Patent ID: 8724850

Claim:
A method for detecting small objects using a computer, comprising: providing at least one pixilated image; extracting a region of interest from said at least one pixilated image, wherein said region of interest is a location in said at least one pixilated image including at least one predicted target, wherein said region of interest comprises a first rectangular patch and a second rectangular patch in said at least one pixilated image, wherein said first rectangular patch is a window centered on said at least one predicted target, wherein said second rectangular patch is a frame surrounding said first rectangular patch, wherein said frame represents background data not associated with said at least one predicted target; generating a statistogram of said region of interest, wherein said statistogram is a generalized histogram data structure configured to include calculated pixel statistical features in a plurality of bins associated with said window and said frame, where said calculated pixel statistical features include pixel intensities associated with each bin in said plurality of bins, pixel spatial arrangements associated with each bin in said plurality of bins, pixel minimum and maximum horizontal and vertical locations associated with each bin in said plurality of bins, behavior of horizontal and vertical gradients of each of said at least one pixilated image about pixels corresponding to each bin in said plurality of bins, and joint behavior of gradients as a function of spatial extent associated with each bin in said plurality of bins; wherein said pixel spatial arrangements include sums of horizontal and vertical locations, sums of squares of horizontal and vertical locations, and sums of products of horizontal and vertical locations; searching said statistogram to determine at least one maximal meaningful interval of said region of interest; and outputting in a tangible medium said at least one maximal meaningful interval.