JP2002163674A - Live coverage system using animation image - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a live coverage system using animation image, which can be operated at a low cost and in which sports and a race can easily be watched on the display of a personal computer, a mobile, a portable telephone, etc. SOLUTION: This live coverage system consists of a photographing means 5 fixed to an area FE where a moving object is arranged so as to be able to continuously photograph the moving object and the area FE, an extracting means 2 for extracting the movement information S of the moving object on the basis of the difference of the image position of the moving object between frame images photographed by the photographing means 5, a storing means 3 for storing an animation image made to correspond to the moving object, a processing means for moving the animation image on the basis of the movement information S and a displaying means 4 for displaying the animation image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a live broadcast system using animation images. More specifically, an animation image of a moving object moving in an area is formed into an animation image, and the animation image is moved on a display of a personal computer or the like in the same manner as the moving object is moving in the area, thereby changing the state of the moving object. It relates to a system that can be grasped in real time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, sports and races, for example,
In watching baseball, soccer, horse racing, bicycle racing, boat racing, and the like, spectators actually go to the stadium or watch live TV broadcasts. In order to broadcast a live TV broadcast, a large-scale system such as a high-performance TV camera, a relay car equipped with a transmitting antenna and a device, and a broadcasting facility is required, and the operation cost is high.

In recent years, with the development of Internet technology,
A moving image sent via the Internet can be viewed on a display of a personal computer or the like. Therefore, it is conceivable to deliver a moving image of a sport or a race taken by a television camera to a terminal device of each user in real time via the Internet. According to this, live broadcasting can be performed at low cost.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in sports and races, since the movement of players and balls to be watched is fast, the data communication speed needs to be extremely high in order to be able to view moving images without discomfort. Further, a terminal device for viewing a moving image needs to have a relatively large storage capacity and processing speed. In other words, it is not yet possible to easily watch sports and races at low cost. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and can be operated at low cost, and can be used for watching sports and races on a display such as a personal computer, a mobile phone, or a mobile phone. The purpose is to provide a live broadcast system.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is an imaging method in which a moving body and the area are fixed so that the moving body and the area can be continuously photographed in an area where the moving body is arranged. Means, extracting means for extracting movement information of the moving body based on a difference between image positions of the moving body between frame images taken by the photographing means, and storing an animation image associated with the moving body. Storage means, a processing means for moving the animation image based on the movement information, and a display means for displaying the animation image.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the moving object information extracting unit and the animation image server are connected via the Internet, and the moving object information extracting unit stores the moving object and the area in an area where the moving object is arranged. A photographing means fixed so as to be capable of continuously photographing; and an extracting means for extracting movement information of the moving body based on a difference between image positions of the moving body between frame images photographed by the photographing means. A storage unit that stores an animation image associated with the moving object; a processing unit that moves the animation image based on the movement information; and a display unit that displays the animation image. Have.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the mobile object information extraction unit, the animation image server, and the user terminal device are connected via the Internet, and the mobile object information extraction unit stores the mobile object in an area where the mobile object is located. A photographing unit fixedly capable of continuously photographing the region, and an extracting unit for extracting movement information of the moving body based on a difference between image positions of the moving body between frame images photographed by the photographing unit. Wherein the animation image server has storage means for storing an animation image associated with the moving object, and transmission means for transmitting the animation image to the user terminal device, wherein the user terminal device Has processing means for moving the animation image based on the movement information, and display means for displaying the animation image. That. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the storage unit stores the movement information.

[0008] The user accesses the site of the animation image distribution server 3 from the user terminal device 4 and designates a game or a race to watch. Thereby, the animation image distribution server 3 downloads the watching target animation image G specified by the user to the user terminal device 4. On the display of the user terminal device 4, a background image FZ and a character image CZ are displayed. The character image CZ is displayed on the background screen FZ at a position corresponding to the position of the moving object P in the stadium FE. When a game or a race starts at the stadium FE, the character image CZ moves in the background image FZ displayed on the display of the user terminal device 4 based on the movement information S sent from the movement information extraction device 2. The body P moves at the same timing as the body P moves in the stadium FE. In addition, the character image CZ can operate in association with the movement of another moving object.

In the live broadcast system 1, the data communication speed for transmitting the movement information S to the user terminal device 4 is sufficient to be the data communication speed of the portable telephone. The data amount of the animation image is much smaller than the actual image data amount of the stadium FE and the moving object P. Therefore, even if the data communication speed is not increased, and even if the storage capacity and processing speed of the terminal device for displaying a moving image are not so increased, the user can use a personal computer, a mobile device, or a display such as a mobile phone. You can watch sports and races as if you were watching a live broadcast on TV. The live broadcast system 1 is a system to which the Internet technology is applied, and does not require large-scale facilities. Therefore, it can be operated at a significantly lower cost than the conventional live broadcast system of television. The movement information S is stored in the storage unit as a database. Thereby, a battle simulation can be performed using the animation image G, and the result of a game or a race can be predicted and a game can be realized.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a live broadcast system 1 using animation images according to the present invention. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the live broadcast system 1 is configured by connecting a mobile unit information extraction unit IA, an animation image distribution server 3, and a user terminal device 4 via the Internet N. The moving body information extraction unit IA is provided in a stadium FE, for example, a baseball stadium, a soccer stadium, a horse racetrack, a bicycle racetrack, a boat racetrack, or the like, and includes a photographing device 5 and a movement information extraction device 2.
The photographing device 5 is a digital video camera equipped with a CCD, and is fixed at a position where the moving object P such as a player or a horse can be seen in the stadium FE. The photographing device 5 continuously photographs the stadium FE and the moving object P,
The image is sent to the movement information extracting device 2.

The mobile information extracting device 2 is composed of a personal computer or a workstation in which the $ S and application programs necessary for the operation of the live broadcast system 1 are installed, and other appropriate devices. The movement information extracting device 2 extracts the movement information S of the moving object P based on the difference between the image positions of the moving object P between the frame images photographed by the photographing device 5, and transmits the movement information S to the animation image distribution server 3. And a function of sending to the user terminal device 4 via the Internet N. Recognition of the moving object P is performed based on the feature or color of the movement. For example, in the case of baseball, it is the color of the movement characteristic and hat or uniform of each player, and in the case of horse racing, the color of each jockey's clothes and hat. Generally, the color of the hat or the uniform is different from the color of the stadium FE and is easy to recognize. In the operation of the live broadcast system 1, the data communication speed at which the movement information S is transmitted is sufficient to be about the data communication speed of the mobile phone, as described later.

The animation image distribution server 3 is composed of a personal computer or a workstation in which a computer program and an application program necessary for the operation of the live broadcast system 1 are installed, and other appropriate devices. And the like. This storage device
The movement information S sent from the movement information extraction device 2 is stored. This storage device corresponds to storage means of the present invention. Also,
The animation image distribution server 3 has a site for operating the live broadcast system 1, and has a function of distributing (downloading) the animation image G to the user terminal device 4 in response to a request from the user terminal device 4. This function corresponds to the transmitting means of the present invention. The user terminal device 4
It is composed of a personal computer, a mobile or a mobile phone having a display for displaying the animation image G and a function of connecting to the Internet N.

Next, a method of extracting the movement information S in the movement information extracting device 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a frame image at a certain photographing moment photographed by the photographing device 5. In FIG. 2, FEZ indicates a photographed image of the stadium FE photographed at a photographing moment of the photographing device 5, and PZ indicates
A photographed image of the moving body P at that time is shown, and PZ 'represents a photographed image of the moving body P photographed by the photographing device 5 at the next photographing moment. The position of the photographed image FEZ in the frame image does not change between a certain photographing moment and the next photographing moment. on the other hand,
The position of the photographed image PZ in the frame image is the moving object P1.
Is moved to, for example, the position of the photographed image PZ '. Therefore, the position of the photographed image PZ1 and the photographed image PZ '
The movement amount of the moving object P is specified from the difference from the position of the moving object P, and this is set as the movement information S. The movement information S thus extracted is sent to the animation image distribution server 3 and the user terminal device 4 via the Internet N. At this time, the data communication speed of the portable telephone is sufficient. The reason will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the position of the moving body P in the stadium FE at a certain photographing moment. In FIG. 3, for easy understanding, the stadium FE is a square of about 80 m in length and width, and the number of moving objects P is 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the stadium FE is divided into 25 in the X axis direction and 25 in the Y axis direction.
When divided into 256 × 256 grids, one side of each grid is about 30 cm. A height of 30 cm can be considered as a space when one person is standing. With this division, the positions in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are
Each is specified by the amount of information of one byte. That is, the position of one moving object P in the stadium FE is 1 (byte).
+1 (byte) = 2 bytes of information.

Generally, a display of a personal computer or the like switches frames 30 times per second. Therefore, in order to display the moving state of one moving object P on a display of a personal computer or the like, 2 (bytes) are used.
The movement information S may be sent at a data communication speed of × 30 (frames / second) = 60 bytes / second. 20 moving bodies P1
For P20, 60 (bytes / second) × 20 = 120
It may be sent at a data communication rate of 0 bytes / second, that is, 9600 bps. The data communication speed of 9600 bps is
It can be achieved sufficiently with a mobile phone. This data can also be compressed.

Next, the operation of the live broadcast system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an animation image G displayed on the display when the user terminal device 4 is a mobile phone, and FIG. 5 is an animation displayed on the display when the user terminal device 4 is a personal computer or mobile. It is a figure showing image G. The animation image G is
This is a three-dimensional image in which the stadium FE and the moving object P to be watched are animated by focusing on their respective characteristics.
Since the focus is on the features, the data amount of the animation image G can be much smaller than the data amount of the actual images of the stadium FE and the moving object P. Animation image G
Is a character image C that animates the moving object P
Z and the background image F that animated the stadium FE
Z.

The user accesses the site of the animation image distribution server 3 from the user terminal device 4 and specifies a game or a race to watch. Thereby, the animation image distribution server 3 downloads the watching target animation image G specified by the user to the user terminal device 4. On the display of the user terminal device 4, a background image FZ and a character image CZ are displayed. The character image CZ is displayed on the background screen FZ at a position corresponding to the position of the moving object P in the stadium FE. When a game or a race starts at the stadium FE, the character image CZ moves in the background image FZ displayed on the display of the user terminal device 4 based on the movement information S sent from the movement information extraction device 2. The body P moves at the same timing as the body P moves in the stadium FE. In addition, the character image CZ can operate in association with the movement of another moving object. For example, in the case of baseball, when a ball (another moving object) flies, the batter swings the bat.

As described above, the function of displaying the character image CZ on the display of the user terminal device 4 in association with the position of the moving object P and the function of moving the character image CZ based on the movement information S are provided by the animation image distribution server 3.
(A processing means of the present invention). In addition,
XMLS (Exte
By using the nsible Markup Language, the position of the character image CZ on the display can be made more accurate.

In FIG. 4, the character image CZ1 is
The bat is drawn larger than it actually is. That is, the moving part of the character image CZ1 is emphasized. This makes it easier to see the operation of the character image CZ1 even if the display is small as in a mobile phone. In FIG. 5, in a personal computer or a mobile device, since the capacity of the memory used and the processing speed of the CPU are larger than those of the mobile phone, the animation image G can be made finer and the character image CZ performs a more complicated operation. Can be. In this way, the user can watch a game or a race on a display such as a personal computer, a mobile, or a mobile phone as if watching a live broadcast of a television.

As described above, in the live broadcast system 1, the data amount of the animation image G can be much smaller than the data amount of the actual image of the stadium FE and the moving object P. Therefore, the storage capacity and processing speed of the user terminal device 4 for displaying a moving image need not be so high. The data communication speed for transmitting the movement information S to the user terminal device 4 is sufficient to be the data communication speed of the mobile phone. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the data communication speed.
The live broadcast system 1 is a system to which the Internet technology is applied, and does not require large-scale facilities as in a conventional live broadcast system of a television. The imaging device 5 may be a fixed type and simple device capable of acquiring the position information S, and does not require an expensive device that acquires a fine image and has a complicated operation. Therefore, the operation of the live broadcast system 1 requires less equipment and labor costs, and can be performed at a significantly lower cost than the conventional live broadcast system of a television. In addition, the user can easily watch a game from a device such as a mobile phone or a mobile device that has been carried by many people in recent years.

In the storage device of the animation image distribution server 3, movement information S of each sport match or each race is stored as a database. Thereby, a battle simulation can be performed using the animation image G.
Then, “prediction of the result of the race”, “prediction of the next pitch”, “formation prediction of American football or soccer” can be performed. Further, by analyzing data of a strong team, a data tactic that does not rely on experience or intuition can be realized, which can also contribute to the development of sports technology.
In addition to live broadcasts of sports and races, virtual live broadcasts (games) are also available in live broadcasts using animated images G.
It is also possible to expand. For example, it is possible to allow the user to instantly enter or return to the world of the virtual battle game between the same teams from the live broadcast screen of the animation image G to enjoy the game.

Although the present embodiment has been described for watching sports and races, the present invention can be applied to, for example, theater and live performances. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the live broadcast system 1, the display mode of the animation image G,
The display contents, the contents or order of each processing, the processing timing, and the like can be appropriately changed in accordance with the gist of the present invention.

[0023]

According to the present invention, it is possible to operate at low cost,
There is provided a live broadcast system using animated images that enables watching sports and races easily on a display such as a personal computer, mobile, or mobile phone. In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to predict the result of a game or a race and to make it into a game.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a live broadcast system using an animation image according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a frame image at a certain photographing moment photographed by a photographing device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a position of a moving object in a stadium at a certain photographing moment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an animation image displayed on a display when the user terminal device is a mobile phone.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an animation image displayed on a display when the user terminal device is a personal computer or mobile.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Live broadcast system using animation images 2 Moving object information extraction device 3 Animation image server 4 User terminal device 5 Imaging device (imaging means) FE stadium (area) FEZ imaging image (image) G Animation image IA Mobile object information extraction unit N Internet P Mobile S Mobile information

Claims (4)

[Claims] A photographing means fixed to a region where the moving body is arranged so as to continuously photograph the moving body and the region; and an image position of the moving body between frame images photographed by the photographing means. Extracting means for extracting moving information of the moving object based on a difference between the moving object, storing means for storing an animation image associated with the moving object, and processing means for moving the animation image based on the moving information. And a display means for displaying the animation image. 2. A moving object information extracting unit and an animation image server are connected via the Internet, and the moving object information extracting unit enables the moving object and the area to be continuously photographed in an area where the moving object is arranged. Fixed animation means, and extraction means for extracting movement information of the moving object based on a difference between image positions of the moving object between frame images taken by the imaging means, wherein the animation image server comprises: Storage means for storing an animation image associated with the moving object, processing means for moving the animation image based on the movement information, and display means for displaying the animation image. A live broadcast system using animation images. 3. A mobile object information extraction unit, an animation image server, and a user terminal device are connected via the Internet, and the mobile object information extraction unit continuously connects the mobile object and the area to an area where the mobile object is arranged. A photographing unit fixed so as to be capable of photographing, and extracting means for extracting movement information of the moving body based on a difference between image positions of the moving body between frame images photographed by the photographing means, The animation image server includes a storage unit that stores an animation image associated with the moving object, and a transmission unit that transmits the animation image to the user terminal device. Processing means for moving the animation image based on the image data, and display means for displaying the animation image. Live coverage system by the animation image. 4. The live broadcast system using an animation image according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores the movement information.