Position identification system and method

Abstract

To provide a position identification system capable of identifying the position of an object over a wide area, including sports fields.SOLUTION: A first camera 3 and a second camera 4 are positioned at suitable locations. The first camera 3 and the second camera 4 capture panoramic images. These panoramic images include multiple control points whose coordinates are predetermined. Using the panoramic images, a camera position and orientation calculation unit 53 calculates the positions and orientations of the first camera 3 and the second camera 4. Based on the calculated positions and orientations of the first camera 3 and the second camera 4, an object position identification unit 54 identifies the position of an object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a location identification system and method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, "information" in sports has been attracting a great deal of attention. The value of "information" has been attracting attention in virtually all sports competitions, including baseball, soccer, track and field, swimming, and basketball, and much research and development has been conducted. For example, technology using wearable devices has been proposed, as described in Non-Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] "ZXY Arena", [online], NAC Image Technology, Inc., [Retrieved May 14, 2024], Internet (https: / / www.nacinc.jp / analysis / sports-tracking / zxy-arena / ) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above technologies lack versatility and cannot be flexibly applied to many sports. Furthermore, because the above technologies require a specific installation location and permanent operation there, they have the problem of being limited to very specific facilities and limited operation.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a position identification system and method that can identify the position of an object in a wide area including a sports field. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following means: Note that the parentheses indicate reference symbols of embodiments to be described later, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0007] The location identification system according to claim 1 comprises: Omnidirectional cameras (first camera 3, second camera 4) placed at appropriate positions, a calculation means (camera position / orientation calculation unit 53) that calculates a position and orientation of the omnidirectional camera based on a omnidirectional image captured by the omnidirectional camera and including a plurality of control points (control points P1 to P2, control points P3 to P5) whose coordinate positions are predetermined; and a position identification means (object position identification unit 54) that identifies the position of the object (2) captured by the omnidirectional camera based on the position and orientation of the omnidirectional camera calculated by the calculation means.

[0008] The position identification system of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the position identification system described in claim 1, it further comprises a speed identification means (object speed identification unit 55) that identifies the speed of the object (2) based on the position of the object (2) identified by the position identification means (object position identification unit 54).

[0009] The position identification system according to claim 3 is characterized in that in the position identification system according to claim 1 or 2, the omnidirectional cameras (first camera 3, second camera 4) are installed at appropriate positions so as to be parallel to the vertical axis direction.

[0010] The location identification method according to claim 4 comprises: Calculating the position and orientation of the omnidirectional cameras (first camera 3, second camera 4) based on a omnidirectional image captured by the omnidirectional cameras arranged at appropriate positions and including a plurality of control points (control points P1 to P2, control points P3 to P5) whose coordinate positions are predetermined (step S2); The method is characterized in that the position of the object (2) captured by the omnidirectional camera is identified based on the calculated position and orientation of the omnidirectional camera (step S3). [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the inventions of claims 1 and 4, the position of the object (2) can be identified in a wide area including a sports field.

[0012] According to the invention of claim 2, the velocity of the object (2) can also be identified.

[0013] According to the invention of claim 3, since the longitude value can be corrected, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the accuracy of identifying the position of the object (2) decreases. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a location identification system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a spherical image captured using the first and second cameras according to the embodiment, which has been subjected to unfolding processing. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between a control point and a first and second camera, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram explaining a method for calculating the positions of the first and second cameras. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for identifying the position of an object from a first camera and a second camera. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between a control point and a first camera or a second camera, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram explaining a method for calculating the position of the first camera or the second camera. [Figure 8]FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for identifying the position of an object from the first camera or the second camera. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the position identification system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, when directions such as up, down, left, and right are indicated, they refer to up, down, left, and right when viewed from the front of the illustration.

[0016] <Outline of the location identification system> The position identification system according to this embodiment is capable of identifying the position of an object (for example, one or more people) in a wide area including a sports field. Specifically, the system is configured as follows.

[0017] <Description of the location identification system> 1, the position identification system 1 is made up of an object 2, a first camera 3, a second camera 4, and a processing device 5. Each component will be described in detail below.

[0018] <Object description> The object 2 is made up of one or more people, objects, etc. that exist in a wide area including a sports field, and FIG. 1 shows an example of a single person about to kick a soccer ball.

[0019] <Explanation of the 1st and 2nd cameras> The first camera 3 and the second camera 4 are omnidirectional cameras capable of capturing moving and still images of the celestial sphere (all directions (360°)). To explain in more detail, the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 are placed at appropriate positions in a wide area including a sports field, and are capable of capturing images of the target object 2 and control points P1 to P2 shown in Fig. 5(a) or control points P3 to P6 shown in Fig. 7(a), which will be described later.

[0020] <Description of the processing equipment> The processing device 5 is made up of a CPU 5a, an input unit 5b that can input predetermined data to the processing device 5 from the outside using a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, etc., an output unit 5c that can output predetermined data to the outside of the processing device 5, a ROM 5d consisting of a writable flash ROM or the like that stores predetermined programs, etc., a RAM 5e that functions as a work area, buffer memory, etc., and a display unit 5f consisting of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), etc. The functions and processes of the processing device 5, which will be described later, are realized by the CPU 5a reading out programs stored in the ROM 5d and executing these programs.

[0021] <Explanation of the functional configuration of the processing device> Next, the functional configuration of the processing device 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the functional configuration of the processing device 5 includes a determination unit 50, a storage unit 51, an image processing unit 52, a camera position / orientation calculation unit 53, an object position identification unit 54, and an object velocity identification unit 55. Each component will be described below.

[0022] The determination unit 50 exchanges information with each functional block based on the state held by the determination unit 50 or the state held by each functional block. The determination unit 50 is capable of acquiring the omnidirectional image captured by the first camera 3 and the omnidirectional image captured by the second camera 4.

[0023] The storage unit 51 stores data necessary for processing.

[0024] Image processing unit 52 performs processing to expand the celestial sphere image captured by first camera 3 and the celestial sphere image captured by second camera 4 using equirectangular projection as shown in Fig. 4. As a result, the X-axis direction in Fig. 4 corresponds to the latitude of the celestial sphere, and the Y-axis direction in Fig. 4 corresponds to the longitude of the celestial sphere.

[0025] Camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 calculates the positions and orientations of first camera 3 and second camera 4, which are also placed at appropriate positions, using the omnidirectional image developed by image processing unit 52. This point will be described in detail below.

[0026] First, control points P1 and P2 shown in FIG. 5(a) are determined in advance. That is, the coordinate positions of these control points P1 and P2 are predetermined. Specifically, the control points P1 and P2 may be marks made by the user using tape or the like in a large area including the sports field, or may be objects that already exist in the large area including the sports field (for example, lines on a basketball court, a soccer goal net, or a pole). That is, any objects may be used as control points P1 and P2 as long as their coordinate positions are predetermined.

[0027] Next, a celestial sphere image including control points P1 and P2 shown in Fig. 5(a) is captured using the first camera 3 and the second camera 4. At this time, the control points P1 and P2 may be captured together with the object 2 shown in Fig. 1, or, if the object 2 is not present, for example, before a competition, the control points P1 and P2 may be captured without the object 2.

[0028] Next, by processing the omnidirectional image by the image processing unit 52 to develop it as shown in FIG. 4, the positional relationship between the first camera 3, the second camera 4, and the control points P1 and P2 can be expressed on a plane as shown in FIG. 5(a).

[0029] From this state, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 calculates the positions and orientations of the first camera 3 placed at an appropriate position and the second camera 4 placed at an appropriate position. This will be specifically explained below using mathematical expressions.

[0030] First, for ease of explanation, the position of control point P1 is defined as point A shown in Figure 5(b), the position of control point P2 is defined as point B shown in Figure 5(b), the position of first camera 3 is defined as point C shown in Figure 5(b), and the position of second camera 4 is defined as point D shown in Figure 5(b).

[0031] Next, connecting points A to D with lines as shown in FIG. 5(b), a rectangle ABDC is formed. In this case, as described above, the latitude and longitude of the celestial sphere can be known from the celestial sphere image unfolded as shown in FIG. 4, and therefore the camera position and orientation calculation unit 53 can calculate the values ​​of angles Θ1 and Θ2 shown in FIG. 5(b) using the celestial sphere image captured by the first camera 3. Furthermore, the camera position and orientation calculation unit 53 can calculate the values ​​of angles Θ3 and Θ4 shown in FIG. 5(b) using the celestial sphere image captured by the second camera 4. As a result, the camera position and orientation calculation unit 53 can calculate angle Θ5 as Θ5 = π - Θ1 - Θ2 - Θ4 from the sum of the interior angles of triangle ACD shown in FIG. 5(b). Furthermore, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 can calculate the angle Θ6 as Θ6=π-Θ2-Θ3-Θ4 from the sum of the interior angles of triangle BCD shown in Fig. 5(b). Furthermore, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 can calculate the angle Θ7 as Θ7=π-Θ1-Θ5 from the sum of the interior angles of triangle AOC shown in Fig. 5(b), or can calculate the angle Θ7 as Θ7=π-Θ3-Θ6 from the sum of the interior angles of triangle BOD shown in Fig. 5(b).

[0032] Thus, if the angles Θa and Θb shown in FIG. 5(b) can be calculated, the shape of the quadrilateral ABDC is completely determined.

[0033] Therefore, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 calculates the angles Θa and Θb shown in FIG. 5(b) as follows.

[0034] First, the following formula holds based on the sine law for the triangle ABC shown in Figure 5(b).

[0035]

number

[0036] Next, the following formula holds based on the sine law of triangle ABD shown in Figure 5(b).

[0037]

number

[0038] Thus, from Equation 1 and Equation 2, the following equation is established:

[0039]

number

[0040] Next, the following formula is established by the sine law of the triangle ACD shown in FIG. 5(b).

[0041]

number

[0042] Next, the following formula holds based on the sine law of the BCD triangle shown in Figure 5(b).

[0043]

number

[0044] Thus, from Equation 4 and Equation 5, the following equation is established:

[0045]

number

[0046] Furthermore, the following formula is established from formulas 3 and 6.

[0047]

number

[0048] Thus, as explained above, since the values ​​of angles Θ1 to Θ6 have already been calculated, the value of sin Θb / sin Θa can be calculated from Equation 7.

[0049] Furthermore, the relationship between the exterior angles of a triangle gives the following formula:

[0050]

number

[0051] Thus, using Equations 7 and 8, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 can calculate the angles Θa and Θb shown in FIG. 5(b).

[0052] Therefore, by calculating the angles Θa and Θb shown in FIG. 5(b) in the above manner, the shape of the quadrilateral ABDC shown in FIG. 5(b) can be completely determined.

[0053] Here, the coordinate positions of point A shown in FIG. 5(b), which indicates the position of control point P1 (see FIG. 5(a)), and point B shown in FIG. 5(b), which indicates the position of control point P2 (see FIG. 5(a)), are determined in advance. Therefore, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 can calculate the positions of points C and D shown in FIG. 5(b) by completely determining the shape of the rectangle ABDC shown in FIG. 5(b). This makes it possible to calculate the positions of the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 shown in FIG. 5(a).

[0054] Next, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 checks the longitude at which the control points P1 and P2 shown in FIG. 5(a) are observed from the omnidirectional image captured by the first camera 3 (the omnidirectional image expanded by the image processing unit 52). Based on this, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 draws a camera ray at a position of zero longitude and finds the angle it forms with the line AB shown in FIG. 5(b). Then, based on this found angle, it calculates the direction in which the first camera 3 is facing. This makes it possible to calculate the orientation of the first camera 3.

[0055] Next, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 checks the longitude at which the control points P1 and P2 shown in FIG. 5(a) are observed from the omnidirectional image captured by the second camera 4 (the omnidirectional image unfolded and processed by the image processing unit 52). Based on this, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 draws a camera ray at a position of zero longitude and finds the angle it forms with the line AB shown in FIG. 5(b). Then, based on this found angle, it calculates the direction in which the second camera 4 is facing. This makes it possible to calculate the orientation of the second camera 4.

[0056] Therefore, in this way, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 can calculate the positions and orientations of the first camera 3 placed at an appropriate position and the second camera 4 placed at an appropriate position, using the omnidirectional image developed by the image processing unit 52.

[0057] The object position identification unit 54 identifies the position of the object 2 shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, it is assumed that, as a result of observing the object 2 in the omnidirectional image expanded by the image processing unit 52, the object position identification unit 54 observes the object 2 in the longitude φ1 direction as viewed from the first camera 3 and in the longitude φ2 direction as viewed from the second camera 4, as shown in FIG. 6. At this time, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 has calculated the positions and orientations of the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 shown in FIG. 1, so the object position identification unit 54 can draw a camera ray 3a of the first camera 3 shown in FIG. 6 and a camera ray 4a of the second camera 4 shown in FIG. 6, and obtain the coordinate position of the object 2 as the intersection of these ray ray ray 3a and 4a. This allows the object position identification unit 54 to identify the position of the object 2. When the object position identification unit 54 identifies the position of the object 2 shown in Figure 1, if the object 2 has not been imaged together with the control points P1 and P2 (see Figure 5(a)) by the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 shown in Figure 1, then when the object position identification unit 54 identifies the position of the object 2 shown in Figure 1, the object 2 can be imaged again by the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 shown in Figure 1.

[0058] The object velocity identifying unit 55 identifies the velocity of the object 2 shown in Fig. 1. Specifically, it performs a process of differentiating the position (coordinate position) of the object 2 identified by the object position identifying unit 54 with respect to time. In this way, the object velocity identifying unit 55 can identify the velocity of the object 2 shown in Fig. 1.

[0059] The configuration of the position identification system 1 has been described above.

[0060] <Explanation of an example of using a location identification system> Next, an example of use of the above-described position identification system 1 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

[0061] First, the control points P1 and P2 shown in Fig. 5(a) are imaged by the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 shown in Fig. 1. At this time, the object 2 shown in Fig. 1 may or may not be imaged.

[0062] Then, a celestial sphere image including control points P1 and P2 shown in Fig. 5(a) captured by first camera 3 and second camera 4 shown in Fig. 1 is output to determination unit 50 shown in Fig. 2. In response to this, determination unit 50 outputs the acquired celestial sphere image to image processing unit 52 shown in Fig. 2. Image processing unit 52 acquires the output celestial sphere image, performs processing to develop the image using equirectangular projection as shown in Fig. 4, and outputs the processed data to determination unit 50 (step S1).

[0063] Next, determination unit 50 outputs the omnidirectional image expanded by image processing unit 52 to camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 shown in Fig. 2. In response to this, camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 calculates the positions and orientations of first camera 3, which is placed at an appropriate position, and second camera 4, which is also placed at an appropriate position, based on the omnidirectional image expanded by image processing unit 52, using the method described above in detail, and outputs the calculated data to determination unit 50 (step S2).

[0064] Next, the determination unit 50 outputs the data calculated by the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 to the object position identification unit 54 shown in Fig. 2. In response to this, the object position identification unit 54 uses the data calculated by the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 to identify the position of the object 2 as described above in detail, and outputs the identified data to the determination unit 50 (step S3). At this time, if the object 2 has not been imaged, the object 2 shown in Fig. 1 may be imaged using the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 shown in Fig. 1, and the image may be unpacked by the image processing unit 52, after which the position of the object 2 may be identified by the object position identification unit 54.

[0065] Next, the determination unit 50 outputs the data identified by the object position identification unit 54 to the object velocity identification unit 55 shown in Fig. 2. In response to this, the object velocity identification unit 55 performs a process of differentiating the position (coordinate position) of the object 2 identified by the object position identification unit 54 with respect to time, and identifies the velocity of the object 2 shown in Fig. 1 (step S4).

[0066] Therefore, according to the present embodiment described above, the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 are placed in appropriate positions, and the positions and orientations of the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 placed in these appropriate positions are calculated using control points P1 and P2 whose coordinate positions are predetermined. If the positions and orientations of the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 placed in these appropriate positions can be calculated, the position of the target object 2 can be identified.

[0067] Thus, in this embodiment, there are no restrictions on the placement positions of the first camera 3 and the second camera 4, and the position of the object 2 can be identified simply by determining control points P1 and P2 whose coordinate positions are predetermined. This makes it possible to use the system in a wide area, including a sports field.

[0068] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the position of the object 2 can be identified in a wide area including a sports field.

[0069] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the velocity of the object 2 can also be identified.

[0070] As explained above, there are no restrictions on the positions of the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 in this embodiment (there are also no restrictions on the difference in elevation, such as the second camera 4 being higher than the first camera 3). However, it is preferable to arrange the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 so that they are parallel to the vertical axis direction, that is, so that they are not tilted. This is because if they are tilted, the longitude value explained above may be incorrect, which may result in a decrease in accuracy. For this reason, it is preferable to arrange the first camera 3 and the second camera 4 so that they are parallel to the vertical axis direction, that is, so that they are not tilted.

[0071] <Description of Modifications> It should be noted that the shapes and the like shown in this embodiment are merely examples, and various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as set forth in the claims. For example, in this embodiment, an example has been shown in which only two cameras, the first camera 3 and the second camera 4, are used, but this is not limiting, and more cameras may be used. Also, the number of control points may be increased. In this case, by using each camera to identify the position of the object 2 as described above and averaging the identified positions, the accuracy of identifying the position of the object 2 will be further improved.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the case where there is a single object 2 is exemplified, but even in the case where there are multiple objects, the processing of steps S3 to S4 shown in Figure 3 can be performed for each object 2, so the present invention can also be applied to the case where there are multiple objects.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example has been shown in which two cameras, the first camera 3 and the second camera 4, are used, but it is also possible to use only one of them (the first camera 3 or the second camera 4). In this case, it is best used when the movement path of the object 2 is limited (for example, a track event in an athletics stadium, a 100m running lane, etc.). Below, a method for calculating the camera position and orientation when using either the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 will be explained.

[0074] First, the control points P3 to P5 shown in Fig. 7(a) are determined in advance. That is, the coordinate positions of the control points P3 to P5 are determined in advance.

[0075] Next, the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 is used to capture a spherical image including the control points P3 to P5 shown in FIG. 7(a).

[0076] Next, by processing the omnidirectional image by the image processing unit 52 to develop it as shown in FIG. 4, the positional relationship between the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 and the control points P3 to P5 can be expressed on a plane as shown in FIG. 7(a).

[0077] 2 calculates the position and orientation of the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 placed at an appropriate position. This will be specifically explained below using mathematical expressions.

[0078] First, for ease of explanation, the position of control point P3 is defined as point E shown in Figure 7(b), the position of control point P4 is defined as point F shown in Figure 7(b), the position of control point P5 is defined as point G shown in Figure 7(b), and the position of the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 is defined as point H shown in Figure 7(b).

[0079] Next, points E to H are connected by lines as shown in Fig. 7(b), resulting in a rectangle EFGH. In this case, as described above, the latitude and longitude of the celestial sphere can be known from the celestial sphere image developed as shown in Fig. 4, so the camera position and orientation calculation unit 53 uses the celestial sphere image captured by the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 to calculate the angle Θ shown in Fig. 7(b). EF and angle Θ FG and angle Θ GE The value of can be calculated.

[0080] 7(b), the length of EF is defined as L1, the length of FG as L2, and the length of GE as L3. These lengths L1, L2, and L3 can be calculated by the camera position and orientation calculation unit 53 because the coordinate positions of the control points P3 to P5 are determined in advance.

[0081] 7(b), the length of EH is r1, the length of FH is r2, and the length of GH is r3. Note that these lengths r1, r2, and r3 are unknown because the position of the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 is unknown. Therefore, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 calculates these lengths r1, r2, and r3 as follows.

[0082] First, the following formula holds based on the cosine law of the triangle EFH shown in Figure 7(b).

[0083]

number

[0084] Next, the following formula holds based on the cosine law of the triangle FGH shown in Figure 7(b).

[0085]

number

[0086] Next, the following formula holds based on the cosine law of the triangle GEH shown in Figure 7(b).

[0087]

number

[0088] Thus, in the above equations 9 to 11, there are three unknowns, the lengths r1, r2, and r3, and there are three equations. Therefore, by solving the simultaneous equations of the above equations 9 to 11, it is possible to calculate the length r1 of EH, the length r2 of FH, and the length r3 of GH shown in Figure 7(b).

[0089] After calculating the length r1 of EH, the length r2 of FH, and the length r3 of GH shown in Fig. 7(b) as described above, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 draws a circle with a radius of length r1 centered on control point P3 shown in Fig. 7(a), a circle with a radius of length r2 centered on control point P4 shown in Fig. 7(a), and a circle with a radius of length r3 centered on control point P5 shown in Fig. 7(a). Thus, the point where these circles intersect is point H shown in Fig. 7(b), and the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 can calculate the position of the first camera 3 or the second camera 4.

[0090] Next, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 checks the longitude positions at which the control points P3 to P5 shown in FIG. 7(a) are observed from the omnidirectional image captured by the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 (the omnidirectional image unfolded and processed by the image processing unit 52). Based on this, the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 draws a camera ray at a position of zero longitude, and calculates the angle with the line EF shown in FIG. 7(b), the angle with the line FG shown in FIG. 7(b), and the angle with the line GE shown in FIG. 7(b). Then, based on these calculated angles, it calculates the direction in which the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 is facing. This makes it possible to calculate the orientation of the first camera 3 or the second camera 4.

[0091] After calculating the position and orientation of the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 placed at an appropriate position in this manner, the object position identification unit 54 identifies the position of the object 2 shown in FIG. 1 . Specifically, suppose that the object position identification unit 54 observes the object 2 in the omnidirectional image expanded by the image processing unit 52 and observes the object 2 in the longitude φ3 direction as seen from the first camera 3 or the second camera 4, as shown in FIG. 8 . At this time, since the camera position / orientation calculation unit 53 has calculated the position and orientation of the first camera 3 or the second camera 4, the object position identification unit 54 can draw the camera ray 3b of the first camera 3 or the camera ray 4b of the second camera 4 shown in FIG. 8 and determine the coordinate position of the object 2 as the intersection of the camera ray 3b or the camera ray 4b with a fixed trajectory K, such as a 100-m sprint. This allows the object position identification unit 54 to identify the position of the object 2.

[0092] Therefore, if the above-described method is used, the position of the object 2 can be identified even when either the first camera 3 or the second camera 4 is used. If the position of the object 2 can be identified, the velocity of the object 2 can be identified by the object velocity identification unit 55, as described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1. Location Identification System 2. Object 3. First camera (spherical camera) 4. Second camera (spherical camera) 53 Camera position and direction calculation unit (calculation means) 54 Object position identification unit (position identification means) 55 Object velocity identification unit (velocity identification means) P1~P5 Control Points

Claims

1. A spherical camera placed at an appropriate position, a calculation means for calculating a position and an orientation of the omnidirectional camera based on a omnidirectional image captured by the omnidirectional camera and including a plurality of control points whose coordinate positions are determined in advance; and a position identification means for identifying a position of an object captured by the omnidirectional camera, based on the position and orientation of the omnidirectional camera calculated by the calculation means.

2. 2. The position identification system according to claim 1, further comprising a speed identification means for identifying the speed of the object based on the position of the object identified by the position identification means.

3. 3. The position identification system according to claim 1, wherein the omnidirectional camera is installed at an appropriate position so as to be parallel to a vertical axis.

4. calculating a position and orientation of the omnidirectional camera based on a omnidirectional image captured by the omnidirectional camera placed at an appropriate position and including a plurality of control points whose coordinate positions are predetermined; a position identification method for identifying a position of an object captured by the omnidirectional camera, based on the calculated position and orientation of the omnidirectional camera.

Images