Composite image generation to remove obscuring objects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9619928-B2
Application number	US-201615203407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2016
Priority date	Feb 18, 2014
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for methods and systems effective to generate a composite image. The methods may include receiving first image data that includes object data corresponding to an object and receiving second image data that includes obscuring data. The obscuring data, if displayed on a display, may obscure at least a portion of the. The methods may also include identifying a first region that may include the object data, in the first image data. The methods may also include identifying a second region, that may include the obscuring data, in the second image data. The methods may also include replacing at least part of the second region with at least part of the first region to generate the composite image data that may include at least some of the object data. The methods may also include displaying the composite image on a display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to generate a composite image, the method comprising, by a first device that includes a first vehicle:
receiving, from a second device, first image data that includes object data, wherein the object data corresponds to an object, and wherein the second device includes a second vehicle;
generating second image data that includes first obscuring data, wherein the first obscuring data corresponds to at least a part of the second device, and wherein the first obscuring data, if displayed on a display, would obscure at least a portion of the object;
identifying a first region in the first image data, wherein the first region includes the object data;
identifying a second region in the second image data, wherein the second region includes the first obscuring data;
replacing at least part of the second region in the second image data with at least part of the first region, to generate first composite image data, wherein the first composite image data includes at least some of the object data;
receiving third image data that includes second obscuring data, wherein the second obscuring data, if displayed on the display, would obscure at least a portion of the object;
identifying a third region in the first composite image data, wherein the third region includes at least a portion of the object data;
identifying a fourth region in the third image data, wherein the fourth region includes the second obscuring data;
replacing at least part of the fourth region in the third image data with at least part of the third region to generate second composite image data, wherein the second composite image data includes at least some of the object data; and
displaying a second composite image on the display.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving an input effective to indicate a number of objects to be removed from the second image data, wherein generation of a first composite image and the second composite image is performed in response to the receipt of the input.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the third image data includes receiving the third image data from a third device, and wherein the third device includes a third vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to replacing at least part of the second region with at least part of the first region:
identifying a first feature in the first image data;
identifying a second feature in the second image data;
comparing the first feature in the first image data with the second feature in the second image data;
determining a scaling factor based on the comparison of the first feature in the first image data and the second feature in the second image data; and
scaling pixels in the first region based on the scaling factor.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to generating the first composite image data:
comparing the first obscuring data with one or more pieces of image data stored in a database;
identifying an outline of the first obscuring data based on the comparison of the first obscuring data with the one or more pieces of image data stored in the database; and
generating outline data based on the identified outline, wherein the first composite image data includes the outline data.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the third image data includes receiving the third image data from a memory configured to be in communication with the first device and with a network.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising sending, through the network, a first composite image and the second composite image to the memory.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
receiving a first request to execute an application;
sending a second request to a processor configured to be in communication with the memory, wherein the second request is a request for at least the first composite image and the second composite image;
receiving, at the first device, the first composite image and the second composite image from the processor;
producing a virtual corridor image using the first composite image and the second composite image, wherein the virtual corridor image corresponds to one or more objects surrounding at least the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and
executing the application by displaying the virtual corridor image.

9. A method to execute an application, the method comprising, by a first device that includes a first vehicle:
receiving, from a second device, first image data that includes object data, wherein the object data corresponds to an object, and wherein the second device includes a second vehicle;
generating second image data that include first obscuring data, wherein the first obscuring data corresponds to at least a part of the second device, and wherein the first obscuring data, if displayed on a display, would obscure at least a portion of the object;
identifying a first region in the first image data, wherein the first region includes the object data;
identifying a second region in the second image data, wherein the second region includes the first obscuring data;
replacing at least part of the second region in the second image data with at least part of the first region, to generate first composite image data, wherein the first composite image data includes at least some of the object data;
receiving third image data that includes second obscuring data, wherein the second obscuring data, if displayed on the display, would obscure at least a portion of the object;
identifying a third region in the first composite image data, wherein the third region includes at least a portion of the object data;
identifying a fourth region in the third image data, wherein the fourth region includes the second obscuring data;
replacing at least part of the fourth region in the third image data with at least part of the third region to generate second composite image data, wherein the second composite image data includes at least some of the object data;
producing a virtual corridor image using a first composite image and a second composite image, wherein the virtual corridor mage corresponds to one or more objects surrounding at least the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and
displaying the virtual corridor image on the display to execute the application.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising, prior to replacing at least part of the second region with at least part of the first region:
identifying a first feature in the first image data;
identifying a second feature in the second image data;
comparing the first feature in the first image data with the second feature in the second image data;
determining a scaling factor based on the comparison of the first feature in the first image data and the second feature in the second image data; and
scaling pixels in the first region based on the scaling factor.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising, prior to receiving the first image data, receiving a request, from a third device, to execute the application on the third device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the third device is a wearable virtual reality device.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising displaying the virtual corridor image on a display of the third device.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the third image data is received from a memory configured to be in communication with the first device and with a network.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first composite image data includes first outline data, and the second composite image data includes second outline data, and wherein producing the virt

Assignees

• Empire Technology Dev Llc

Inventors

• Li Daqi
• Fang Jun

Classifications

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title

• H04N23/661

  Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet · CPC title

• H04N5/272

  Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay · CPC title

• G06T2207/30252

  Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle · CPC title

• G06F16/50

  of still image data · CPC title