Method and apparatus for image processing
AssigneeMirada Solutions Limited
InventorsJohn Michael Brady, Paul Michael Hayton, Stephen Mark Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An example system and method for processing image data of a plurality of time-separated images of a non-rigid body to detect movement of the body involves calculating and storing, for each of a plurality of sampling points in each image, a plurality of candidate movements together with the estimated probability of each candidate. For each sampling point, the probability of each of the candidate movements is recalculated based on the stored probability of that candidate movement and the probabilities of the candidate movements at neighboring sampling points. A motion field indicative of the non-rigid body movement is generated from the recalculated probabilities.
Claims20
A method of processing image data of a plurality of time-separated images of a body to detect non-rigid movement of the body, comprising the steps of:
- for each of a plurality of sampling points in each image, calculating and storing a plurality of candidate movements together with the estimated probability of each candidate;
- recalculating for each sampling point the probability of each of the candidate movements based on the stored probability of that candidate movement and the probabilities of the candidate movements at adjacent sampling points;
- and
- generating from the recalculated probabilities a motion field indicative of the non-rigid movement,
- wherein said step of recalculating comprises:
- iteratively selecting each of a plurality of surrounding motion probabilities from the stored probabilities of candidate movements for each of a plurality of the adjacent sampling points, said selection at each adjacent sampling point being performed on the basis of the stored probabilities for that sampling point, and
- recalculating the probability based on the stored probability of that candidate movement and said plurality of surrounding motion probabilities.
Apparatus for processing image data of a plurality of time-separated images of a body to detect non-rigid movement of the body, comprising:
- calculating means for calculating, for each of a plurality of sampling points in each image, a plurality of candidate movements together with the estimated probability of each candidate;
- storage means for storing said candidate movements and estimated probabilities;
- recalculating means for recalculating for each sampling point the probability of each of the candidate movements based on the stored probability of that candidate movement and the probabilities of the candidate movements at adjacent sampling points;
- and
- motion field generating means for generating from the recalculated probabilities a motion field indicative of the non-rigid body movement,
- wherein said recalculating means is adapted to iteratively select each of a plurality of surrounding motion probabilities from the stored probabilities of candidate movements for each of a plurality of the adjacent sampling points, said selection at each adjacent sampling point being performed on the basis of the stored probabilities for that sampling point, and to recalculate the probability based on the stored probability of that candidate movement and said plurality of surrounding motion probabilities.
A computer program storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program for controlling a computer to process image data of a plurality of time-separated images of a body to detect non-rigid movement of the body by a method comprising the steps of:
- for each of a plurality of sampling points in each image, calculating and storing a plurality of candidate movements together with the estimated probability of each candidate;
- recalculating for each sampling point the probability of each of the candidate movements based on the stored probability of that candidate movement and the probabilities of the candidate movements at adjacent sampling points;
- and
- generating from the recalculated probabilities a motion field indicative of the non-rigid body movement,
- wherein said step of recalculating comprises:
- iteratively selecting each of a plurality of surrounding motion probabilities from the stored probabilities of candidate movements for each of a plurality of the adjacent sampling points, said selection at each adjacent sampling point being performed on the basis of the stored probabilities for that sampling point, and
- recalculating the probability based on the stored probability of that candidate movement and said plurality of surrounding motion probabilities.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.