System for real-time moving target detection using vision based image segmentation

A system for detecting a moving object in an image signal , the system comprising:

• a digital video camera configured to provide an image signal including a plurality of sequential image frames of a plurality of pixels (P);
• a first processor, coupled to the digital video camera, configured to provide a motion map including, for each pixel (P) in the image frame, a corresponding motion map pixel (MP) having either a first motion value (FMV) or a second motion value (SMV) indicating that the pixel (P) is associated or is not associated, respectively, with an object in the image frame that is in motion with respect to a background;
• and
• a second processor, coupled to the first processor, configured to, for each image frame:
• assign a group count value (GCV) to each motion map pixel (MP) as a function of the motion values of adjacent motion map pixels;
• maintain an indexed grouping table comprising outer pixel coordinates for a boundary about each group of pixels having a same group count value (GCV) and information representing two groups of pixels having different group count values adjacent to one another;
• determine if two different groups of pixels having different group count values are adjacent to one another by comparing the group count value (GCV) for each respective motion map pixel MP to the GCVs of two adjacent motion map pixels and, if so determined, update the outer pixel coordinates of the group count value for the adjacent motion map pixel in the indexed grouping table;
• maintain a multiple link table including information identifying a motion map pixel having a group count value GCV adjacent to two other motion map pixels each having a different group count value GCV;
• traverse the indexed grouping table and the multiple link table and determine boundary pixel coordinates for a boundary that encompasses two or more adjacent groups of pixels having different group count values, the boundary pixel coordinates identifying the moving object in the image signal;
• and
• forward the boundary pixel coordinates to an object tracking system.