Technical Field

The invention is related to a method for forming a three dimensional image for one or more users on a surface which is horizontal to the earth surface or on an angular surface, according to the position and point of view of each user and an image formation system which operates in accordance with said method.

Prior Art

Nowadays the creation of a virtual image for entertainment, education, examination, research, health, construction, transportation, design, maintenance, repair, planning and evaluation and the development of applications having different presentations and styles have started to appeal to rather great masses. Especially the creation of virtual reality has been carried to another level through the developments established in the state of the art related to the formation of three dimensional images.

The users have been using imaging devices which can create a three dimension perception in order to be able to examine a human body, the complex design of an aeroplane, the geographical characteristics of a region or the design and structural aspects of a structure. Particularly obtaining three dimensional images for those object of which real life obtaining scaled models can be obtained with difficulty and with high expenses; such as a landscape, a human body, any object having complex characteristics such as an aeroplane or a building, have gained importance in many fields. For this reason, holographic devices or projection techniques which provide the colouring of three dimensional surfaces and animation on the coloured units, in the state of the art, are present. However the images that are reflected on holographic systems need to be designed in accordance with the surface they are to be reflected on. For this reason the designing of different places, areas, or buildings so that they are reflected as desired leads to increase in costs and are time consuming. Besides when a technique not sensitive to the position of the user is implemented, a three dimensional image which is established on a plane, will seem like a single directional image and be observed to be the same from all angles that the user is looking from. The perspective of said images does not change according to the position of the user. For this reason, the area or the object that is desired to be examined cannot be easily examined as intended. Moreover a three dimensional imaging system with glasses which provide the perception of an object which is most suitable to the position of the user, to be perceived as a three dimensional object to more than one user at the same time, from different perspectives is not present.

An imaging system where active and passive filtering is used together has been described in the application document numbered WO 2013/082176 A2 in the state of the art.

The document numbered CN 103065361 is related to a method for forming a three dimensional sandbox.

Aim and brief description of the Invention

The following has been aimed in developing the method for obtaining multiple stereoscopic images simultaneously from more than one different angle for multiple users on a single surface and in developing the system for obtaining stereoscopic images;

• Obtaining a device and an operating method suitable to said device which can ensure that an object, an object group or a place which is desired to be three dimensionally examined and/or designed and/or developed according to the position of a user to be more suitable to virtual reality perception,

• For more than one person to be able to carry out examination, design, development, evaluation and planning simultaneously and with mutual interaction on the same object, object group or place, • To ensure that a spot pointed by one person on a virtual image is perceived at the correct position by other people.

The invention is related to a method which provides an image to be perceived at a suitable perspective to the position of each user at the same time by using active and passive filtering which enables a three dimensional image to be perceived from different angles according to the position of a user for one or multiple users simultaneously on the same surface; and to a system which updates the stereoscopic images created on a surface simultaneously having different polarization or wavelengths by means of determining the positions of the users.

Definitions of the figures illustrating the Invention

The figures used in order to better describe the method of obtaining multiple images on a single surface and a system for obtaining a stereoscopic image that has been developed according to the invention and their related explanations have been listed below:

Figure-1: Is the isometric view of the glasses.

Figure-2: Is the schematic top view of the stereoscopic image formation system.

Figure-3: Is the schematic front view of the stereoscopic image formation system of the invention according to an embodiment where the image is created by projectors.

Figure-4: Is the schematic isometric image of the stereoscopic image formation system according to the embodiment in Figure-3 of the invention.

Figure-5: Is the schematic view which shows the perception of the user of the image formed according to the position of the user in relation to the embodiment of the invention in Figure-3. Figure-6: Is the schematic view showing the perception of an updated image by the user which has been updated according to the position of the user in accordance with the embodiment of the invention of Figure-3.

Figure-7: Is the schematic front view of the stereoscopic image formation system which provides the image formation at a plane horizontal to the earth surface according to an embodiment of the invention where the image is formed by screens.

Figure-8: Is the schematic front view of the stereoscopic image formation system which provides the formation of an image which is at a plane vertical to the earth surface according to an embodiment of the invention of figure-7.

Figure-9: Is the schematic view of the perception by the user of an image that has been formed according to the position of the user at a plane horizontal to the earth surface according to an embodiment of the invention shown in Figure-7.

Figure-10: Is the schematic view of the perception of the image formed according to the position of the user at a plane vertical to the earth surface in accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure-7.

Definitions of the parts forming the invention

The parts and the sections in the figures have each been numbered in order to further explain the method of obtaining multiple images on a single surface and the stereoscopic image formation system developed by means of the invention; and the references of each number has been listed below.

1. Glasses

2. Marker

3. Filters

4. Universal measurement unit 5. Image capturing unit

6. Projector

7. Panel a. Surface b. Image

Detailed description of the Invention

The stereoscopic image (b) formation system which creates the perception that the image (b) on a surface (a) is being viewed by different users from different perspectives; basically comprises;

• Glasses (1) which carry markers (2) and filters (3),

• Markers (2) which enable the determination of the position of the eyes of the user according to the captured image of the user,

• Filters (3) which can carry out active and passive filtering such that the user perceives one of the created images (b) that has been matched with him, as three dimensional,

• An image capturing unit (5) which captures images of the user wearing the glasses (1),

• At least an imager which creates images (b) as many as the number of the people having different perspectives.

In an embodiment of the invention, the imager comprises multiple projectors (6) which reflect images (b) having different perspectives. In another embodiment of the invention, the imager comprises a panel (7) formed of one or more screens which create a number of images (b) having different perspectives as many as the number of people. The surface (a) is a medium where the image (b) is reflected in the embodiment of the invention in which the projectors (6) are being used. The surface (a) is the face where the image is formed on the panel (7) in the embodiment of the invention in which a panel (7) is being used.

The image capturing unit (5) having multiple lenses can record an image of a point at the same time from different angles, in other words in stereo for a three dimensional position detection. The image capturing unit (5) records the images of the users wearing the glasses (1). The position of the eyes of the user can be determined not only by means of comparing the image pairs recorded via stereo image capturers, but also by using image capturers having depth perception abilities.

Multiple image capturing units (5) can be used together in the stereoscopic image (b) formation system. In different embodiments of the invention, by using multiple image capturing units (5) the reduction of dead spaces which can be created during the motion of the users, is provided.

In a different embodiment of the invention, the changes related to the position of the user are obtained by a universal measuring unit (4) instead of an image capturing unit (5). The universal measuring unit (4) obtains signals related to the position changes and perspectives by means of devices such as a compass, an accelerometer or a gyroscope and thus the position of the eyes of the user can be calculated. In an embodiment of the invention, the universal measuring unit (4) further comprises a positioning device such as an indoor GPS, iBeacon or any other device that can be used to determine the position of a user.

The filters (3) on the glasses (1) can carry out active and passive filtering simultaneously. The filters (3) on the glasses worn by the users have been designed such that they enable only the image (b) which enables the perception of only one of the images from the imager by using the passive filtering characteristics. For each user, a passive filter having different characteristics which prevent the images (b) of other users, is used. By this means a stereo image (b) which has been created for a user cannot be seen by another user. In other words the passive filtering characteristic of the filters (3) prevent the viewing of the image (b) created by the imager which is not desired to be viewed. In order to ensure this, the passive filtering characteristics of the filters (3) on the same glasses is the same, however the filters (3) on different glasses (1) used by different users have different passive filtering characteristics from each other. The image (b) has been formed such that it shall be perceived by the user as a three dimensional image by means of active filtering in order for a user to be able to see said image (b) that has been formed, as a three dimensional image. Each glasses (1) used by each user is actively synchronized with the image (b) that it has been matched with and by this means the image (b) formed is perceived as a three dimensional image by the user.

The glasses (1) used by each user and the sections of the image (b) formed, that have been matched with the user have the same passive filtering characteristics. Besides this, an active filtering characteristic is also present, which operates in synchronization with the imager that has formed the image (b) that is desired to be seen as a three dimensional image via the filters (3).

As a result in the embodiment of the invention where projectors (6) are used, each glasses (1) has been matched with a projector (6) and in the embodiment of the invention where a panel (7) is used, each glasses (1) has been matched with the related section of the image formed on the panel (7).

It is also possible to use passive filters such as lenticular lenses, parallax barriers which do not necessitate passive filtering on the glasses (1) in addition to using passive filtering methods such as polarization, wavelength etc in order to establish an image (b) having a different perspective, by means passive filtering for multiple people. The integration of such filters on the imager instead of the glasses (1) shall be sufficient. However in such a case different users need to view images in different locations which have been predetermined for themselves. For example in such a use of the invention, two people will be able to view an image (b) from different perspectives at the same time by one person standing at the left side of the surface (a) and the other person standing on the right side of the surface (a).

The method of obtaining multiple stereoscopic images (b) on a single surface (a) which provides the perception of the image (b) to be a three dimensional image by using passive filtering together with active filtering which can create the perception that the object, object group or place that has been formed for different users looking at the same surface (a) is being looked at from different perspectives, basically comprises the following steps:

• Formation of the space or object to be viewed, on the processor,

• Assuming that the users wearing the glasses (1) are initially viewing from predetermined positions,

• Matching the glasses (1) with the imager sections forming the image (b) that each user can see,

• Forming a stereoscopic image (b) compliant to active filtering formed of layers having the same passive filtering characteristics on a surface (a) for each user,

• Passive filtering of the image (b) by filters (3) on the glasses (1) and the viewing of only the image (b) matched with the user by each user,

• Active filtering of the image (b) by the filters (3) for the user to perceive the image (b) as a three dimensional image.

The image (b) that is shown is formed on the processor beforehand. In different embodiments of the invention, this image (b) can be an embossed map, a structure, an event animation or any similar virtual object, or an object group or an animation of an area. Alternatively, in an embodiment of the invention, the second step is; acquiring the positions of the users by a positioning device such as an indoor GPS, iBeacon or any other device that can be used to determine the position of a user.

Stereoscopic images (b) that belong to different users are formed on the surface (a) simultaneously by means of the imager. Stereoscopic image (b) layers which belong to the same user have the same passive filtering characteristics. However images (b) that belong to different users have different passive filtering characteristics. The image (b) is displayed on the surface (a) to the users positioned at their predetermined positons, such that it creates the perspective suitable to the predetermined position of each user on the system processor according to the predetermined positions. However, the image (b) can be updated when the positions of the users change. The position changes of a user is carried out by comparing, by the processor, multiple images of the markers (2) on the glasses (1) worn by the user that have been simultaneously recorded by the image capturing unit (5). Thus, the position of the eyes of the user can be determined.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the image capturing unit (5) records the images of the markers (2) and the position of the eyes of the user is determined by means of the recorded image of these markers (2). In order for the image (b) to be able to be updated when the position of the user changes, the image of the markers (2) is tracked by the periodical recording of the image by the image capturing unit (5). In different embodiments of the invention, the changes of the eye positions of the users can be obtained by means of a universal measurement unit (4). Besides this, in another embodiment of the invention, with the image capturing unit (5) having a depth measurement feature, the position of the head and the eyes of the user are determined and the position of the eyes in space, of the user can therefore be determined. By means of determining the new position of the eyes of the user periodically, the image (b) can also be suitably updated and is formed on the surface (a).

In an embodiment of the invention, in order for the user to be able to interact with the image (b), a different interaction marker from the markers (2) found on the glasses (1) can be used. This interaction marker can be found on the tip of a pointer which is like a rod that can be held by the user or used to follow the motion of the fingers by means of an apparatus such as a glove having markers at the finger tips which can be worn like a glove. The motion of the interactive markers in said system is followed by the images captured by the image capturing unit (5). Moreover, a command can be carried out that is determined by the motion of the interactive markers with a pattern defined in the algorithm found on the processors. For example when a user touches a point with the interactive marker found on the tip of the pointer, the image (b) can be zoomed in at that point. Besides this, the user can use a touch panel located on surface (a) in order to interact with the image (b) that has been created. The image (b) can be updated as each user interacts with the image (b) separately at the same time. Besides the interactive markers being able to be tracked by the image capturing unit (5), these markers can also be sensors in different embodiments of the invention.