Patents by Inventor Marcel Germann

Marcel Germann has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9117113
    Abstract: Estimating a pose of an articulated 3D object model (4) by a computer is done by •obtaining a sequence of source images (10) and therefrom corresponding source image segments (13) with objects (14) separated from the image background; •matching such a sequence (51) with sequences (52) of reference silhouettes (13?), determining one or more selected sequences of reference silhouettes (13?) forming a best match; •for each of these selected sequences of reference silhouettes (13?), retrieving a reference pose that is associated with one of the reference silhouettes (13?); and •computing an estimate of the pose of the articulated object model (4) from the retrieved reference pose or poses. The result of these steps is an initial pose estimate, which then can be used in further steps, for example, for maintaining local consistency between pose estimates from consecutive frames, and global consistency over a longer sequence of frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: LIBEROVISION AG
    Inventors: Tiberiu Popa, Marcel Germann, Richard Keiser, Markus Gross, Remo Ziegler
  • Patent number: 8830236
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for estimating a pose of an articulated object model that is a computer based 3D model of a real world object observed by one or more source cameras, including the steps of obtaining a source image from a video stream; processing the source image to extract a source image segment maintaining, in a database, a set of reference silhouettes, each being associated with an articulated object model and a corresponding reference pose; comparing the source image segment to the reference silhouettes and selecting reference silhouettes by taking into account, for each reference silhouette, a matching error that indicates how closely the reference silhouette matches the source image segment retrieving the corresponding reference poses of the articulated object models; and computing an estimate of the pose of the articulated object model from the reference poses of the selected reference silhouettes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Liberovision AG
    Inventors: Marcel Germann, Stephan Wuermlin Stadler, Richard Keiser, Remo Ziegler, Christoph Niederberger, Alexander Hornung, Marcus Gross
  • Publication number: 20140219550
    Abstract: Estimating a pose of an articulated 3D object model (4) by a computer is done by •obtaining a sequence of source images (10) and therefrom corresponding source image segments (13) with objects (14) separated from the image background; •matching such a sequence (51) with sequences (52) of reference silhouettes (13?), determining one or more selected sequences of reference silhouettes (13?) forming a best match; •for each of these selected sequences of reference silhouettes (13?), retrieving a reference pose that is associated with one of the reference silhouettes (13?); and •computing an estimate of the pose of the articulated object model (4) from the retrieved reference pose or poses. The result of these steps is an initial pose estimate, which then can be used in further steps, for example, for maintaining local consistency between pose estimates from consecutive frames, and global consistency over a longer sequence of frames.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: LIBEROVISION AG
    Inventors: Tiberiu Popa, Marcel Germann, Richard Keiser, Markus Gross, Remo Ziegler
  • Publication number: 20110267344
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for estimating a pose of an articulated object model (4), wherein the articulated object model (4) is a computer based 3D model (1) of a real world object (14) observed by one or more source cameras (9), and wherein the pose of the articulated object model (4) is defined by the spatial location of joints (2) of the articulated object model (4), comprises the steps of obtaining a source image (10) from a video stream; processing the source image (10) to extract a source image segment (13); maintaining, in a database, a set of reference silhouettes, each being associated with an articulated object model (4) and a corresponding reference pose; comparing the source image segment (13) to the reference silhouettes and selecting reference silhouettes by taking into account, for each reference silhouette, a matching error that indicates how closely the reference silhouette matches the source image segment (13) and/or a coherence error that indicates how much the reference pose is con
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: LIBEROVISION AG
    Inventors: Marcel Germann, Stephan Wuermlin Stadler, Richard Keiser, Remo Ziegler, Christoph Niederberger, Alexander Hornung, Marcus Gross
  • Patent number: 7844105
    Abstract: A method and system determines a pose of an object by comparing an input range image acquired of a scene including the input object to each of a set of reference range image of a reference object, such that each reference range images has an associated different pose, and the reference object is similar to the input object. Then, the pose associated with the reference range image which best matches the input range image is selected as the pose of the input object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Hanspeter Pfister, Marcel Germann, Michael D. Breitenstein
  • Publication number: 20080260238
    Abstract: A method and system determines a pose of an object by comparing an input range image acquired of a scene including the input object to each of a set of reference range image of a reference object, such that each reference range images has an associated different pose, and the reference object is similar to the input object. Then, the pose associated with the reference range image which best matches the input range image is selected as the pose of the input object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Inventors: Hanspeter Pfister, Marcel Germann, Michael D. Breitenstein