Visualization techniques for temporally acquired sequences of images

• US 5,294,978 A
• Filed: 12/17/1991
• Issued: 03/15/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Redlake MASD LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Katayama, Andrew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US07/809,190
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 358/105, 358/125, 358/182, 358/93, 358/108, 358/183, 358/209
• US Class Current: 375/240.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments

Abstract

A motion analysis system records a sequence of image frames of an event at a fast frame rate. A 2-D or 3-D still image depicting the kinetics of the multiple recorded, images is constructed by spatio-temporal visualization techniques. In the spatio-temporal (ST)-2-D technique, a path of pixels is defined showing travel of an object over time. The path of pixels of each image frame is represented in the ST-2-D image as a horizontal line of pixels. Each line in the vertical or horizontal direction is taken from one frame so that the sequence of lines represents the sequence of image frames of the event. In the ST-3-D visualization technique, a closed curve path of pixels is defined and represented in the ST-3-D image using 3-D graphical display techniques.

Claims

1. A method for visualizing a sequence of recorded images of an event by a single spatio-temporal image, comprising:

recording a sequence of image frames of an event;

defining a series of pixels which is similar for each said recorded image frame; and

constructing a spatio-temporal image frame having spatial and temporal axes, wherein each said series of pixels of a recorded image frame constitutes at least one line of pixels of said spatio-temporal image frame along the spatial axis, and sequential lines of pixels along the temporal axis are derived from sequential recorded image frames of said event.

2. The method of claim 1, including displaying said spatio-temporal image frame on a video display.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said defining step includes defining a closed series of pixels of an image frame which is similar for each image frame and wherein said constructing step includes depicting successive closed series of pixels from successive image frames in a three dimensional visualization in a single displayable image frame.

4. A method for visualizing a sequence of recorded images of an event by a single spatio-temporal image, comprising:

recording a sequence of image frames of an event by imaging an event with a solid sensor at frame rates up to several hundred frames per second and storing said sequence of image frames in solid state memory;

defining a series of pixels which is similar for each said recorded image frame; and

constructing a spatio-temporal image frame having spatial and temporal axes, wherein each said series of pixels of a recorded image frame constitutes at least one line of pixels of the image frame along the spatial axis, and wherein sequential lines of pixels along the temporal axis are derived from sequential recorded image frames of said event.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said recording step includes imaging an event with a solid state sensor which is read out in block format at frame rates up to several hundred frames per second and storing a sequence of images of an event in solid state memory.

6. A method for visualizing a plurality of image frames by a single image frame, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of image frames;

defining a series of pixels which is similar for each said plurality of image frames; and

constructing a single displayable image frame, having image axes, wherein each said series of pixels of an image frame constitutes at least one row of pixels of the single displayable image frame along one of said first and second image axes, and wherein sequential rows of pixels along the other of said first and second image axes are derived from other image frames of said plurality of image frames.

7. A method for visualizing a plurality of image frames by a single image frame, comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of image frames, each of which includes a matrix of pixels;

defining a path of pixels which is similar in each of said plurality of image frames;

displaying the defined path of pixels of an image frame as a row in a displayed image, by dividing the defined path of an image frame into N evenly spaced points, where N is the display resolution along the spatial axis, sampling the N points along the defined path for an image frame and displaying the N points as a row of the display; and

repeating the displaying step for each of said plurality of image frames to construct a single image frame from contiguous rows of said defined paths of successive image frames.