Abstract: A method and apparatus for tracking objects used in connection with athletic activities or sporting events, especially, balls, pucks, and the like. The method includes the steps of differencing present and previous frames of a video image including the, for example, ball to obtain motion regions, converting the motion regions to HSV color space, extracting the region corresponding to the ball based on empirical color data about the ball, obtaining a motion vector based on the motion of the ball region from a previous frame to the current frame, and updating the ball trajectory based on the newest motion vector obtained. The method also preferably includes a step of identifying completed trajectories based on preset constraints. The method is preferably expanded on by using at least one pair of cameras to provide a three-dimensional trajectory, and sometimes preferable expanded on by using a plurality of cameras, especially a plurality of pairs of cameras.

Abstract: A process for determining at least one dynamic of a vehicle, particularly slip angle, during travel. The process involves optically monitoring, in real time and from the vehicle itself, the movement in one or more camera images of surface features as the vehicle passes over the surface. The direction in which the surface features are moving at any given time indicates the actual direction of vehicle movement with respect to the orientation of the optical monitoring equipment. From this actual direction of movement, in combination with the known orientation of the optical monitoring equipment and the direction in which the vehicle is being steered, it is possible to calculate the slip angle in real time.

Abstract: A method for integrated audio-visual localizing and tracking of at least one object. The method includes the steps of capturing and transmitting an image of a video scene using a camera at an instant of time, identifying an object contained in the image having a preselected visual feature, and estimating a location of the object by determining an angular orientation relative to the image plane of the camera of an imaginary line extending from an optical center of the camera to a point on the image plane of the camera representing a portion of the object. The method further includes the steps of converting acoustic waves from an audio source into audio signals using at least two microphones at substantially the same time, identifying the audio source by determining a locus of points representing an estimate of the location of the audio source on the basis of the audio signals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for tracking moving objects, such as people, in real time by grouping existing feature paths from a current video frame with preexisting clusters from current video frames. Grouping is accomplished by selecting, as a candidate cluster to a specified feature path, the cluster having the closest relative distance to the specified feature path. The relative distance is calculated according to a function having a first component and a second component. The first component is representative of a maximum displacement between the select feature path and the candidate cluster, and the second component is representative of the difference between velocity vectors defining the select feature path motion and velocity vectors defining the candidate cluster motion. The method and apparatus also provide for updating the candidate cluster with parameters obtained from the select feature path and for merging overlapping clusters.