Patent ID: 8090208
Filing Date: 2012-01-03
Classification: A61B,G06T

Abstract:
1. A method for segmenting an object appearing in a digital image said method comprising the following steps: selecting a seed pixel of the object; separating the object from its background in the digital image by determining a segmentation contour around the seed pixel; calculating a centermost pixel within the segmentation contour; comparing the calculated centermost pixel to the seed pixel, and if they are deemed equivalent according to a predefined criterion, accepting the segmentation contour from which the calculated centermost pixel was determined; and when the calculated centermost pixel and the seed pixel are deemed to be non-equivalent, then segmentation of the object is repeated using the calculated centermost pixel as a new seed pixel; wherein the calculated centermost pixel is compared to one or more previously calculated centermost pixels and the repeating of the segmentation of the object using the calculated centermost pixel is only performed when the calculated centermost pixel is determined to be non-equivalent to any of the one or more previously calculated centermost pixels.