Multiple Camera Control System

• US 20090262984A1
• Filed: 06/29/2009
• Published: 10/22/2009
• 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 8,131,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• 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 device comprising:

a camera configured to acquire a first image and a second image of a scene that includes an object and a background associated with the object, the first image representing a first view of the scene and the second image representing a second, different view of the scene; and

a processor configured to;

access a luminance characteristic and a background model,

determine, for the first image and the second image, a difference between the luminance characteristic and the background model,

determine a position of the object based on the determined difference, and

generate an input to a application based on the determined position of the object, the input being configured to cause a change in an output of the application.