Patent ID: 8059893

Claim:
A method for processing frames of video data which include high resolution blob groups representing a plurality of targets, said method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving said frames of video data from an external source; (b) providing for two dimensional processing of each of said frames of video data so as to define a pixel location for each of a plurality of pixels contained within said frame of video data currently being analyzed; (c) providing logic signals which indicate an end of a line of video data and an end of the frame of video data currently being analyzed; (d) processing each of said frames of video data including the pixel location for each pixel within the frame of video data, and the logic signals which indicate the end of said line of video data and the end of said frame of video data currently being analyzed; (e) determining when each of said pixels within the frame of video data currently being analyzed is a blob pixel which indicates the presence of one target within said frame of video data; (f) processing said plurality of pixels including said blob pixels in said frame of video data in groups of five pixels wherein three pixels are from a previous line of video data which has been processed and two pixels are from a present line of video data which is currently being processed; (g) determining when each of the groups of five pixels comprises a blob group representing a new target different from said targets previously identified; (h) determining when a pair of said blob groups include an overlapping pixel which overlaps the pair of said blob groups so as to allow the pair of said blob groups to be combined; (i) combining each pair of said blob groups when a determination is made that the pair of said blob groups are combinable; (j) storing each of said blob groups and combined blob groups at a separate location in a statistics memory; and (i) generating a plurality of memory pointers, wherein each of said memory pointers point to the separate location in said statistics memory of one of said combined blob groups.