Patent ID: 6449010
Filing Date: 2002-09-10
Classification: A63B,H04N

Abstract:
A system for enhancing display of a sporting event by tracking the path of a ball in a playing field of the sporting event while the ball is moving and generating successive overlaid video image frames that represent successive overlaid video images of the path of the ball in the playing field within an overhead large field of view over the playing field, the system comprising:a tracking video camera that is positioned over the playing field and generates successive tracking video image frames while the ball is moving that represent successive tracking video images of successive overhead small fields of view that contain the ball and are within the overhead large field of view; a tracking processor that generates from the successive tracking video image frames successive determined location data sets that represent successive determined locations of the ball within the successive tracking video images; a path prediction processor that generates from the successive determined location data sets successive predicted position data sets that represent successive predicted positions of the ball with respect to the tracking video camera so as to predict the path of the ball; tracking camera orientation, zoom, and focus controllers that generate tracking camera orientation, zoom, and focus control signals from the successive predicted position data sets; the tracking video camera adjusting its orientation, zoom, and focus in response to the tracking camera orientation, zoom, and focus control signals so as to be oriented toward, zoomed in on, and focused on the ball in the overhead small fields of view while the ball is moving so that the ball is tracked; a background video camera that is positioned over the playing field and generates successive background video image frames that represent successive background video images of the playing field within the overhead large field of view while the ball is moving; and an overlay processor that (1) generates from the successive determined location data sets successive overlay video image frames that represent successive overlay video images of the path of the ball within the overhead large field of view but without the playing field in the background, and (2) combines the successive overlay video image frames with the successive background video image frames to generate the successive overlaid video image frames such that the successive overlaid video images comprise the successive overlay video images overlaid on the successive background video images.