Images background subtraction for dynamic lighting scenarios

A method, comprising:

• receiving a scene image containing a background and one or more foreground objects of interest;
• projecting a normality background image from a normality model, wherein the normality background image contains the background without the one or more foreground objects;
• converting the scene image to a first illumination-invariant image using an illumination-invariant color space transformation algorithm;
• converting the normality background image to a second illumination-invariant image using the illumination-invariant color space transformation algorithm;
• generating a first subtracted image by subtracting the normality background image pixel-wise from the scene image;
• generating a second subtracted image by subtracting the second illumination-invariant image pixel-wise from the first illumination-invariant image;
• highlighting a plurality of pixels in the first subtracted image based on a standard deviation threshold to obtain a residual image as an identification of at least one of the one or more foreground objects;
• applying a multiplying matrix operation between the residual image and the second subtracted image to generate an output image;
• displaying the output image on a display device;
• and
• generating a text message, a beeping sound or a flashing light in response to the identification.

An apparatus implementable to an autonomous vehicle, comprising:

• a camera configured to monitor a scene of interest containing a background;
• and
• a processor communicatively coupled to the camera, the processor configured to perform acts comprising:
• controlling the camera to take a plurality of baseline images of the scene under a plurality of illuminating conditions, wherein the baseline images are absent from one or more foreground objects;
• controlling the camera to record a plurality of scene images;
• creating a normality background image based on the baseline images;
• generating a first subtracted image by subtracting the normality background image pixel-wise from one scene image of the plurality of scene images to determine whether the one or more foreground objects exist in the one scene image;
• generating, via an autonomous driving system of the autonomous vehicle, a signal as a reminder to a passenger of the autonomous vehicle in response to an existence of the one or more foreground objects in the one scene image;
• marking the one or more foreground objects in the first subtracted image as a residual image in response to the existence of the one or more foreground objects in the one scene image;
• converting the one scene image to a first illumination-invariant image using an illumination-invariant color space transformation algorithm;
• converting the normality background image to a second illumination-invariant image using the illumination-invariant color space transformation algorithm;
• generating a second subtracted image by subtracting the second illumination-invariant image pixel-wise from the first illumination-invariant image;
• applying a multiplying matrix operation between the residual image and the second subtracted image to generate an output image;
• and
• displaying the output image on a display device of the autonomous vehicle to the passenger.