Patent ID: 6373508
Filing Date: 2002-04-16
Classification: G01S,G10K,H04N

Abstract:
A method for manipulation of at least one movable, natural object in a natural television picture, wherein the television picture is generated by one or more television cameras, characterized by detecting the distance between the object and at least 2 fixed basic positions in a preselected x,y,z co-ordinate system at a time t, each basic position corresponding to a known position of a detector, determining an x,y,z co-ordinate for the object in the preselected x,y,z co-ordinate system at the time t, determining the distance between the camera's lens centre and the object at the time t as an object vector in the preselected co-ordinate system, determining the television camera's optical axis in the preselected co-ordinate system at the time t as a camera vector in the preselected co-ordinate system, determining a line from the television camera's lens centre to the point of intersection between the edge of the generated television picture and the plane formed between the object vector and the camera vector at the time t as a zoom vector, the object vector being located between the camera vector and the zoom vector when the object is visible in the television picture at the time t, and when the object is not visible in the television picture at the time t, the zoom vector is located between the camera vector and the object vector, and determining an X,Y position of the object referred to the television camera's picture plane and the camera vector on the basis of the object vector and the camera vector at the time t, and if the object vector is located between the camera vector and the zoom vector, to insert a synthetic object in the X,Y position in the television picture at the time t, the synthetic object constituting a representation of the natural object recorded by the camera at the time t, or, if the zoom vector is located between the camera vector and the object vector at the time t, to insert a symbol in the television picture, the symbol indicating the location of the X,Y position of the natural object outside the edge of the picture referred to the television camera's picture plane and the camera vector.