Television – Image signal processing circuitry specific to television – Special effects
Patent
1995-11-09
1999-05-11
Peng, John K.
Television
Image signal processing circuitry specific to television
Special effects
348157, 348159, 348468, 348584, H04N9/74
Patent
active
059033177
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for superimposing a small video image into a larger video image.
International sports events or other spectacles generally draw the interest and attention of spectators in many countries. For example, the Olympics, Superbowl, World Cup, major basketball and soccer games, auto races etc. fit into this category. Such events are generally broadcast live by video to a large international audience. The locale in which these events take place, such as stadiums or courts, provide advertising space all around in the form of signs, posters or other displays on fences and billboards, and in fact on any unoccupied space suitably located, including sections of the playing field.
Due to the nature of the displays, which are mostly in the form of printed matter, they are not changed too frequently and remain at least for a day, or a series or a whole season, and are directed mostly at local audiences. In cases where two teams from different countries play each other, the advertisements are usually arranged so that one side of the stadium contains advertisements directed to audiences in one country, while the other side has advertisements directed to the spectators in the other country.
The video cameras in these instances film the event from opposite sides of the stadium for their respective audiences. This of course is logistically complicated and limits the angle from which the events can be seen in either of the countries represented in the game.
Another limitation to present methods of advertising is the stringent safety requirements for positioning the billboards, so as not to interfere with the game, nor disturb the view of the spectators in the stadium, nor pose a danger to the players. The displays must not be too close to the actual field of action, so as not to distract the players.
A most serious drawback of the present system for advertising at major world sports events is the fact that although the event is televised live throughout the world, the actual physical advertisements in the stadium, because of their broad international exposure, can only cater to products having a world market.
Local advertisers can only make use of such world-class televised events by locally superimposing messages on the TV screen, or by interrupting the real time of the event.
Another drawback of the existing system is that over long time periods, due to the scanning of the TV camera, the signs appear too blurred to be read by the TV viewers. On many other occasions, only part of the sign is visible to the TV viewers and the sign cannot be read.
The following reference, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes Gaussian edge detection:
J. F. Canny, "A computational approach to edge detection", IEEE Trans. Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Vol. 8, pp. 679-698, November, 1986.
The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting, identifying and scaling in a video frame, suitable distinct targets and areas and inserting into these areas virtual images stored in the memory of the system, so that all objects or shadows in front of the distinct areas blocking portions thereof from view will be seen in a video transmission as being in front of and blocking the same portions of the areas containing virtual images.
A particular feature of the invention is to operate the system in real time. The invention also provides apparatus for operating the system. The invention is particularly useful for advertising in sports courts.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for video transmission of active events, for example sports events, having in the background physical images in designated targets, wherein the physical images are electronically exchanged with preselected virtual images, so that objects or shadows actually blocking portions of the physical images will be seen by viewers as blocking the same portions of the virtual images, and the motion of players or a ball blocking the physical image will
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Sharir Avi
Tamir Michael
Murrell Jeffrey S
Orad Hi-Tech Systems Ltd.
Peng John K.
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