Line object scene generation apparatus

• US 7,023,476 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lynx System Developers Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lynx System Developers Incorporated
• Inventors: Sigel, Kirk, Ciholas, Mike, Deangelis, Douglas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US10/166,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20020149679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/254
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/807 Photo cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: G04F 13/02 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/24 Race time-recorders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/156 Availability of hardware or computational resources, e.g. encoding based on power-saving criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/182 the unit being a pixel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/192 the adaptation method, adaptation tool or adaptation type being iterative or recursive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/503 involving temporal prediction adaptive coding with adaptive selection between spatial and temporal predictive coding H04N19/107; adaptive coding with adaptive selection among a plurality of temporal predictive coding modes H04N19/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/93 Run-length coding
• 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 23/76 by influencing the image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/63 applied to dark current
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 : Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

The invention provides a system for recording and displaying a time sequential scene on a computer (16). The digital camera (12) transmits a sequence of digital image frames to the timer (14) representative of the image of a body passing a plane in space. Each frame represents a line object (18) of the body, thus forming a fractional part of the scene. Once the frame reaches the image timer (14), it is digitally marked with a time reference (34) and buffered into a block of information. The main control computer (16) stores blocks of information from the image timer (14) for a variety of processing and features available to the user. The invention also provides a selected memory (36), preferably a virtual memory subsystem, or hard-disc drive. Preferred constructions for adjusting camera pixel processing of light values, time-marking the images, creating color palettes for interactive viewing of color images, and video data coding to accommodate the high volume of line image data are described.

Claims

1. A compression system for compressing a sequence of digital data frames, wherein each of said digital data frames forms a column of n-bit greyscale numbers representative of luminance values detected at pixels of a line sensor on which a fixed line portion of a scene is imaged in a video camera, and wherein said sequence forms an array of rows of n-bit numbers, such compression system comprising:

A. greyscale conversion means, for convening each of said digital data frames into a column of m-bit greyscale numbers, wherein the integer m is less than z thereby forming an array of rows of m-bit numbers;

B. a counter means, which provides a count of the number of occurrences of equivalent m-bit greyscale numbers in adjacent frames in each row of said array of rows of m-bit numbers;

C. a row reformatting means, for reformatting each row of said array of rows of m-bit numbers such that every row sequence of equivalent m-bit numbers is represented by one m-bit number value and the count thereof; and

D. a memory reformatting means, for storing each reformatted row of said array of rows sequentially;

whereby said compression system reduces the memory required to store said sequence of digital data frames representing the fixed line portion of the imaged visual field.

2. The compression system of claim 1, wherein said row reformatting means reformats each row of said ray of rows of m-bit numbers such that said one m-bit number and the count thereof are represented by one n-bit number.

3. The compression system of claim 1, wherein said row reformatting means reformats each row of said array of rows of m-bit numbers such that said count thereof is represented by one n-bit number.

4. The compression system of claim 1, further comprising compression accuracy control means, for selectively controlling the accuracy of the information stored by said compression system by selectively altering said integer m.