Television – Special applications – Observation of or from a specific location
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-06
2003-11-18
Philippe, Gims S. (Department: 2613)
Television
Special applications
Observation of or from a specific location
C348S169000, C701S209000, C342S451000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06650360
ABSTRACT:
The present invention concerns a camera guidance system allowing to acquire video signals of at least one target, by means of at least one camera, and to transmit such video signals to a receiver station. In particular, it concerns a help to the acquisition, by a camera, of close-up visual information of a target, said target being a competitor in a race, or a participant in a show.
One purpose of sports show business is to give the viewer the impression that he is in the middle of the action. For this purpose, multiple cameras are preferably acquiring close-up, breath-taking images of the leading competitors of the race, or of the star participants of the show. If such leading competitor or star participant is typically too far from the cameras, it is known to place such cameras on the competitor or participant himself, showing him at least partially. The imagery is constantly selected and re-evaluated, taking into account the most interesting views.
Shows and racing competitions have implied in a known manner the presence of cameras on or close to the participants or competitors. For example, in bicycle races, cameras are customarily mounted on a neighboring motorcycle. In sailing competition, cameras can be mounted on the top of the masts of competitors. The most difficult case for imaging is an air race or show where the competitors can very quickly move around in three dimensions, and are easily lost by the camera attendant.
The technical problem to be solved in such an environment is to allow for capture of the best imagery with automatically guided cameras, without having to carry a camera attendant which in many sports cannot be carried in the competitor's immediate vicinity. Various systems exist to monitor the position of moving bodies. Such systems are described e.g. in European Patent Applications Nos. 92303372.4 and 92303373.2. However, such systems are limited to the monitoring of the position of the bodies, and not of their orientation or attitude.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The system according to the invention allows to replace the camera attendant by a highly efficient tracking system; in particular, it allows to automatically keep a selected target in the viewing frame of a camera. For this purpose, the targets continuously provide information on their position and attitude coordinates to the camera platform with the communication means. The information on the position and attitude of the targets are processed by the information processing means of the platform, to be converted into platform coordinates and fed to the pointing systems of the cameras. Each target can be followed by a plurality of cameras on a platform, each camera having its own pointing system. All camera pointing systems use the information on the position of the particular target that has been allocated to them. This allows all candidates for the show to be constantly in view, ready for selection.
The present invention accomplishes this by a platform supporting the camera. The platform is movable into a plurality of positions for pointing the camera at the target. Target position means is mounted on the target for determining a position of the target and transmitting the position of the target to a processing means. The processing means receives the position of the target from the target position means, and determines a relative target position of the target position means with respect to the platform. The processing means then moves the platform to point the camera at the target.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the receiver station is on the platform and stores the video signals acquired by the cameras, either definitively, with e.g. classic 16 mm film technology, or erasable, with e.g. video tape technology.
In a second embodiment of the invention, the receiver station is not located on the platform and its attendants can instantly modify the allocation of the cameras to the target. This allows for optimization of the allocation of the targets to the cameras.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, each target can also serve as a platform, allowing the receiver station to select the most appropriate platform, and cameras on said competitors for the show. In this embodiment, information on position and attitude of all the targets and platform are delivered by said targets and platforms to the information processing systems of the other targets and platforms via the communication means. The information on attitude of the target is not necessarily useful for the guidance of the allocated cameras, but it becomes important if the target is later selected as a platform, as well as for extrapolation purposes if the efficiency of the communication means is temporarily reduced.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, if said receiver station, generally a ground station, is remote from the race, the means for transmitting the video signals can include one or more relay stations; said relay stations are equipped with antennas to convey the video signals from the platform's cameras. It should be noted that in the latter case, the relay stations also advantageously provide their coordinates to the information processing means, so that the antennas can be efficiently oriented towards each other to ensure optimal transmission quality.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the position and attitude data are acquired by global navigation satellite systems, such as systems-known under the names of NAVSTAR/GPS and GLONASS, or more generally GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). Such systems are described e.g. in the European Application No. 92310832.8, or in UK Patent Application No. 8827257. U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,271 teaches how to generate agricultural maps with the help of GPS. U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,513 to Cohen describes a system for attitude determinations. U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,794 discloses a panoramic display system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,789 discloses an earth surface surveying system using infrared camera.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,431 discloses a navigation system with position measuring device and aerial photographic storage capability.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the position of the target in platform coordinates is obtained by subtracting the platform's global position vector from the target's global position vector and projecting the resulting vector onto the platform coordinate system. Such data can be obtained in particular with the help of a differential global navigation satellite system, or D-GNSS, which will provide attitude data by triangulation.
An example of such a D-GNSS system is described in UK Patent Application No. 9004433.0.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the pointing systems of the cameras allow them to point to any direction.
In a simplified environment where every object has a fixed assignment, and e.g. one platform can film one target, it is generally not necessary to acquire attitude data of the target, so that a GNSS receiver on the target will suffice for determination of the target's position; for the platform and any moving relay stations, on the contrary, attitude is important for the pointing of cameras and antennas. Thus the platform and each relay station will need GNSS receivers for position and at least two additional GNSS receivers for attitude.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,861 to Knight teaches determination of attitude data of objects.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the global positioning system of a target is supplemented by at least an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) or more generally by an inertial navigation system to which such an IMU belongs. An IMU is typically constituted by three accelerometers coupled with gyroscopes. The accelerometers measures linear acceleration, and the gyroscopes measures angular speeds.
In a preferred embodiment, an IMU is used for motion measurements for each axis Ox, Oy, Oz of the coordinate system of the target. A platform or a relay station can also be equipped with an IMU. An IMU is useful if, for instance, communication between the sa
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
Philippe Gims S.
Wells & Verne Investments Limited
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