IP Library Granted Patent US 8,797,352
Granted Patent B2
US 8,797,352 · App. 12/063,506 · Granted Aug 5, 2014

Method and devices for visualising a digital model in a real environment

Inventors: Valentin Lefevre (Puteaux, FR); Jean-Marie Vaidie (Paris, FR)
Assignee: Total Immersion
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,797,352
App. No.
12/063,506
Granted
Aug 5, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention relates to a method and devices for enabling a user to visualize a virtual model in a real environment. According to the invention, a 2D representation of a 3D virtual object is inserted, in real-time, into the video flows of a camera aimed at a real environment in order to form an enriched video flow. A plurality of cameras generating a plurality of video flows can be simultaneously used to visualize the virtual object in the real environment according to different angles of view. A particular video flow is used to dynamically generate the effects of the real environment on the virtual model. The virtual model can be, for example, a digital copy or virtual enrichments of a real copy. A virtual 2D object, for example the representation of a real person, can be inserted into the enriched video flow.

Claims (26)

1. A method for visualization in real time of a three-dimensional virtual object in a real environment, the method comprising:

reception of at least one video stream comprising a representation of at least one real object different from the virtual object;

insertion in real time of a two-dimensional representation of said three-dimensional virtual object into said at least one received video stream while masking a part of the virtual object by the at least one real object as a function of a three-dimensional model associated with the at least one real object and of a position of the at least one real object, and creation of at least one augmented video stream comprising said at least one received video stream into which said two-dimensional representation of said three-dimensional virtual object has been inserted;

reception of a video stream of a second type, said at least one video stream being at least one video stream of first type, said video stream of a second type enabling to determine dynamically the reflections of said real environment in said three-dimensional virtual object;

update of at least one dynamic environment with data from said video stream of the second type, said data representing changes in the reflections of said real environment on said virtual object, said changes resulting from modification of said real environment or movement of said virtual object;

combination of said dynamic management of said reflections with a static management of said reflections by combining said at least one dynamic environment maps with at least one static environment map according to their respective degree of influence; and

transmission of said at least one augmented video stream.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said video stream of a second type modifies the environment texture of said three-dimensional virtual object.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said virtual object is a digital mock-up.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said virtual object is a virtual augmentation of a real mock-up present in said real environment.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising a step of reception of at least one data stream associated with said at least one video stream of first type, said at least one data stream characterizing the movements of the source of the associated video stream, said two-dimensional representation of said three-dimensional virtual object being inserted in real time into said at least one received video stream in accordance with said at least one data stream.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said three-dimensional virtual object is animated.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of insertion in real time of a two-dimensional representation of said three-dimensional virtual object into said at least one received video stream further comprises the step of insertion in real time of a two-dimensional virtual object into said at least one received video stream.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said two-dimensional virtual object is a representation of a real person.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein said real environment comprises at least one real object and in that this method further comprises the step of matching a plurality of feature points of said real object with the corresponding points of a virtual model of said real object.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising a step of locating the source of said at least one received video stream.

11. The method according to claim 9 further comprising a step of scaling said three-dimensional virtual object according to said at least one real object.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the degree of influence of each environment map is given by a parameter varying between 0 and 1.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one video stream comprises a representation of at least one real object different from the virtual object and further comprising masking a part of the virtual object by the at least one real object as a function of a three-dimensional model associated with the at least one real object and of a position of the at least one real object.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodied in a computer program product comprising computer readable instructions adapted for carrying out each step of a method for visualization in real time of a three-dimensional virtual object in a real environment, the method comprising:

reception of at least one video stream comprising a representation of at least one real object different from the virtual object;

insertion in real time of a two-dimensional representation of said three-dimensional virtual object into said at least one received video stream and creation of at least one augmented video stream comprising said at least one received video stream into which said two-dimensional representation of said three-dimensional virtual object has been inserted;

reception of a video stream of a second type, said at least one video stream being at least one video stream of first type, said video stream of a second type enabling to determine dynamically the reflections of said real environment in said three-dimensional virtual object;

update of at least one dynamic environment with from said video stream of the second type, said data representing changes in the reflections of said real environment on said virtual object, said changes resulting from modification of said real environment or movement of said virtual object;

combination of said dynamic management of said reflections with a static management of said reflections by combining said at least one dynamic environment maps with at least one static environment map according to their respective degree of influence; and

transmission of said at least one augmented video stream.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 23, 2016
From: QUALCOMM CONNECTED EXPERIENCES, INC.
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 038689/0718 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 25, 2014
From: TOTAL IMMERSION, SA
To: QUALCOMM CONNECTED EXPERIENCES, INC.
Reel/Frame 034260/0297 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 11, 2008
From: LEFEVRE, VALENTIN; VAIDIE, JEAN-MARIE
To: TOTAL IMMERSION
Reel/Frame 021366/0687 →
Priority Claims (2)
FR 05 52473 · Aug 9, 2005 · national
FR 05 52478 · Aug 9, 2005 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100277468A1 · Nov 4, 2010