REAL TIME OBJECT TAGGING FOR INTERACTIVE IMAGE DISPLAY APPLICATIONS

• US 20100103173A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Wonsuck, LEE, Jaesik, LEE, Minkyu
• Application Number:
  US12/258,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20100103173A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/427
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/874 Combination of several systems for attitude determination in general G01C, control of attitude G05D1/49
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/466 by Trilateration, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the distance to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, i.e. the distance between the antennas or sensors, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7864 T.V. type tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00342 with a radio frequency tag transmitter or receiver storage of additional information in an RFID tag attached to an image bearing paper sheet H04N1/32138
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2224 related to virtual studio applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Apparatus and methods that track the location of an object within a video image at the time of capture of the video image are described. The location of the object within each frame can be recorded as meta-data for the video image so that when the video image is played back, a viewer can select the object using suitable interaction means and be linked through to a source of additional information about the object, such as a product website or the like. A device emitting radio frequency (RF) signals is attached to an object that is to be identified and tracked within a video image. Using an RF receiver with multiple antennas and applying trilateration techniques, the object'"'"'s location within the video image is determined in real time and recorded as the video image is recorded. Where multiple objects are to be tracked, each object is provided with a radio device having a unique ID and the location of each device within the video image is recorded. The described solution automates an otherwise manual, error-prone and time-consuming process.

Claims

1. A method of tracking an object in an image comprising:

determining the location of the object in three-dimensional space based on trilateration of emissions from a radio frequency (RF) tag device attached to the object;

determining the location and orientation of a camera;

mapping the location of the object from three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional virtual screen defined by the location and orientation of the camera; and

recording the mapped location of the object.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

recording an image containing the object, wherein the recording of the image and the recording of the mapped location of the object occur simultaneously.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF emissions from the tag device contain identification information associated with the object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is associated with a hyperlink.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location and orientation of the camera is based on trilateration of emissions from a plurality of RF tag devices attached to the camera.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the image comprises a video image.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the mapped location of the object and the image are recorded in the same medium.

8. A system for tracking an object in an image comprising:

a positioning apparatus, the positioning apparatus determining the location of the object in three-dimensional space based on trilateration of emissions from a radio frequency (RF) tag device attached to the object, the positioning apparatus also determining the location and orientation of a camera;

a computing apparatus, the computing apparatus mapping the location of the object from three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional virtual screen defined by the location and orientation of the camera; and

a recording apparatus, the recording apparatus recording the mapped location of the object.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the recording apparatus records an image containing the object, and wherein the recording of the image and the recording of the mapped location of the object occur simultaneously.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the RF emissions from the tag device contain identification information associated with the object.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the object is associated with a hyperlink.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the positioning apparatus determines the location and orientation of the camera based on trilateration of emissions from a plurality of RF tag devices attached to the camera.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the image comprises a video image.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the mapped location of the object and the image are recorded in the same medium.