Image processing method and apparatus

• US 20060092131A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuroki, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,557,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A technology for enabling an observer to appropriately control an operation panel in accordance with a condition is provided. When an instruction for changing the position of the operation panel is input, the operation panel is disposed at the position of a pen input device. When an instruction for terminating the changing of the position of the operation panel is input, the position and orientation of the operation panel are fixed. An image of virtual objects including the operation panel viewed from a camera is generated, the generated image is superimposed on an image in a real space captured by the camera, and an image obtained by the superimposition is output to a display unit.

Claims

1. An image processing method for presenting an image in a virtual space to an observer, the image processing method comprising:

a first input step of inputting a position and an orientation of a viewpoint of the observer;

a second input step of inputting a position designated by the observer;

a disposing step of disposing an operation panel serving as a virtual object at the position designated by the observer in the second input step when an instruction for changing the position of the operation panel is input; and

a generation step of generating an image of virtual objects including the operation panel viewed from the position and orientation of the viewpoint of the observer input in the first input step.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third input step of inputting an image in a real space viewed from the viewpoint of the observer; and

an output step of generating a mixed image by superimposing the image generated by the generation step on the image input by the third input step and outputting the mixed image.

3. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the disposing step, the operation panel is disposed on a plane that includes the position designated by the observer input in the second input step and that has a normal line vector connecting the position of the viewpoint input in the first input step and the position designated by the observer input in the second input step.

4. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein, when the operation panel disposed by the disposing step is located within a predetermined plane region, the operation panel is disposed in a coordinate system defined by a position and an orientation of the predetermined plane region.

5. The image processing method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined plane region is a face region of a tablet.

6. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein, when a distance between the position of the operation panel disposed by the disposing step and the position input in the first input step is less than a predetermined value, the operation panel is disposed in a coordinate system defined by the position and the orientation input in the first input step.

7. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein an instruction for changing the position of the operation panel and an instruction for terminating the changing of the position of the operation panel are provided by designating a predetermined icon on the operation panel using a designation tool.

8. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing step of fixing the position and the orientation of the operation panel when an instruction for terminating changing of the position of the operation panel is input.

9. An image processing apparatus for presenting an image in a virtual space to an observer, the image processing apparatus comprising:

a first input unit configured to input a position and an orientation of a viewpoint of the observer;

a second input unit configured to input a position designated by the observer;

a disposing unit configured to dispose an operation panel serving as a virtual object at the position designated by the observer via the second input unit when an instruction for changing the position of the operation panel is input; and

a generation unit configured to generate an image of virtual objects including the operation panel viewed from the position and orientation of the viewpoint of the observer input via the first input unit.

10. A program for causing a computer to perform an image processing method for presenting an image in a virtual space to an observer, the program comprising:

computer-executable instructions of a first input step of inputting a position and an orientation of a viewpoint of the observer;

computer-executable instructions of a second input step of inputting a position designated by the observer;

computer-executable instructions of a disposing step of disposing an operation panel serving as a virtual object at the position designated by the observer input in the second input step when an instruction for changing the position of the operation panel is input; and

computer-executable instructions of a generation step of generating an image of virtual objects including the operation panel viewed from the position and orientation of the viewpoint of the observer input in the first input step.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing the program as set forth in claim 10.