Non-intrusive 360 View Immersive Media Capture

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current immersive media capture systems for events like sporting events interfere with participants due to intrusive camera and tracking equipment, and existing methods fail to provide fully immersive and stable audio/video feeds, especially in chaotic environments.

Innovation Solution

A system of surrounding cameras captures real-time video from multiple angles, stitching foreground and background feeds to create 360- and 180-degree immersive media formats without placing cameras within the field of play, using a computer system to track and adjust camera positions for comprehensive coverage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If cameras and tracking equipment are placed on competitors to provide immersive viewpoints, then the viewpoint immersion is improved, but the play is hindered due to discomfort and intrusiveness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveviewpoint immersionVSAvoidplay freedom
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the camera equipment from the competitors and relocates it to the surrounding environment. Multiple cameras are positioned around the arena to capture footage from various angles, eliminating the need for competitors to wear or carry recording devices while still achieving immersive viewpoint coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a single-point viewpoint (camera on competitor) to a multi-dimensional capture system. By deploying cameras at multiple locations around the arena and using stitching technology, the system creates a comprehensive 360-degree immersive experience that captures the event from numerous spatial perspectives simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Ease of operation

If drones or cable suspended cameras are used for immersive capture, then the intrusiveness is reduced, but the immersion quality is not sufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenon-intrusivenessVSAvoidimmersion quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple camera feeds from different locations into a single unified immersive experience. By merging the footage from numerous surrounding cameras and stitching them together, the system achieves comprehensive coverage and high-quality immersion that surpasses single-camera drone or cable-suspended solutions while maintaining non-intrusiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of information

If cameras are placed within the field of play to capture action, then the viewpoint coverage is improved, but the interference with participants increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveviewpoint coverageVSAvoidinterference with participants
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes cameras from the field of play and positions them in the surrounding environment. By extracting recording devices from the competitive area and placing them around the arena, the system maintains comprehensive viewpoint coverage while completely eliminating interference with participant movement and performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3861720B1Non-intrusive 360 view without camera at the viewpoint
Publication Date: 2023.07.26 DISCOVERY COMM LLC
  • EP3861720B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3861720B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3861720B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention includes systems and methods to provide a non-intrusive 360 view without a camera at the viewpoint. The invention processes video feeds from an array of cameras to track an object in the video feeds and generates an immersive media from the video feeds. The system identifies a primary object and tracks the primary object with an array of mounted sets of at least two cameras. Each of the sets including a camera directed at the object and another camera directed at a background of the object. The system then stitches the video feeds to generate the immersive media.