System and method for calibrating a stereo optical see-through head-mounted display system for augmented reality

摘要

A system and method for calibrating a stereo optical see-through HMD (head-mounted display). A preferred method integrates measurement for an optical see-through HMD and a six degrees of freedom tracker that is fixedly attached to the HMD to perform calibration. Calibration is based on the alignment of a stereoscopically fused marker image, which is perceived in depth, with a single 3D reference point in a world coordinate system from various viewpoints. The user interaction to perform the calibration is extremely easy compared to conventional methods and does not require keeping the head static during the calibration process. In one aspect, a method for calibrating a stereo HMD comprises the steps of displaying a 2-dimensional marker image on each eye display of the stereo HMD for view by a user, wherein the 2-dimensional marker images are displayed with an offset so as to induce a 3-dimensional marker that is perceived by the user as being at a distance away from the user; aligning the 3-dimensional marker image with a preselected reference point; collecting calibration data associated with the alignment; and computing a model of the HMD using the collected calibration data.