Outline

NHK has developed a locus indication system, which can indicate in real-time how a putted golf ball moved, as a new means of image expression for their golf tournament coverage.  The locus is indicated in the following procedure.  Firstly, camera position data (pan, tilt, zoom) is obtained from camera platform and lens encoder, while the coordinate of ball position in the picture is detected from the camera image.  These data are then calculated to a three-dimensional coordinate of the ball where a CG object will be rendered in succession, making a locus in the end.  The system has truly made a new image expression possible.

Photographs

Example of Composite

System Configuration