Detecting Moving Objects from a Moving Camera

The invention calls for image processing that, rather than compare one frame to the next, first creates a higher-resolution synthetic image based on multiple frames. Individual frames can then be compared to the larger image, which represents the background more accurately. A moving camera actually makes the creation of the synthetic image easier, because it creates more data about the background—it creates variation in the range of visual reality described by each pixel. Once the background is established, the system can more easily identify, track, and image a given moving object.

Applications

• Increase accuracy of object detection and tracking
• Improve resolution of individual collected images
• Decrease false positives generated by noise associated with frame-by-frame subtraction

Technical Summary

Multiple frames collected from an input source are synthesized into a higher-resolution background image using previously known techniques. Several options are available for this synthesis, such as the use of even or odd images. The associated computer program will use an algorithm that identifies a certain threshold for object detection; if pixels differ in this degree from the background composite, the program will register the existence of a moving object. The computer program can then also track the object across multiple frames and/or yield an extracted image of the object.