Method and apparatus for identifying objects depicted in a videostream

• US 7,444,003 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Facet Technology Corp.
• Inventors: Retterath, Jamie E., Laumeyer, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US11/457,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20070154067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 382103-107, 382/113, 382/122, 382/123, 382/154, 382/156, 382/162, 382/170, 382/178, 382/181, 382/189, 382/194, 382/199, 382/232, 382/254, 382/260, 382/165, 382/224, 382/274, 382285-295, 382/305, 382/319, 359/630, 701/209, 348/169, 340/907, 340/933
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/443 by matching or filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for rapidly analyzing frame(s) of digitized video data which may include objects of interest randomly distributed throughout the video data and wherein said objects are susceptible to detection, classification, and ultimately identification by filtering said video data for certain differentiable characteristics of said objects. The present invention may be practiced on pre-existing sequences of image data or may be integrated into an imaging device for real-time, dynamic, object identification, classification, logging/counting, cataloging, retention (with links to stored bitmaps of said object), retrieval, and the like. The present invention readily lends itself to the problem of automatic and semi-automatic cataloging of vast numbers of objects such as traffic control signs and utility poles disposed in myriad settings. When used in conjunction with navigational or positional inputs, such as GPS, an output from the inventative systems indicates the identity of each object, calculates object location, classifies each object by type, extracts legible text appearing on a surface of the object (if any), and stores a visual representation of the object in a form dictated by the end user/operator of the system. The output lends itself to examination and extraction of scene detail, which cannot practically be successfully accomplished with just human viewers operating video equipment, although human intervention can still be used to help judge and confirm a variety of classifications of certain instances and for types of identified objects.

Claims

1. A computer system for identifying whether a plurality of image frames may contain an object of interest comprising:

a first means for storing a plurality of image frames potentially having an object of interest, at least some of the plurality of image frames being recorded by at least one imaging device in motion such that each image frame recorded while the at least one imaging device is in motion depicts a scene from a vantage point different from a vantage point of any other image frame,

a second means for screening each of said image frames to determine whether an object of interest is present within said frames and generating a value output signal corresponding to each of said image frames,

a third means for processing said value output signals to determine if an object of interest is present, and if so, identifying a specific region of the frame that contains the object of interest, and

a fourth means of storing the specific region of the frame that contains the object of interest.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the first means comprises an image frame buffer for holding and sequencing the image frames.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the second means comprises a filter for screening the image frames for a characteristic particular to the filter.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the third means comprises a computer processing system for determining whether an object of interest is present, and if so, identifying the specific region of the frame where the potential object of interest is located.

6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the fourth means further comprises storing the value of at least one of the output signals from the third means.

5. A computerized method of identifying whether a plurality of image frames may contain a common object of interest comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of image frames in an image processing apparatus wherein said plurality of image frames are generated by at least one imaging device and at least some of the plurality of image frames were recorded by at least one imaging device in motion such that each image frame recorded while the at least one imaging device was in motion depicts a scene from a vantage point different from a vantage point of any other image frame;

applying at least one filter to each of said plurality of image frame;

using said image processing apparatus to identify image portions from said plurality of image frames as potentially having a region of interest representing the common object of interest based on a differentiable characteristic associated with an object of interest from said at least one filter; and

storing at least one frame region of interest representing the object of interest.

7. A computer-readable storage media storing indicia to direct a computer system to perform the computer-implement steps of:

receiving a plurality of image frames in an image processing apparatus wherein said plurality of image frames are generated by at least one imaging device and at least some of the plurality of image frames were recorded by at least one imaging device in motion such that each image frame recorded while the at least one imaging device was in motion depicts a scene from a vantage point different from a vantage point of any other image frame;

applying at least one filter to each of said plurality of image frame;

using said image processing apparatus to identify image portions from said plurality of image frames as potentially having a region of interest representing the common object of interest based on a differentiable characteristic associated with an object of interest from said at least one filter; and

storing at least one frame region of interest representing the object of interest.