Motion-Based 2D Image Preprocessing for Asynchronous 3D Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf ball tracking systems face challenges in efficiently processing high-resolution, uncompressed image data from multiple cameras, leading to bandwidth constraints and the need for synchronous image capture, which limits the use of higher resolution cameras and increases deployment complexity.
Innovation Solution
A system that preprocesses two-dimensional image data using local computers with high bandwidth connections to cameras, reducing data volume through object detection and loose 2D tracking, followed by virtual time synchronization and 3D tracking on remote computers with lower bandwidth connections, allowing asynchronous data capture and efficient data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high-resolution uncompressed image data is transmitted from multiple cameras, then tracking accuracy is improved, but bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary object detection and 2D tracking at the camera end before transmission. This pre-processing identifies and extracts only relevant ball position data from the full image streams, significantly reducing the data volume that needs to be transmitted while preserving the accuracy needed for 3D tracking reconstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the essential tracking information (ball positions and trajectories) from the complete high-resolution image data. By separating and transmitting only the extracted position data rather than the full images, the system maintains tracking precision while dramatically reducing bandwidth consumption.
2Measurement precision
If synchronous image capture is required, then 3D tracking accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces timestamps as an intermediary mechanism to handle asynchronous data from multiple cameras. Each detected ball position is tagged with its capture time, allowing the central system to correlate positions from different cameras based on temporal information rather than requiring strict synchronous capture, thus simplifying the synchronization requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary timestamping and data labeling at the camera end, embedding temporal information with each detected position. This pre-tagging allows the central system to process asynchronous data streams independently and then correlate them using the embedded time information, eliminating the need for complex real-time synchronization hardware or protocols.
3Quantity of substance
If data is pre-processed locally, then bandwidth requirements are reduced, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs only the essential pre-processing operations needed for tracking (object detection and 2D position extraction) rather than complete image analysis. This partial processing approach reduces data volume sufficiently for efficient transmission while minimizing the time added by pre-processing, as the cameras continuously capture images anyway and the extraction algorithms are optimized for speed.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for pre-processing image data before 3D object tracking includes, in at least one aspect, a method including: receiving, at a first computer, image frames from a camera; identifying, by the first computer, locations of interest in the image frames; finding sequences of the locations, wherein each of the sequences satisfies a motion criterion for locations identified in at least three image frames from the camera; and sending output data for the sequences of the locations to a second computer for processing the sequences in the output data by interpolating between specified 2D positions in specific image frames for the sequences, using timestamps of the specific image frames, to produce a virtual 2D position at a predetermined point in time, which is usable for constructing a 3D track of a ball in motion.