Patent · US Expired

Image processing system and method for image segmentation using intensity contrast and depth contrast values

US7050646B2 · kind B2 · utility

14Cited by
3References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 8, 2000
Grant dateMay 23, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 8, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06V10/28
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system for processing an image recorded by an imaging device may include: a) providing an image having an array of adjacent elements each corresponding to a respective part of the image and having a respective intensity value associated therewith; b) processing the intensity values to determine an intensity contrast value for each respective element according to differences in intensity values between respective adjacent elements; c) determining a depth value for each element corresponding to the distance between the imaging device and at least part of an image forming object represented in the image by the respective element; d) processing the depth values to determine a depth contrast value for each respective element according to differences in depth values between respective adjacent elements; and, processing the intensity contrast values and depth contrast values to identify at least one area of the image corresponding to one or more respective objects in the image being processed. The last noted process step can be a non-linear diffusion process whereby variations in grey level values are diffused in regions corresponding to objects or background and enhanced in …

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