Image Processing Apparatus and Method

• US 20150023559A1
• Filed: 08/13/2014
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Image Processing Technologies, LLC (General Patent Corporation), Southern District of Florida
• Original Assignee: Image Processing Technologies, LLC (General Patent Corporation)
• Inventors: Pirim, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,989,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20104 Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/002 Denoising; Smoothing noise processing or correction adapted to be used in an image pickup device containing and electronic image sensor H04N23/81, H04N25/60 - H04N25/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/10 Segmentation; Edge detection motion-based segmentation G06T7/215
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/50 by performing operations within image blocks; by using histograms, e.g. histogram of oriented gradients [HoG]; by summing image-intensity values; Projection analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming

Abstract

A method and apparatus for localizing an area in relative movement and for determining the speed and direction thereof in real time is disclosed. Each pixel of an image is smoothed using its own time constant. A binary value corresponding to the existence of a significant variation in the amplitude of the smoothed pixel from the prior frame, and the amplitude of the variation, are determined, and the time constant for the pixel is updated. For each particular pixel, two matrices are formed that include a subset of the pixels spatially related to the particular pixel. The first matrix contains the binary values of the subset of pixels. The second matrix contains the amplitude of the variation of the subset of pixels. In the first matrix, it is determined whether the pixels along an oriented direction relative to the particular pixel have binary values representative of significant variation, and, for such pixels, it is determined in the second matrix whether the amplitude of these pixels varies in a known manner indicating movement in the oriented direction. In each of several domains, histogram of the values in the first and second matrices falling in such domain is formed. Using the histograms, it is determined whether there is an area having the characteristics of the particular domain. The domains include luminance, hue, saturation, speed (V), oriented direction (D1), time constant (CO), first axis (x(m)), and second axis (y(m)).

Claims

1-50. -50. (canceled)

51. A process of tracking a target in an image processing system comprising:

receiving an input signal including a plurality of frames, each frame including a plurality of pixels;

generating a histogram based on classification values of a plurality of pixels in a first frame of the input signal;

identifying a target from the histogram generated based on the first frame;

determining a target location based on the histogram generated based on the first frame;

generating a histogram based on classification values of a plurality of pixels in a second frame of the input signal subsequent to the first frame; and

adjusting the target location based on the histogram generated based on the second frame.

52. The process of claim 51, wherein the input signal is smoothed based on information for the plurality of pixels in the first frame and the plurality of pixels in the second frame.

53. The process of claim 51, wherein the first frame is adjacent the second frame in the input signal.

54. The process of claim 51, further comprising displaying an outline associated with the target at a display location based on the target location.

55. The process of claim 54, wherein displaying the outline includes adjusting a size of the outline.

56. The process of claim 54, wherein displaying the outline includes moving a center point of the outline.

57. The process of claim 54, wherein the outline is a box.

58. The process of claim 57, wherein the box is a rectangle.

59. The process of claim 54, wherein:

generating the histogram based on classification values of the plurality of pixels in the first frame includes generating multiple histograms based on classification values of multiple pluralities of pixels,

identifying the target from the histogram includes identifying multiple targets associated with the multiple histograms, and

displaying the outline associated with the target includes displaying a plurality of outlines associated with the plurality of targets.

60. The process of claim 51, further comprising determining a target speed.

61. The process of claim 60, wherein determining the target speed includes determining a direction using a first matrix and a magnitude using a second matrix.

62. The process of claim 51, further comprising generating multiple histograms in multiple domains for determining a movement of the target.

63. The process of claim 51, further comprising identifying a non-moving area in the first and second frames of the input signal and forming a signal corresponding to a spatial position of the non-moving area within the first and second frames.

64. The process of claim 51, wherein generating the histogram based on classification values of the plurality of pixels in the first frame includes identifying a rectangular area within the first frame that defines the plurality of pixels.

65. The process of claim 64, further comprising increasing a size of the rectangular area.

66. The process of claim 51, wherein identifying the target from the histogram generated based on the first frame includes receiving an input designating a position for the target.

67. The process of claim 66, wherein receiving the input designating the position for the target includes receiving a user input, and further comprising determining, based on the updated histogram, an updated position for the target.

68. The process of claim 51, wherein adjusting the target location includes not adjusting the target location during input of a third frame located in the input signal between the first and second frames.

69. The process of claim 51, further comprising actuating a servomotor in a camera based on adjusting the target location.

70. A process of tracking a target in an image processing system comprising:

receiving an input signal from a camera, the input signal including a plurality of frames, each frame including a plurality of pixels;

generating a histogram based on classification values of a plurality of pixels in a first frame of the input signal;

identifying a target from the histogram generated based on the first frame, the target having a center point;

displaying information from the input signal on a display including pixels associated with the target;

generating a histogram based on classification values of a plurality of pixels in a second frame of the input signal;

determining movement of the target from the histogram generated based on the second frame; and

adjusting the camera based on the determined movement of the target to move the center point of the target towards a center point of the display.

71. The process of claim 70, wherein adjusting the camera includes actuating a servomotor.

72. The process of claim 70, wherein determining movement of the target includes identifying an edge of the target in the first and second frames.

73. The process of claim 70, wherein the target is a face.

74. An image processing system comprising:

a camera configured to output a signal including a plurality of frames, each frame including a plurality of pixels; and

a processing system configured to;

receive the signal;

generate a histogram based on classification values of a plurality of pixels in a first frame of the signal;

identify a target from the histogram;

determine a target location based on the histogram generated based on the first frame;

generate a histogram based on classification values of a plurality of pixels in a second frame of the signal subsequent to the first frame; and

adjust the target location based on the histogram generated based on the second frame.

75. The image processing system of claim 74, further comprising a display, and wherein the processing system is further configured to display an outline associated with the target at a display location based on the target location.

76. The image processing system of claim 74, wherein the processing system is further configured to adjust a size of the outline based on the histogram based on the first frame and the histogram based on the second frame.

77. The image processing system of claim 74, wherein the processing system is further configured to move a center point of the outline based on the histogram based on the first frame and the histogram based on the second frame.

78. The image processing system of claim 74, wherein the processing system is further configured to receive a user input to designate a center position for the target.

79. The image processing system of claim 78, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine updated center position for the target based on the histogram generated based on the first frame and the histogram generated based on the second frame.

80. The image processing system of claim 74, further comprising a servomotor configured to adjust the camera, and wherein the processing system is further configured to adjust the camera based on the adjusted target location.