Positional locating system and method

• US 8,330,611 B1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avid Sports, Incorporated (Avid Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Avid Sports, Incorporated (Avid Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Burton, Bruce J., Johnson, Ryan D., Guthrie, Warren, Duckworth, Paul G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US12/657,217
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686.1, 340/573.1, 340/572.1, 340/539.13, 340/539.11, 382/103, 382/190, 382/115, 348/157, 348/156, 348/159, 348/564
• US Class Current: 340/686.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30221 Sports video; Sports image
• 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: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/54 of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/22 in connection with sports or games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/144 Movement detection for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for locating or otherwise generating positional information for an object, such as but not limited generating positional coordinates for an object attached to an athlete engaging in an athletic event. The positional coordinates may be processed with other telemetry and biometrical information to provide real-time performance metrics while the athlete engages in the athletic event.

Claims

1. A method of positionally identifying swimmers swimming within a swimming pool, the method comprising:

associating an identification generated for each swimmer with a head device to be worn while the swimmer swims within the swimming pool;

controlling a beacon included within each head device to emit a signal at an interval specified within a beacon transmission schedule;

controlling a camera to record images representative of at least a portion of the swimming pool, each image plotting recorded signals within a two-dimensional field defined by a viewing angle of the camera;

calculating image-based positional coordinates for each signal appearing within each of the captured images, the image-based positional coordinates defining spatial positioning of the beacons emitting the signals relative to the two-dimensional field of each image;

reducing the image-based positional coordinates to pool-based positional coordinates, the pool-based positional coordinates defining spatial positioning of the beacons emitting the signals within at least a two-dimensional coordinate system defined relative to at least a length and width of the swimming pool; and

for each of the images, identifying the swimmer at each of the pool-based positional coordinates based on the identification of the swimmer scheduled to emit signals at the time the image was captured.

2. The method of claim 1 further generating the beacon transmission schedule such that each beacon emits the signal only at the intervals during which no other beacons are scheduled to emit the signal.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling each beacon to emit the same signal.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling a first one and a second one of the beacons scheduled to emit signals during the same interval to uniquely issue the signal such that the signal emitted from the first one of the beacons is different from the signal emitted from the second one of the beacons.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising wirelessly transmitting the beacon transmission schedule to each head device with signals emitted from a master station having a wireless range sufficient to support wireless communications with the head devices while each swimmer is within the swimming pool.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each beacon includes a forward infrared (IR) source and a rearward IR source positioned respectively at a forward end and a rearward end of a swim cap used to secure each head device to the swimmers, and wherein the method further comprises controlling the beacon to emit the signal from at least one of the forward and rearward IR sources.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising selecting only one of the forward and rearward IR sources to emit the signal depending on a stroke being performed by the swimmer.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising determining the stroke from information wirelessly collected from one or more accelerometers included on the swimmer.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising controller the beacon to emit the signal from the rearward IR source when the stroke requires a face of the swimmer to be facing a bottom of the pool.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising controller the beacon to emit the signal from the forward IR source when the stroke requires a head of the swimmer to be facing a top surface of the pool.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calculating each of a distance traveled and a rate of speed for each swimmer having signals captured within at least two images, the distance traveled and the rate of speed being based at least in part on a change in position of the swimmer as represented by movement of the beacon within between at least two images;

graphically outputting at least the distance traveled and the rate of speed on a user interface in real-time while the swimmers travel within the swimming pool based at least in part on signals wirelessly communicated from a master station used to calculate the distance traveled and the rate of speed;

automatically controlling a video camera to record video of one or more of the swimmers by controlling a viewing angle of the video camera to move with the one or more swimmers as the swimmers travel within the pool, the controlling of the viewing angle being based at least in part of the locations of the swimmer; and

wirelessly transmitting audio signals from the master station to one or more of the head devices, the audio signals being processed by an audio component of the head device for output within an ear of the associated swimmer.

20. The system of claim 10 wherein each beacon includes a forward infrared (IR) source and a rearward IR source positioned respectively at a forward end and a rearward end of a swim cap used to secure each device to a swimmer, and wherein one or both of the forward and rearward IR sources are selectively controlled to emit the non-modulated signal depending on a stroke being performed by the swimmer.

12. A method of generating positional coordinates for a plurality of moving objects, the method comprising:

instructing each of the plurality of objects to emit a locating signal according to a schedule, the schedule being set such that each of the plurality of objects is scheduled to emit the locating signal during a different period of time;

capturing images of an area in which the plurality of objects are moving with one or more cameras, each image fixing a representation of any locating signals appearing at a time of capture;

calculating positional coordinates for each of the representations, the positional coordinates reflecting a position of the object at the time of capture relative to the camera capturing the image having the representation; and

associating the positional coordinates with the plurality of moving objects by cross-referencing the positional coordinates for each time of capture with the one of the plurality of moving objects scheduled to emit the locating signal at the time of capture.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising emitting the same locating signal from each of the plurality of objects.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising emitting each locating signal at a wavelength that remains fixed throughout a portion of the period of time during which the signal is being emitted.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising emitting each locating signal at a modulation frequency that remains fixed throughout a portion of the period of time during which the signal is being emitted.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising emitting each locating signal without modulating the signal to include locational information such that positional coordinates are generated based on the locating signals but without requiring the moving objects to generate the positional coordinates.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising dynamically varying the locating signal according to wireless instructions received from a master station positioned with a wireless range of each of the plurality of objects.

18. A locating system comprising:

a plurality of devices each having a beacon configured to emit a non-modulated signal at a fixed wavelength;

one or more cameras configured to take pictures of an area defined by a viewing angle of each camera;

a master station configured to wirelessly communicate a broadcast schedule to each of the plurality of device, the broadcast schedule specifying a period of time during which each beacon is to emit the non-modulated signal; and

wherein the master station is configured to generate positional coordinates for each beacon appearing within each of the pictures based on the beacon scheduled to emit the non-modulated signal at the time the picture was taken and a position of the camera taking the picture.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein each of the plurality of devices includes an ear bud configured to output audio based on audio stored on each of the plurality of devices or wirelessly received from the master station.