Method and system for real time motion picture segmentation and superposition

• US 6,753,929 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2000
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rateze Remote Mgmt. L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: VLS Com Ltd
• Inventors: Sheraizin, Vitaly S., Sheraizin, Semion M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/699,374
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.974, 348/586, 348/587, 348/590, 348/591, 348/592, 348/593, 348/598, 348/584, 348/239, 348/599
• US Class Current: 348/586
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

Methods and systems for separating a picture part of interest from an arbitrary background in real time videos are presented. The background may be a moving or still frame. The picture part of interest and background frames may be in or out of focus. One separation approach employs the difference between luminance and chrominance values of the input and background frames where changes in luminance from frame to frame are compensated for. In another approach, picture part of interest separation is based solely on spatial resolution differences between the background and the picture part of interest frames. The present invention also teaches a method and system for parameter matching of the picture part of interest and the basic picture into which the picture part of interest is embedded. The invention further teaches a method and system for embedding a separated picture part of interest into a basic picture containing text.

Claims

1. A method for image processing of a frame, the method comprising the step of:

separating a picture part of interest from said frame, wherein said frame has an arbitrary background,

wherein said step of separating comprises the steps of;

receiving a background frame having said arbitrary background;

receiving an input frame having said picture part of interest within said arbitrary background; and

separating said picture part of interest from said arbitrary background using said input and said background frames

wherein said step of separating further comprises the steps of;

filtering an input signal;

estimating the pulse signal maximum of said filtered input signal;

determining the time difference between adjacent pulse signal maxima of said input signal;

comparing said time difference to a threshold value; and

accepting a signal for use as part of a picture part of interest mask if said signal is below said threshold value, wherein said above steps generally are applied separately to the luminance, red chrominance and blue chrominance components of said input signal.

2. A system for separating a picture part of interest of an input frame, the input frame having an arbitrary background, said system comprising:

a mask generating unit for generating a picture part of interest mask using the difference between chrominance and luminance signal values in said input frame and an arbitrary background frame; and

a separator unit for separating a picture part of interest from said input frame using said picture part of interest mask

wherein said mask generating unit further comprises;

a background luminance frame memory for providing a background luminance signal;

a first divider for dividing luminance signals from an input frame and a memorized background luminance signal (quotient A), said memorized background luminance being provided by said background luminance frame memory;

a second switch receiving a luminance window from a window pulse generator unit and quotient A from said first divider;

an averaging circuit for calculating an estimated light change coefficient K by averaging quotient A over the pixels of said luminance window;

a second divider for detecting changes in the input frame luminance signal by dividing an input frame luminance signal by said light change coefficient K (quotient B); and

a first summer for subtracting said quotient B from said memorized background luminance signal.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said mask generating unit further comprises:

a background chrominance frame memory for providing a memorized BG chrominance ratio signal, said memory set up by a switch;

a divider for dividing red and blue chrominance signals (quotient C), said chrominance signals received from a color unit; and

a summer for subtracting said quotient C from said memorized background chrominance ratio signal.

4. A system for separating a picture part of interest of an input frame, the input frame having an arbitrary background, said system comprising:

a mask generating unit for generating a picture part of interest mask using the difference between chrominance and luminance signal values in said input frame and an arbitrary background frame; and

a separator unit for separating a picture part of interest from said input frame using said picture part of interest mask

wherein said separator unit comprises;

a time aligner for aligning color signals of said input frame; and

a switch receiving said time aligned input frame color signals, and a picture part of interest mask from said mask generating unit, said switch thereby generating a picture part of interest from said mask and said color signals.

5. A system for separating a picture part of interest from an input frame having an arbitrary background, said system comprising:

at least one high pass filter for determining the edges of an input signal of said picture part of interest within said arbitrary background;

at least one pulse signal maximum estimator for determining the time maxima of said filtered input signal;

at least one maximum-to-maximum time determiner for determining the time difference between consecutive signal maxima;

at least one comparator for comparing said time difference with a predetermined threshold value; and

an OR gate for generating a picture part of interest mask from signals received from said at least one comparartor.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein said system processes the luminance, red chrominance, and blue chrominance signals of said input signal separately, each of said signals being processed by its own high pass filter, pulse signal maximum estimator, time determiner, and comparator.