System and Method for Adaptively Separating Foreground From Arbitrary Background in Presentations

• US 20080219554A1
• Filed: 05/23/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dorai, Chitra, Li, Ying
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/00 Scenes; Scene-specific elements control of digital cameras H04N23/60

Abstract

System and method for distinguishing between foreground content and background content in an image presentation. An initial background model is provided, and a final background model is constructed from the initial background model using the image presentation. The foreground content and background content in the image presentation are then distinguished from one another using the final background model. The present invention permits foreground content and background content to be separated from one another for further processing in different types of computer-generated image presentations such as digital slide presentations, video presentations, Web page presentations, and the like.

Claims

1. A method, in an image processing system, for distinguishing between foreground content and background content in an image presentation, comprising:

providing an initial background model;

constructing a final background model from the initial background model using the image presentation;

and distinguishing between foreground content and background content in the image presentation using the final background model.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein constructing a final background model from the initial background model using the image presentation comprises:

identifying presentation pages of the image presentation whose foreground contents are distinct and whose background contents are the same;

comparing the identified presentation pages to locate potential background pixels;

and updating the initial background model in accordance with the comparison.

3. The method according to claim 2, and further comprising:

determining if the updated initial background model and the initial background model are the same;

and if the updated initial background model and the initial background model are not the same;

identifying further presentation pages of the image presentation whose foreground contents are distinct and whose background contents are the same;

comparing the identified further presentation pages to locate potential background pixels;

and further updating the updated initial background model in accordance with the comparison of the identified further presentation pages.

4. The method according to claim 3, and further comprising:

repeating the steps of identifying further presentation pages, comparing the identified further presentation pages and further updating the initial background model until an updated background model reaches a steady state.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image presentation comprises an image presentation in a media stream containing at least one image presentation, and wherein constructing a final background model from the initial background model using the image presentation comprises:

constructing a final background model for each at least one image presentation from the initial background model using each at least one image presentation.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image presentation comprises a computer-generated image presentation.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the computer-generated image presentation comprises one of a digital slide presentation, a Web page presentation and a video presentation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial background model is independent of any particular image presentation.

9. An image processing system for distinguishing between foreground content and background content in an image presentation, comprising:

an initial background model; and

an image processor for constructing a final background model from the initial background model using the image presentation for distinguishing between foreground content and background content in the image presentation.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the image presentation comprises an image presentation in a media stream containing at least one image presentation, and wherein the image processor constructs a final background model for each at least one image presentation from the initial background model using each at least one image presentation.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the image presentation comprises a computer-generated image presentation.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the computer-generated image presentation comprises one of a digital slide presentation, a Web page presentation and a video presentation.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the initial background model is independent of any particular image presentation.

14. A method, in an image processing system, for constructing a final background model for use in distinguishing between foreground content and background content in an image presentation, comprising:

providing an initial background model;

and constructing a final background model from the initial background model using the image presentation.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein constructing a final background model from the initial background model using the image presentation comprises:

identifying presentation pages of the image presentation whose foreground contents are distinct and whose background contents are the same;

comparing the presentation pages to locate potential background pixels;

and updating the initial background model in accordance with the comparison.

16. The method according to claim 15, and further comprising:

determining if the updated initial background model and the initial background model are the same;

and if the updated initial background model and the initial background model are not the same;

identifying further presentation pages of the image presentation whose foreground contents are distinct and whose background contents are the same;

comparing the identified further presentation pages to locate potential background pixels;

and further updating the updated initial background model in accordance with the comparison of the identified further presentation pages.

17. The method according to claim 16, and further comprising:

repeating the steps of identifying further presentation pages, comparing the identified further presentation pages and further updating the initial background model until an updated background model reaches a steady state.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the image presentation comprises an image presentation in a media stream containing at least one image presentation, and wherein constructing a final background model from the initial background model using the image presentation comprises:

constructing a final background model for each at least one image presentation from the initial background model using each at least one image presentation.

19. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for constructing a final background model for distinguishing between foreground content and background content in an image presentation, comprising:

first instructions for providing an initial background model; and

second instructions for constructing a final background model from the initial background model using the image presentation.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the second instructions comprise:

third instructions for identifying presentation pages of the image presentation whose foreground contents are distinct and whose background contents are the same;

fourth instructions for comparing the presentation pages to locate potential background pixels;

and fifth instructions for updating the initial background model in accordance with the comparison.

21. The computer program product according to claim 20, and further comprising:

sixth instructions for determining if the updated initial background model and the initial background model are the same;

and if the updated initial background model and the initial background model are not the same;

seventh instructions for identifying further presentation pages;

eighth instructions for further comparing the further presentation pages to locate potential background pixels;

and ninth instructions for further updating the updated initial background model in accordance with the further comparison.

22. The computer program product according to claim 21, and further comprising:

tenth instructions for repeating the seventh, eighth and ninth instructions until an updated background model reaches a steady state.