Asynchronous Camera Position Tracking via Homography
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing object tracking methods in sports, such as determining if a baseball crosses the strike zone, require complex synchronization of multiple cameras, which is challenging and often necessitates the object to be in sync across all cameras, limiting their effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that use multiple cameras with asynchronous timing to track an object's trajectory and determine when it crosses a target plane, employing homography matrices for image coordination and event-based synchronization to calculate the object's position and time of crossing without requiring hard synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple cameras are used to track an object's trajectory, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for hard synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a common reference plane as an intermediary element that all cameras can independently reference. By projecting 3D object positions onto this shared 2D reference plane, the system enables asynchronous cameras to achieve synchronized measurement without complex timing coordination. The reference plane acts as a mediator that translates unsynchronized camera data into coherent positional information.
2Reliability
If hard synchronization is implemented across multiple cameras, then reliability of position determination is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficult synchronization requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables each camera to independently capture images and determine object positions without relying on synchronization signals from other cameras. Each camera autonomously processes its own data by projecting positions onto the common reference plane, allowing the system to achieve reliable results through self-service operation rather than coordinated control.
3Ease of operation
If asynchronous camera timing is used, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to timing differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves timing dimension issues by transitioning to a different dimensional approach - projecting all camera observations onto a common 2D reference plane. This dimensional transformation allows the system to ignore temporal differences between cameras and focus on spatial relationships in the reference plane, where all positions can be accurately determined regardless of when each camera captured the image.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for determining a position an object moving along a trajectory crosses a target plane, by obtaining a plurality of images of an object moving along a trajectory in an environment, the plurality of images capturing the object at different positions along the trajectory, obtaining a plurality of images of an object moving along a trajectory in an environment, the plurality of images capturing the object at different positions along the trajectory, the plurality of images being obtained from two or more cameras positioned at different positions in the environment, each of the two or more cameras having a field of view (FOV) that includes the trajectory of the moving object and a target plane, the target plane being a plane that the moving object crosses during movement along the trajectory, each of the two or more cameras obtaining the images at a different timing.