Image analysis – Applications – Target tracking or detecting
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-16
2001-03-06
Johns, Andrew W. (Department: 2721)
Image analysis
Applications
Target tracking or detecting
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198833
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is in the field of video broadcasting and editing and pertains more particularly to methods and apparatus for tracking an image entity within a presented or broadcast video and associating that entity with useful additional data.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With continuing development of new and better ways of delivering television and other video presentations to end users, and parallel development of computerized information systems, such as the Internet and the associated World Wide Web (WWW), there have been concerted efforts to integrate various systems to provide enhanced information delivery and entertainment systems. For example, developers are introducing integrated systems combining TVs with computer subsystems, so a TV may be used as a WEB browser, or a PC may be used for enhanced TV viewing.
In some systems computer elements, such as a CPU, memory, and the like, are built into the familiar chassis of a TV set. In such a system, the TV screen becomes the display monitor in the computer mode. In such a system, conventional TV elements and circuitry are incorporated along with the computer elements, and capability is provided for a user to switch modes, or to view recorded or broadcast video with added computer interaction. One may thus, with a properly equipped system, select to view analog TV programs, digital TV programs, conventional cable TV, satellite TV, pay TV from various sources, and browse the WWW as well, displaying WEB pages and interacting with on-screen fields and relational systems for jumping to related information, databases, and other WEB pages. The capabilities are often integrated into a single display, that is, one may view a broadcast presentation and also have a window on the display for WEB interaction.
In some other systems, computer elements are provided in an enclosure separate from the TV, often referred to in the art as a set-top box. Set-top box systems have an advantage for providers in that they may be connected to conventional television sets, so end users don't have to buy a new TV along with the computer elements.
In such integrated systems, whether in a single enclosure or as set-top box systems, user input is typically through a hand-held device quite similar to a familiar remote controller, usually having infra-red communication with the set-top box or a receiver in the integrated TV. For computer modes, such as WEB browsing, a cursor is displayed on the TV screen, and cursor manipulation is provided by buttons or other familiar pointer apparatus on the remote. Select buttons are also provided in the remote to perform the familiar function of such buttons on a pointer device, like a mouse or trackball more familiar to computer users.
Set-top boxes and computer-integrated TVs adapted as described above typically have inputs for such as a TV antenna (analog), cable TV (analog or digital), more recently direct-satellite TV (digital), and may also connect to video cassette recorders and to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives and CD-ROM drives to provide a capability for uploading video data from such devices and presenting the dynamic result as a display on the TV screen.
The present inventors have noted that with the coupling of computer technology with TV, many capabilities familiar to computer users have been made available to TV users. For example, ability to provide text annotation for TV presentations is considerably enhanced. Computer techniques such a Pix-on-Pix are now available, wherein separate TV presentations may be made in separate windows, or overlaid windows on the display screen. Separate windows may also support display from separate sources, such as an analog TV program in one window, a computer game in another, and a video conference in a third.
With the technologies described above becoming more available in the market place, it has become desirable to further integrate the technologies described so that a user viewing a video presentation might be enabled to gather additional information about a specific image entity or entities portrayed in a video through interactive method. An ultimate goal and potential use of the technology is to provide a means for advertisers to promote and sell products through user interaction in a way that minimizes steps required by such a user to access additional information regarding traditionally advertised products such as through commercials and the like. Another potential use is to provide additional information about the entity, for example, if the image entity is a race car the additional information can be the speed of the car tracked, and so on.
What is clearly needed is a method and apparatus for tracking image entities within a dynamic video display for supplying such tracking data so as to enable the image entity or entities to be identifiable and user-interaction-capable to end users wherein upon interaction, additional data regarding the image entity may be presented to the user. Such a method and apparatus would provide advertisers with a new venue for promoting their products and services and limit steps required by consumers interested in finding out more about products in which they might be interested.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Inn a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for tracking a moving entity in a video presentation is provided, comprising steps of (a) centering a tracking element on the entity in a first frame of a video display comprising a series of bitmapped frames, generating a matrix of signature pixels relative to the tracking entity, and initiating a tracking process; (b) recording the color values of each of the signature pixels in the first frame, creating thereby a color signature for the entity; (c) obtaining a next frame of the video presentation; (d) assuming a position for the entity in the next frame; (e) testing the color signature at the assumed position and at a plurality of test positions in the immediate vicinity of the assumed position against the color signature recorded for the entity; (f) accepting the position with the closest match to the color signature for the entity as the correct position for the entity; and (g) repeating steps (c) through (f) to determine positions for the entity in succeeding frames of the video presentation.
In some embodiments the matrix of signature pixels is pre-defined, and associated with a tracking element of a predefined shape and size relative to the video display, and there may be a plurality of tracking elements of different shapes and sizes available for selection for association with an entity to be tracked. Also in preferred embodiments the number of pixels in the predefined matrix of pixels for the plurality of tracking elements available for selection remains substantially the same, but the matrix, including relative distribution of the signature pixels in the tracking element, may be different.
In the method, in step (a), there may be substeps of selecting one of the plurality of tracking elements by cursor technique using a pointer device, moving the selected tracking element over the entity to be tracked by drag-and-drop technique, and initiating the tracking process by an incremental input by the user. The color values for the signature pixels are placed in an organized table for comparison with later assumed color signatures.
In a preferred embodiment there is a difference in assuming a next position in a second frame as opposed to assuming a new position is successive frames. In the second frame there is no history of movement, so no movement is assumed, and color signatures are tested in a plurality of positions in the immediate vicinity of the original position to determine first movement. In third and succeeding frames, the assumed position is determined by applying a movement vector from the next-to-last preceding frame processed to the last preceding frame processed.
There are a number of ways for testing for deviation from assumed new position, and, in one embodiment the plurality of test positions in the
Rangan P. Venkat
Shah Mehul
Shastri Vijnan
Boys Donald R.
Central Coast Patent Agency
HOTV, Inc.
Johns Andrew W.
Nakhjavan Shervin
LandOfFree
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