Foreground/background separation using reference images

• US 8,593,542 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation Europe Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Steinberg, Eran, Bigioi, Petronel, Zamfir, Adrian, Drimbarean, Alexandru, Corcoran, Peter, Ciuc, Mihai, Capata, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannett, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Quiett, Carramah J
• Application Number:
  US12/140,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20080316328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 348/239, 348370-371, 382/230
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/242 by image rotation, e.g. by 90 degrees
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/993 Evaluation of the quality of the acquired pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2226 Determination of depth image, e.g. for foreground/background separation determining depth by image analysis in general G06T7/50; segmentation by image analysis in general G06T7/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

A technique involves distinguishing between foreground and background regions of a digital image of a scene. First and second images are captured of nominally a same scene. The first image is a relatively high resolution image taken with the foreground more in focus than the background, while the second image is a relatively low resolution reference image taken with the background more in focus than the foreground. Regions of the captured images are assigned as foreground or background. In accordance with the assigning, one or more processed images are rendered based on the first image or the second image, or both.

Claims

1. A method of determining an orientation of an image relative to a digital image acquisition device, comprising:

(a) capturing a main image and one or more relatively low resolution reference images of a same scene with said digital image acquisition device;

(b) comparing at least a portion of said main image and said one or more reference images adjacent the corresponding edges of said main and reference images to determine whether said portion comprises relatively more foreground than background; and

(c) responsive to said portion comprising more than a threshold degree of foreground, determining that said images are oriented with said portion at their bottom, and

(d) wherein said threshold is varied according to whether said main and reference images are classified as being indoor or outdoor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said two images comprise a flash image and a non-flash image and in which said comparing comprises comparing luminance levels of pixels of said portion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said two images comprise non-flash images and in which said comparing comprises comparing higher order DCT coefficients for at least one block of said portion.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said comparing comprises comparing respective portions adjacent a plurality of edges of said two images, and wherein a portion which is determined to include a greatest degree of foreground relative to other portions is deemed to be located at a bottom of said images.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the portion is deemed to be located at the bottom of said images based at least in part on its degree of foreground exceeding a degree of foreground for a portion adjacent an opposite edge by a given threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said threshold is also varied according to exposure level of said images.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein a portion is deemed to be located at the bottom of said images when its degree of foreground exceeds a degree of foreground for a portion adjacent at least an adjacent edge, and a degree of foreground for a portion adjacent said adjacent edge exceeds a degree of foreground for a portion adjacent an opposite edge.

8. A hand-held or otherwise portable or spatial or temporal performance-based image capture device, comprising:

(a) one or more lenses, an aperture and a photodetector for capturing an original main image and one or more reference images having a temporal or spatial overlap or proximity with the original image, or combinations thereof;

(b) a processor;

(c) one or more processor-readable media having embedded therein programming code for the processor to perform a digital image processing method of determining an orientation of an image relative to a digital image acquisition device, the method comprising;

(i) capturing a main image and one or more relatively low resolution reference images of a same scene with said digital image acquisition device;

(ii) comparing at least a portion of said main image and said one or more reference images adjacent the corresponding edges of said main and reference images to determine whether said portion comprises relatively more foreground than background; and

(iii) responsive to said portion comprising more than a threshold degree of foreground, determining that said images are oriented with said portion at their bottom, and

(iv) wherein said threshold is varied according to whether said main and reference images are classified as being indoor or outdoor.

9. The image capture device of claim 8, wherein said two images comprise a flash image and a non-flash image and in which said comparing comprises comparing luminance levels of pixels of said portion.

10. The image capture device of claim 8, wherein said two images comprise non-flash images and in which said comparing comprises comparing higher order DCT coefficients for at least one block of said portion.

11. The image capture device of claim 8, wherein said comparing comprises comparing respective portions adjacent a plurality of edges of said two images, and wherein a portion which is determined to include a greatest degree of foreground relative to other portions is deemed to be located at a bottom of said images.

12. The image capture device of claim 11, wherein the portion is deemed to be located at the bottom of said images based at least in part on its degree of foreground exceeding a degree of foreground for a portion adjacent an opposite edge by a given threshold.

13. The image capture device of claim 12, wherein said threshold is also varied according to exposure level of said images.

14. The image capture device of claim 11, wherein a portion is deemed to be located at the bottom of said images when its degree of foreground exceeds a degree of foreground for a portion adjacent at least an adjacent edge, and a degree of foreground for a portion adjacent said adjacent edge exceeds a degree of foreground for a portion adjacent an opposite edge.