Methods and associated devices and systems for enhanced 2D and 3D vision
Methods, devices and systems are disclosed for improved depth perception in stereoscopic night vision devices. Among these are embodiments for aligning information overlays in the stereo view with associated objects, and for generating stereo information from single lenses or intensifiers. In some illustrative embodiments, a camera and position sensor are provided for at least two viewers, e.g., a pilot and a copilot, such that when a scene overlaps between viewers, the system produces a stereoptic scene, in which the users can more accurately determine a difference in depth between two or more distant objects. An illustrative binocular night vision system uses a high-resolution depth map to present binocular images to a user. In some embodiments, supplementary content can be overlaid, with an appropriate binocular disparity that is based on the depth map.
1 . A method implemented by a programmed processor comprising the steps of:
acquiring, at the processor, an image of a scene within a field of view of one or more imaging devices, the scene containing a plurality of objects;
determining, via the processor, digital depth data for the plurality of objects;
using the acquired image, the processor generating modified visual data that is supplementary to one or more of the plurality of objects, and
displaying the modified visual data on a display device based on the digital depth data.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating modified visual data comprises altering the acquired image using the determined digital depth data at an object location within the field of view.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of removing a displayed portion of the modified visual data when the processor detects an occlusion of a first object of the plurality of objects by a second object of the plurality of objects.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
detecting an occlusion of one of the plurality of objects at a location within the field of view, and in response, altering the displaying of the modified visual data.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
detecting an occlusion of one of the plurality of objects at a location within the field of view, and in response, rendering a portion of the modified visual data such that the displayed modified visual data is semi-transparent.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the modified visual data comprises generating data that when rendered, displays an information overlay that corresponds to one of the plurality of objects at a location within the field of view.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the modified visual data comprises displaying the modified visual data with binocular disparity based on the digital depth data at a location within the field of view.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of tracking an object within the field of view, wherein displaying the modified visual data comprises displaying the modified visual data at a last tracked depth of the tracked object.
9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of detecting, within the plurality of objects, an occlusion of a first object by a second object at a location within the field of view.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of detecting an occlusion further comprises the processor determining the occlusion based on the digital depth data of the first object in relation to the digital depth data of the second object at the location within the field of view.
11 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program having machine readable instructions for performing, when executed by one or more processors, steps comprising:
triggering an imaging device to capture an image of an area containing a plurality of objects;
triggering a depth map imager to capture three-dimensional (3D) depth map of the imaged area;
modifying the acquired image using the captured depth map; and
presenting the modified image via one or more display screens.
12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
detecting an occlusion of an object at a location within the area, and in response, altering the presentation of the modified image.
13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the step of detecting, within the plurality of objects, an occlusion of a first object by a second object.
14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to present a portion of the modified image such that the presented portion is semi-transparent.
15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to present the modified image with binocular disparity based on the captured depth map.