VIDEO SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR OPERATING A VIDEO SYSTEM

• US 20110211096A1
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Craig Matthew Farrell, Frank Trizano, Kenneth Joseph Aagaard, Larry Barbatsoulis
• Original Assignee: Craig Matthew Farrell, Frank Trizano, Kenneth Joseph Aagaard, Larry Barbatsoulis
• Inventors: Barbatsoulis, Larry, Trizano, Frank, Aagaard, Kenneth Joseph, Farrell, Craig Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,675,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/262
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A multiple camera video system and methods for operating such a system. The system may include a plurality of cameras located around a stadium, athletic playing field or other location. The cameras are remotely controlled in a master-slave configuration. A camera operator at a master pan head selects one of the plurality of cameras as the current master camera and utilizes the master pan head to adjust the telemetry and zoom of the master camera to follow the target object. The telemetry and zoom parameters of the master camera are then used to calculate corresponding telemetry, zoom and/or other parameters for each of the plurality of slave cameras. Video captured by each of the cameras is stored for the production of replay video feeds or for archiving. The replays may be capable of “spinning” through the video feeds of adjacent cameras in order for the viewer to get the sensation of revolving around the target object. The multiple camera video system also includes methods for calibrating the system.

Claims

1-78. -78. (canceled)

79. A system for serving on a moving target within a dynamic scene, comprising:

a master variable pointing camera system;

a plurality of slave variable pointing camera systems, wherein the slave variable pointing camera systems and the master variable pointing camera system are positioned around the scene;

a master control unit in communication with the master variable pointing camera system for determining, based on parameters of the master variable pointing camera system and mapping data between the master variable pointing camera system and the slave variable pointing camera systems, parameters for each of the slave variable pointing camera systems such that, at a point in time, the master variable pointing camera system and the slave variable pointing camera systems are aimed at the target and a size of the target in an image from each of the master variable pointing camera system and the slave variable pointing camera systems is substantially the same; and

a plurality of slave camera control units in communication with the master control unit, wherein each slave camera control unit is for controlling at least one of the slave variable pointing camera systems based on the parameters for each of the slave variable pointing camera systems, wherein the mapping data includes;

data regarding the geometric relationship of the camera systems to the scene;

data regarding the relationship between the zoom and the angular field of view for each camera system; and

data regarding the relationship between the focus and the depth of field for each camera system.

80. The system of claim 79, wherein the parameters of the master variable pointing camera system and the parameters for the slave variable pointing camera systems include pointing parameters and optical parameters.

81. The system of claim 80, wherein:

the master variable pointing camera system includes a master pan/tilt camera system; and

the plurality of slave variable pointing cameras includes a plurality of slave pan/tilt camera systems.

82. The system of claim 81, wherein the wherein the parameters of the master variable pointing camera system and the parameters for the slave variable pointing camera systems include pan, tilt, zoom and focus parameters.

83. The system of claim 80, further comprising a video image sequence generator in communication with the master control unit and the slave camera control units.

84. The system of claim 83, wherein the video image sequence generator is for generating a video image sequence of the target by outputting an image from certain of the master variable pointing camera system and the slave variable pointing camera systems in sequence according to the position of the master variable pointing camera system and the slave variable pointing camera systems around the scene.

85. The system of claim 83, further comprising a computer vision control unit in communication with the master control unit and the master variable pointing camera system.

86. The system of claim 83, further comprising a remote operator interface unit in communication with the master control unit and the master variable pointing camera system.

87. The system of claim 83, wherein the master control unit includes:

a target determination module for determining a position of the target within the scene and a size of the target at the position in an image from the master variable pointing camera system based on the parameters of the master variable pointing camera system; and

a slave control module in communication with the target determination module for determining the parameters for each of the slave variable pointing camera systems based on the position of the target and the size of the target in the image from the master variable pointing camera system.

88. The system of claim 84, wherein the image sequence generator is for outputting images from each of the master variable pointing camera system and the slave variable pointing camera systems according to their position around the scene, wherein the images are from a common point in time so as to generate a 3 D stop-motion video image sequence.

89. A method for serving on a moving target within a dynamic scene, comprising:

reading parameters of a first variable pointing camera system;

determining parameters for a plurality of other variable pointing camera systems based on the parameters of the first variable pointing camera system and mapping data for the camera systems, wherein the first variable pointing camera system and the plurality of other variable pointing camera systems are positioned around the scene, such that, at a point in time, each of the variable pointing camera systems is aimed at the target and a size of the target in an image from each of the variable pointing camera systems is substantially the same; and

controlling the plurality of other variable pointing camera systems based on the parameters for the plurality of other variable pointing camera systems wherein the mapping data includes;

data regarding the geometric relationship of the camera systems to the scene;

data regarding the relationship between the zoom and the angular field of view for each camera system; and

data regarding the relationship between the focus and the depth of field for each camera system.

90. The method of claim 89, wherein:

reading parameters of the first variable pointing camera system includes reading mechanical and optical parameters of the first variable pointing camera system; and

determining parameters for the plurality of other variable pointing camera systems includes determining mechanical and optical parameters for the plurality of other variable pointing camera systems.

91. The method of claim 90, wherein the first variable pointing camera system includes a first pan/tilt camera system, wherein the plurality of other variable pointing camera systems include a plurality of other pan/tilt camera systems, and wherein:

reading parameters of the first pan/tilt camera system includes reading pan, tilt, zoom and focus parameters of the first pan/tilt camera system; and

determining parameters for the plurality of other pan/tilt camera systems includes determining pan, tilt, zoom and focus parameters for the plurality of other pan/tilt camera systems.

92. The method of claim 89, further comprising:

storing digitized, time-stamped images from the variable pointing camera systems; and

generating a video image sequence of the target by outputting an image from certain of the variable pointing camera systems in sequence according to the position of the variable pointing camera systems around the scene.

93. The method of claim 89, wherein determining parameters for the plurality of other variable pointing camera systems includes:

determining a position of the target within the scene and a size of the target at the position in an image from the first variable pointing camera system based on the parameters of the first variable pointing camera system; and

determining the parameters for each of the other variable pointing camera systems based on the position of the target and the size of the target in the image from the first variable pointing camera system.

94. The method of claim 89, further comprising selecting one of the other variable pointing camera systems to be the first variable pointing camera system.

95. The method of claim 92, wherein generating the video image sequence includes generating a 3 D stop-motion video image sequence of the target by outputting images from each of the variable pointing camera systems according to their position around the scene, wherein the images are from a common point in time.

96. A system for serving on a moving target within a dynamic scene, comprising:

a plurality of master variable pointing camera systems;

a plurality of slave variable pointing camera systems, wherein the slave variable pointing camera systems and the master variable pointing camera systems are positioned around the scene;

at least one master control unit in communication with each of the master variable pointing camera systems for determining, based on parameters of the master variable pointing camera systems and mapping data for the camera systems, parameters for certain of the plurality of the slave variable pointing camera systems such that, at a point in time, each of the master variable pointing camera systems and the slave variable pointing camera systems are aimed at the target and a size of the target in an image from each of the master variable pointing camera systems and the slave variable pointing camera systems is substantially the same; and

a plurality of slave camera control units, each slave camera control unit in communication with at least one of the master control units, wherein each slave camera control unit is for controlling at least one of the slave variable pointing camera systems based on the parameters for each of the slave variable pointing camera systems, wherein the mapping data includes;

data regarding the geometric relationship of the camera systems to the scene;

data regarding the relationship between the zoom and the angular field of view for each camera system; and

data regarding the relationship between the focus and the depth of field for each camera system.

97. The system of claim 96, wherein the at least one master control unit includes a plurality of master control units, and wherein each of the master control units is in communication with at least one master variable pointing camera system and is for determining, based on parameters of the master variable pointing camera systems, parameters for certain of the plurality of the slave variable pointing camera systems such that, at a point in time, each of the master variable pointing camera systems and the slave variable pointing camera systems are aimed at the target and a size of the target in an image from each of the master variable pointing camera systems and the slave variable pointing camera systems is substantially the same.