Telestrator System

• US 20090128580A1
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sportsmedia Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sportvision, Inc. (Sportsmedia Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Hsiao, Walter, White, Marvin S., Gloudemans, James R., Cavallaro, Richard H., Honey, Stanley K., Meier, Kevin R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,750,901 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/634
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

A telestrator system is disclosed that allows a broadcaster to annotate video during or after an event. For example, while televising a sporting event, an announcer (or other user) can use the present invention to draw over the video of the event to highlight one or more actions, features, etc. In one embodiment, when the announcer draws over the video, it appears that the announcer is drawing on the field or location of the event. Such an appearance can be performed by mapping the pixels location from the user'"'"'s drawing to three dimensional locations at the event. Other embodiments include drawing on the video without obscuring persons and/or other specified objects, and/or smoothing the drawings in real time.

Claims

1. A method of annotating video, comprising:

receiving video, said video depicts a first portion of a surface at a live event and a set of one or more objects occluding a second portion of said surface;

receiving a graphic manually created by a human operator during said live event; and

blending said graphic with said video, said blending includes determining not to draw said graphic over said set of one or more objects, said receiving video, receiving a graphic and blending are performed during said live event.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said blending said graphic includes:

determining to draw said graphic over said first portion of said surface in said video; and

drawing said graphic over said first portion of said surface without drawing said graphic over said set of one or more objects such that said graphic appears to be drawn on said surface.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said video is from a first camera and said graphic is created in relation to a two-dimensional image from a second camera depicting said surface at said live event, said method further comprising:

receiving two-dimensional position information for said graphic in relation to said two-dimensional image from said second camera;

converting a first set of one or more two-dimensional positions corresponding to said two-dimensional position information to one or more three-dimensional positions; and

converting said one or more three-dimensional positions to a second set of one or more two-dimensional positions;

wherein blending said graphic includes adding said graphic to said video from said first camera using said second set of one or more two-dimensional positions.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein blending said graphic includes:

adding said graphic at a first position in a first image of said video, said first position corresponding to a location of said first portion of said surface in said first image; and

adding said graphic at a second position in a second image of said video, said second position corresponding to a location of said first portion of said surface in said second image, said first position is different from said second position.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein receiving said video includes:

receiving said first image of said video from a first camera; and

receiving said second image of said video from a second camera.

6. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said one or more processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method of annotating video, the method comprising:

receiving video, said video depicts a first portion of a surface at a live event and one or more objects occluding a second portion of said surface;

receiving a graphic manually created by a human operator during said live event, said graphic includes a first portion having position information corresponding to said first portion of said surface in said video and a second portion having position information corresponding to said second portion of said surface in said video; and

blending said graphic with said video, said blending includes determining to enhance said video with said first portion of said graphic and determining not to enhance said video with said second portion of said graphic, said receiving video, receiving a graphic and blending are performed during said live event.

7. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 6, wherein said video is from a first camera and said graphic is created in relation to a two-dimensional image from a second camera depicting said surface at said live event, said method further comprising:

receiving two-dimensional position information for said graphic in relation to said two-dimensional image from said second camera;

converting a first set of one or more two-dimensional positions corresponding to said two-dimensional position information to one or more three-dimensional positions; and

converting said one or more three-dimensional positions to a second set of one or more two-dimensional positions, said second set including said position information of said first portion of said graphic and said position information of said second portion of said graphic;

wherein blending said graphic includes adding said first portion of said graphic to said video from said first camera using said second set of one or more two-dimensional positions.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors;

an input device in communication with said one or more processors;

an output device in communication with said one or more processors; and

at least one storage device in communication with said one or more processors, said one or more processors perform a method comprising;

receiving video, said video depicts a surface at a live event;

receiving a graphic manually created by a human operator during said live event; and

blending said graphic with said video, said blending includes enhancing one or more selected portions of said video corresponding to one or more predetermined color ranges such that said graphic appears to be drawn on said surface, said receiving video, receiving a graphic and blending are performed during said live event.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

said video depicts a first portion of said surface and one or more objects occluding a second portion of said surface, said first portion of said surface including one or more colors in said one or more predetermined color ranges; and

said blending said graphic includes drawing said graphic over said first portion of said surface while avoiding drawing said graphic over said one or more objects.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

said one or more predetermined color ranges is one or more first predetermined color ranges; and

said blending said graphic includes avoiding drawing said graphic over one or more second predetermined color ranges, said one or more objects include one or more colors in said one or more second predetermined color ranges.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said method further comprises:

receiving two-dimensional position information for said graphic in relation to a two-dimensional image from a first camera;

converting a first set of one or more two-dimensional positions of said two-dimensional information to one or more three-dimensional positions, said first set corresponding to a location of a portion of said surface in said two-dimensional image;

converting said one or more three-dimensional positions to a second set of one or more two-dimensional positions, said second set corresponding to a location of said portion of said surface in a two-dimensional image from a second camera;

wherein blending said graphic includes blending said graphic with said video based on said second set of one or more two-dimensional positions.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

said one or more predetermined color ranges includes a single color.

13. A method of annotating video, comprising:

storing a first blending value corresponding to a particular color in a set of colors;

storing a second blending value corresponding to said particular color;

receiving video depicting a surface at a live event;

receiving a first graphic manually created by a human operator during said live event;

receiving a second graphic manually created by a human operator during said live event;

blending said first graphic with said video using said first blending value at a first time during said live event such that said first graphic appears to be drawn on said surface; and

blending said second graphic with said video using said second blending value at a second time during said live event such that said second graphic appears to be drawn on said surface.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining said first blending value based on a first set of event conditions; and

determining said second blending value based on a second set of event conditions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

storing said second blending value includes updating said first blending value based on said second set of event conditions; and

said first set of event conditions and said set of event conditions include at least one of lighting conditions, field conditions and weather conditions.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein:

said video includes a first video image and a second video image;

said blending said first graphic with said video using said first blending value includes blending said first graphic with said first video image; and

said blending said second graphic with said video using said second blending value includes blending said second graphic with said second video image.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said receiving video includes:

receiving said first video image from a first camera; and

receiving said second video image from a second camera.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein:

said first graphic is created in relation to a first video image captured by a first camera; and

said blending said first graphic includes blending said graphic with a second video image captured by a second camera.

19. A method of annotating video, comprising:

receiving from a first camera first video depicting at least a portion of a surface at a live event;

receiving two-dimensional position information for a graphic created in relation to a two-dimensional image of said portion of said surface from said first video;

converting a first set of one or more two-dimensional positions corresponding to said two-dimensional position information to one or more three-dimensional positions;

receiving from a second camera second video depicting at least said portion of said surface at said live event;

converting said one or more three-dimensional positions to a second set of one or more two-dimensional positions; and

blending said graphic with said second video using said second set of one or more two-dimensional positions.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

blending said graphic includes using said second set of one more two-dimensional positions such that said graphic appears to be drawn on said portion of said surface in said second video at a position corresponding to said two-dimensional position information for said graphic created in relation to said two-dimensional image from said first video.

21. A method according to claim 19, further comprising:

receiving said graphic during said live event, said graphic is manually created by a human operator during said live event.