Method and apparatus for detecting object movement within an image sequence
US5847755A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 11, 1996 |
| Grant date | Dec 8, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 11, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06V2201/08
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Method and apparatus for processing a sequence of images to detect object movement within the sequence. Specifically, the method comprises the steps of: (a) supplying a sequence of image frames; (b) initializing a reference image that contains image information regarding stationary objects within a scene represented by the sequence of images; (c) supplying a next image frame which temporally follows the sequence of image frames; (d) comparing the next image to the reference image to produce a motion image representing motion information regarding movement of objects within the scene; (e) updating the reference image with information within the next image that represents stationary objects within the scene; and (f) repeating steps (c), (d), and (e) for each next image supplied. The method is implemented by image processing apparatus. A specific embodiment of the method and apparatus is a traffic monitoring system that identifies vehicles in varying illumination levels and eliminates erroneous identification of non-physical movement in the scene such as shadows and headlight reflections.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.