Method and system for classifying image elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016148067-A1
Application number	US-201615012100-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 1, 2016
Priority date	Feb 1, 2001
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method, system, and machine-readable medium for classifying an image element as one of a plurality of categories, including assigning the image element based on a ratio between an unoccluded perimeter of the image element and an occluded perimeter of the image element and coding the image element according to a coding scheme associated with the category to which the image element is classified. Exemplary applications include image compression, where categories include image foreground and background layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
identifying a first image element of an image as a background and a second image element of the image as a foreground; and encoding, via a processor, the first image element using a number of bits that is proportional to a length of un-occluded perimeter segments of the first image element relative to a length of occluded perimeter segments of the first image element that result from occlusions by foreground elements of the second image element.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of bits used for encoding the first image element is reduced by excluding occluded parts of the first image element.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein edges of the first image element are at least partly defined by boundaries of the second image element.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing, via the processor, the image based on a relative occlusion between the first image element and the second image element, wherein the relative occlusion is determined using a color difference between the first image element and the second image element.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the color difference is calculated using a color differential between the first image element and the second image element.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the background is assigned to an occlusion category based on the relative occlusion meeting a threshold.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of bits used for encoding the first image element is selected based on a proportionality coefficient that depends on color differences along an element boundary of the first image element.

8 . A system comprising:
a processor; and a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: identifying a first image element of an image as a background and a second image element of the image as a foreground; and encoding, via a processor, the first image element using a number of bits that is proportional to a length of un-occluded perimeter segments of the first image element relative to a length of occluded perimeter segments of the first image element that result from occlusions by foreground elements of the second image element.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the number of bits used for encoding the first image element is reduced by excluding occluded parts of the first image element.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein edges of the first image element are at least partly defined by boundaries of the second image element.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:
processing the image based on a relative occlusion between the first image element and the second image element, wherein the relative occlusion is determined using a color difference between the first image element and the second image element.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the color difference is calculated using a color differential between the first image element and the second image element.

13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the background is assigned to an occlusion category based on the relative occlusion meeting a threshold.

14 . The System of claim 8 , wherein the number of bits used for encoding the first image element is selected based on a proportionality coefficient that depends on color differences along an element boundary of the first image element.

15 . A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
identifying a first image element of an image as a background and a second image element of the image as a foreground; and encoding, via a processor, the first image element using a number of bits that is proportional to a length of un-occluded perimeter segments of the first image element relative to a length of occluded perimeter segments of the first image element that result from occlusions by foreground elements of the second image element.

16 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein the number of bits used for encoding the first image element is reduced by excluding occluded parts of the first image element.

17 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein the number of bits used for encoding the first image element is selected based on a proportionality coefficient that depends on color differences along an element boundary of the first image element.

18 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein the computer-readable storage device stores further instructions for controlling the processor to perform further operations comprising:
processing the image based on a relative occlusion between the first image element and the second image element, wherein the relative occlusion is determined using a color difference between the first image element and the second image element.

19 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 18 , wherein the color difference is calculated using a color differential between the first image element and the second image element.

20 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 18 , wherein the background is assigned to an occlusion category based on the relative occlusion meeting a threshold.

Assignees

• At & T Ip Ii Lp

Inventors

• Bottou Leon
• Haffner Patrick Guy

Classifications

• G06F18/24

  Classification techniques · CPC title

• G06T9/00 Primary

  Image coding (bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00) · CPC title

• G06K9/38 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/4652

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/6267

  Physics · mapped topic