Real-Time Sports Advisory System Using Ball Trajectory Prediction

• US 20160212385A1
• Filed: 08/06/2015
• Published: 07/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SportsTech, LLC
• Original Assignee: SportsTech, LLC
• Inventors: Ginsberg, Matthew Leigh, Cuban, Mark, Ginsberg, Navarre Stephen
• Application Number:
  US14/820,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20160212385A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30224 Ball; Puck
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/42 of sport video content
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

A sports advisory system identifies the position of a ball in a plurality of images. Based on the identified positions, a projected trajectory for the ball is determined in real time, and a prediction generated regarding a sporting outcome. A participant, such as a player, referee, or spectator, is provided with advisory information regarding the sporting outcome via a communication unit.

Claims

1. A system for providing advisory information regarding a sporting outcome, the system comprising:

a camera that captures a plurality of images, each of a plural subset of the images including a ball;

a data processing device coupled to the camera via a low-latency data connection, the data processing device configured to identify a position of the ball in each of the plural subset of the images, project one or more possible trajectories of the ball based on the positions, and predict a sporting outcome based on the projected one or more trajectories; and

a communication unit coupled to the data processing device via a second data connection, the communication unit configured to provide the advisory information to a sporting participant based on the predicted sporting outcome.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication unit provides the advisory information via at least one of:

visual feedback, audible feedback, or tactile feedback.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the low-latency data connection provides raw pixel data corresponding to a first one of the plurality of images to the data processing device within 150 milliseconds of the raw pixel data being captured by the camera.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the advisory information is provided by the communication unit within half a second of a first one of the plurality of images being captured by the camera.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of images has a resolution of at least 4000 pixels on a first axis and 2160 pixels on a second axis, and the camera captures the plurality of images at a rate of at least thirty frames per second.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processing device is a computer with a processor speed of at least 2.7 gigahertz that is capable is running at least eight processes in parallel.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the position of the ball in an image comprises an x coordinate, a y coordinate, and an apparent size of the ball.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more possible trajectories are one of:

a parabola, a parabola adjusted to account for a spin on the ball, or a parabola adjusted to account for air resistance.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the sporting outcome comprises one of:

a ball landing in, a ball landing out, a shot going in, a shot missing, a probable trajectory of the ball, or a ball reaching a vertical peak of its trajectory.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sporting participant is one of:

a player, a referee, a spectator, or a TV viewer.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the ball is one of:

a volleyball, a tennis ball, a basketball, a hockey puck, a shuttlecock, a football, a cricket ball, a golf ball, or a soccer ball.

12. A computer-implemented method for providing advisory information regarding a sporting outcome, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of digital images from a camera, each of a plural subset of the images including a ball;

identifying a position of the ball in each of the plural subset of the images;

projecting one or more possible trajectories of the ball based on the positions;

predicting a sporting outcome based on the projected one or more trajectories; and

sending an instruction to a communication unit to provide the advisory information regarding the sporting outcome.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the position of the ball in an image includes performing a global search, the global search comprising:

identifying one or more expected colors of the ball in the image;

identifying one or more regions in the image that include at least a predetermined fraction of pixels matching the expected colors within a threshold tolerance; and

searching the one or more regions for pixel configurations likely to be the ball.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the position of the ball in an image includes performing a local search, the local search comprising:

identifying a region of the image based on a location of the ball in one or more previous images; and

searching the region for pixel configurations likely to be the ball.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the position of the ball in an image comprises:

identifying a plurality of potential ball positions; and

selecting one of the plurality of potential ball positions as the position of the ball.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein projecting the one or more possible trajectories of the ball comprises:

fitting a plurality of curves to the identified positions of the ball; and

calculating an error corresponding to each curve.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the curves are one of:

parabolas, parabolas adjusted to account for a spin on the ball, or parabolas adjusted to account for air resistance.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein predicting the sporting outcome comprises:

grouping the plurality of curves into a plurality of groups, the group a given curve is placed in based on whether the given curve corresponds to a first sporting outcome or a second sorting outcome; and

selecting the first sporting outcome as the predicted sporting outcome based on the probabilities of the curves in each group.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer program code for providing advisory information regarding a sporting outcome, the computer program code, when executed, causing one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of digital images from a camera, each of a plural subset of the images including a ball;

identifying a position of the ball in each of the plural subset of the images;

projecting one or more possible trajectories of the ball based on the positions;

predicting a sporting outcome based on the projected one or more trajectories; and

sending an instruction to a communication unit to provide the advisory information regarding the sporting outcome.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein:

projecting the one or more possible trajectories of the ball comprises;

fitting a plurality of curves to the identified positions of the ball; and

calculating an error corresponding to each curve; and

predicting the sporting outcome comprises;

grouping the plurality of curves into a plurality of groups, the group a given curve is placed in based on whether the given curve corresponds to a first sporting outcome or a second sorting outcome; and

selecting the first sporting outcome as the predicted sporting outcome based on the probabilities of the curves in each group.