Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Qi He Hong

David Ezra

Nicolas Steven Holliman

Graham John Woodgate

Nicholas Steven Holliman

This invention relates to a method for segmenting a pixellated image, comprising: (a) selecting at least one first region from a first reference image; (b) deriving from values of pixels of the at least one first region a first threshold such that a first predetermined proportion of the pixels have values on a first side of the first threshold; (c) forming a difference image as a difference between each pixel of the image and a corresponding pixel of an image of a non-occluded background; and (d) allocating each difference image pixel to at least one first type of region if the value of the difference image pixel is on the first side of the first threshold and the values of more than a first predetermined number of neighboring difference image pixels are on the first side of the first threshold. An apparatus for performing the foregoing method is disclosed.

Method of and apparatus for segmenting a pixellated image

A method is provided for detecting a human face in an image, such as a sequence of images supplied by a video camera. The method comprises locating in each image a candidate face region and analyzing the candidate face region for a first characteristic indicative of a facial feature. The locating step may comprise detecting uniformity saturated regions of predetermined shape in a reduced resolution version of the image. The analyzing step may comprise selecting a signal color component, forming a vertical integral projection profile and detecting an omega shape in the profile characteristic of an eye region of a face.

Method of and apparatus for detecting a human face and observer tracking display

A method of detecting a face-like region of a colour image, comprises reducing the resolution of the colour image by averaging the saturation to form a reduced resolution image and searching for a region of the reduced resolution image. The searched region has, in a predetermined shape, a substantially uniform saturation which is substantially different from the saturation of the portion of the reduced resolution image surrounding the predetermined shape.

Method of and apparatus for detecting a face-like region and observer tracking display

An image tracking system which is configured to present a sequence of images, determine the position of a target image in a previously presented image, determine movement of the target image between the previously presented image and a subsequently presented image, and indicate the position of the target image in the subsequently presented image as the aforementioned determined position modified by the determined movement.

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Abingdon, United Kingdom

Qi He Hong