The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 14, 1982
Filed:
Oct. 31, 1979
Martin G Woolfson, Baltimore, MD (US);
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
A binary correlation video tracker and a video preprocessor included therein, which function cooperatively to form binary patterns of values for the picture elements (pixels) in a predetermined pixel array of each of a plurality of frames of video gray level information generated by an electro-optical sensor, is disclosed. Histograms are formed for selected pixel arrays in the predetermined array of a video frame in accordance with a set of predetermined gray level values. The formed histograms are combined in accordance with a discriminant function to form a composite histogram from which at least one gray level value of the set is selected. Those pixels of the predetermined array which have gray level values corresponding to the selected at least one gray level value are assigned one of two predetermined values, the other pixels being assigned the other of the two predetermined values, whereby a binary pattern of values for the predetermined pixel array is formed. Accordingly, the video tracker selects a reference binary pattern of pixels from the formed binary pattern of the predetermined pixel array of one video frame. The selected reference binary pattern is used for performing auto and cross-correlation operations in the video tracker in accordance with a binary correlation coefficient function. In the cross-correlations, another reference binary pattern of pixels and position thereof in the predetermined array is derived for each of the video frames generated subsequent the one video frame, the results being used in the computation of tracking errors in the video tracker. In the auto correlations, a maximum autocorrelation value is derived for use in determining when the reference binary pattern may be updated with the another reference binary pattern for further binary correlation processing.