Abstract: A system uses GPS receivers and other sensors to acquire data about one or more objects at an event. The data acquired by the GPS receivers and the sensors is used to determine various statistics about the objects and/or enhance a video presentation of the objects. In one embodiment, the acquired data is used to determine three dimensional positions of the objects, determine the positions of images of the objects in a video and enhance the video accordingly. One exemplar use of the present invention is with a system for tracking automobiles at a race. The system determines statistics about the automobiles and enhances a video presentation of the race.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that uses GPS and additional data to determine the location of an object. Typically, GPS receivers need valid data from four satellites to accurately determine a three dimensional location. If a GPS receiver is receiving valid data from fewer than four satellites, then additional data is used to compensate for the shortage of satellites in view of the GPS receiver. Examples of additional data includes a representation of the surface that the object is traveling on, an accurate clock, an odometer, dead reckoning information, pseudolite information, and error correction information from a differential reference receiver. An exemplar use of the disclosed system is to concurrently track a set of one or more automobiles during a race. The determined locations of the automobile can be used to provide route information, to generate statistics and/or to edit video of one or more of the automobiles.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that can determine the distance a baseball would have traveled after being hit if its path was not interrupted. Thus, when a player hits a home run and the ball collides with an obstruction such as the seating area of a stadium or a wall, the present invention can determine how far the ball would have traveled had the ball not hit the stadium or the wall. The present invention can also be used to determine information about the path of objects other than a baseball.

Abstract: Pan, tilt and zoom sensors are coupled to a broadcast camera in order to determine the field of view of the broadcast camera and to make a rough estimate of a target's location in the broadcast camera's field of view. Pattern recognition techniques can be used to determine the exact location of the target in the broadcast camera's field of view. If a preselected target is at least partially within the field of view of the broadcast camera, all or part of the target's image is enhanced. The enhancements include replacing the target image with a second image, overlaying the target image or highlighting the target image. Examples of a target include a billboard, a portion of a playing field or another location at a live event. The enhancements made to the target's image can be seen by the television viewer but are not visible to persons at the live event.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that can determine the speed of an object and report that speed in a format suitable for use on a television broadcast, a radio broadcast, the Internet or another medium. One example of a suitable use for the present invention includes determining the speed that a baseball player swings a bat. Another use of the present invention is to measure the speed of a moving ball. In one embodiment, the system includes a set of radars positioned behind and pointed toward the batter. Data from all of the radars is collected and sent to a computer which can determine the start of a pitch, when a ball was hit, the speed of the ball and the speed of the bat.

Abstract: A three-dimensional model is created to represent an environment to be captured on video. A camera is fitted with pan, tilt and/or zoom sensors. An operator selects a location in the environment. The three-dimensional model is used to determine the three-dimensional coordinates of the location selected by the operator. Information from the pan, tilt and/or zoom sensors is used to transform the three-dimensional coordinates to a two-dimensional position in the video from the camera. Using the two-dimensional position of the video, a graphic is properly added to the video such that the graphic appears to be at the selected location in the environment.

Abstract: A three-dimensional model is created to represent an environment to be captured on video. A camera is fitted with pan, tilt and/or zoom sensors. An operator selects a location in the environment. The three-dimensional model is used to determine the three-dimensional coordinates of the location selected by the operator. Information from the pan, tilt and/or zoom sensors is used to transform the three-dimensional coordinates to a two-dimensional position in the video from the camera. Using the two-dimensional position of the video, a graphic is properly added to the video such that the graphic appears to be at the selected location in the environment.

Abstract: A graphic and video are blended by controlling the relative transparency of corresponding pixels in the graphic and the video through the use of blending coefficients. One example of a blending coefficient is an alpha signal used in conjunction with a keyer. The value of a blending coefficient for a pixel in the graphic is based on the luminance and chrominance characteristics of a neighborhood of pixels in the video. Inclusions and exclusions are set up which define how the neighborhood of pixels is used to create or change a particular blending characteristic.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that can measure the vertical height and/or the hang time of a jump. The system includes an acceleration detector, a controller, a display, a power source and a case that houses the components in a manner that allows the device to be worn or held by a person or object. The acceleration detector is used to determine the start of a jump and the end of a jump. Based on the time elapsed between the start of the jump and the end of the jump, the controller can determine the vertical height of the jump and/or the hang time.

Abstract: A system for enhancing the television presentation of an object at a sporting event includes one or more sensors which are used to determine the location of the object. Based on the location of the object and the field of view of a broadcast camera, a processor determines the position of the object in a video frame of the broadcast camera. Once knowing where the object is positioned within the video frame, the television signal can be edited or augmented to enhance the presentation of the object.

Abstract: Pan, tilt and zoom sensors are coupled to a broadcast camera in order to determine the field of view of the broadcast camera and to make a rough estimate of a target's location in the broadcast camera's field of view. Pattern recognition techniques can be used to determine the exact location of the target in the broadcast camera's field of view. If a preselected target is at least partially within the field of view of the broadcast camera, all or part of the target's image is enhanced. The enhancements include replacing the target image with a second image, overlaying the target image or highlighting the target image. Examples of a target include a billboard, a portion of a playing field or another location at a live event. The enhancements made to the target's image can be seen by the television viewer but are not visible to persons at the live event.

Abstract: A system determines the vertical position of an object and report that vertical position in a format suitable for use on a television broadcast, a radio broadcast, the Internet or another medium. One example of a suitable use for the system includes determining the height that a basketball player jumped and adding a graphic to a television broadcast that displays the determined height. The system includes two or more cameras that capture a video image of the object being measured. The object's position in the video images is determined and is used to find the three dimensional location of the object. The three dimensional location includes a height coordinate. In some cases, the height coordinate is the desired vertical position. In other cases, the height or size of the object may be subtracted from the height coordinate to determined the vertical position.

Abstract: A system for enhancing the television presentation of an object that can display the object even if the object is not visible to a camera. The system determines whether the object is visible to the camera broadcasting the event. If the object is not visible to the camera, the video image captured by the camera is edited to show the object, not show the object or enhance the video in a different manner. The object is placed in the captured video image at the position the object would be in the camera's field of view if there was no barrier between the object and the camera.

Abstract: Pan, tilt and zoom sensors are coupled to a broadcast camera in order to determine the field of view of the broadcast camera and to make a rough estimate of a target's location in the broadcast camera's field of view. Pattern recognition techniques can be used to determine the exact location of the target in the broadcast camera's field of view. If a preselected target is at least partially within the field of view of the broadcast camera, all or part of the target's image is enhanced. The enhancements include replacing the target image with a second image, overlaying the target image or highlighting the target image. Examples of a target include a billboard, a portion of a playing field or another location at a live event. The enhancements made to the target's image can be seen by the television viewer but are not visible to persons at the live event.

Abstract: A system for enhancing the television presentation of an object at a sporting event includes one or more sensors which are used to determine the location of the object. Based on the location of the object and the field of view of a broadcast camera, a processor determines the position of the object in a video frame of the broadcast camera. Once knowing where the object is positioned within the video frame, the television signal can be edited or augmented to enhance the presentation of the object.

Abstract: Although sensors are typically registered before the live event, a sensor's location, orientation and/or field of view can be altered during the event. A system for re-registering a sensor during a live event allows for the determination that a sensor is not properly registered. If such a determination is made, the system accumulates valid data during the live event. The valid data is compared to the data from the improperly registered sensor in order to determine the amount of error. The variables that define the sensor's registration are changed to reduce the error.

Abstract: A hockey puck with an electromagnetic transmitter. The electromagnetic transmitter could include an infrared transmitter, ultraviolet transmitter, radar repeater, RF transmitter or other device for transmitting electromagnetic waves outside of the visible spectrum. The electromagnetic transmitter is turned on using a shock sensor and is turned off using a timer.

Abstract: A computer hardware and software system and method for displaying a map of streets corresponding to an area over which a vehicle may move to assist a driver to navigate, the system displaying the map on a display based on a scale-dependent street prioritization scheme, providing on the display a vehicle position symbol indicating the current position and heading of the vehicle and a moving map which moves in translation and rotation as the vehicle moves, selectively and dynamically labelling streets on the display as the vehicle moves, and providing a destination symbol on the display indicating a desired destination or the direction to a desired destination.

Abstract: A vehicle navigational system and method for tracking a vehicle, including a programmed computer, sensors for sensing the distance traveled and heading of the vehicle, and a stored map data base identifying a map of an area over which the vehicle is moving, in which the computer calculates and advances dead reckoned positions of the vehicle in response to distance and heading data, provides data identifying a contour of equal probability containing the dead reckoned positions and having a probability of containing the actual location of the vehicle, derives multiparameters from the map data base, and updates a given dead reckoned position and the contour using a highly developed vehicle navigational algorithm if a more probable dead reckoned position exists based upon the given dead reckoned position, the contour and the derived multi-parameters.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus generating accurate data regarding the heading of a land vehicle as it travels over terrain having changing conditions. The apparatus includes a first sensor means, such as a differential odometer, generating data regarding the relative direction of the vehicle. Also included is a second sensor means, such as a flux gate compass, for generating data regarding the absolute direction of the vehicle relative to the earth. The relative directional data and the absolute directional data are combined in a means for generating accurate data regarding the heading of the vehicle. A means for reducing errors reflected in signals generated by the sensors is provided to insure the accuracy of the output.