Patents Assigned to NEX Team Inc.
  • Patent number: 11868536
    Abstract: Methods and systems for touchless control of a device include receiving an image from a camera and applying a machine learning technique the image to determine a first map, the first map including a function that generates a correspondence between data associated with the image to a feature space. A second map including a representation of a user in the image can be determined based on the first map. Further, a pose of the user can be determined based on the second map. The pose of the user and a portion of a body of the user can be tracked to determine a mapping between the portion of the user's body and an input feature of a device. The input feature can be modified based on the mapping to enable a touchless interaction between the user and the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Wang Fai Ng, Wing Hung Chan, Long Mak, Keng Fai Lee, On Loy Sung
  • Patent number: 11819734
    Abstract: A system and method for implementing a virtual fitness application are disclosed. Embodiments may be built for various platforms, including web browsers and mobile phones. One embodiment uses pose estimation to count the repetitive motions of a fitness activity (e.g., running). In one embodiment, to count the repetitive motions, a repetitive motion counting process is used that is based on computing differences of Y-coordinates of key points of the user. The repetitive motion counting process includes selecting a proper pose of the user; computing one or more delta values (corresponding to Y-coordinate changes of the key points); and counting a given user movement as a repetitive motion based on a function (e.g., average) of the delta values. One embodiment uses the pose estimation and repetitive motion count results to provide a gamified experience, for example, a leaderboard, a stats report, instant visual feedback, badges, coins, and a social experience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Keng Fai Lee, Qi Zhang, Man Hon Chan, On Loy Sung, Jorge Fino
  • Patent number: 11810321
    Abstract: Methods and systems for image clustering are described, and include first receiving a plurality of images from a video of a game. Next, determining a first feature vector of a first player from the plurality of images by inputting the plurality of images to an artificial intelligence (AI)-based process. Next, dividing the plurality of images into a first subset of images and a second subset of images based on the first feature vector. Next, receiving a first identifier tagging the first player in a first image of the first subset. Finally, identifying a second player in a second image in the second subset by propagating the first identifier of the first subset, based on a distance measure associated with the first feature vector from the artificial intelligence (AI)-based process. Running on a mobile computing device, the method allows multiplayer tagging to be easily performed in almost any environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Qi Zhang, Ian Smith, Long Mak, Keng Fai Lee, Wing Hung Chan
  • Patent number: 11642047
    Abstract: Methods and systems for multi-player training of body-eye coordination using mobile computing devices each having a camera are provided. The methods and systems execute instructions to capture a first training video of a first of player, using a first camera on a first mobile computing device; superimpose a visual cue onto the first training video at a visual cue location and for a cue period starting from a first time instant; determine whether the first player has responded to the visual cue at a second time instant within the cue period; receive a notification from a second mobile computing device, where the notification was generated in response to determining that a second player has responded to the visual cue at a third time instant within the cue period; and in response to a determination that the first player has responded to the visual cue and to the notification, generate a feedback to the first player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Qi Zhang, Arron Mollet, Wing Hung Chan, Keng Fai Lee
  • Patent number: 11638854
    Abstract: Methods and systems for real-time generation of ball shot analytics are disclosed. The methods and systems perform steps for ball and posture detection, ball and posture flow generation, shot event identification and classification, and shot analytics generation based on identified shot events and shooter posture flow. Embodiments of the present invention use computer vision techniques to enable a resource-limited mobile device such as a smartphone to conduct the aforementioned steps. Also disclosed are benefits of the new methods, and alternative embodiments of implementation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: NEX Team, Inc.
    Inventors: Qi Zhang, Wing Hung Chan, Keng Fai Lee, Wang Fai Ng
  • Patent number: 11594029
    Abstract: Methods and systems for determining a ball shot attempt location on a ball court are disclosed. The method includes receiving an input video, where the input video includes the ball shot attempt and one or more players; receiving a declared ball shot attempt; determining a potential shooter by detecting a moving object flow in the input video; determining a potential shooter image region in the image plane by analyzing an overlapping image area of the ball trajectory and the potential shooter; determining a shooter foot-on-court time; determining a most probable pair of shooter legs in the potential shooter image region; determining a shooter foot location based on the most probable pair of shooter legs; and determining a ball shot attempt location on the ball court by applying a camera projection to the shooter foot location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Keng Fai Lee, Tin Yin Lam, Wing Hung Chan, Qi Zhang, On Loy Sung, Man Hon Chan
  • Patent number: 11568617
    Abstract: Methods and systems for constructing a three-dimensional (3D) model of a user in a virtual environment for full body virtual reality (VR) applications are described. The method includes receiving an image of the user captured using an RGB camera; detecting a body bounding box associated with the user using a first trained neural network; determining a segmentation map of the user, based on the body bounding box; determining a two-dimensional (2D) contour of the user from the segmentation map; forming a 3D extrusion model by extruding the 2D contour; and constructing the 3D model of the user in the virtual environment by applying a geometric transformation to the 3D extrusion model. Applications of full body VR include physical training and fitness sessions, games, control of computing devices, manipulation and display of data, interactive social media with VR, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: On Loy Sung, Keng Fai Lee
  • Patent number: 11450010
    Abstract: Methods and systems for determining and classifying a number of repetitive motions in a video are described, and include the steps of first determining a plurality of images from a video, where the images are segmented from at least one video frame of the video. Next, performing a pose detection process on a feature of the images to generate one or more landmarks. Next, determining one or more principle component axes on points associated with a given landmark. Finally, determining at least one repetitive motion based on a pattern associated with a projection of the points onto the one or more principle components. In some embodiments, the disclosed methods can classify the repetitive motions to respective types. The present invention can be implemented for convenient use on a mobile computing device, such as a smartphone, for tracking exercises and similar repetitive motions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: On Loy Sung, Qi Zhang, Keng Fai Lee, Shing Fat Mak, Daniel Dejos, Man Hon Chan
  • Patent number: 11380100
    Abstract: Methods and systems for determining a ball shot attempt result, the ball shot attempt captured by a camera on a mobile computing device, are disclosed. The methods and systems perform steps comprising receiving an input video captured using the camera on the mobile computing device, wherein the input video comprises a ball shot attempt at a goal; receiving a declared ball shot attempt, the declared ball shot attempt detected by analyzing a ball trajectory in the input video; detecting an element movement associated with an element of the goal; and determining the ball shot attempt result based on the element movement and the ball trajectory. In some embodiments, the element of the goal is a net, and the declared ball shot attempt is detected by analyzing the ball trajectory in a ball shot attempt Region of Interest (ROI) within frames of the input video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Keng Fai Lee, Tin Yin Lam, Wing Hung Chan, Qi Zhang, On Loy Sung, Man Hon Chan
  • Patent number: 11322043
    Abstract: Methods and systems for remote multiplayer gameplay are disclosed. An example method can include joining a multiplayer interactive physical game including first and second players competing in an activity; capturing a first game video of a first player in a first play of the multiplayer interactive physical game, using a first camera on a first mobile computing device in a first gaming area; determining a first object flow associated with the first player from the first game video, by performing an algorithm on one or more frames of the first game video to detect one or more key points of the first player; generating a first analytic based on the first object flow; receiving a second analytic associated with the second player in a second gaming area; and generating a feedback to the first player based on the first analytic or the second analytic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Keng Fai Lee, Qi Zhang, Wing Hung Chan, Wang Fai Ng, Tin Yin Lam, Alexander Wu, Ian Smith, David Richard Schmierer, Bradford Lewis Farkas, Kin Ming Law
  • Patent number: 11157742
    Abstract: Methods and systems for image clustering are described, and include determining a plurality of images from a video of a game, the video captured by a camera on a mobile device, where at least one image of the plurality of images is segmented from a video frame of the video; determining a feature vector from the at least one image; dividing the images into a first subset and a second subset based on the feature vector; tagging a first player in a first image of the first subset with an identifier, where the identifier differentiates the images in the first subset to a plurality of players; and identifying a second player in a second image in the second subset by propagating the identifier of the first subset, based on a distance measure associated with the feature vector. Running on a mobile computing device, this invention allows multiplayer tagging to be easily performed in almost any environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Qi Zhang, Ian Smith, Long Mak, Keng Fai Lee, Wing Hung Chan
  • Patent number: 11045705
    Abstract: Methods and systems for 3D ball trajectory reconstruction are disclosed. The methods and systems perform steps of receiving a 2D ball trajectory, a shooter's on-ground foot location, and a camera projection matrix; generating on-ground trajectory line assumptions based on the shooter's on-ground foot location and the 2D trajectory; reconstructing a candidate 3D trajectory for each on-ground trajectory line assumption, by determining a ball height for each on-ground projection point in the on-ground trajectory line and by curve fitting; evaluating each candidate 3D trajectory and selecting one with a best score as the reconstructed 3D ball trajectory. Embodiments of the present invention enable a resource-limited mobile device such as a smartphone to conduct the aforementioned steps. Also disclosed are benefits of the new methods, and alternative embodiments of implementation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventor: Qi Zhang
  • Patent number: 11024053
    Abstract: Methods and systems for performing location and movement determination in a three-dimensional environment using a mobile device with a camera are disclosed. The methods and systems perform the steps of capturing one or more images of a user using the camera on the mobile computing device, determining the user from the images using a machine learning algorithm, determining a pose associated with the user using a machine vision algorithm, determining a depth of the user with respect to the camera based on the pose and an input height of the user using a binary search process, and determining the location of the user in the environment based on the pose and the depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Qi Zhang, Wing Hung Chan, Keng Fai Lee, Long Mak
  • Patent number: 10930172
    Abstract: Methods and systems for virtual coaching and performance training using a mobile device are disclosed. The methods and systems perform the steps of capturing a training video of one or more players, using the camera on the mobile computing device; superimposing a visual cue onto the training video at a first location and for a cue period starting from a first time instant; determining whether at least one of the one or more players has responded to the visual cue at a second time instant within the cue period, by analyzing a body posture flow of each player between the first time instant and the second time instant, wherein each body posture flow is extracted from the training video by performing a computer vision algorithm on one or more frames of the training video; and in response to determining that at least one player has responded to the visual cue, generating a feedback to the one or more players.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Qi Zhang, Arron Mollet, Wing Hung Chan, Keng Fai Lee
  • Patent number: 10796448
    Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting a player in a gaming environment using a mobile device are disclosed. The methods and systems perform the steps of receiving calibration data from a camera of a user device, the calibration data comprising a first reference point associated with the gaming environment, a second reference point associated with the gaming environment, and sensor data associated with the user device; computing a camera projection based on the first reference point, the second reference point, and the sensor data obtained from the user device; receiving an input video of the gaming environment, wherein the input video is captured using the camera, and wherein frames of the input video comprise at least one player in the gaming environment; identifying an image location of the player by performing a computer vision algorithm on the input video; and determining a real-world location of the player based on the image location and the camera projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Keng Fai Lee, Man Hon Chan, Wing Hung Chan, On Loy Sung
  • Patent number: 10748376
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for real-time tracking of a multiplayer ball game using a mobile computing device. The methods and systems are configured to receive an input video of the multiplayer ball game captured using a camera on the mobile computing device in a gaming area associated with n players, where n is an integer and n?2; detect a plurality of player postures, by performing a computer vision algorithm on each of a plurality of frames of the input video; extract an associated player feature from each of the plurality of player postures; assign each of the plurality of player postures, based on the associated player feature, to one of at least n posture groups, where each player is represented by one of the at least n posture groups; and determine a player location for each player, based on the player's posture group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Qi Zhang, Keng Fai Lee, Wing Hung Chan
  • Patent number: 10643492
    Abstract: Methods and systems for remote real-time or asynchronous multiplayer gameplay using mobile devices are disclosed. The methods and systems include steps of mounting mobile computing devices in gaming areas associated with users; initiating a game between the users; analyzing movements of the users, ball(s), and/or other game equipment of the game by performing a computer vision algorithm on one or more frames of an input video of the game; and providing feedback to the users, where feedback may include instructions to be performed by the users and player analytics. Embodiments of the present invention use computer vision techniques to enable a resource-limited mobile device such as a smartphone to conduct the aforementioned steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Keng Fai Lee, Qi Zhang, Wing Hung Chan, Wang Fai Ng, Tin Yin Lam, Alexander Wu, Ian Smith, David Richard Schmierer, Bradford Lewis Farkas, Kin Ming Law
  • Patent number: 10620713
    Abstract: Methods and systems for mobile device-based touchless control can include receiving an image of a user and applying a convolutional neural network to the image to determine a feature map. Further, a key-points map and an affinity-field map can be determined based on the feature map, and the pose of the user can be determined based on the maps. The methods and system further include identifying an activation gesture of the user and determining a validity of a bounding box associated with the pose of the user, and tracking the pose of the user and a portion of a body of the user for performing the touchless control. Further, the methods and systems include determining a mapping between the portion of the user's body and a cursor position associated with an application, and moving the cursor position to enable touchless user interaction. Embodiments use computer vision techniques to enable a resource-limited mobile device to conduct the aforementioned steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Wang Fai Ng, Wing Hung Chan, Long Mak, Keng Fai Lee, On Loy Sung
  • Patent number: 10600334
    Abstract: Methods and systems for virtual coaching and performance training using a mobile device are disclosed. The methods and systems perform the steps of capturing a training video of a player using a camera on the mobile device; augmenting the training video with a visual cue for a cue period starting from a first time instant; determining whether the player has responded to the visual cue at a second time instant within the cue period, by analyzing a body posture flow of the player between the first time instant and the second time instant, wherein the body posture flow is extracted from the training video by performing a computer vision algorithm on one or more frames of the training video; and in response to determining that the player has responded to the visual cue, generating a feedback to the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Qi Zhang, Arron Mollet, Wing Hung Chan, Keng Fai Lee
  • Patent number: 10489656
    Abstract: Methods and systems for ball shot attempt detection and game analytics generation are disclosed. The methods and systems perform steps to receive an input video of a ball gameplay, wherein the input video was captured using a stationary camera, and wherein frames of the input video comprises a goal; identify a Region of Interest (ROI) surrounding the goal by performing a first computer vision algorithm on the input video; detect a ball within the ROI during a shot attempt and determining a trajectory of the ball by performing a second computer vision algorithm on the input video; and identify a player relevant to the shot attempt based on the trajectory of the ball. In some embodiments, the computer vision algorithms comprise a convolution neural network (CNN). The present invention uses computer vision techniques to enable a resource-limited mobile device such as a smartphone to efficiently execute the new process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: NEX Team Inc.
    Inventors: Keng Fai Lee, Tin Yin Lam, Wing Hung Chan, Qi Zhang, On Loy Sung, Man Hon Chan