Multiple camera control system

• US 20060098873A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GestureTek Incorporated (Winning Brands Corp.)
• Inventors: MacDougall, Francis, Hildreth, Evan
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/181
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10021 Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20132 Image cropping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/174 involving the use of two or more images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm

Abstract

A multiple camera tracking system for interfacing with an application program running on a computer is provided. The tracking system includes two or more video cameras arranged to provide different viewpoints of a region of interest, and are operable to produce a series of video images. A processor is operable to receive the series of video images and detect objects appearing in the region of interest. The processor executes a process to generate a background data set from the video images, generate an image data set for each received video image, compare each image data set to the background data set to produce a difference map for each image data set, detect a relative position of an object of interest within each difference map, and produce an absolute position of the object of interest from the relative positions of the object of interest and map the absolute position to a position indicator associated with the application program.

Claims

1. A method of tracking an object of interest, the method comprising:

acquiring a first image and a second image representing different viewpoints of the object of interest;

processing the first image into a first image data set and the second image into a second image data set, the processing including filtering the first and second images to detect a presence of a predetermined pattern;

processing the first image data set and the second image data set to generate a background data set associated with a background;

generating a first difference map by determining differences between the first image data set and the background data set and a second difference map by determining differences between the second image data set and the background data set;

detecting a first relative position of the object of interest in the first difference map and a second relative position of the object of interest in the second difference map; and

producing an absolute position of the object of interest from the first and second relative positions of the object of interest.