Television – Special applications – Simulator
Patent
1992-07-20
1994-10-04
Herndon, Heather R.
Television
Special applications
Simulator
395127, 395152, 348578, 348580, H04N 5262
Patent
active
053533925
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a method and device for modifying a zone in successive images forming a sequence, representing an evolutionary scene, delivered by at least one camera.
The term "image sequence" must be interpreted in a wide sense as designating not only the image signal (analog or digital) produced in real time by a camera or a video controller but also a sequence recorded on an inscribable filing medium (digital or analogue), on a photographic, magnetic or optical medium, in a form allowing subsequent display, delivery or broadcasting at a rate equivalent to the real time rate.
More precisely, the invention relates to a method and device for replacing an image fraction corresponding to a precise region or to an object of the scene which will be named hereafter "target area", with a representation of another precise region, or another object, which is real or not, which will be named hereafter "pattern".
The fields of application of the invention are extremely various. The following may be mentioned, non limitatively panels during transmissions or retransmissions of sporting events or others; then making it possible to replace the scenery during shooting of production with another scenery; representation of a real object in an environment formed by a synthetic image.
Numerous methods are already known which can be used for modifying a target area in an image. The target area may for example be identified by a particular colour, which is preferably unused in the rest of the image to avoid any ambiguity But this method does not take into account the image acquisition conditions, for example camera movements. The pattern cannot consequently follow the evolution of the scene satisfactorily.
In image synthesis a pattern may also be generated which is inlaid in a target area, but on condition that position, focal distance and focussing do not change.
These methods, as well as the use of superimposed shots for producing motion pictures associating real scenes and animated cartoon characters, have limitations which exclude use thereof or reveal the special effects whenever the image acquisition conditions vary significantly in time.
Last, there is known (EP-A-0 360 576) a method enabling to generate a composite sequence from two sequences of video pictures. An operator manually indicates at least all reference points which represent the corners of a polygon and a transformation circuit modifies the addresses of the pixels in the polygon for enabling combination.
That method requires a manual operation for each picture.
An object of the invention is to provide a method for modifying a same zone in successive images in a same sequence fulfilling the requirements of the technique better than those known heretofore, which can be used even when the acquisition conditions change, particularly centring, focal distance and focussing, by automatically taking this evolution into account.
For that purpose, inlaying of the image of the pattern is preceded by a phase of adaptation of that image so as to cause it to exactly match the representation of the target area in the image.
For that purpose the invention provides a method for modifying the content of a sequence of images representing an evolutionary scene and having a high degree of correlation between successive images of the same shot, the images being adapted representation as a matricial arrangement of pixels, characterized by: identifying a non-deformable target area to be replaced in the scene is identified and it is characterizing its position and dimensions by reference to reference marks related to and close to the target area in each image; determining the position, with respect to said reference marks, to give to a pattern superimposable on the target area, stored in digital form; for each particular image, automatically computing the geometrical transformation to be undergone by the pattern to make it correspond to the variations of appearance of the target area, but a correlation calculation based on the reference marks, in all successive images of
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Luquet Andre
Rebuffet Michel
Herndon Heather R.
Multi Media Techniques
Smith Mike
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