Augmented Reality Fiduciary Marker Segmentation for Occlusion Handling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Augmented reality systems face challenges in maintaining accurate tracking and interaction with virtual objects when fiduciary markers are occluded by user gestures, leading to unnatural movement and frustration, especially in adverse lighting conditions or low-resolution camera scenarios.

Innovation Solution

The use of large fiduciary markers covering a significant portion of each page, spatial redundancy, clear border markings, and color schemes that differentiate between the book and user's skin tone, combined with gesture recognition methods like cupping hands to pick up virtual objects, ensures robust interaction and tracking even when markers are partially occluded.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a fiduciary marker is placed on the surface for AR tracking, then the system can accurately determine scale and orientation, but the marker may be occluded by user gestures causing loss of tracking accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemarker detection accuracyVSAvoidtracking reliability during interaction
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The fiduciary marker is divided into multiple distinct features or regions (e.g., corners, edges, internal patterns) that can be independently detected. This segmentation allows the system to maintain tracking accuracy even when parts of the marker are occluded, as long as sufficient features remain visible.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary detection and tracking of the fiduciary marker before user interaction occurs. By establishing the marker's position, scale, and orientation in advance, the system can maintain accurate AR augmentation even during brief occlusions that occur during user gestures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If the video camera has high resolution and good lighting, then marker detection is more accurate, but the system performance and processing speed decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemarker detection accuracyVSAvoidreal-time processing speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The marker design incorporates distinct segmented features that can be rapidly detected using simplified algorithms. The high-contrast borders and asymmetric patterns are broken down into discrete detectable elements that reduce computational complexity while maintaining detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The fiduciary marker uses extreme parameter values - very high contrast borders and distinctive asymmetric patterns - that make it easily distinguishable from the background and other objects. This allows for fast detection with lower computational requirements, enabling real-time processing even with detailed marker features.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the fiduciary marker has high contrast and asymmetric patterning, then the marker is more robust to lighting conditions, but the marker design complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemarker robustness to lightingVSAvoidmarker design complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The fiduciary marker incorporates asymmetric patterning that provides unique orientation information. The asymmetric design allows the system to easily determine the marker's rotational orientation without complex algorithms, as the asymmetric pattern naturally indicates the correct orientation through its unique configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The marker uses high-contrast color schemes with distinct borders and internal patterns that maintain visibility across varying lighting conditions. The strong color differentiation and contrast ensure the marker remains detectable and distinguishable from the background and foreground objects regardless of lighting changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentEP2642451B1Apparatus and method of augmented reality interaction
Publication Date: 2019.07.31 SONY COMP ENTERTAINMENT EURO LTD
  • EP2642451B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2642451B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2642451B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A method of augmented reality interaction for repositioning a virtual object on an image of a surface comprises capturing successive video images of the surface and first and second control objects, defining an interaction start area over the surface with respect to the virtual object, detecting the first and second control objects in successive video images, detecting whether the first and second control objects are brought together over the interaction start area, and if so, analysing a region of successive video images using optical flow analysis to determine the overall direction of motion of the first and second control objects and augmenting the video image to show the virtual object being held by the first and second control objects, in which augmenting the video image itself comprises superposing a graphical effect on the video image prior to superposition of the virtual object, such that the graphical effect visually disconnects the virtual object from the video image in the resulting augmented image.