1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device, an image processing method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, technology referred to as augmented reality (AR) has been drawing attention whereby an image obtained by imaging a real space and modified through a specific process is presented to a user. In the AR technology, useful information on an object in a real space shown in an input image may be inserted into the image to be output as an output image, for example. That is, in the AR technology, typically, a large part of the image presented to the user shows the real space, and some part of the image may be processed in accordance with an application purpose. Such a characteristic is in contrast to virtual reality in which an entire (or a large part) of the output image is composed using computer graphics (CG). By using the AR technology, for example, advantages such as easy understanding of a situation of the real space by a user or work support based on the output image may be provided.
Further, in the AR technology, in addition to the technique involving inserting useful information on an object in a real space into an image obtained by imaging a real space, there is also a technique of presenting to a user useful information on an object in a real space in a superimposing manner on a visual field of a user who is viewing the real space. In this technique, the useful information on an object in the real space is presented to the user by being optically composited with the visual field of the user who is viewing the real space by using a half mirror and the like. Also in the case of using such AR technology, for example, advantages such as easy understanding of a situation of the real space by a user or work support may be provided.
In the AR technology, in order to present really useful information to the user, it is important that a computer accurately understands the situation of the real space. Therefore, technology aimed to understand the situation of the real space, which serves as a basis of the AR technology, has been developed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-304268 discloses a method of dynamically generating an environment map representing a three-dimensional positions of objects existing in a real space by applying technology referred to as simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) capable of simultaneously estimating a position and posture of a camera and a position of a feature point shown in an image of the camera. Note that, a basic principle of the SLAM technology using a monocular camera is disclosed in “Real-Time Simultaneous Localization and Mapping with a Single Camera” (Andrew J. Davison, Proceedings of the 9th IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision Volume 2, 2003, pp. 1403-1410).
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds