Patent · US Expired

Method for estimating optical flow

US6507661B1 · kind B1 · utility

17Cited by
3References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateSep 8, 1999
Grant dateJan 14, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 8, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T7/269
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for estimating the optical flow between a plurality of images is provided. The method includes obtaining a motion orientation component and a motion magnitude component. Determining the motion orientation component includes creating, a first graph using spatio-temporal derivatives of the plurality of images, solving for a first maximum-flow in the first graph to thereby obtain a first minimum-cut therefrom, and computing the motion orientation component from the first minimum-cut. Determining the motion magnitude component includes creating a second graph using spatio-temporal derivatives of the plurality of images and the motion orientation component, solving for a second maximum-flow in the second graph to thereby obtain a second minimum-cut therefrom, and computing the motion magnitude component from the second minimum-cut. The motion orientation component and the motion magnitude component together comprise the estimate of the optical flow between the plurality of images. The method properly models errors in the measurement of image derivatives while enforcing a brightness constraint, and efficiently provides a globally optimal solution to the optical flow in the conte…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.