Camera Viewfinder Overlays for Live Event Subject Prioritization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional video cameras lack effective methods to prioritize and highlight important objects within the camera's view, especially when capturing live events, leading to suboptimal content delivery and increased complexity for camera operators and technical directors.

Innovation Solution

A system that receives video data from multiple cameras, identifies objects of interest using machine logic, assigns priority values, and generates overlays to display on the camera's viewfinder, indicating both visible and out-of-view objects, allowing operators to adjust their shot accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If conventional video cameras display only basic overlays (zebra stripes, lighting information), then the device complexity remains low, but the ability to prioritize and highlight important objects is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation about important objectsVSAvoidcomplexity of overlay system
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary object identification and priority assignment by analyzing video content in advance of the operator's decision-making process. Machine logic pre-identifies objects of interest and calculates their priority values before the operator needs to make shooting decisions, thereby reducing information loss without proportionally increasing operational complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer between the camera sensor and the display output. This intermediary system includes machine logic that analyzes video content, identifies objects, assigns priorities, and generates overlay information. This mediator handles the complex processing tasks, allowing the camera device to provide enhanced information without directly increasing the operator's burden or the basic device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If the camera operator manually identifies and prioritizes objects in the scene, then the information accuracy about object importance improves, but the ease of operation decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation about object priorityVSAvoidease of camera operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service by allowing the camera to automatically identify objects and assign priority values without operator intervention. The machine logic autonomously analyzes the video scene, detects objects of interest, and determines their priority based on predefined criteria. This self-service capability provides accurate object priority information while maintaining ease of operation, as the operator simply needs to view the overlays without performing complex identification tasks

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously analyzing the video content and providing real-time overlay information to the operator. The machine logic monitors the scene, identifies objects, and immediately displays priority information on the camera display. This continuous feedback loop ensures the operator receives up-to-date information about important objects without needing to manually search or prioritize, thereby maintaining ease of operation while improving information accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of information

If the camera display shows all detected objects without prioritization, then the completeness of information is high, but the ease of operation decreases due to information overload

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of object informationVSAvoidease of interpreting display information
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the display treatment of different objects based on their priority values. High-priority objects receive prominent overlay display with clear identification, while lower-priority objects are either minimized or excluded from the overlay. This selective display approach maintains the completeness of information about all detected objects while improving ease of operation by preventing information overload through hierarchical presentation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments the display information by dividing objects into priority-based groups. Instead of displaying all objects uniformly, the machine logic segments them into high-priority, medium-priority, and low-priority categories, with each segment receiving appropriate display treatment. This segmentation allows the complete set of object information to be conveyed while organizing it in a way that enhances operational ease by highlighting the most important elements first

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS11166084B2Display overlays for prioritization of video subjects
Publication Date: 2021.11.02 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION
  • US11166084B2 patent drawing
  • US11166084B2 patent drawing
  • US11166084B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Technology for generating camera viewfinder displays for camera people video recording/broadcasting live events such as sporting events, where the viewfinder displays include overlays that include: (i) priority values for objects shown on and/or off the live event view shown in viewfinder display; (ii) identifications of objects that are outside the viewfinder display; and/or (iii) direction to the locations of objects that are outside the viewfinder display. In response to these indications in the overlay, the cameraperson may move the camera to better capture a high priority object and/or capture an object that was outside the viewfinder display.