projector;

cause simultaneous projecting of the image of the real object into a plurality of workspaces including the first workspace, wherein the image of the real object projected into the first workspace is projected onto the work surface; and

cause an object recognition device to distinguish the real object on the work surface from an object image projected onto the work surface.

9. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions when executed cause the projector to project the image of the real object into the first workspace at the same position occupied by the real object when the image of the real object was captured by the camera.

10. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions when executed cause each of multiple projectors to project the image of the real object simultaneously into each respective workspace of the plurality of workspaces.

11. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions when executed:

receive information relating to altering of the image of the real object in the first workspace; and

cause each of the multiple projectors to project the altered image of the real object simultaneously into each respective workspace of the plurality of workspaces.

18. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 8, wherein the causing of the projecting of the image of the real object into the first workspace comprises causing the projector to project the image of the real object to a mirror located above the projector, the mirror to reflect the image of the real object into the first workspace.

19. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 8, wherein the projector is a light source for the camera during capture of the image of the real object by the camera, and wherein the instructions when executed cause a time sequencing of different color light produced by the projector to be synchronized with a video frame rate of the camera during the capture of the image of the real object by the camera.

12. A workspace collaboration method, comprising:

capturing a digital image of a real object on a work surface in a first workspace of a projection capture device;

causing, by a controller, simultaneous projecting of the image of the real object into multiple workspaces including the first workspace, wherein the image of the real object projected into the first workspace is projected onto the work surface;

distinguishing, by an object recognition device operatively connected to the controller, the real object on the work surface from an object image projected onto the work surface;

receiving, by the controller, an altered object image as altered in one of the multiple workspaces; and

causing, by the controller, simultaneous projecting of the altered object image into the multiple workspaces including the first workspace.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the causing of the simultaneous projecting of the image of the real object into the multiple workspaces includes projecting the image of the real object into the first workspace and onto the real object.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein causing the simultaneous projecting of the image of the real object into the multiple workspaces comprises causing the projecting of the image of a one-to-one scale digital duplicate of the real object into the multiple workspaces.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the causing of the projecting of the image of the real object into the first workspace comprises projecting, by a projector in the projection capture device, the image of the real object onto a mirror above the projector, the mirror reflecting the image of the real object onto the work surface.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein a projector of the projection capture device is a light source for a camera of the projection capture device during capture of the image of the real object by the camera, the method further comprising:

time sequencing different color light produced by the projector of the projection capture device with a video frame rate of the camera of the projection capture device during the capture of the image of the real object by the camera.