1. A method for dynamically configuring an image processing function into at least a first and second detection state on the basis of function parameters, wherein transitions between said first and second detection states are determined by at least a first state transition condition and wherein said image processing function includes extracting features from an image frame, matching extracted features with reference features associated with one or more target objects and estimating pose information on the basis of matched features, said method comprising:
configuring said image processing function in a first detection state on the basis of a first set of function parameter values;
processing a first image frame in said first detection state;
monitoring said image processing function for occurrence of said at least first state transition condition; and,
if said at least one state transition condition is met, configuring said image processing function in said second detection state on the basis of a second set of function parameter values for processing a second image frame in said second detection state.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said at least first state transition condition is: the detection of at least one target object in said first image frame, the detection of a predetermined number of objects in said first image frame, the absence in said first image frame of at least one previously recognized target object; andor, the generation of pose information according to a predetermined accuracy andor within a certain processing time.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said first detection state is determined by a first set of function parameter values so that said image processing function is configured for fast detection one or more objects in said first image frame.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said second detection state is determined by a second set of function parameter values so that the image processing function is configured for accurate determination of pose information of at least one object in a second image frame, said object previously being detected by said image processing function in said first detection state.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said second detection state is determined by a second set of function parameter values so that the image processing function is configured for accurate determination of pose information of at least one object in a second image frame, said at least one object previously being detected in said first image frame by said image processing function in said first detection state; and, for fast detection of one or more objects in said second frame that were not previously detected in said first image frame by said image processing function in said first detection state.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second set of parameter values are configured such that in the first detection mode a smaller number of extracted features is used than in the second detection mode.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second set of parameter values are configured such that in the first detection mode image frames of a lower resolution are used than the image frames used in the second detection mode.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second set of parameter values are configured such that in the first detection mode the maximum computation time andor the (maximum) number of iterations for pose estimation is smaller than the computation time andor (maximum) number of iterations spent on pose estimation in the second detection mode.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second set of parameter values are configured such that in the first detection mode a larger error margin andor lower number of inlier data points for pose estimation is used than the error margin andor number of inlier data points for pose estimation in said second detection mode.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said image processing function is configurable in a further third state, wherein transitions between said first and third detection states are determined by at least a second transition condition, said method further comprising:
monitoring said image processing function for occurrence of said at least second transition condition; and,
if said at least second state transition condition is met, configuring said image processing function in said third detection state on the basis of said third set of function parameter values for processing a second image frame in said second detection state.
11. The method, according to claim 1, wherein said processing of said first and second image frames further comprises:
providing sets of reference features, each set being associated with a target object;
determining corresponding features pairs by matching said extracted features with said reference features;
determining the detection of said target object on the basis of said corresponding features.
12. The method according to claim 1, wherein image processing function is part of an augmented reality device comprising an image sensor for generating image frames and a graphics generator for generating a graphical item associated with at least one detected target object on the basis of pose information.
13. The method according to claim 1, wherein a state manager is configured to configure said image processing function into at least said first or second detection state and to monitor said first state transition conditions, wherein function parameters values associated with said detection states and information associated with said first state transition condition is stored in a memory.
14. The method according to claim 1 wherein function parameters include parameters for determining andor controlling: the number of features to be extracted from an image, the number or maximum number of iterations andor processing time for processing features, at least one threshold value for deciding whether or not a certain condition in said image processing function is met, the resolution an image is to be processed in by said image processing function.
15. A dynamically configurable image processing module comprising:
a processor configured to execute a processing function configurable into at least a first and second detection state on the basis of function parameters, wherein said image processing function includes extracting features from an image frame, matching extracted features with reference features associated with one or more target objects and estimating pose information on the basis of matched features;
a state manager operably connected to and configured to configure said image processing function in one of detection states and configured to manage transitions between said detection states on the basis of least a first state transition condition, said state manager being configured to:
configure said image processing function in a first detection state on the basis of a first set of function parameter values for processing a first image frame;
monitor said image processing function for occurrence of said at least first state transition condition; and, if said at least one state transition condition is met; and,
configure said image processing function in said second detection state on the basis of a second set of function parameter values for processing a second image frame in said second detection state.
16. An augmented reality device comprising:
image sensor configured to generate image frames;
a dynamically configurable image processing module connected to the image sensor and configured to detect one or more target objects in an image frame and configured to generate pose information associated with at least one detected object the dynamically configurable image processing module:
a processor configured to execute a processing function configurable into at least a first and second detection state on the basis of function parameters, wherein said image processing function includes extracting features from an image frame, matching extracted features with reference features associated with one or more target objects and estimating pose information on the basis of matched features;
a state manager configured to configure said image processing function in one of detection states and configured to manage transitions between said detection states on the basis of least a first state transition condition, said state manager being configured to:
configure said image processing function in a first detection state on the basis of a first set of function parameter values for processing a first image frame;
monitor said image processing function for occurrence of said at least first state transition condition; and, if said at least one state transition condition is met; and,
configure said image processing function in said second detection state on the basis of a second set of function parameter values for processing a second image frame in said second detection state
a graphics generator connected to the dynamically configurable image processing module and configured to generate a graphical item associated with said detected object on the basis of said pose information.
17. An augmented reality system comprising:
a feature database comprising reference features associated with one or more target objects, said one or more target objects being identified by object identifiers;
a content database comprising one or more content items associated with said target objects, said one or more content items being stored together with one or more object identifiers;
at least one augmented reality device, wherein said augmented reality device is connected to said feature database and configured to:
retrieve reference features from said feature database on the basis of one or more object identifiers; and,
retrieve one or more content items associated with one or more objects on the basis of said object identifiers.
18. The augmented reality device according to claim 16, further comprising a communication module configured to access said content database andor said feature database via a data communication network.
19. A computer program product, implemented on computer-readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer program product configured for, when run on a computer, executing a method for dynamically configuring an image processing function into at least a first and second detection state on the basis of function parameters, wherein transitions between said first and second detection states are determined by at least a first state transition condition and wherein said image processing function includes extracting features from an image frame, matching extracted features with reference features associated with one or more target objects and estimating pose information on the basis of matched features, said method comprising:
configuring said image processing function in a first detection state on the basis of a first set of function parameter values;
processing a first image frame in said first detection state;
monitoring said image processing function for occurrence of said at least first state transition condition; and,
if said at least one state transition condition is met, configuring said image processing function in said second detection state on the basis of a second set of function parameter values for processing a second image frame in said second detection state.
20. The method according to claim 7, said lower resolution images being a downscaled version of one or more images originating from an image sensor.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A fitting for a conduit, the fitting comprising:
a first fitting component adapted to receive a conduit along a central axis;
a gripping member comprising a gripping portion adapted to engage the conduit when the gripping member is tightened to the conduit;
a second fitting component adapted to be joined to the first fitting component to provide a seal between the gripping member and at least one of the first and second fitting components; and
a live-loading mechanism adapted to hold the gripping member in live-loaded engagement with the conduit when the first fitting component is separated from the second fitting component.
2. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the live-loading mechanism comprises a flexing portion of the gripping member that elastically deforms into a flexed position when the gripping member is tightened to the conduit.
3. The fitting of claim 2, wherein the flexing portion is configured to be flexed beyond a condition of elevated potential energy to a condition of less elevated potential energy, such that the gripping member resists movement out of the condition of less elevated potential energy when the gripping member is no longer being tightened to the conduit.
4.-14. (canceled)
15. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the gripping portion is configured to produce an area of plastic deformation in the conduit, further wherein the live-loading mechanism is configured to prevent elastic movement of the gripping portion with respect to the area of plastic deformation in the conduit when the first fitting component is separated from the second fitting component.
16. A gripping arrangement for a fitting, the arrangement comprising:
a gripping member comprising a gripping portion configured to grip conduit to form an area of plastic deformation in the conduit when the gripping member is tightened to the conduit; and
a live-loading mechanism configured to hold the gripping member in live-loaded engagement with the area of plastic deformation in the conduit when the gripping member is no longer being tightened to the conduit.
17. The gripping arrangement of claim 16, wherein the live-loading comprises a flexing portion of the gripping member that elastically deforms into a flexed position when the gripping member is tightened to the conduit.
18. The gripping arrangement of claim 17, wherein the flexing portion is configured to be flexed beyond a condition of elevated potential energy to a condition of less elevated potential energy, such that the gripping member resists movement out of the condition of less elevated potential energy when the gripping member is no longer being tightened to the conduit.
19. A method for maintaining gripping engagement between a conduit and an annular gripping member for a fitting, the method comprising:
tightening the annular gripping member around the conduit to grip the conduit;
elastically deforming a live-loading mechanism to store mechanical energy; and
directing the stored mechanical energy from the live loading mechanism into the gripping member such that the gripping member maintains live-loaded engagement with the conduit when the gripping member is no longer being tightened to the conduit.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein tightening the annular gripping member around the conduit comprises flexing the live-loading mechanism beyond a condition of elevated potential energy to a condition of less elevated potential energy, such that the annual gripping member resists movement out of the condition of less elevated potential energy when the annular gripping member is no longer being tightened to the conduit.
21. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the gripping member comprises first and second axially spaced gripping portions.
22. The fitting of claim 2, wherein the gripping member comprises first and second gripping portions axially spaced by the flexing portion.
23. The fitting of claim 2, wherein the gripping member comprises first and second fitting engaging portions axially spaced by the flexing portion.
24. The fitting of claim 23, wherein the first fitting engaging portion is configured to engage the first fitting component, and the second fitting engaging portion is configured to engage the second fitting component.
25. The fitting of claim 23, wherein when the first fitting component is tightened with the second fitting component, the first and second fitting engaging portions are axially compressed to elastically deform the flexing portion into a flexed condition.
26. The fitting of claim 23, wherein when the first fitting component is tightened with the second fitting component, the first and second fitting engaging portions are radially compressed to force the gripping portion into gripping engagement with the conduit.
27. The gripping arrangement of claim 16, wherein the gripping member comprises first and second axially spaced gripping portions.
28. The gripping arrangement of claim 17, wherein the gripping member comprises first and second gripping portions axially spaced by the flexing portion.
29. The fitting of claim 17, wherein the gripping member comprises first and second fitting engaging portions axially spaced by the flexing portion.
30. The method of claim 19, wherein tightening the annular gripping member around the conduit to grip the conduit comprises forcing first and second axially spaced gripping portions of the gripping member into gripping engagement with the conduit.
31. The method of claim 19, wherein elastically deforming the live-loading mechanism to store mechanical energy comprises axially compressing the gripping member to elastically deform a flexing portion of the gripping member to a flexed position.