Abstract: An apparatus for providing an estimate for a 3D camera pose relative to a scene from 2D image data of a 2D image frame provided by the camera is provided, the apparatus using four types of observations: (a) detected 2D-3D point correspondences; (b) tracked 2D-3D point correspondences; (c) motion model observations; and (d) edge observations.

Abstract: 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 o

Abstract: An information system and a method for providing information in correlation with light that is incident on an eye includes a holographic element disposed in front of the eye and a device capable of recording optical signals which detects light that is incident on the eye via the holographic element. The device capable of recording optical signals detects light which is diffracted by the holographic element before the light impinges on the eye such that the diffracted light does not enter the eye.

Abstract: A method of matching image features with reference features comprises the steps of providing a current image, providing a set of reference features, wherein each of the reference features comprises at least one first parameter which is at least partially indicative of a position and/or orientation of the reference feature with respect to a global coordinate system, wherein the global coordinate system is an earth coordinate system or an object coordinate system, or at least partially indicative of a position of the reference feature with respect to an altitude, detecting at least one feature in the current image in a feature detection process, associating with the detected feature at least one second parameter which is at least partially indicative of a position and/or orientation of the detected feature, or which is at least partially indicative of a position of the detected feature with respect to an altitude, and matching the detected feature with a reference feature by determining a similarity measure.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for representing a virtual object in a real environment, having the following steps: generating a two-dimensional representation of a real environment by means of a recording device, ascertaining a position of the recording device relative to at least one component of the real environment, segmenting at least one area of the real environment in the two-dimensional image on the basis of non-manually generated 3D information for identifying at least one segment of the real environment in distinction to a remaining part of the real environment while supplying corresponding segmentation data, and merging the two-dimensional image of the real environment with the virtual object or, by means of an optical, semitransparent element, directly with reality with consideration of the segmentation data. The invention permits any collisions of virtual objects with real objects that occur upon merging with a real environment to be represented in a way largely close to reality.

Abstract: The invention is related to a method of matching image features with reference features, comprising the steps of providing a current image captured by a capturing device, providing reference features (r), wherein each of the reference features comprises at least one reference feature descriptor (d(r)), determining current features (c) in the current image and associating with each of the current features at least one respective current feature descriptor (d(c)), and matching the current features with at least some of the reference features by determining a respective similarity measure (D(c, r)) between each respective current feature descriptor (d(c)) and each respective reference feature descriptor (d(r)). According to the invention, the determination of the similarity measure is performed on an integrated circuit by hardwired logic or configurable logic which processes logical functions for determining the similarity measure.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A method for determining correspondences between a first and a second image, comprising the steps providing a first image and a second image of the real environment, defining a warping function between the first and second image, determining the parameters of the warping function between the first image and the second image by means of an image registration method, determining a third image by applying the warping function with the determined parameters to the first image, determining a matching result by matching the third image and the second image, and determining correspondences between the first and the second image using the matching result and the warping function with the determined parameters. The method may be used in a keyframe based method for determining the pose of a camera based on the determined correspondences.

Abstract: A method for determining the pose of a camera relative to a real environment includes the following steps: taking at least one image of a real environment by means of a camera, the image containing at least part of a real object, performing a tracking method that evaluates information with respect to correspondences between features associated with the real object and corresponding features of the real object as it is contained in the image of the real environment, so as to obtain conclusions about the pose of the camera, determining at least one parameter of an environmental situation, and performing the tracking method in accordance with the at least one parameter. Analogously, the method can also be utilized in a method for recognizing an object of a real environment in an image taken by a camera.

Abstract: The invention is related to a method for registering at least one part of a first image and of a second image, including the steps of providing a first image of the real environment and a coordinate system associated to the first image, a second image of the real environment, and measurements of orientation and/or distance of a capturing device with respect to the real environment while capturing the second image. A collineation warping function is then determined from the measurements associated to at least one part of the second image.

Abstract: 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 compar

Abstract: A method of projecting digital information on a real object in a real environment includes the steps of projecting digital information on a real object or part of a real object with a visible light projector, capturing at least one image of the real object with the projected digital information using a camera, providing a depth sensor registered with the camera, the depth sensor capturing depth data of the real object or part of the real object, and calculating a spatial transformation between the visible light projector and the real object based on the at least one image and the depth data. The invention is also concerned with a corresponding system.

Abstract: A method for representing virtual information in a view of a real environment is provided that includes: providing a system setup including at least one display device, wherein the system setup is adapted for blending in virtual information on the display device in at least part of the view, determining a position and orientation of a viewing point relative to at least one component of the real environment, providing a geometry model of the real environment, providing at least one item of virtual information and a position of the at least one item of virtual information, determining whether the position of the item of virtual information is inside a 2D or 3D geometrical shape, determining a criterion which is indicative of whether the built-in real object is at least partially visible or non-visible in the view of the real environment, and blending in the at least one item of virtual information on the display device in at least part of the view of the real environment.

Abstract: A method for representing virtual information in a view of a real environment is provided that includes the following steps: providing a system setup comprising at least one display device, determining a position of a viewing point relative to at least one component of the real environment, providing a geometry model of the real environment, providing at least one item of virtual information and its position, determining a visualization mode of blending in the at least one item of virtual information on the display device according to the position of the viewing point and the geometry model, calculating a ray between the viewing point and the item of virtual information, and determining a number of boundary intersections by the ray, wherein if the number of boundary intersections is less than 2, the item of virtual information is blended in a non-occlusion mode, otherwise in an occlusion mode.

Abstract: Method for determining the pose of a camera with respect to an object of a real environment for use in authoring/augmented reality application that includes generating a first image by the camera capturing a real object of a real environment, generating first orientation data from at least one orientation sensor associated with the camera or from an algorithm which analyses the first image for finding and determining features which are indicative of an orientation of the camera, allocating a distance of the camera to the real object, generating distance data indicative of the allocated distance, determining the pose of the camera with respect to a coordinate system related to the real object of the real environment using the distance data and the first orientation data. May be performed with reduced processing requirements and/or higher processing speed, in mobile device such as mobile phones having display, camera and orientation sensor.

Abstract: A method of displaying virtual information in a view of a real environment comprising the following steps: providing a system for displaying of virtual information in a view of a real environment, determining a current pose of at least one part of the system relative to at least one part of the real environment and providing accuracy information of the current pose, providing multiple pieces of virtual information, and assigning a respective one of the pieces of virtual information to one of different parameters indicative of different pose accuracy information, and displaying at least one of the pieces of virtual information in the view of the real environment according to the accuracy information of the current pose in relation to the assigned parameter of the at least one of the pieces of virtual information.

Abstract: A method of providing a feature descriptor for describing at least one feature of an object representation includes the steps of providing an original feature descriptor comprising at least one vector or a plurality of K vectors having equal sum of vector entry values and each vector having H entries, projecting each vector on a lower dimensional space of size H-1 or lower to gain a projected feature descriptor comprising projected vectors of H-1 entries or lower, such that it is possible to obtain a similarity measure between two projected feature descriptors equal to the similarity measure between the two corresponding original feature descriptors, and providing the projected feature descriptor as a lossless compressed feature descriptor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for representing a virtual object in a real environment, having the following steps: generating a two-dimensional image of a real environment by means of a recording device, ascertaining a position of the recording device relative to at least one component of the real environment, segmenting at least one area of the real environment unmarked in reality in the two-dimensional image for identifying at least one segment of the real environment in distinction to a remaining part of the real environment while supplying corresponding segmentation data, and merging the virtual object with the two-dimensional image of the real environment with consideration of the segmentation data such that at least one part of the segment of the real environment is removed from the image of the real environment. The invention permits any collisions of virtual objects with real objects that occur upon merging with a real environment to be represented in a way largely close to reality.

Abstract: An image processing method includes the steps of providing at least one image of at least one object or part of the at least one object, and providing a coordinate system in relation to the image, providing at least one degree of freedom in the coordinate system or at least one sensor data in the coordinate system, and computing image data of the at least one image or at least one part of the at least one image constrained or aligned by the at least one degree of freedom or the at least one sensor data.

Abstract: A method of determining a transformation is provided between an image coordinate system and an object coordinate system including: providing an object coordinate system associated with the object of interest, providing a 3D model of at least part of the object of interest, wherein the 3D model comprises 3D features, providing an N-th input depth image of at least part of the object of interest, wherein an N-th image coordinate system is associated with the N-th input depth image, providing an N-th plurality of 3D features in the N-th image coordinate system according to the N-th input depth image, estimating an N-th coarse transformation between the object coordinate system and the N-th image coordinate system according to a trained pose model and the N-th input depth image, and determining an N-th accurate transformation between the N-th image coordinate system and the object coordinate system.