Sportvision, Inc.

Etak, Inc.

Fox Sports Productions, LLC

Terence J O'Brien

Richard H Cavallaro

Stanley K Honey

Marvin S White

James R Gloudemans

Alan C Phillips

Walter Hsiao

Jerry Neil Gepner

William F Squadron

Charles S Taylor

Kenneth Alan Milnes

Timothy P Heidmann

Stuart K Neubarth

Patrick Wade Olsen

Matthew T Lazar

Nicholas R Kalayjian

A system is disclosed for using camera attitude sensors with a camera. A camera assembly includes a tripod base, a tripod head interface mounted on the tripod base, a tripod head mounted on the tripod head interface and a camera mounted on the tripod head. The tripod head enables the camera to pan and tilt. The system also includes a first optical encoder for detecting the amount that the camera has been panned and a second optical encoder for detecting the amount that the camera has been tilted. Two inclinometers are mounted on the tripod head interface to measure attitude of the tripod head. Two gyroscopes ('gyros') are mounted on the camera assembly. Data from the encoders, gyros and inclinometers are packaged and sent to graphics production equipment to be used for enhancing video captured by the camera.

Measuring camera attitude

A three-dimensional model is created to represent an environment to be captured on video. A camera is fitted with pan, tilt and/or zoom sensors. An operator selects a location in the environment. The three-dimensional model is used to determine the three-dimensional coordinates of the location selected by the operator. Information from the pan, tilt and/or zoom sensors is used to transform the three-dimensional coordinates to a two-dimensional position in the video from the camera. Using the two-dimensional position of the video, a graphic is properly added to the video such that the graphic appears to be at the selected location in the environment.

System for enhancing a video presentation of a live event

A system is disclosed that can determine the distance a baseball would have traveled after being hit if its path was not interrupted. Thus, when a player hits a home run and the ball collides with an obstruction such as the seating area of a stadium or a wall, the present invention can determine how far the ball would have traveled had the ball not hit the stadium or the wall. The present invention can also be used to determine information about the path of objects other than a baseball.

System for determining the end of a path for a moving object

A system is disclosed that can measure the vertical height and/or the hang time of a jump. The system includes an acceleration detector, a controller, a display, a power source and a case that houses the components in a manner that allows the device to be worn or held by a person or object. The acceleration detector is used to determine the start of a jump and the end of a jump. Based on the time elapsed between the start of the jump and the end of the jump, the controller can determine the vertical height of the jump and/or the hang time.

System for measuring a jump

A system for enhancing the television presentation of an object that can display the object even if the object is not visible to a camera. The system determines whether the object is visible to the camera broadcasting the event. If the object is not visible to the camera, the video image captured by the camera is edited to show the object, not show the object or enhance the video in a different manner. The object is placed in the captured video image at the position the object would be in the camera's field of view if there was no barrier between the object and the camera.

System for displaying an object that is not visible to a camera

A two-axis angular rate gyroscopic apparatus is provided having a rotatable dish. The dish has a central hub portion and a plurality of flexible members, each of which extends from the hub portion. The entire disk is electrically conductive and connected to a reference potential. A plurality of electrically conductive members which are mounted end-to-end are located on an insulated plate mounted adjacent to the disk. A motor is provided for rotating the disk at approximately 2000 rpm. In addition, each of the flexible members in the disk has a pie-shaped section removed therefrom in order to increase its flexibility. By increasing the flexibility of the movable members, performance at low motor speeds is facilitated. An electronic circuit provides an output corresponding to the differential capacitance between the rotating disk and the members on the plate mounted adjacent thereto.

Two-axis angular rate gyroscope

A two-axis inclinometer having a central electrically conductive member inserted within and spaced from the interior walls of a non-electrically conductive vessel. A plurality of four plates are mounted symmetrically on the exterior surface of the vessel. A dielectric fluid is provided in the gap between the center member and the interior wall of the vessel so as to provide a differential change in the capacitance between opposite plate members as the inclinometer is tilted about an axis perpendicular to its longitudinal axis.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Terence J O'Brien