Patent ID: 6956603

Claim:
A moving object detecting method of detecting optical flow segments indicative of loci of one or more moving objects apparently moved in a moving picture sequence including a plurality of picture frames each indicating said one or more moving objects at a time point to ensure that said one or more moving objects are correctly detected, said picture frames including a first picture frame indicating said one or more moving objects at a first time point, a second picture frame indicating said one or more moving objects at a second time point, a third picture frame indicating said one or more moving objects at a third time point, and a fourth picture frame indicating said one or more moving objects at a fourth time point in late order, said method comprising the steps of: a) inputting said first picture frame; b) inputting said second picture frame; c) inputting said third picture frame; d) inputting said fourth picture frame; e) detecting first optical flow segments indicative of loci of said one or more moving objects apparently moved in said moving picture sequence in a time interval starting from said second time point to said first time point on the basis of said first picture frame inputted in said step (a) and said second picture frame inputted in said step (b); f) detecting second optical flow segments indicative of loci of said one or more moving objects apparently moved in said moving picture sequence in a time interval starting from said third time point to said first time point on the basis of said first picture frame inputted in said step (a) and said third picture frame inputted in said step (c); g) detecting third optical flow segments indicative of loci of said one or more moving objects apparently moved in said moving picture sequence in a time interval starting from said fourth time point to said third time point on the basis of said third picture frame inputted in said step (c) and said fourth picture frame inputted in said step (d); h) subtracting said third optical flow segments detected in said step (g) from said second optical flow segments detected in said step (f) to generate filtered optical flow segments indicative of loci of said one or more moving objects apparently moved in said moving picture sequence in said time interval starting from said third time point to said first time point; and i) adding said filtered optical flow segments generated in said step (h) to said first optical flow segments detected in said step (e) to generate integrated optical flow segments indicative of loci of said one or more moving objects apparently moved in said moving picture sequence in said time interval starting from said third time point to said first time point.