Image processing device, image processing method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8994752-B2
Application number	US-201113015566-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2011
Priority date	Feb 2, 2010
Publication date	Mar 31, 2015
Grant date	Mar 31, 2015

Abstract

There is provided an image processing device including: a data storage unit having feature data stored therein, the feature data indicating a feature of appearance of one or more physical objects; an environment map building unit for building an environment map based on an input image obtained by imaging a real space using an imaging device and the feature data stored in the data storage unit, the environment map representing a position of a physical object present in the real space; an information generating unit for generating animation data for displaying a status of communication via a communication interface on a screen, using the environment map built by the environment map building unit; and an image superimposing unit for generating an output image by superimposing an animation according to the animation data generated by the information generating unit on the input image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing device comprising:
a data storage unit having feature data stored therein, the feature data indicating a feature of appearance of one or more physical objects;
an environment map building unit configured to build an environment map based on an input image obtained by imaging a real space using an imaging device and the feature data stored in the data storage unit, the environment map representing a position of a physical object present in the real space;
an information generating unit configured to generate animation data to display an identified status of communication via a communication interface on a screen, using the environment map built by the environment map building unit; and
an image superimposing unit configured to generate an output image by superimposing an animation according to the animation data generated by the information generating unit comprising the identified status of communication on the input image,
wherein the identified status of communication comprises at least one of:
an indication of a completion of at least one of a transmission or a reception of a communication; or
an indication of a failure of at least one of a transmission or a reception of a communication, and

wherein each of the data storage unit, the environment map building unit, the information generating unit, and the image superimposing unit are implemented via at least one processor.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the information generating unit determines motion of the animation according to a position of a physical object in a real space represented by the environment map.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the information generating unit determines a movement direction of the animation according to a position of a communication party.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the information generating unit determines motion of the animation or a type of the animation according to a rate of the communication.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the communication is wireless communication, and
the information generating unit determines motion of the animation or a type of the animation according to a reception level of a radio signal in the communication.

6. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the information generating unit changes motion of the animation according to whether the communication is successful.

7. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the information generating unit determines motion of the animation or a type of the animation according to a type of communication service realized by the communication.

8. The image processing device according to claim 7 ,
wherein at least one of the animation motion, or the animation, is varied depending on at least one of the type of communication, a degree of security risk of communication, or a rate of communication, wherein the type of communication comprises at least one of:
an email,
an small messaging system message (SMS),
a communication,
a wired communication,
a wireless communication, and
a wireless access point (AP) access.

9. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the animation is an animation representing a virtual character.

10. The image processing device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the animation is an animation representing the virtual character, wherein the virtual character comprises a virtual agent.

11. The image processing device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the animation is an animation representing a virtual character, wherein the virtual character comprises at least one of:
a pet,
an airplane,
an animal,
a pigeon,
a carrier pigeon, and
a bird.

12. The image processing device according to claim 11 ,
wherein the animation is an animation representing an intuitively recognizable communication status.

13. The image processing device according to claim 11 ,
wherein the animation further comprises:
providing entertainment in communication of communication status information.

14. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the image processing device further comprises a detection unit configured to dynamically detect a position in the real space of the imaging device based on the input image and the feature data,
a position in the input image at which the animation is superimposed is calculated according to a position in the real space of the imaging device detected by the detection unit, and
wherein the detection unit is implemented via at least one processor.

15. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the input image is of at least one of:
a commercial facility or a station, and

wherein the animation provides directions to at least one of:
a location or a route.

16. The image processing device according to claim 15 ,
wherein the input image is of the station, and wherein the station comprises a train station.

17. The image processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one communication control unit configured to identify at least one communication identification data of at least one type of communication, and to provide at least one communication status parameter,
wherein the at least one communication control unit is implemented via at least one processor.

18. The image processing device according to claim 17 , wherein said at least one communication control unit configured to determine said at least one communication identification data, is configured to determine said at least one communication identification data comprising:
a communication source,
a communication destination,
at least one communication address,
at least one communication username,
a communication access point (AP) identifier,
a communication interface identifier,
a communication rate, and
a communication transmission or reception status.

19. An image processing method in an image processing device including a storage medium having feature data stored therein, the feature data indicating a feature of appearance of one or more physical objects, the method comprising:
acquiring an input image obtained by imaging a real space using an imaging device;
building an environment map based on the input image and the feature data, the environment map representing a position of a physical object present in the real space;
generating animation data for displaying an identified status of communication via a communication interface on a screen, using the environment map; and
generating an output image by superimposing an animation according to the animation data comprising the identified status of communication on the input image,
wherein the identified status of communication comprises at least one of:
an indication of a completion of at least one of a transmission or a reception of a communication; or
an indication of a failure of at least one of a transmission or a reception of a communication.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program product, which when executed by a processor of an image processing device causes the image processing device to perform a method, the method comprising:
building an environment map based on an input image obtained by imaging a real space using an imaging device and feature data, the environment map representing a position of a physical ob

Assignees

• Suto Yasuhiro
• Matsuda Kouichi
• Fukuchi Masaki
• Oi Kenichiro
• Guo Jingjing
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Suto Yasuhiro
• Matsuda Kouichi
• Fukuchi Masaki
• Oi Kenichiro
• Guo Jingjing

Classifications

• G06T13/00 Primary

  Animation · CPC title

• G06V20/20

  in augmented reality scenes · CPC title

• G06T19/006

  Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00) · CPC title

• G06T13/80

  Two-dimensional [2D] animation, e.g. using sprites · CPC title

• G06T11/00

  Two-dimensional [2D] image generation · CPC title