Patent ID: 6304602
Filing Date: 2001-10-16
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A method for processing a set of data expressed by a temporal sequence of two or three dimensional pictures including a time-dependent motion therein, said set of data including a set of current data relating to a current picture in said sequence of pictures and a set of previous data relating to a previous picture previous to said current picture in said sequence of pictures, said current picture including a set of current pixels each respectively defined by a combination of current image data associated therewith and a combination of current address data representing an address in said current picture, said previous picture including a set of previous pixels each respectively defined by a combination of previous image data associated therewith and a combination of previous address data representing an address in said previous picture, said method comprising the steps of:processing said set of current data so that said current picture is linearly mapped into a spatiotemporal field as a first picture comprising a set of first pixels each respectively represented by a first character vector equivalent to a sum of a first image parameter vector representative of said combination of current image data and a first location parameter vector representative of said combination of current address data;processing said set of previous data so that said previous picture is linearly mapped into said spatiotemporal field as a second picture comprising a set of second pixels each respectively represented by a second character vector equivalent to a sum of a second image parameter vector representative of said combination of previous image data and a second location parameter vector representative of said combination of previous address data;segmenting said first picture into a number of first regions each respectively comprised of a cluster of a variable number of said first pixels, said segmenting being performed so that respective first character vectors of said variable number of pixels are relatively vicinal to each other in terms of a distance defined in said spatiotemporal field;averaging all first location parameter vectors corresponding to each one of said first regions to obtain respective first location representative vectors representative of locations in said spatiotemporal field that correspond to respective first regions;determining for a respective region of said first regions a corresponding second region in said second picture, said corresponding second region being comprised of an identical number of said second pixels to said number of said first pixels in said respective first region, said determining being performed so that respective second image parameter vectors corresponding to said number of pixels are each respectively relatively vicinal to a representative vector of a respective first image parameter vector in terms of said distance;averaging all respective second location parameter vectors to obtain respective second location representative vectors representative of locations in said spatiotemporal field that correspond to respective second regions; andestimating a relative motion between said one of said first regions and said corresponding second region by subtracting said second location representative vector from said first location representative vector to determine a motion vector representative of said relative motion in said spatiotemporal field.