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Image processing method and apparatus

a processing method and image technology, applied in the field of image processing apparatus, can solve the problems of difficult to reconstruct shades or shadows, image processes which are easy to implement in a real or virtual space alone, and image processes using photo image data that do not excel in addition of shades

Inactive Publication Date: 2005-09-01
CANON KK
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] It is still another object of the present invention to provide an image processing method and apparatus capable of appropriately generating shades even when the position or condition of a virtual light source is arbitrarily-changed.

Problems solved by technology

For this reason, image processes which are easy to implement in a real or virtual space alone may become hard to implement.
Image processes using photo image data do not excel in addition of shades and generation of a shadow by means of virtual illumination.
This is because although shades or shadow change in accordance with the three-dimensional pattern of an object, it is hard to reconstruct shades or shadow since photo image data does not have any information pertaining to the geometric shape of the object.
One difficulty in generation of a mixed reality space involves changing a real illumination condition and mixing a virtual image with a real space in real time in correspondence with the change in illumination condition.

Method used

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first embodiment

[0063] An image processing apparatus and method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The image processing apparatus and method have a function of rendering shades to be added to a virtual object by a virtual illumination from ray space data, and rendering a shadow by the virtual illumination.

[0064]FIG. 8 shows the arrangement of an image processing system of this embodiment. The hardware arrangement shown in FIG. 8 is that of a normal workstation. More specifically, the hardware arrangement itself is the same as that of a normal workstation.

[0065] This system presents a virtual space to the user on a CRT 23. The user can freely walk through that virtual space or can manipulate (move, rotate, enlarge, or the like) an object in the virtual space by operating a mouse 28. More specifically, an object in the real space is converted into ray space data on the basis of a photo image, and ...

second embodiment

[0115] A mixed reality presentation apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0116]FIG. 29 is a block diagram showing the overall arrangement of a mixed reality presentation system of this embodiment.

[0117] Referring to FIG. 29, reference numeral 106 denotes a sensor for measuring the viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction of the user. This sensor may be a magnetic or optical sensor provided outside user's body or a sensor attached to an HMD (Head Mounted Display) the user wears. The measured viewpoint position and posture are sent to an image generation module 103. The image generation module 103 generates a CG image in consideration of the viewpoint position and line of sight of the user.

[0118] On the other hand, an image sensing device 105 uses a video camera or the like for sensing an image of a real space. The image sensing device 105 is preferably attached to t...

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Abstract

There is provided an image processing apparatus for describing a real image as a virtual object using space data formed based on a photo image of the real object, and generating a virtual image of the virtual object using the space data. The image processing apparatus captures the photo image of the real object from a real camera viewpoint position while illuminating the real object by an illumination light source placed at a real illumination position. The captured photo image is converted into space data in the form of an object for each pixel, and the space data is stored in a memory together with various illumination conditions at the real illumination position to allow a search at a later time.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method for shading or shadowing a virtual object using a virtual light source upon expressing a virtual space on the basis of photo image data. [0002] The present invention also relates to an image processing apparatus and method for changing a real illumination condition in real time and generating a mixed reality image in accordance with the changed condition. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Many schemes for describing a virtual space based not on a three-dimensional geometric shape but on a photo image have been proposed. Such schemes are called Image Based Rendering (to be abbreviated as IBR hereinafter), and can express a virtual space with high reality that cannot be obtained by a scheme based on a three-dimensional geometric shape. [0004] Attempts to describe a virtual space on the basis of the ray space theory as one IBR scheme have been proposed. See, for example, “Implementa...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G06T15/60G06T15/80
CPCG06T15/80G06T15/60
Inventor SAKAGAWA, YUKIOKATAYAMA, AKIHIROKOTAKE, DAISUKEFUJIKI, MASAKAZU
Owner CANON KK