Distributed-processing motion tracking system for tracking individually modulated light points

Abstract

Disclosed is a distributed-processing motion capture system (and inherent method) comprising: plural light point devices, e.g., infrared LEDs, in a motion capture environment, each providing a unique sequence of light pulses representing a unique identity (ID) of a light point device; a first imaging device for imaging light along a first and second axis; and a second imaging device for imaging light along a third and fourth axis. Both of the imaging devices filter out information not corresponding to the light point devices, and output one-dimensional information that includes the ID of a light point device and a position of the light point device along one of the respective axes. The system also includes a processing device for triangulating three-dimensional positions of the light point devices based upon the one-dimensional information. The system is very fast because the necessary processing is distributed to be maximally parallel. The motion capture system uses a cylindrical collimating (CC) optics sub-system superimposed on a cylindrical telecentric (CT) optics sub-system. The outputs of the plural light point devices are modulated to provide a unique sequence of light pulses representing a unique identifier (ID) for each of the light point devices according to a predetermined cycle of modulation intervals based upon synchronization signals provided via RF communication. At least two of the light point devices concurrently provide light during the cycle.