System, method and article of manufacture for tracking a head of a camera-generated image of a person

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 , wherein the first head tracking operation tracks the head portion of the person image in the video images using previous video images including the head portion of the person image.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 , wherein the first head tracking operation tracks the head portion of the person image in the video images using a mass distribution.

Claim 7

The method of claim 4 , wherein the first head tracking operation further includes: identifying a top of the head portion of the person image; and identifying sides of the head portion of the person image.

Claim 8

The method of claim 5 , wherein the top of the head portion of the person image is identified by performing a search upwardly from the point of separation between the torso portion and the head portion of the person image.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1 , wherein the second head tracking operation includes: identifying an initial location of the head portion of the person image in the video images; and tracking a current location of the head portion of the person image starting at the initial location.

Claim 10

The method of claim 7 , wherein the second head tracking operation includes identifying the initial location of the head portion of the person image upon each instance that the second confidence value falls below a predetermined amount.

Claim 11

The method of claim 7 , wherein the initial location of the head portion of the person image is identified based on the detection of a skin color in the video images.

Claim 12

The method of claim 9 , wherein the initial location of the head portion of the person image is identified by: extracting a flesh map; filtering the flesh map; identifying distinct regions of flesh color on the flesh map; ranking the regions of flesh color on the flesh map; and selecting at least one of the regions of flesh color as the initial location of the head portion of the person image based on the ranking.

Claim 13

The method of claim 10 , wherein holes in the regions of flesh color on the flesh map are filled.

Claim 14

The method of claim 10 , wherein the regions of flesh color on the flesh map are combined upon meeting a predetermined criteria.

Claim 15

The method of claim 7 , wherein the current location of the head portion of the person image is tracked based on the detection of a skin color in the video images.

Claim 16

The method of claim 13 , wherein the current location of the head portion of the person image is tracked by: extracting a sub-window of the head portion of the person image in the video images; forming a color model based on the sub-window; searching the video images for a color similar to the color model; and estimating the current location of the head portion of the person image based on the search.

Claim 17

The method of claim 7 , wherein the initial location of the head portion of the person image is identified based on the detection of motion in the video images.

Claim 18

The method of claim 15 , wherein the initial location of the head portion of the person image is identified by: creating a motion distribution map from the video images; generating a histogram based on the motion distribution map; identifying areas of motion using the histogram; and selecting at least one of the areas of motion as being the initial location of the head portion of the person image.

Claim 19

The method of claim 7 , wherein the current location of the head portion of the person image is tracked based on the detection of motion in the video images.

Claim 20

The method of claim 17 , wherein the current location of the head portion of the person image is identified by: determining a search window based on a previous location of the head portion of the person image; creating a motion distribution map within the search window; generating a histogram based on the distribution motion map; identifying areas of motion using the histogram; and selecting at least one of the areas of motion as being the initial location of the head portion of the person image.

Claim 21

A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for tracking a head portion of a person image in video images, comprising: a code segment for receiving video images; a code segment for executing a first head tracking operation for generating a first confidence value representative of a confidence that a head portion of a person image in the video images is located, the first head tracking operation comprising identifying a point of separation between a torso portion of the person image and the head portion of the person image; a code segment for executing a second head tracking operation for generating a second confidence value representative of a confidence that the head portion of the person image in the video images is located; and a code segment for outputting the first confidence value and the second confidence value, wherein the depiction of the head portion of the person image in the video images is based on the first confidence value and the second confidence value.

Claim 22

A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for tracking a head portion of a person image in video images, comprising: a code segment for receiving video images; a code segment for executing a first head tracking operation for generating a first confidence value representative of a confidence that a head portion of a person image in the video images is located, the first head tracking operation comprising identifying a point of separation between a torso portion of the person image and the head portion of the person image; a code segment for executing a second head tracking operation for generating a second confidence value representative of a confidence that the head portion of the person image in the video images is located; and a code segment for outputting the first confidence value and the second confidence value, wherein the depiction of the head portion of the person image in the video images is based on the first confidence value and the second confidence value.

Claim 23

The computer program of claim 19 , wherein the first head tracking operation tracks the head portion of the person image in the video images using previous video images including the head portion of the person image.

Claim 24

The computer program of claim 19 , wherein the first head tracking operation tracks the head portion of the person image in the video images using a mass distribution.

Claim 25

A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for tracking a head portion of a person image in video images, comprising: a code segment for receiving video images; a code segment for executing a first head tracking operation for generating a first confidence value representative of a confidence that a head portion of a person image in the video images is located, the first head tracking operation comprising identifying a point of separation between a torso portion of the person image and the head portion of the person image; a code segment for executing a second head tracking operation for generating a second confidence value representative of a confidence that the head portion of the person image in the video images is located; and a code segment for outputting the first confidence value and the second confidence value, wherein the depiction of the head portion of the person image in the video images is based on the first confidence value and the second confidence value; wherein the first head tracking operation is executed by: a code segment for subtracting a background image from the video images in order to extract the person image; a code segment for generating a histogram representing the extracted person image; and a code segment for identifying a point of separation between a torso portion of the person image and the head portion of the person image.

Claim 26

A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for tracking a head portion of a person image in video images, comprising: a code segment for receiving video images; a code segment for executing a first head tracking operation for generating a first confidence value representative of a confidence that a head portion of a person image in the video images is located, the first head tracking operation comprising identifying a point of separation between a torso portion of the person image and the head portion of the person image; a code segment for executing a second head tracking operation for generating a second confidence value representative of a confidence that the head portion of the person image in the video images is located; and a code segment for outputting the first confidence value and the second confidence value, wherein the depiction of the head portion of the person image in the video images is based on the first confidence value and the second confidence value; wherein the first head tracking operation is executed by: a code segment for subtracting a background image from the video images in order to extract the person image; a code segment for generating a histogram representing the extracted person image; and a code segment for identifying a point of separation between a torso portion of the person image and the head portion of the person image.

Claim 27

The computer program of claim 19 , wherein the second head tracking operation is executed by: a code segment for identifying an initial location of the head portion of the person image in the video images; and a code segment for tracking a current location of the head portion of the person image starting at the initial location.