PROVIDING GRAPHICS IN IMAGES DEPICTING AERODYNAMIC FLOWS AND FORCES

• US 20090027494A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sportsmedia Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sportvision, Inc. (Sportsmedia Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Alt, Alina, Halper, Reuben, McGuffin, James O., Heidmann, Timothy P., Cavallaro, Richard H., Elangovan, Vidya
• Granted Patent: US 8,558,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/135
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/663 for simulating liquid objects, e.g. water, gas, fog, snow, clouds
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6692 using special effects, generally involving post-processing, e.g. blooming
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30221 Sports video; Sports image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/248 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/751 Comparing pixel values or logical combinations thereof, or feature values having positional relevance, e.g. template matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/08 Detecting or categorising vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2723 Insertion of virtual advertisement; Replacing advertisements physical present in the scene by virtual advertisement data processing systems or methods specially adapted for marketing G06Q30/02

Abstract

A video broadcast of a live event is enhanced by providing graphics in the video in real time to depict the fluid flow around a moving object in the event and to provide other informative graphics regarding aerodynamic forces on the object. A detailed flow field around the object is calculated before the event, on an offline basis, for different speeds of the object and different locations of other nearby objects. The fluid flow data is represented by baseline data and modification factors or adjustments which are based on the speed of the object and the locations of the other objects. During the event, the modification factors are applied to the baseline data to determine fluid flow in real time, as the event is captured on video. In an example implementation, the objects are race cars which transmit their location and/or speed to a processing facility which provides the video.

Claims

1. A method for processing image data, comprising:

obtaining an image of a live event which is captured by at least one camera, the live event including a moving object;

obtaining information regarding movement of the object in the live event;

determining a fluid flow relative to the object using a fluid flow model, including accessing fluid flow data relative to the object which is computed without the information regarding the movement, and adjusting the fluid flow data based on the information regarding the movement; and

providing a graphic in the image which depicts the fluid flow relative to the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information regarding the movement of the object comprises the speed of the object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the information regarding the movement of the object comprises the position of the object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a location of another object in the live event; and

determining the fluid flow based on the location of the another object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the fluid flow data comprises modification factors and baseline fluid flow data, and the adjusting comprises applying the modification factors to the baseline fluid flow data during the live event, based on the information regarding the movement, to determine the fluid flow relative to the object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the modification factors are based on a speed of the object.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the modification factors are based on a position of the object.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a location of another object in the live event, the modification factors are based on the location of the another object in the live event.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining at least one additional image of the live event;

obtaining updated information regarding movement of the object in the live event;

determining an updated fluid flow relative to the object based on the updated information regarding movement, by adjusting the fluid flow data based on the updated information regarding the movement; and

updating the graphic based on the updated fluid flow.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the live event comprises a race and the object comprises a vehicle.

11. A method for processing image data, comprising:

obtaining an image of a live event which is captured by at least one camera, the live event including a moving object;

obtaining information regarding movement of the object in the live event;

determining a fluid flow relative to the object using a fluid flow model, including providing fluid flow data based on the information regarding the movement; and

providing a graphic in the image which depicts the fluid flow relative to the object.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the fluid flow model comprises modification factors and baseline fluid flow data, and the providing fluid flow data comprises applying the modification factors to the baseline fluid flow data during the live event, based on the information regarding the movement, to determine the fluid flow relative to the object.

13. A system for processing image data, comprising:

at least one camera for capturing a plurality of images of a live event, the live event including a moving object; and

at least one processing facility which receives the plurality of images, the at least one processing facility;

a) obtains information regarding movement of the object in the live event for each of the plurality of images, b) determines a fluid flow relative to the object for each of the plurality of images, based on the movement, and using a fluid flow model, including accessing fluid flow data relative to the object which is computed without the information regarding the movement, and adjusting the fluid flow data based on the information regarding the movement and c) updates a graphic in each of the plurality of images which depicts the fluid flow relative to the object.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the fluid flow data comprises modification factors and baseline fluid flow data, which are pre-computed before the image of the live event is obtained; and

the at least one processing facility adjusts the fluid flow data by applying the modification factors to the baseline fluid flow data during the live event to determine the fluid flow relative to the object.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the modification factors are based on a speed of the object.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the at least one processing facility determines a location of another object in the live event, the modification factors are based on the location of the another object in the live event.

17. A method for processing image data, comprising:

obtaining an image of a live event which is captured by at least one camera, the live event including an object;

obtaining information indicative of a speed of the object in the live event;

determining at least one aerodynamic force on the object based on the information; and

providing a graphic based on the at least one aerodynamic force.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining at least one additional image of the live event;

obtaining updated information indicative of an updated speed of the object in the live event;

determining at least one updated aerodynamic force on the object based on the updated information; and

updating the graphic based on the at least one updated aerodynamic force.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the object comprises a vehicle, and the graphic depicts whether the vehicle is aero-loose or aero-tight.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the graphic depicts a change in horsepower which corresponds to a change in aerodynamic drag.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the graphic depicts at least one of a side force and a down force on the object.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the graphic depicts a drag force on the object.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the graphic depicts a positive or negative relative drag force on the object.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the image is part of a video broadcast of the live event, and the graphic is provided in the image substantially in real time.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

pre-computing baseline aerodynamic force data, and modification factors, before the image of the live event is obtained; and

applying the modification factors to the baseline aerodynamic force data during the live event, based on the information, to determine the at least one aerodynamic force on the object.