The applications of marker-based tracking in semi-controlled environment

Tracking the environment is the key challenge for the development of Augmented Reality (AR) applications. Marker-based tracking is most widely used technique in AR applications. This technique provides accurate, fast and robust tracking in controlled environments. On the other hand its performance degrades in semi-controlled environments due to lighting condition variation. To overcome these challenges and enhance the usability of marker-based tracking to semi-controlled environments, the concept of multiple pattern files is proposed. Multiple patterns of one marker are captured during different lighting conditions and kept in database for tracking. The proposed technique improves the marker tracking accuracy under varying brightness and contrast values. The method is compared with conventional technique of single pattern file by developing an augmented reality navigation system inside a complex building. The accuracy of conventional method is 77.36% that is increased to 95.27% by using the proposed technique.