Monocular Trajectory Calculation for Athletic Jumping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies for calculating the trajectory of a moving object in athletic competitions like figure skating are limited, as they require multiple synchronized cameras or cannot be used in environments where camera installation is not feasible, such as a skating rink.
Innovation Solution
A trajectory calculation device and method that uses a monocular camera to detect specific points on a moving object, calculates the existence straight line, take-off and landing points, and determines the trajectory as a curved line expressing a parabolic motion, allowing for accurate three-dimensional trajectory calculation without the need for multiple cameras or synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple synchronized cameras are used to calculate trajectory, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the requirement for multiple cameras from the trajectory measurement system. By using a single monocular camera combined with 2D pose estimation technology, the system removes the complexity of multi-camera synchronization while maintaining the capability to calculate three-dimensional trajectory of jumping athletes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical system of multiple synchronized cameras with a computational approach using 2D pose estimation algorithms. The system substitutes physical multi-camera infrastructure with image processing and mathematical calculations to achieve 3D trajectory reconstruction from 2D images.
2Measurement precision
If multiple synchronized cameras are installed, then trajectory measurement capability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to installation difficulties in skating rinks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the requirement for complex camera installations in skating rinks by using a single monocular camera that can be positioned outside the rink. The system extracts the essential measurement function from the complex multi-camera setup, enabling trajectory calculation without interfering with the skating environment or requiring difficult installations.
3Measurement precision
If stereo image data from multiple cameras is used, then three-dimensional position accuracy is improved, but device complexity and synchronization requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the stereo vision system with a monocular vision system enhanced by 2D pose estimation technology. Instead of using multiple cameras to capture 3D information simultaneously, the system uses a single camera to capture 2D images and reconstructs 3D position information through computational methods, eliminating synchronization requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from 2D image capture to 3D trajectory reconstruction by introducing computational dimensionality transformation. The system captures 2D images with a monocular camera and uses 2D pose estimation algorithms to infer and reconstruct the 3D spatial coordinates of the athlete's center of gravity, effectively adding a computational dimension to bridge 2D and 3D space.
Data Source
AI summary
In the athletic competition involving jumping such as figure skating, it is desired to measure jumping height and flight distance by calculating a trajectory of a moving object as a target from moving images captured by a monocular camera. Provided is a device, a method and a program to calculate the trajectory of the moving object jumping in three dimensions from information of a plurality of image frames captured by the monocular camera by detecting a specific point of the moving object, calculating an amount of change with respect to three-dimensional positions of the specific point in the consecutive image frames, and calculating the trajectory of the specific point from a positional relation between straight lines having the positions of the specific point and a curved line capable of expressing a parabolic motion passing through a take-off point and a landing point.