Machine synthesis of a virtual video camera/image of a scene from multiple video cameras/images of the scene in accordance with a particular perspective on the scene, an object in the scene, or an event in the scene
First Claim
1. A method of presenting a particular two-dimensional video image of a real-world three dimensional scene to a viewer comprising:
- imaging in multiple video cameras each at a different spatial location multiple two-dimensional images of a real-world scene each at a different spatial perspective;
combining in a computer the multiple two-dimensional images of the scene into a three-dimensional model of the scene;
receiving in a the computer from a prospective viewer of the scene a viewer-specified criterion relative to which criterion the viewer wishes to view the scene;
synthesizing in the computer from the three-dimensional model a particular two-dimensional image of the scene in accordance with the received viewer criterion; and
displaying in a video display the particular synthesized two-dimensional image of the real-world scene to the viewer.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Each and any viewer of a video or a television scene is his or her own proactive editor of the scene, having the ability to interactively dictate and select--in advance of the unfolding of the scene and by high-level command--a particular perspective by which the scene will be depicted, as and when the scene unfolds. Video images of the scene are selected, or even synthesized, in response to a viewer-selected (i) spatial perspective on the scene, (ii) static or dynamic object appearing in the scene, or (iii) event depicted in the scene. Multiple video cameras, each at a different spatial location, produce multiple two-dimensional video images of the real-world scene, each at a different spatial perspective. Objects of interest in the scene are identified and classified by computer in these two-dimensional images. The two-dimensional images of the scene, and accompanying information, are then combined in the computer into a three-dimensional video database, or model, of the scene. The computer also receives a user/viewer-specified criterion relative to which criterion the user/viewer wishes to view the scene. From the (i) model and (ii) the criterion, the computer produces a particular two-dimensional image of the scene that is in "best" accordance with the user/viewer-specified criterion. This particular two-dimensional image of the scene is then displayed on a video display.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of presenting a particular two-dimensional video image of a real-world three dimensional scene to a viewer comprising:
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imaging in multiple video cameras each at a different spatial location multiple two-dimensional images of a real-world scene each at a different spatial perspective; combining in a computer the multiple two-dimensional images of the scene into a three-dimensional model of the scene; receiving in a the computer from a prospective viewer of the scene a viewer-specified criterion relative to which criterion the viewer wishes to view the scene; synthesizing in the computer from the three-dimensional model a particular two-dimensional image of the scene in accordance with the received viewer criterion; and displaying in a video display the particular synthesized two-dimensional image of the real-world scene to the viewer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of presenting a particular two-dimensional video image of a real-world three dimensional scene to a viewer comprising:
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imaging in multiple video cameras each at a different spatial location multiple two-dimensional images of a real-world scene each at a different spatial perspective; combining in a computer the multiple two-dimensional images of the scene into a three-dimensional model of the scene;
receiving in a the computer from a prospective viewer of the scene a viewer-specified criterion relative to which criterion the viewer wishes to view the scene;synthesizing in the computer from the three-dimensional model a particular two-dimensional image of the scene that is without exact correspondence to any of the images of the real-world scene that are imaged by any of the multiple video cameras in accordance with the received viewer criterion; and displaying in a video display the particular synthesized two-dimensional image of the real-world scene to the viewer.
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12. A method of synthesizing a virtual video image from real video images obtained by a multiple real video cameras, the method comprising:
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storing in a video image database the real two-dimensional video images of a scene from each of a multiplicity of real video cameras; creating in a computer from the multiplicity of stored two-dimensional video images a three-dimensional video database containing a three-dimensional video image of the scene; and generating a two-dimensional virtual video image of the scene from the three-dimensional video database. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of synthesizing a virtual video image from real video images obtained by a multiple real video cameras, the method comprising:
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storing in a video image database the real two-dimensional video images of a scene from each of a multiplicity of real video cameras; creating in a computer from the multiplicity of stored two-dimensional video images a three-dimensional video database containing a three-dimensional video image of the scene; and generating a two-dimensional virtual video image of the scene from the three-dimensional video database by selecting from the three-dimensional video database a two-dimensional virtual video image of the scene that corresponds to a real two-dimensional video image of a scene.
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22. A system for presenting video images of a real-world scene in accordance with a predetermined criterion, the system comprising:
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multiple video imagers each at a different spatial location for producing multiple two-dimensional video images of a real-world scene each at a different spatial perspective; a viewer interface at which a prospective viewer of the scene may specify a criterion relative to which criterion the viewer wishes to view the scene; a computer, receiving the multiple two-dimensional video images of the scene from the multiple video imagers and the viewer-specified criterion from the viewer interface, for producing from the multiple two-dimensional video images of the scene a three-dimensional model of the scene; and for synthesizing from the three-dimensional model a particular two-dimensional virtual video image of the scene in accordance with the viewer-specified criterion; and a video display, receiving the particular two-dimensional video image of the scene from the computer, for displaying the particular two-dimensional video image of the real-world scene to the viewer. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A system for presenting video images of a real-world scene in accordance with a predetermined criterion, the system comprising:
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multiple video cameras, each having an orientation and a lens parameter and a location that is separate from all other video cameras, for producing multiple raw two-dimensional video images of a real-world scene each at a different spatial perspective; a camera scene builder computer, receiving the multiple raw video images from the multiple video cameras, for producing in consideration of the orientation, the lens parameter, and the location of each of the multiple video cameras, multiple two-dimensional video images of a real-world scene that are of a known spatial relationship, as well as at a different spatial perspective, one to the next; wherein the spatial positions of all the all the multiple two-dimensional video images of a real-world scene are known; a viewer interface at which a prospective viewer of the scene may specify a criterion relative to which criterion the viewer wishes to view the scene; a computer, receiving the multiple two-dimensional video images of the scene from the multiple video imagers and the viewer-specified criterion from the viewer interface, for producing from the multiple two-dimensional video images of the scene a three-dimensional model of the scene; and for producing from the three-dimensional model a particular two-dimensional video image of the scene in accordance with the viewer-specified criterion; and a video display, receiving the particular two-dimensional video image of the scene from the computer, for displaying the particular two-dimensional video image of the real-world scene to the viewer.
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25. A method of building a three-dimensional video model of a three-dimensional real-world scene, and of extracting video information regarding the real world scene from the model built, the method comprising:
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imaging in multiple video cameras multiple frames of two-dimensional video of the three-dimensional real world scene, the two-dimensional frames from each camera arising from a unique spatial perspective on the scene; first-analyzing the scene in two dimensions by extracting feature points from the two-dimensional video frames in order to annotate the two-dimensional video frames by certain image information contained therein, thus producing multiple annotated two-dimensional video frames; second-analyzing in a computer the scene in three dimensions by transforming the multiple annotated two-dimensional video frames into a three-dimensional video model in which model is contained three-dimensional video of the scene, while extracting and correlating information from the annotated two-dimensional video frames so as to annotate the three-dimensional video model of the scene with such information, thus producing a three-dimensional video model annotated with scene image information, thus producing an annotated three dimensional video model; generating in a computer from the annotated three-dimensional video model (i) a two-dimensional virtual video image (ii) synthesized in accordance with some criterion interpretable and interpreted by reference to the scene image information, thus producing a synthesized virtual two-dimensional video image; and displaying in a display the selected two-dimensional video image; wherein frames from multiple video cameras were first-analyzed in order to produce the annotated two-dimensional video frames; wherein the annotated two-dimensional video frames were themselves second-analyzed to produce the annotated three-dimensional video model; wherein the interpreting, in the generating step, of the criterion by reference to the three-dimensional scene image information is thus, ultimately, an interpretation by reference to scene image information that arose from multiple video cameras; wherein the image displayed is selected by reference to scene image information that is arose from more than just one video camera, and, indeed, is selected by reference to scene image information that arose from multiple video cameras.
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26. A method of building a three-dimensional video model of a three-dimensional real-world scene, and of extracting video information regarding the real world scene from the model built, the method comprising:
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imaging a three-dimensional real world scene having coordinates (x,y,z) by multiple cameras each having reference frame coordinates (p,q,s) that are different than are the camera reference frame coordinates of any other camera so as to produce multiple frames of two-dimensional video each having coordinates (p,q); first-analyzing the scene in two dimensions by extracting feature points from the two-dimensional video frames in order to annotate the two-dimensional video frames by certain image information contained therein, thus producing multiple annotated two-dimensional video frames, the first-analyzing serving to extract feature points of coordinates (p0,q0) from the two-dimensional video frames; second-analyzing in a computer the scene in three dimensions by transforming the multiple annotated two-dimensional video frames into a three-dimensional video model in which model is contained three-dimensional video of the scene, particularly by transforming a point (x,y,z) in the world coordinate system to a point (p,q,s) in the camera coordinate system by ##EQU3## where R is a transformation matrix from the world coordinate system to the camera coordinate system, and (x0,y0,z0) is the position of the camera, and by projecting a point (p,q,s) in the camera coordinate system to a point (u,v) on the image plane according by ##EQU4## where f is camera parameter that determines the degree of zoom in or zoom out; wherein an image coordinate (u,v) that corresponds to world coordinate (x,y,z) is determined depending on the (i) camera position, (ii) camera angle and (ii) camera parameter, while extracting and correlating information from the annotated two-dimensional video frames so as to annotate the three-dimensional video model of the scene with such information, thus producing a three-dimensional video model annotated with scene image information, thus producing an annotated three dimensional video model; generating in a computer from the annotated three-dimensional video model (i) a two-dimensional video image (ii) selected in accordance with some criterion interpretable and interpreted by reference to the scene image information, thus producing a selected two-dimensional video image; and displaying in a display the selected two-dimensional video image; wherein frames from multiple video cameras were first-analyzed in order to produce the annotated two-dimensional video frames; wherein the annotated two-dimensional video frames were themselves second-analyzed to produce the annotated three-dimensional video model; wherein the interpreting, in the generating step, of the criterion by reference to the three-dimensional scene image information is thus, ultimately, an interpretation by reference to scene image information that arose from multiple video cameras; wherein the image displayed is selected by reference to scene image information that is arose from more than just one video camera, and, indeed, is selected by reference to scene image information that arose from multiple video cameras. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification