Patent ID: 7535463
Filing Date: 2009-05-19
Classification: G06F,G06T

Abstract:
1. A method of manipulating a graphical object presented on a display surface in response to a movement of one or more physical objects that are adjacent to the display surface, comprising the steps of: (a) creating a first image of the display surface in which one or more patches are included that represent one or more portions of the physical object at a first time index, and wherein the one or more patches include a plurality of points that intersect points in the graphical object at the first time index; (b) creating a second image of the display surface in which the one or more patches are included and which represent the one or more portions of the physical object at a second time index occurring after the first time index; (c) determining flow vectors describing two-dimensional, in x and y directions, motion for at least some of the plurality of points that intersect points in the graphical object in the one or more patches at the first time index and the second time index, the optical flow vectors defining one or more vector fields that define an optical flow for the one or more portions of the one or more physical objects wherein determining flow vectors describing a two-dimensional, in x and y directions, motion for at least some of the plurality of points that intersect points in the graphical object comprises comparing patches by computing the sum of pixel wise absolute differences such that for a given patch in an image, (dx, dy) is selected to minimize (d) manipulating the graphical object by applying the optical flow to the graphical object presented on the display surface.