METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR 3D BALL TRAJECTORY RECONSTRUCTION

Methods and systems for 3D ball trajectory reconstruction are disclosed. The methods and systems perform steps of receiving a 2D ball trajectory, a shooter's on-ground foot location, and a camera projection matrix; generating on-ground trajectory line assumptions based on the shooter's on-ground foot location and the 2D trajectory; reconstructing a candidate 3D trajectory for each on-ground trajectory line assumption, by determining a ball height for each on-ground projection point in the on-ground trajectory line and by curve fitting; evaluating each candidate 3D trajectory and selecting one with a best score as the reconstructed 3D ball trajectory. Embodiments of the present invention enable a resource-limited mobile device such as a smartphone to conduct the aforementioned steps. Also disclosed are benefits of the new methods, and alternative embodiments of implementation.