Image capture enhancement using dynamic control image

• US 9,549,101 B1
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brain, Alister J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prabhakher, Pritham
• Application Number:
  US14/841,988
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 348/241
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20224 Image subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/22 by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/40 Extracting pixel data from image sensors by controlling scanning circuits, e.g. by modifying the number of pixels sampled or to be sampled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for image capture with infrared emitters, with associated computer control and processing for providing consistent and high quality image data. Image data of consecutive frames from a camera is obtained, with a first frame being taken during an emission of infrared light directed at a scene to be captured by the camera and a second frame being taken without an emission of infrared light. The consecutive frames provide a dynamic control image of the captured scene. The image data may be used to support photometric sampling techniques used in building geometric models for subject recognition in camera imagery in variable lighting environments.

Claims

1. A system for image capture enhancement, comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors;

one or more infrared emitters capable of being positioned to emit infrared light on an environment space monitored by a camera capable of capturing images of the environment space;

a control system using a processor and a memory configured to provide instructions to the processor to execute control of a sequence of emissions by the one or more emitters, wherein a sequence of infrared emissions is synchronized with a frame counter of a camera; and

a processing system using a processor and a memory configured to provide instructions to the processor to execute processing of captured image frames of the camera, the processing system including;

a frame receiving component configured to receive the captured image frames comprising a first frame captured during an emission, and a second frame, adjacent to the first frame, captured outside an emission;

an adjacent frame processing component configured to subtract the second frame from the first frame to provide an image of a reflected infrared component;

a background deduction component configured to remove, from the reflected infrared component, a previously obtained background image of the environment space to enhance a subject in the image; and

a resultant image output component configured to output a resultant image.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plan view camera configured to capture a plan view of the environment space, wherein the control system is configured to activate the plan view camera to capture a plan view image during an emission by the one or more infrared emitters.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processing system further comprises:

a position component configured to;

receive a plan view captured image from a plan view camera of the environment space;

identify a subject in the plan view captured image; and

position the subject in two dimensions of a plan of the environment space.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processing system further comprises:

a recalibration component configured to recalibrate the resultant image based on a position of the subject, and a previously obtained infrared light intensity map of the environment space.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a pre-processing component configured to;

obtain a background image of the environment space by capturing image frames during a sequence of emissions without a subject in the environment space; and

obtain an infrared light intensity map of the environment space.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to execute control of a sequence of emissions, to fire emissions from the one or more emitters in turn, to obtain multiple captured frame images having different light angles on a subject in the environment space.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising an activating system, the activating system configured to:

detect a subject in the environment space; and

activate the control system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is installable for use with an existing closed circuit television (CCTV) system including one or more video cameras directed at the environment space.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is configured to receive captured image frames from a plurality of cameras at different locations for capturing the environment space, and wherein the resultant image output component is configured to output multiple resultant images for further processing.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the resultant image output component sends the resultant image to a photometric sampling system for further processing.

11. A computer program product for image capture enhancement, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device having program instructions stored on the computer readable storage device, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to;

activate a sequence of infrared emissions, by one or more emitters in an environment space monitored by a camera for capturing images of the environment space, wherein the sequence of infrared emissions is synchronized with a frame counter of the camera;

receive captured image frames from the camera, wherein the captured image frames comprise a first frame captured during an emission, and a second frame, adjacent to the first frame, captured outside an emission;

subtract the second frame from the first frame to provide an image of a reflected infrared component;

remove, from the reflected infrared component, a previously obtained background image of the environment space to enhance a subject in the image; and

output a resultant image.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

program instructions to receive a plan view captured image from a plan view camera of the environment space, wherein the plan view captured image is captured during an emission;

program instructions to identify a subject in the plan view captured image; and

program instructions to position the subject in two dimensions of a plan of the environment space.