Patent ID: 6141433
Filing Date: 2000-10-31
Classification: G01S,G06K,G06T,G07G,G08B,H04N

Abstract:
A method for extracting image information from a video frame for regions of the video frame that likely are objects of interest in a scene, comprising steps of:.(a) generating a first set of regions based upon differences between image information for the video frame and image information for a background image of the scene;(b) generating a second set of regions from the first set of regions based upon edge information for regions in the first set and edge information for the background image, wherein the step of generating a second set of regions comprises steps of:(b)(1) extracting edge information from each region in the first set of regions;(b)(2) extracting edge information for the background image;(b)(3) comparing edge information for each region of the first set of regions with edge information for the background image;(b)(4) generating a confidence value for each region in the first set of regions depending on whether pixels of a region and corresponding pixels in the background image represent edge information, wherein the step of generating a confidence value for each region in the first set of regions comprises steps of:examining each pixel of a region;if the pixel in the region represents an edge and a corresponding pixel in the background image represents an edge, then reducing the confidence value for the region;if the pixel in the region does not represent an edge and a corresponding pixel in the background image represents an edge, then increasing the confidence value for the region; andif the pixel in the region represents an edge and a corresponding pixel in the background image does not represent an edge, then increasing the confidence value for the region;(b)(5) retaining regions from the first set of regions which have a confidence value greater than a predetermined confidence threshold; and(c) generating a third set of regions from the second set of regions by combining regions in the second set with each other if resulting combined regions satisfy predetermined criteria.