Reflective Light Source Tracking for Camera Field-of-View Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current camera systems face challenges in accurately tracking objects within a field-of-view, especially when objects move, as they lack efficient methods to continuously align the object with the camera's field-of-view during image capture.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a reflective light source attached to the object, emitting a strobe light which is reflected to create a pattern of local intensity change across images, allowing a hardware processor to detect the object's location and generate control signals to adjust the camera's field-of-view to align with the object, ensuring it remains within the frame.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a camera system uses traditional object tracking methods, then it can capture images of the scene, but it fails to accurately track and align moving objects within the field-of-view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a reflective light source as an intermediary element attached to the target object. This light source reflects light back to the camera, creating a distinct visual marker that enables precise detection and tracking of the object's position and movement, thereby resolving the inability to accurately track moving objects
Solution Approach 2:
The reflective light source creates localized intensity changes in the captured images, appearing as bright or contrasting regions that differ from the surrounding scene. These intensity variations serve as detectable markers that enable the system to precisely identify and track the object's location across sequential frames
2Measurement precision
If the camera system continuously adjusts the field-of-view to track objects, then object alignment improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical tracking systems with a computational approach. By using image processing algorithms to detect the reflective light source's position in captured images and calculating the required field-of-view adjustments, the system achieves accurate object tracking through software rather than complex mechanical actuators and sensors
3Ease of operation
If the camera uses a fixed field-of-view, then the system is simpler, but moving objects cannot be continuously aligned with the target position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic field-of-view adjustment based on real-time detection of the reflective light source's position. The system continuously monitors the object's location in the scene and adjusts the camera's field-of-view parameters accordingly, transitioning from a static to a dynamic tracking mode that maintains object alignment while preserving operational simplicity through automated control
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables precise and continuous tracking of moving objects by adjusting the camera's field-of-view based on the detected reflective light source, ensuring the object remains centered or at a target position within the image, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of object tracking.
Implementation Method 1
a reflective light source attached to the object, emitting an object-reflected light produced by the strobe light reflected by the reflective region
Data Source
AI summary
A method for object tracking. The method includes capturing a sequence of images of a scene, detecting, by a hardware processor, based on a pattern of local light change across the sequence of images, a reflective light source in the scene, comparing, by the hardware processor in response to detecting the reflective light source, a location of the reflective light source in at least one image of the sequence of images and a target position within the at least one image to generate a result, and generating, by the hardware processor based on the result, a control signal for changing a field-of-view of a camera device such that the reflective light source substantially aligns with the target position within the field-of-view, wherein the reflective light source emits an object-reflected light.