IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for localizing an area in relative movement and for determining the speed and direction thereof in real time is disclosed. Each pixel of an image is smoothed using its own time constant. A binary value corresponding to the existence of a significant variation in the amplitude of the smoothed pixel from the prior frame, and the amplitude of the variation, are determined, and the time constant for the pixel is updated. For each particular pixel, two matrices are formed that include a subset of the pixels spatially related to the particular pixel. The first matrix contains the binary values of the subset of pixels. The second matrix contains the amplitude of the variation of the subset of pixels. In the first matrix, it is determined whether the pixels along an oriented direction relative to the particular pixel have binary values representative of significant variation, and, for such pixels, it is determined in the second matrix whether the amplitude of these pixels varies in a known manner indicating movement in the oriented direction. In each of several domains, histogram of the values in the first and second matrices falling in such domain is formed. Using the histograms, it is determined whether there is an area having the characteristics of the particular domain. The domains include luminance, hue, saturation, speed (V), oriented direction (D1), time constant (CO), first axis (x(m)), and second axis (y(m)).
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Citations
57 Claims
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1-50. -50. (canceled)
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51. A process for tracking a target in an input signal, the input signal comprising a succession of frames, each frame comprising a succession of pixels, the target comprising pixels in one or more of a plurality of classes in one or more of a plurality of domains, the process comprising:
- selecting a pixel of the target as a starting pixel;
on a frame-by-frame basis;
forming a tracking box around the starting pixel and for each pixel of the input signal in the tracking box forming a histogram of the pixels in the one or more of a plurality of classes in the one or more of a plurality of domains;
successively increasing the size of the tracking box and for each pixel of the input signal, in each successive tracking box forming a histogram of the pixels in the one or more of a plurality of classes in the one or more of a plurality of domains;
determining when the target is substantially within the tracking box;
stopping the size increasing of said tracking box; and
adjusting the center of the tracking box based upon the histograms. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53)
- selecting a pixel of the target as a starting pixel;
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54. A process of tracking a target in an input signal, the input signal comprising a succession of frames, each frame comprising a succession of pixels, the target comprising pixels in one or more of a plurality of classes in one or more of a plurality of domains, the process comprising, on a frame-by-frame basis:
- forming at least one histogram of the pixels in the one or more of a plurality of classes in the one or more of a plurality of domains, said at least one histogram referring to classes defining said target, and identifying the target from said at least one histogram.
- View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57)
Specification