Apple Inc.

Metaio Gmbh

Sebastian Lieberknecht

Peter Meier

Daniel Ulbricht

Lejing Wang

Peter Georg Meier

Selim Benhimane

Lorenz Kern

Selim BenHimane

Tobias Hall

Andrea Huber

A method of tracking a mobile device comprising at least one camera in a real environment comprises the steps of receiving image information associated with at least one image captured by the at least one camera, generating a first geometrical model of at least part of the real environment based on environmental data or mobile system state data acquired in an acquisition process by at least one sensor of a mobile system, which is different from the mobile device, and performing a tracking process based on the image information associated with the at least one image and at least partially according to the first geometrical model, wherein the tracking process determines at least one parameter of a pose of the mobile device relative to the real environment. The invention is also related to a method of generating a geometrical model of at least part of a real environment using image information from at least one camera of a mobile device.

Method of tracking a mobile device and method of generating a geometrical model of a real environment using a camera of a mobile device

A method for analyzing an image of a real object, generated by at least one camera includes the following steps: generating at least a first image by the camera capturing at least one real object, defining a first search domain comprising multiple data sets of the real object, each of the data sets being indicative of a respective portion of the real object, and analyzing at least one characteristic property of the first image with respect to the first search domain, in order to determine whether the at least one characteristic property corresponds to information of at least a particular one of the data sets of the first search domain. If it is determined that the at least one characteristic property corresponds to information of at least a particular one of the data sets, a second search domain comprising only the particular one of the data sets is defined and the second search domain is used for analyzing the first image and/or at least a second image.

Method and system for analyzing an image generated by at least one camera

Systems, methods, and computer readable media to categorize a pixel (or other element) in an image into one of a number of different categories are described. In general, techniques are disclosed for using properties (e.g., statistics) of the regions being categorized to determine the appropriate size of window around a target pixel (element) and, when necessary, the manner in which the window may be changed if the current size is inappropriate. More particularly, adaptive window size selection techniques are disclosed for use when categorizing an image's pixels into one of two categories (e.g., black or white). Statistics of the selected region may be cascaded to determine whether the current evaluation window is acceptable and, if it is not, an appropriate factor by which to change the currently selected window's size.

Pixel classification techniques

The specification relates to determining either or both of the pose of a camera with respect to a real object or a three dimensional structure of the real object. In some of the described embodiments, a captured image including the real object is analyzed with respect to a reference image that also includes the real object. A parameter set is estimated by using a homography between the reference image and the captured image. An update to the parameter set is made by using an iterative minimization process that includes comparing a first set of pixels in the reference image with a computed set of pixels in the captured image, where the computed set of pixels used for comparison varies in different iterations of the iterative minimization process.

Method for determining a parameter set designed for determining the pose of a camera and/or for determining a three-dimensional structure of the at least one real object

A method for estimating a camera motion and for determining a three-dimensional model of an environment is provided that includes the steps of: providing intrinsic parameters of a camera; providing a set of reference two-dimensional imaged points captured by the camera at a first camera pose and reference depth samples; determining a three-dimensional model of the environment; providing a set of current two-dimensional imaged points captured by the camera at a second camera pose and current depth samples associated to the set of current two-dimensional imaged points and determining a current three-dimensional model; estimating a camera motion between the first camera pose and the second camera pose; determining a similarity measure between the three-dimensional model and the current three-dimensional model, and if it is determined that the similarity measure meets a first condition, updating the three-dimensional model of the environment and adding the set of current two-dimensional imaged points to the set of reference two-dimensional imaged points.

Method for estimating a camera motion and for determining a three-dimensional model of a real environment

A method for determining a parameter set which is designed to be used for determining the pose of a camera with regard to at least one real object and/or for determining a three-dimensional structure of the at least one real object, comprises the steps of providing a reference image including at least a part of the at least one real object, capturing at least one current image including at least a part of the at least one real object, providing an initial estimate of a parameter set which is including at least the three-dimensional translation in the common coordinate system between the pose of the camera when capturing the reference image and the pose of the camera when capturing the current image, and the depth of at least a first point of the at least one real object in the common coordinate system, and determining an update of the estimate of the parameter set by means of an iterative minimization process, wherein in the iterative minimization process a first set of pixels in the reference image is compared with a computed set of pixels in the current image and the computed set of pixels in the current image used for the comparison varies at each iteration.

A method for analyzing an image of a real object, particularly a printed media object, generated by at least one camera comprises the following steps: generating at least a first image by the camera capturing at least one real object, defining a first search domain comprising multiple data sets of the real object, each of the data sets being indicative of a respective portion of the real object, and analyzing at least one characteristic property of the first image of the camera with respect to the first search domain, in order to determine whether the at least one characteristic property corresponds to information of at least a particular one of the data sets of the first search domain. If it is determined that the at least one characteristic property corresponds to information of at least a particular one of the data sets, a second search domain comprising only the particular one of the data sets is defined and the second search domain is used for analyzing the first image and/or at least a second image generated by the camera.

Growing community of inventors

Munich, Germany

Sebastian Lieberknecht