Patent ID: 6028955
Filing Date: 2000-02-22
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
A method for determining a vantage point from which a picture of an object was taken, the method comprising:providing a plurality of visible markers, each marker comprising a plurality of concentric geometric shapes each having a radius, each marker uniquely identifiable be the number of geometric shapes and the ratio of the radii of the innermost geometric shape to the outermost geometric shape;placing the object in a position with a background that includes the plurality of markers, the background being in a base color and the markers being in a different shade of the base color;taking a picture of the object from a vantage point having a position and orientation in which multiple markers are visible within the picture;identifying the markers that are visible within the picture based on the number of geometric shapes and the ratio of the radii of the innermost geometric shape to the outermost geometric shape, and determining the position of the identified markers within the picture; andcalculating both the position and orientation of the vantage point from which the picture was taken based on the identified markers and the determined positions of the identified markers within the picture.