Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7447336?dq=6008737
Timestamp: 2015-07-08 02:09:15
Document Index: 538072206

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 12', 'art 14', 'art 16', 'art 14', 'art 18', 'art 12', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 28', 'art 26', 'art 28', 'art 32', 'art 32', 'art 34', 'art 40', 'art 24', 'art 26', 'art 28', 'art 30']

Patent US7447336 - Stroke information measuring apparatus and stroke information measuring method - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA stroke information measurement device and a stroke information measurement method, by which stroke information, such as the stroke time, stroke length, etc., of a swimming swimmer can be measured accurately and immediately, are provided. This invention's stroke information measurement device 10 is...http://www.google.com/patents/US7447336?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7447336 - Stroke information measuring apparatus and stroke information measuring methodAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7447336 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/479,040PCT numberPCT/JP2002/005293Publication dateNov 4, 2008Filing dateMay 30, 2002Priority dateMay 30, 2001Fee statusPaidAlso published asCA2448657A1, EP1398060A1, EP1398060A4, EP1398060B1, US20040218786, WO2002096525A1Publication number10479040, 479040, PCT/2002/5293, PCT/JP/2/005293, PCT/JP/2/05293, PCT/JP/2002/005293, PCT/JP/2002/05293, PCT/JP2/005293, PCT/JP2/05293, PCT/JP2002/005293, PCT/JP2002/05293, PCT/JP2002005293, PCT/JP200205293, PCT/JP2005293, PCT/JP205293, US 7447336 B2, US 7447336B2, US-B2-7447336, US7447336 B2, US7447336B2InventorsTakahiro Murakoshi, Yuuichi Kimura, Takehiro KuronoOriginal AssigneeHamamatsu Photonics K.K.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (20), Classifications (26), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetStroke information measuring apparatus and stroke information measuring method
US 7447336 B2Abstract
stroke point detection means for detecting, from among said front ends, the front end at the timing when said swimmer is in a predetermined position in each stroke
2. The stroke information measurement device as set forth in claim 1,
5. The stroke information measurement device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said front end detection means comprises:
6. A stroke information measurement method comprising:
stroke point detection step of detecting, from among said front ends, the front end at the timing when said swimmer is in a predetermined position in each stroke
7. The stroke information measurement method as set forth in claim 6,
8. The stroke information measurement method as set forth in claim 7, wherein said front end detection step comprises:
9. The stroke information measurement method as set forth in claim 7, wherein said front end detection step comprises:
10. The stroke information measurement method as set forth in claim 6, wherein said front end detection step comprises:
As shown in FIG. 2, stroke information measurement device 10 is equipped with image pickup parts 12, each of which outputs the captured image data according to frame (in other words, every 1/30 seconds), an image memory part 14, which stores the output image data, a control part 16, which controls the timing of processing of the image data in image memory part 14, a search area memory part 18, which stores search areas in the respective image data in which the image of the body of the swimmer is presumed to exist, and an RGB/HSV (Red, Green, Blue/Hue, Saturation, Value) transform circuit 20, which, for pixels within the search area set for each image data, detects the respective values of hue, saturation, and value.
Each image pickup part 12 performs DMA (Direct Memory Access) transfer of image data to image memory part 14 along with a synchronization signal for each frame (that is, every 1/30 seconds) when even a part of a search area in a lane exists within a corresponding image pickup range 12 a. As shown in FIG. 1, each image pickup part 12 is installed on the ceiling of the pool at a distance of 5 m from the water surface and the image pickup range 12 a thereof covers two lanes and is 7.7 m long in the direction of the lane of the pool. A wide conversion lens with a magnification of 0.6 is fitted on to each image pickup part 12. As the video signal, an NTSC (National Television System Committee) composite video signal is used and the size of the image data is 640�480 pixels of 24 bits RGB.
Stroke point detection part 28 detects, from among the actual front end positions stored in front end position memory part 26, the actual position and time of the front end, when the displacement of the actual front end positions between continuous frames (that is, before and after the elapse of 1/30 seconds) changes from decreasing to increasing, as the stroke point.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of detection of a stroke point P0 by stroke point detection part 28. First, it is judged whether or not the actual front end position is displaced by a threshold value d or more from the actual front end position in the previous frame (step 60). This threshold value d is set to a swimming velocity that cannot be realized as a movement of the swimmer and, in the present embodiment, it is set to 4.5 m/second. If the displacement amount is greater than or equal to threshold value d, the actual front end position is set, as a tentative value, to the actual front end position in the previous frame+threshold value d (step 62) and the process is ended without the setting of stroke point P0. If the displacement amount is less than threshold value d, the actual front end position is deemed to be a normal value and it is judged whether or not the actual front end position in the previous frame was a normal value (step 64).
Discrimination part 32 discriminates pixels that are to be candidates of the image of the body of the swimmer by means of a hue processing circuit 44 and a saturation processing circuit 46. Hue processing circuit 44 discriminates pixels with which the hue values are clearly not those of the pool as pixels to be first candidates of the image of the body (referred to hereinafter as “first body candidate pixels”). With the present embodiment, pixels of a hue value of 180� to 260� in a standard color wheel are deemed to be the first body candidate pixels. Saturation processing circuit 46 discriminates, from among pixels besides the first body candidate pixels, pixels of low saturation as pixels that are to be second candidates of the image of the body (referred to hereinafter as “second body candidate pixels”). With this embodiment, pixels of a saturation of less than 10% are deemed to be the second body candidate pixels. Discrimination part 32 thus discriminates all pixels within a search area into the three values of first body candidate pixels, second body candidate pixels, and other pixels (referred to hereinafter as “background pixels”) and stores the trinarized image data in trinarized image memory part 34.
The coordinates of front end 40 a in the image data that have been detected at front end coordinate detection part 40 are then converted to an actual position by coordinate transform part 24 and these coordinates are stored in front end position memory part 26 for each frame (that is, every 1/30 seconds). Stroke point detection part 28 then detects, based on curvature, stroke point P0 as the actual position and time of the front end when the displacement between the actual front end positions of continuous frames (that is, before and after the elapse of 1/30 seconds), stored in front end position memory 26, changes from decreasing to increasing, and stroke point P0, etc., are output from output part 30.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5130955 *Jun 27, 1991Jul 14, 1992Dean LuerkerAthletic timer correction systemUS5864518 *Mar 29, 1996Jan 26, 1999Performance General CorporationDevice and method for analyzing a swimmer's swim strokeUS6086379 *Jan 14, 1999Jul 11, 2000Research Foundation Of State University Of New YorkSystem and method for training a swimmerUS6133838 *Nov 13, 1996Oct 17, 2000PoseidonSystem for monitoring a swimming pool to prevent drowning accidentsUS6141041 *Jun 22, 1998Oct 31, 2000Lucent Technologies Inc.Method and apparatus for determination and visualization of player field coverage in a sporting eventUS6169966Dec 24, 1997Jan 2, 2001Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaApparatus for detecting a moving state of an objectJP2000003450A Title not availableJP2000042161A Title not availableJPH01270882A Title not availableJPH02235481A Title not availableJPH06174450A Title not availableJPH07135586A Title not availableJPH07325335A Title not availableJPH08171693A Title not availableJPH08317277A Title not availableJPH11159173A Title not availableJPH11271024A Title not availableJPS6144977A Title not availableJPS60148574A Title not availableWO1994029670A1Jun 10, 1994Dec 22, 1994Shigesumi KuwashimaApparatus for measuring position of moving object* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification382/107, 482/55, 348/169International ClassificationA63B69/12, G06T7/20, G06K9/00, A63B69/00, G06T1/00, G01B11/00, A63B71/06Cooperative ClassificationA63B2220/806, A63B2220/807, A63B71/06, A63B69/12, G06T7/004, G06T7/2033, G06T2207/30221, G06K9/00342, G06T2207/30241, A63B24/0003European ClassificationG06K9/00G1, A63B71/06, G06T7/00P, G06T7/20C, A63B69/12, A63B24/00ALegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionMay 19, 2004ASAssignmentOwner name: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K., JAPANFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MURAKOSHI, TAKAHIRO;KIMURA, YUUICHI;KURONO, TAKEHIRO;REEL/FRAME:015445/0683Effective date: 20031126Apr 11, 2012FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services