Content-based characterization of video frame sequences
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented process for characterizing a sequence of video frames, comprising using a computer to perform the following process actions:
- deriving from the sequence of video frames a separate value indicative of the intensity of the motion depicted over the sequence in each of a plurality of frame regions;
generating an image wherein each pixel of the image has a level reflecting the value indicating the intensity of motion, relative to all such values, associated with the region containing the corresponding pixel location.
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Abstract
A system and process for video characterization that facilitates video classification and retrieval, as well as motion detection, applications. This involves characterizing a video sequence with a gray scale image having pixel levels that reflect the intensity of motion associated with a corresponding region in the sequence of video frames. The intensity of motion is defined using any of three characterizing processes. Namely, a perceived motion energy spectrum (PMES) characterizing process that represents object-based motion intensity over the sequence of frames, a spatio-temporal entropy (STE) characterizing process that represents the intensity of motion based on color variation at each pixel location, a motion vector angle entropy (MVAE) characterizing process which represents the intensity of motion based on the variation of motion vector angles.
188 Citations
46 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented process for characterizing a sequence of video frames, comprising using a computer to perform the following process actions:
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deriving from the sequence of video frames a separate value indicative of the intensity of the motion depicted over the sequence in each of a plurality of frame regions;
generating an image wherein each pixel of the image has a level reflecting the value indicating the intensity of motion, relative to all such values, associated with the region containing the corresponding pixel location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for finding one or more video shots in a database, each of which comprises a sequence of video frames which depict motion similar to that specified by a user in a user query, comprising:
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a general purpose computing device;
the database which is accessible by the computing device and which comprises, a plurality of characterizing images each of which represents a shot, wherein each characterizing image is an image comprising pixels reflecting the intensity of motion associated with a corresponding region in the sequence of video frames;
a computer program comprising program modules executable by the computing device, wherein the computing device is directed by the program modules of the computer program to, input the user query which comprises a characterizing image that characterizes motion in the same manner as at least some of the characterizing images contained in the database, and compare the user query image to characterizing images contained in the database that characterize motion in the same manner as the user query image to find characterizing images that exhibit a degree of similarity equaling or exceeding a prescribed minimum similarity threshold. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A system for detecting motion in a scene as depicted in a sequence of video frames of the scene, comprising:
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a general purpose computing device; and
a computer program comprising program modules executable by the computing device, wherein the computing device is directed by the program modules of the computer program to, derive from the sequence of video frames a separate value indicative of the intensity of the motion depicted over the sequence at each pixel location associated with the frames, generate a gray scale image having the same resolution as the video frames, wherein each pixel of the gray scale image has a gray scale level reflecting a value indicating the intensity of motion, relative to all such values, depicted over the sequence at each pixel location associated with the frames, filter the gray scale image to reduce high frequency noise, subject the filtered gray scale image to a morphological closing operation followed by a morphological opening operation to respectively consolidate regions of motion in the gray scale image and to eliminate any extraneous region where an indication of motion is caused by noise, and provide information that motion has been detected in the shot under consideration whenever a region of motion remains in the filtered and morphologically operated image. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for finding one or more video shots in a database, each of which comprises a sequence of video frames which depict motion similar to that specified by a user in a user query, comprising:
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a general purpose computing device;
the database which is accessible by the computing device and which comprises, a plurality of characterizing images each of which represents a shot, wherein each characterizing image is a gray scale image comprising pixels which each have a gray scale level reflecting the intensity of motion associated with a corresponding region in the sequence of video frames;
a computer program comprising program modules executable by the computing device, wherein the computing device is directed by the program modules of the computer program to, input the user query which comprises a first type of said characterizing images representing a video shot and the video shot itself, identify regions of high energy in the user query image, generate a new characterizing image from just those portions of the frames of the user input video shot corresponding to the identified regions of high energy in the user query image, wherein the new characterizing image of a second type of said characterizing images, compare the new characterizing image to characterizing images contained in the database that are also the second type of said characterizing images to find characterizing images that exhibit a degree of similarity equaling or exceeding a prescribed minimum similarity threshold, and provide information for accessing the shot corresponding to at least one of any characterizing images contained in the database that were found to exhibit a degree of similarity equaling or exceeding the prescribed minimum similarity threshold.
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36. A system for finding one or more video shots in a database, each of which comprises a sequence of video frames which depict motion similar to that specified by a user in a user query, comprising:
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a general purpose computing device;
the database which is accessible by the computing device and which comprises, a plurality of characterizing images each of which represents a shot, wherein each characterizing image is an image comprising pixels which each have a level reflecting the intensity of motion associated with a corresponding region in the sequence of video frames;
a computer program comprising program modules executable by the computing device, wherein the computing device is directed by the program modules of the computer program to, input the user query which comprises a first type of said characterizing images and which characterizes motion in the same manner as at least some of the characterizing images contained in the database, input a video shot from which the user query image was generated, compare the user query image to characterizing images contained in the database that characterize motion in the same manner as the user query image to find characterizing images that exhibit a degree of similarity equaling or exceeding a prescribed minimum similarity threshold associated with the first type of characterizing images, generate a new characterizing image from the user input video shot, wherein the new characterizing image of a second type of said characterizing images, respectively generate a characterizing image of the second type from each of the video shots associated with the characterizing images of the first type that exhibited a degree of similarity equaling or exceeding the prescribed minimum similarity threshold, compare the new characterizing image to the characterizing images generated from each of the video shots associated with the characterizing images of the first type that exhibited a degree of similarity equaling or exceeding the prescribed minimum similarity threshold associated with the first type of characterizing images, to find which of the images exhibit a degree of similarity equaling or exceeding the prescribed minimum similarity threshold associated with the second type of characterizing images, and provide information for accessing the shot corresponding to at least one of any the characterizing images of the second type that were found to exhibit a degree of similarity equaling or exceeding the prescribed minimum similarity threshold associated with the second type of characterizing images. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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38. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for characterizing at least a portion of a shot that is made up of a sequence of video frames, said computer-executable instructions comprising:
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deriving from the sequence of video frames a separate value indicative of the intensity of the motion depicted over the sequence in each of a plurality of frame regions;
generating a gray scale image comprising pixels which each have a gray scale level reflecting the intensity of motion associated with a corresponding region in the sequence of video frames. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification