Detecting objects of interest in digital images

• US 20070121094A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Fielding, Gabriel, Gallagher, Andrew, Cahill, Nathan, Ray, Lawrence
• Application Number:
  US11/290,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20070121094A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/4.30
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity

Abstract

A method of detecting an object of interest having a known size in a digital image, includes providing a range information including two or more range values indicating the distance of objects in the scene from a known reference frame; detecting a candidate object of interest in the image; determining range values corresponding to the candidate object of interest and using these range values and the known size of the object of interest to classify the candidate object of interest.

Claims

1. A method of detecting an object of interest having a known size in a digital image, comprising:

a) providing a range information including two or more range values indicating the distance of objects in the scene from a known reference frame;

b) detecting a candidate object of interest in the image;

c) determining range values corresponding to the candidate object of interest and using these range values and the known size of the object of interest to classify the candidate object of interest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step c) further includes using camera capture information to classify the candidate object of interest.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein step c) further includes computing an estimated distance from the camera to the object of interest based on the camera capture information and using the estimated distance and the range values to classify the candidate object of interest.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the camera capture information is the focal length or magnification.

2. The method of claim 2, wherein the object of interest is a human, a head, a face, or an automobile.

6. A method of detecting an object of interest having a known size in a digital image captured with a digital camera, comprising:

(a) using a digital camera to capture a digital image of a scene having objects;

(b) providing a range information including two or more range values indicating the distance of objects in the scene from a known reference frame;

(c) detecting a candidate object of interest in the image; and

(d) determining range values corresponding to the candidate object of interest and using these range values and the known size of the object of interest to classify the candidate object of interest.