Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graph generating
Reexamination Certificate
1995-06-07
2001-02-27
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2772)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graph generating
C348S580000, C348S581000, C348S583000, C345S426000, C345S427000, C345S440000, C345S440000, C345S440000, C345S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195102
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to electronic image processing systems, especially though not exclusively for processing video signals representing a television picture.
Electronic image processing systems are known, capable of capturing video signals representing a television picture and processing these signals to produce the effect of three dimensional manipulation of the picture. One such system is the Encore system manufactured by Quantel Limited of Newbury, Berkshire, England. With this system it is possible to produce a 3D spin of the picture or change the position, size, or view position of the picture using manual controls which include a tracker ball. To produce these effects, a frame store is provided in which is written a frame of video signals to be processed, and a processing circuit responsive to signals set up by the manual controls determines successive addresses in the frame store from the which successive video signals should be read, to build up an output frame containing the processed picture. The system is interactive, inasmuch as the writing, processing and reading is repeated frame by frame, the input in each frame period being formed by the output of the preceding frame period. A monitor is provided for displaying successive processed frames as a moving picture so that the operator can observe the effect of his manipulation of the controls in real time. During each frame period the processing circuit responds to the incremental control signals set up during the preceding frame. The processing circuit may for example be of the construction described in our British Patent No. B 2,073,988. (equivalent U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,121).
One use to which systems such as described in the preceding paragraph may be put is that of transforming a flat picture so that it can be placed exactly over a polygonal shape (usually quadrilateral) on another picture to build up a composite picture. For example the first picture may be a view through a window and it may be required to place the picture over the window seen from different positions. It is possible to achieve this result using the existing controls on the Encore equipment, but in practice it is a difficult and time consuming process as it may involve a combination of spin—and changes in size, position and point of view of the picture to be superimposed.
One early proposal for solving the above difficulties, attempted in-house by the assignee of this application, involved processing equipment comprising means for defining the corner positions of a picture and means for transforming the addresses of the picture points of the picture to fit the picture over the quadrilateral defined by the corner positions, assuming a given viewpoint. In this in-house attempt, the transformation was carried out in one operation and was not interactive. This technique may have been included before the priority date of this application in equipment available from the assignee under the trade name Graphic Paintbox (GPB).
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved image processing system in which effects such as that described in the preceding paragraph can be more easily achieved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided an image processing system comprising a source of picture video signals representing picture points at respective addresses in a first picture projected on a viewing screen, characterized by addressing means for providing address signals representing the addresses of at least four reference points defining corners of a polygon notionally projected on said screen, operator controlled means for producing selective adjustment of said address signals to cause said reference points to define the corners of said polygon as projected on said screen after a movement of said polygon in 3D space, transform means responsive to said address signals after said selective adjustment, for transforming the addresses of said picture video signals so as to cause the picture video signal to represent the picture as projected on said screen after undergoing the same movement in 3D space as said polygon.
The operator-controlled means includes means for selecting the reference points one by one and adjusting the address of the reference point selected at any one time whilst leaving the address for the other reference points unchanged. The transforming means may include means for setting up equations relating the addresses of the reference points at one time with the addresses of the reference points at a later time, means for solving said equations to derive the coefficients defining the movement of said polygon in the interval between said times, predicated upon the operation of said operator-controlled means, said transforming means being responsive to said derived coefficients to tranform the addresses of said picture video signals. Preferably said operator controlled means includes cursor means for providing cursor signals to represent said reference points (which signals may be the corner signals of said first picture), frame store means for storing said cursor signals at the addresses provided by said addressing means (which may be the addresses of the picture corners), reading means for reading said reference signals from said frame store means in successive frame periods and means for displaying said reference signals as read from frame store means. The operator is thus able to observe the successive projection of the polygon defined by the reference signals and also of said picture, and by operating said operator-controlled means can “pin” the reference points, one at a time, at four predetermined points on the screen. As thus pinned, the picture is corrected for perspective.
The operator controlled means may include means for selectively adjusting at one time (if desired) the addresses of more than one of the reference points. Where more than one reference point is selected, the same adjustment is imparted to all the selected points. The operator controlled means may include a tracker ball for setting up the x and y co-ordinate of an displacement. Alternatively it may include a touch tablet-stylus combination. It will be understood that, if all four corners are selected at one time, the displacement of the corners will represent a translation of the image without spin or change in the viewpoint.
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McNeil Ian
Traynar Michael James
Cooper & Dunham LLP
Quantel Limited
Sealey Lance W.
Zimmerman Mark
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