IP Library Granted Patent US 11,861,848
Granted Patent B2
US 11,861,848 · App. 17/810,457 · Granted Jan 2, 2024

System and method for generating trackable video frames from broadcast video

Inventors: Long Sha (Chicago, IL); Sujoy Ganguly (Chicago, IL); Xinyu Wei (Melbourne, AU); Patrick Joseph Lucey (Chicago, IL); Aditya Cherukumudi (London, GB)
Assignee: STATS LLC
G06T7/20G06F18/214G06F18/2135G06F18/22G06F18/232G06F18/2413G06N3/08G06T7/70G06T7/73G06T7/80G06T7/97G06V10/454G06V10/764G06V10/82G06V20/42G06V20/46G06V20/48G06V20/49G06V40/20H04N21/44008G06T2207/10016G06T2207/20081G06T2207/20084G06T2207/30221G06T2207/30244G06V20/44
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,861,848
App. No.
17/810,457
Granted
Jan 2, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method of generating trackable frames from a broadcast video feed are provided herein. A computing system retrieves a broadcast video feed for a sporting event. The broadcast video feed includes a plurality of video frames. The computing system generates a set of frames for classification using a principal component analysis model. The set of frames are a subset of the plurality of video frames. The computing system partitions each frame of the set of frames into a plurality of clusters. The computing system classifies each frame of the plurality of frames as trackable or untrackable. Trackable frames capture a unified view of the sporting event. The computing system compares each cluster to a predetermined threshold to determine whether each cluster comprises at least a threshold number of trackable frames. The computing system classifies each cluster that includes at least the threshold number of trackable frames as trackable.

Claims (64)

1. A method of calibrating a camera, comprising:

identifying, by a computing system, a broadcast video feed for a sporting event, the broadcast video feed comprising a plurality of frames captured by a camera;

classifying, by a neural network of the computing system, each frame of the plurality of frames as trackable or untrackable, wherein trackable frames capture a unified view of the sporting event;

determining, by the computing system, a motion of the camera between successive trackable frames by:

identifying objects contained in the trackable frames,

removing the objects from the trackable frames, and

determining a flow from a first trackable frame to a second trackable frame of the trackable frames; and

based on the determining, calibrating, by the computing system, the camera.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein classifying, by the computing system, each frame of the plurality of frames as trackable or untrackable comprises:

training the neural network to classify a video frame as trackable or untrackable using a training set comprising a plurality of training video frames and a label associated with each training video frame, wherein the label is trackable or untrackable.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein each training video frame of the plurality of training video frames comprises a trackable/untrackable classification and an associated cluster number.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the flow from the first trackable frame to the second trackable frame of the trackable frames comprises:

identifying a flow field from the first trackable frame to the second trackable frame.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

generating a homography matrix for the first trackable frame and/or the second trackable frame using the flow field.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the objects from the trackable frames comprises:

detecting a first player of a plurality of players in the first trackable frame; and

using body post information for the first player to remove the first player from the first trackable frame.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

matching, by the computing system, the first trackable frame to a first playing surface template representing a first camera perspective of a playing surface; and

matching, by the computing system, the second trackable frame to a second playing surface template representing a second camera perspective of the playing surface.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes a computing system perform one or more operations comprising:

identifying, by the computing system, a broadcast video feed for a sporting event, the broadcast video feed comprising a plurality of frames captured by a camera;

classifying, by a neural network of the computing system, each frame of the plurality of frames as trackable or untrackable, wherein trackable frames capture a unified view of the sporting event;

determining, by the computing system, a motion of the camera between successive trackable frames by:

identifying objects contained in the trackable frames,

removing the objects from the trackable frames, and

determining a flow from a first trackable frame to a second trackable frame of the trackable frames; and

based on the determining, calibrating, by the computing system, the camera.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein classifying, by the computing system, each frame of the plurality of frames as trackable or untrackable comprises:

training the neural network to classify a video frame as trackable or untrackable using a training set comprising a plurality of training video frames and a label associated with each training video frame, wherein the label is trackable or untrackable.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein each training video frame of the plurality of training video frames comprises a trackable/untrackable classification and an associated cluster number.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein determining the flow from the first trackable frame to the second trackable frame of the trackable frames comprises:

identifying a flow field from the first trackable frame to the second trackable frame.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising:

generating a homography matrix for the first trackable frame and/or the second trackable frame using the flow field.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein removing the objects from the trackable frames comprises:

detecting a first player of a plurality of players in the first trackable frame; and

using body post information for the first player to remove the first player from the first trackable frame.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising:

matching, by the computing system, the first trackable frame to a first playing surface template representing a first camera perspective of a playing surface; and

matching, by the computing system, the second trackable frame to a second playing surface template representing a second camera perspective of the playing surface.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having programming instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, causes the system to perform operations comprising:

identifying a broadcast video feed for a sporting event, the broadcast video feed comprising a plurality of frames captured by a camera;

classifying, by a neural network, each frame of the plurality of frames as trackable or untrackable, wherein trackable frames capture a unified view of the sporting event;

determining a motion of the camera between successive trackable frames by:

identifying objects contained in the trackable frames,

removing the objects from the trackable frames, and

determining a flow from a first trackable frame to a second trackable frame of the trackable frames; and

based on the determining, calibrating the camera.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein classifying each frame of the plurality of frames as trackable or untrackable comprises:

training the neural network to classify a video frame as trackable or untrackable using a training set comprising a plurality of training video frames and a label associated with each training video frame, wherein the label is trackable or untrackable.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein determining the flow from the first trackable frame to the second trackable frame of the trackable frames comprises:

identifying a flow field from the first trackable frame to the second trackable frame.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a homography matrix for the first trackable frame and/or the second trackable frame using the flow field.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein removing the objects from the trackable frames comprises:

detecting a first player of a plurality of players in the first trackable frame; and

using body post information for the first player to remove the first player from the first trackable frame.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:

matching the first trackable frame to a first playing surface template representing a first camera perspective of a playing surface; and

matching the second trackable frame to a second playing surface template representing a second camera perspective of the playing surface.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 14, 2026
From: STATS LLC
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 075390/0491 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 1, 2022
From: SHA, LONG; GANGULY, SUJOY; WEI, XINYU; LUCEY, PATRICK JOSEPH; CHERUKUMUDI, ADITYA
To: STATS LLC
Reel/Frame 060423/0636 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16805116 · Feb 28, 2020
Provisional Application 62811889 · Feb 28, 2019
Related Publication 20220343110A1 · Oct 27, 2022