Communications: electrical – Vehicle position indication
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-16
2003-06-10
Tweel, John (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Vehicle position indication
C701S209000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06577249
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 11-296686 filed Oct. 19, 1999; No. 11-305565 filed Oct. 27, 1999; and No. 11-307079 filed Oct. 28, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information display member such as an information display board on which information containing a position of an object is displayed, and to a position detecting method using the display member.
In addition, the present invention relates to a related information presenting apparatus and a related information presenting method for displaying information associated with an object in an image.
Further, the present invention relates to an information presenting apparatus and an information presenting method, and in particular to an information presenting apparatus and an information presenting method for presenting a user with information associated with an object of the user's interest.
For example, according to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 6-197246, there is disclosed that a two-dimensional bar code or the like is prescribed on a road sign, whereby information is automatically read by means of a bar code reader device comprising a CCD camera without a human being reading such road sign.
In addition, according to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-267671, there is disclosed associated information display technique as shown in
FIG. 1
for the purpose of displaying information associated with an image from image input means.
In the associated information display technique, the following is described. That is, an approximate position during image acquisition caused by an image acquisition section (image acquisition apparatus)
51
is acquired from a position information acquisition section
52
, and an angle is acquired by means of a camera attribute information acquisition section
53
. Further, a view image of field of view that can be viewed from that position is created by using a computer graphics (CG) technique by means of a control section
58
A based on three-dimensional map information from a map information management section
55
. The thus created image is superimposed with label information from a label information creating section
56
A by means of a label information output section
57
A, whereby an input image and pattern matching are obtained.
However, in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-197246 that is prior art, in a method of using a two-dimensional bar code, human readable language or sign information that an attached material of that code displays is merely replaced with code information in accordance with another standard such as existing bar code, is merely easily readable in view of image processing, and is not largely different from the identity of an inherent bar code.
That is, precise map information or position information on where it is or where a car is bound for is required for human navigation or navigation while driving a car. In this respect, the conventional information display and position and orientation recognizing method are not satisfactory.
In addition, in the associated information display technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-267671 that is prior art, it is required to reconstruct a view image in the field of view and obtain matching from a three-dimensional map containing information on height direction in order to determine associated information on superimposition.
Therefore, in this associated information display technique, there is a problem that much calculation time is required for the matching process, and it is difficult to identify a precise camera position (user position).
In the meantime, when an attempt is made to know a self position or direction, one always attempts to acquire visual information on periphery.
Nobody suspects this fact as long as he or she is an ordinary person.
When one moves to a land that he or she does not know well, one would attempt to know where he or she is based on tools such as a map or a compass or an astronomical position.
However, in the case where such process is performed automatically by means of an instrument in an image processing manner, non-visible position detecting means (such as GPS or gyrocompass) is avoidably used.
In addition, it is known that a method of obtaining a position and orientation of image input means from a reference mark position is disclosed in reference
1
“A High Accuracy Realtime 3D Measuring Method of Marker for VR Interface by Monocular Vision” (3D Image Conference' 96 Collection of Papers, pp. 167-172, Akira Takahashi, Ikuo Ishi, Hideo Makino, Makoto Nagasizu, 1996).
FIG. 2
shows a method of obtaining a position and orientation of the image input means disclosed in reference
1
.
That is, in this method, in
FIG. 2
, when Oc is defined as a viewing point, ‘po’ is defined as a cross point of diagonal line of a projected image, and ‘Po’ is defined as a cross point of diagonal line for a rectangle, the orientation is obtained by obtaining x′ such that the following equation is minimized.
F
(
x
′
)
=
4
-
∑
i
=
1
4
(
n
i
n
i
′
)
2
Here, a variable vector x′ is x′=(&agr;
1
′ &bgr;
1
′, &agr;
2
′).
With respect to a position, when “d” is estimated such that a distance from Ocpi and apex Pi is minimized by the minimum square method, the position is obtained by the formula below.
d
=
(
S
o
S
i
)
(
S
i
W
i
)
-
(
S
o
W
i
)
1
-
(
S
o
S
i
)
2
D
Then, a position can be defined by obtaining an average of depth values obtained from each apex.
In addition, in reference
2
“Mixed Reality (ISBN 4-274-90283-8 Ohmsha, Ltd., Chapter 6: Augmented Reality Tracking in Natural Feature Environments, U. Neumann, S. You, Y. Cho, J. Lee and J. Park 1999 pp. 101-130), there is disclosed a technique of obtaining an initial position of image input means by using a known reference point called Fiducial Mark.
In this reference
2
, a plurality of feature points are extracted, a projection position in an input image is obtained, and the feature points are tracked according to movement of the input device, whereby an optimal solution of the position of the image input means is obtained.
However, as disclosed in the aforementioned paper (reference
1
) authored by Takahashi et al, the position and orientation of the image input means can be detected by the position coordinate of four corners of the reference mark itself. In the case where a distance between a camera and a mark is distance from each other, there is a problem that the projection distance in the field of view of four corners is reduced, and the detection precision is impaired.
In addition, using a large mark is often impractical.
In the aforementioned prior art disclosed in reference
2
, it has been required to additionally record the known coordinate of a reference point or to provide a reference table between the reference point and the coordinate in order to obtain an initial position of the image input means.
Hence, in the case where the prior art disclosed in reference
2
is used in an area with its wide range or in the case where the prior art is used in a small terminal, there is a problem that a limited number of the coordinate can be recorded, and it takes long to obtain matching with the current extracted reference points from among a number of reference points, and thus, the prior art is used in a limited region, which lacks general purpose properties.
Conventionally, information presenting apparatuses for presenting information concerning on object of the user's interest in the real world for a user who is active in the real world include a portable information presenting apparatus composed of a liquid crystal display for presenting information to the user and a small video camera for acquiring peripheral images (Masato Hir
Akatsuka Yuichiro
Saito Akito
Shibasaki Takao
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Olympus Optical Co,. Ltd.
Tweel John
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