3d geometric modeling and 3d video content creation

Abstract

A system, apparatus and method of obtaining data from a 2D image in order to determine the 3D shape of objects appearing in said 2D image, said 2D image having distinguishable epipolar lines, said method comprising: (a) providing a predefined set of types of features, giving rise to feature types, each feature type being distinguishable according to a unique bi-dimensional formation; (b) providing a coded light pattern comprising multiple appearances of said feature types; (c) projecting said coded light pattern on said objects such that the distance between epipolar lines associated with substantially identical features is less than the distance between corresponding locations of two neighboring features; (d) capturing a 2D image of said objects having said projected coded light pattern projected thereupon, said 2D image comprising reflected said feature types; and (e) extracting: (i) said reflected feature types according to the unique bi-dimensional formations; and (ii) locations of said reflected feature types on respective said epipolar lines in said 2D image.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 providing a first bi-dimensional coded light pattern having a first plurality of feature types and a second bi-dimensional coded light pattern having a second plurality of feature types, and each feature type from the first and the second plurality of feature types is distinguishable according to a unique bi-dimensional formation of varying light intensities, and each one of the unique bi-dimensional formations of varying light intensities is associated with a unique combination of a plurality of elements comprises: at least one maximum or minimum non-saddle element and a plurality of saddle elements, and   wherein each feature type from the second plurality of feature types corresponds to a respective feature type from the first plurality of feature types, and wherein the at least one non-saddle element of each feature type from the second plurality of feature types is inverted relative to the at least one non-saddle element of the respective feature type from the first plurality of feature types;   projecting said first bi-dimensional coded light pattern and said second bi-dimensional coded light pattern on objects;   capturing a first image of said objects, having said first bi-dimensional coded light pattern projected thereupon, and a second image of said objects, having said second bi-dimensional coded light pattern projected thereupon; and   processing the first and the second images.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the saddle point is neither maximum nor minimum. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said processing comprises obtaining a resultant image from a subtraction of said second image from said first image. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 determining a location of the at least one non-saddle element and of the plurality of saddle elements of said reflected feature types in said resultant image; and   determining feature type locations in the first or second image according to locations of the at least one non-saddle element and of the plurality of saddle elements of said reflected feature types in said resultant image.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said processing comprises obtaining a resultant image from the addition of said second image to said first image. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the resultant image comprises accentuated saddle points of said first and said second plurality of feature types, and further comprising determining saddle identity information of a saddle point of said first and/or said second plurality of feature types according to intensity values of a respective accentuated saddle point in said resultant image. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said processing comprises obtaining a resultant image from the absolute value of a subtraction of said second captured image from said first captured image. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the resultant image comprises borderlines between non-saddle points in the first or second image. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said projecting comprises one of the following:
 projecting the first and second bi-dimensional coded light patterns temporally;   projecting the first and second bi-dimensional coded light patterns with different spectral values of light; or   projecting the first and second bi-dimensional coded light patterns with differing polarization.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said capturing comprises capturing the first image and second image temporally, giving rise to temporal imaging. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , further comprising carrying out the temporal imaging over non-uniform time intervals. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said capturing further comprises capturing the first image and the second image simultaneously using spectral or polar differentiation. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a first bi-dimensional coded light pattern having a first plurality of feature types and a second bi-dimensional coded light pattern having a second plurality of feature types, and each feature type from the first and the second plurality of feature types is distinguishable according to a unique bi-dimensional formation of varying light intensities, and each one of the unique bi-dimensional formations of varying light intensities is associated with a unique combination of a plurality of elements comprises: at least one maximum or minimum non-saddle element and a plurality of saddle elements, and   wherein each feature type from the second plurality of feature types corresponds to a respective feature type from the first plurality of feature types, and wherein the at least one non-saddle element of each feature type from the second plurality of feature types is inverted relative to the at least one non-saddle element of the respective feature type from the first plurality of feature types;   a projection module capable of projecting said first bi-dimensional coded light pattern and said second bi-dimensional coded light pattern on objects;   at least one imaging module capable of capturing a first image of said objects, having said first bi-dimensional coded light pattern projected thereupon, and a second image of said objects, having said second bi-dimensional coded light pattern projected thereupon; and   an image processing module capable of processing the first and the second images.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the saddle point is neither maximum nor minimum. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said image processing module is capable of obtaining a resultant image from a subtraction of said second image from said first image. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein said image processing module is capable of:
 determining a location of the at least one non-saddle element and of the plurality of saddle elements of said reflected feature types in said resultant image; and of   determining feature type locations in the first or second image according to locations of the at least one non-saddle element and of the plurality of saddle elements of said reflected feature types in said resultant image.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said image processing module is capable of obtaining a resultant image from the addition of said second image to said first image. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the resultant image comprises accentuated saddle points of said first and said second plurality of feature types, and, wherein said image processing module is capable of determining saddle identity information of a saddle point of said first and/or said second plurality of feature types according to intensity values of a respective accentuated saddle point in said resultant image. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said image processing module is capable of obtaining a resultant image from the absolute value of a subtraction of said second captured image from said first captured image. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein the resultant image comprises borderlines between non-saddle points in the first or second image. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said projection module is capable of any one of the following:
 projecting the first and second bi-dimensional coded light patterns temporally;   projecting the first and second bi-dimensional coded light patterns with different spectral values of light; or   projecting the first and second bi-dimensional coded light patterns with differing polarization.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said at least one imaging module is capable of capturing the first image and second image temporally, giving rise to temporal imaging. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said at least one imaging module is capable of carrying out the temporal imaging over non-uniform time intervals. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein said at least one imaging module is capable of capturing the first image and the second image simultaneously using spectral or polar differentiation. 
     
     
         25 . A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method, comprising:
 providing a first bi-dimensional coded light pattern having a first plurality of feature types and a second bi-dimensional coded light pattern having a second plurality of feature types, and each feature type from the first and the second plurality of feature types is distinguishable according to a unique bi-dimensional formation of varying light intensities, and each one of the unique bi-dimensional formations of varying light intensities is associated with a unique combination of a plurality of elements comprises: at least one maximum or minimum non-saddle element and a plurality of saddle elements, and   wherein each feature type from the second plurality of feature types corresponds to a respective feature type from the first plurality of feature types, and wherein the at least one non-saddle element of each feature type from the second plurality of feature types is inverted relative to the at least one non-saddle element of the respective feature type from the first plurality of feature types;   projecting said first bi-dimensional coded light pattern and said second bi-dimensional coded light pattern on objects;   capturing a first image of said objects, having said first bi-dimensional coded light pattern projected thereupon, and a second image of said objects, having said second bi-dimensional coded light pattern projected thereupon; and   processing the first and the second images.   
     
     
         26 . A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer program product comprising:
 computer readable program code for causing the computer to provide a first bi-dimensional coded light pattern having a first plurality of feature types and a second bi-dimensional coded light pattern having a second plurality of feature types, and each feature type from the first and the second plurality of feature types is distinguishable according to a unique bi-dimensional formation of varying light intensities, and each one of the unique bi-dimensional formations of varying light intensities is associated with a unique combination of a plurality of elements comprises: at least one maximum or minimum non-saddle element and a plurality of saddle elements, and   wherein each feature type from the second plurality of feature types corresponds to a respective feature type from the first plurality of feature types, and wherein the at least one non-saddle element of each feature type from the second plurality of feature types is inverted relative to the at least one non-saddle element of the respective feature type from the first plurality of feature types;   computer readable program code for causing said first bi-dimensional coded light pattern and said second bi-dimensional coded light pattern to be projected on objects;   computer readable program code for causing the computer to obtain a first image of said objects, having said first bi-dimensional coded light pattern projected thereupon, and a second image of said objects, having said second bi-dimensional coded light pattern projected thereupon; and   computer readable program code for causing the computer to process the first and the second images.