TECHNIQUE FOR AUTOMATICALLY TRACKING AN OBJECT

• US 20110007158A1
• Filed: 04/13/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grass Valley Canada (Belden Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gvbb Holdings SARL (Vislink Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Holtz, Alex, Matics, Scott Raymond, Oisel, Lionel
• Granted Patent: US 9,741,129 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7865 using correlation of the live video image with a stored image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices

Abstract

Automatic tracking by a camera (16) of an object (12) such as on-air talent appearing in a television show commences by first determining whether the object lies within the camera field of view matches a reference object. If so, tracking of the object then occurs to maintain the object in fixed relationship to a pre-set location in the camera'"'"'s field of view, provided the designated object has moved more than a threshold distance from the pre-set location.

Claims

1. A method for tracking an object in field of view of a robotically controlled camera, comprising the steps of:

determining if the object lies within the region of interest matches a reference object; and

if so,

automatically tracking the object to maintain the object in a fixed relationship relative to a location in the camera field of view if the object has moved more that a threshold distance from the location.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of determining a match between the object and reference object includes the step of comparing at least one characteristic of the object to at least one corresponding characteristic of the reference object.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the automatic tracking includes the step of determining whether a captured image of the object remains stable.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the step of determining whether the object remains stable further comprises the step of detecting whether the object has moved during a prescribed interval.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the automatic tracking further includes the step of displacing the camera to a pre-set position when the camera pre-set position and location of the object do not lie within a threshold distance from each other.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of ceasing camera movement when the camera pre-set position lies within a tolerance radius of the actual object position.

7. Apparatus for tracking an object comprising:

means for determining if the object lying within the region of interest matches a reference object;

means for detecting if the object has moved more than a threshold distance from the pre-set location and

means for automatically tracking the object when determined to be in the region of interest to maintain the object in a fixed relationship relative to a pre-set location in the camera field of view if the object has moved more than a threshold distance from the pre-set location.

8. Apparatus for tracking an object comprising:

a camera for acquiring an image of the object;

means for displacing the camera to track the image; and

a processor for controlling the means for displacing the camera in accordance with the camera image by (1) determining if the object lying within the region of interest matches a reference object and if so, displacing the camera to track the image when the object is when determined to be in the region of interest, provided the object has moved more that a threshold distance from the pre-set location.