Subject tracking apparatus

• US 5,559,551 A
• Filed: 05/25/1995
• Issued: 09/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Takayuki, Suito, Taro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Snow, Frank
• Application Number:
  US08/450,022
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 348/169, 348/208, 348/407
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7864 T.V. type tracking systems

Abstract

A subject tracking apparatus in which the target is tracked further stably by effectively eliminating the erroneous judgment due to the effects from the object which resembles the target, the luminance change, and objects having different shapes. Each of the R-Y signal and the B-Y signal at setting the feature of target is modeled by the luminance, so as to detect the features without concerning the hue to the luminance change. Also, the R-Y signal and the B-Y signal are directly modeled, so as to detect the features in the same way regarding the subject with colorless since hue has no effect on it. Since it becomes unnecessary to adjust the parameter strictly by modeling in regard to the permissible error, the target can be tracked stably even the luminance changes.

Claims

1. A subject tracking apparatus comprising:

a color estimation function determining means for judging the hue of a target from a first and second color difference signal contained in the target area among an input color video signal, and for modeling each of said first and second color difference signal by a color estimation function having the luminance of said input color video signal as a variable, in accordance with said hue;

permissible error model determining means for calculating a permissible error model with respect to each of a first color estimation function corresponding to said first color difference signal and a second color estimation function corresponding to said second color difference signal;

color information judging means for comparing the permissible error model which are respectively calculated with respect to said first and second color estimation function to said input color video signal, to extract the area which conforms to said permissible error model;

feature plane setting means for calculating the reference feature plane representing said target based on the pixel value of the area extracted by said color information judging means among the target areas; and

position determining means for extracting the area which conforms to said permissible error model by comparing said permissible error model to the input color video signal input after setting said reference feature plane to obtain the feature plane with respect to said input color video signal, and for determining the position where the correlation between said feature plane and said reference feature plane becomes maximum as the position where the target exists.

2. The subject tracking apparatus according to claim 1, comprising

area expanding means for re-evaluating the pixel value adjacent to the area extracted as the area which conforms to said permissible error model by said color judging means, and for increasing the area which conforms to said permissible error model.

3. The subject tracking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said position determining means extracts the area which conforms to said permissible error model with respect to only the specific area out of the whole area by comparing said permissible error model to the input color video signal input after setting said reference feature plane, and obtains the feature plane of said input color video signal only in said specific area.

4. The subject tracking apparatus according to claim 1, comprising

transmitting means for transmitting the position of said target determined by said position determining means as the position input for peripheral equipments.

5. The subject tracking apparatus according to claim 1, comprising

control means for controlling peripheral equipments based on the position of said target determined by said position detecting means.

6. The subject tracking apparatus according to claim 1, comprising

size detecting means for detecting the size of said target on a screen from the position of said target determined said position determining means and the distribution of pixel value on said feature plane.

7. The subject tracking apparatus according to claim 6, comprising

sub-image generating means for generating a sub-image having the size in accordance with the size of said target, based on the position on a screen of said target obtained by said position determining means and the size of said target obtained by said size detecting means.

8. A subject tracking apparatus comprising:

an imaging device for imaging a target;

a color estimation function determining means for judging the hue of the target from a first and second color difference signal contained in the target area among the input color video signal input by said imagining device, and for modeling each of said first and second color difference signal by a color estimation function having the luminance of said input color video signal as a variable, in accordance with said hue;

permissible error model determining means for calculating a permissible error model with respect to each of a first color estimation function corresponding to said first color difference signal and a second color estimation function corresponding to said second color difference signal;

color information judging means for comparing the permissible error model which are respectively calculated with respect to said first and second color estimation function to said input color video signal, to extract the area which conforms to said permissible error model;

feature plane setting means for calculating the reference feature plane representing said target based on the pixel value of the area extracted by said color information judging means among the target areas;

position determining means for extracting the area which conforms to said permissible error model with respect to the whole area by comparing said permissible error model to the input color video signal input after setting said reference feature plane to obtain the feature plane with respect to said input color video signal, and for determining the position where the correlation between said feature plane and said reference feature plane becomes maximum as the position where the target exists; and

driving means for driving said imagining device based on the detected result of said position determining means, and for turning the photographing direction of said imaging device toward the direction that said target is positioned.