IP Library Granted Patent US 11,948,350
Granted Patent B2
US 11,948,350 · App. 17/827,574 · Granted Apr 2, 2024

Method and system for tracking an object

Inventors: Dragos Dinu (Brasov, RO); Mihai Constantin Munteanu (Brasov, RO); Alexandru Caliman (Brasov, RO)
Assignee: FotoNation Limited
G06V10/82G06F18/2413G06N3/04G06N3/08G06T7/246G06T7/248G06T7/269G06V10/454G06V10/764G06T2207/10016G06T2207/10024G06T2207/20021G06T2207/20084G06T2207/20104
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,948,350
App. No.
17/827,574
Granted
Apr 2, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of tracking an object across a stream of images comprises determining a region of interest (ROI) bounding the object in an initial frame of an image stream. A HOG map is provided for the ROI by: dividing the ROI into an array of M×N cells, each cell comprising a plurality of image pixels; and determining a HOG for each of the cells. The HOG map is stored as indicative of the features of the object. Subsequent frames are acquired from the stream of images. The frames are scanned ROI by ROI to identify a candidate ROI having a HOG map best matching the stored HOG map features. If the match meets a threshold, the stored HOG map indicative of the features of the object is updated according to the HOG map for the best matching candidate ROI.

Claims (55)

1. A method of tracking an object across a set of image frames, the method comprising:

inputting a first frame of the set of image frames into a first neural network, the first neural network comprising at least one convolutional layer and at least one fully-connected layer;

receiving a first output from the first neural network representative of a first map value associated with the first frame and a region of interest in the first frame that comprises the object;

determining a weight value based at least in part on the first map value and the region of interest;

inputting a second frame of the set of image frames into the first neural network;

receiving a second output from the first neural network representative of a second map value associated with the second frame;

inputting the second map value and the weight value into a second neural network;

receiving a third output from the second neural network identifying a region of interest in the second frame as matching the region of interest in the first frame; and

determining a location of the object in the second frame based at least in part on the third output.

2. The method as claim 1 recites, wherein:

the first neural network comprises multiple convolutional layers, and

each convolutional layer of the multiple convolutional layers produces at least one map value.

3. The method as claim 1 recites, wherein the second neural network is a classification neural network configured to provide the third output based at least in part on a class of the object.

4. The method as claim 1 recites, further comprising:

tracking the object in a third frame after the second frame based at least in part on the third output.

5. The method as claim 1 recites, further comprising:

normalizing the first output or the weight value,

wherein receiving the second output is based at least in part on the normalizing.

6. The method as claim 1 recites, wherein at least one of the first neural network or the second neural network is trained offline.

7. The method as claim 1 recites, wherein:

the second neural network is a multi-layer neural network, and

at least one layer of the multi-layer neural network comprises a sigmoid activation function.

8. The method as claim 7 recites, wherein the at least one layer of the multi-layer neural network further comprises a piecewise linear approximation of the sigmoid activation function.

9. The method as claim 1 recites, wherein the second neural network is a forward connected neural network.

10. An image processing system arranged to track an object across a set of image frames, the image processing system comprising a processor arranged to:

input a first frame of the set of image frames into a first neural network, the first neural network comprising at least one convolutional layer and at least one fully-connected layer;

receive a first output from the first neural network representative of a first map value associated with the first frame and a region of interest in the first frame that comprises the object;

determine a weight value based at least in part on the first map value and the region of interest;

input a second frame of the set of image frames into the first neural network;

receive a second output from the first neural network representative of a second map value associated with the second frame;

input the second map value and the weight value into a second neural network;

receive a third output from the second neural network identifying a region of interest in the second frame as matching the region of interest in the first frame; and

determine a location of the object in the second frame based at least in part on the third output.

11. The image processing system as claim 10 recites, wherein the second neural network is a classification neural network configured to provide the third output based at least in part on a class of the object.

12. The image processing system as claim 10 recites, wherein the first map value comprises a histogram of gradients map value.

13. The image processing system as claim 10 recites, wherein the first map value identifies a feature of the region of interest in the first frame.

14. The image processing system as claim 10 recites, wherein at least one of the first neural network or the second neural network is trained offline.

15. The image processing system as claim 10 recites, wherein:

the second neural network is a multi-layer neural network, and

at least one layer of the multi-layer neural network comprises a sigmoid activation function.

16. The image processing system as claim 15 recites, wherein the at least one layer of the multi-layer neural network comprises a piecewise linear approximation of the sigmoid activation function.

17. The image processing system as claim 10 recites, wherein the second neural network is a forward connected neural network.

18. A device arranged to track an object across a set of image frames, the device comprising a processor arranged to:

input a first frame of the set of image frames into a first neural network, the first neural network comprising at least one convolutional layer and at least one fully-connected layer;

receive a first output from the first neural network representative of a first map value associated with the first frame and a region of interest in the first frame that comprises the object;

determine a weight value based at least in part on the first map value and the region of interest;

input a second frame of the set of image frames into the first neural network;

receive a second output from the first neural network representative of a second map value associated with the second frame;

input the second map value and the weight value into a second neural network; and

receive a third output from the second neural network identifying a region of interest in the second frame as matching the region of interest in the first frame; and

determine a location of the object in the second frame based at least in part on the third output.

19. The device as claim 18 recites, the processor further arranged to determine a location of the object in a third frame of the set of image frames based at least in part on the third output.

20. The device as claim 18 recites, wherein the weight value is a first weight value and the processor is further arranged to:

determine a second weight value based at least in part on the second map value and the region of interest in the second frame; and

store the second weight value.

Assignments (5)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2025
From: TOBII TECHNOLOGIES LTD
To: ADEIA MEDIA HOLDINGS LLC
Reel/Frame 071572/0855 →
CONVERSION Recorded Jun 12, 2025
From: ADEIA MEDIA HOLDINGS LLC
To: ADEIA MEDIA HOLDINGS INC.
Reel/Frame 071577/0875 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 28, 2025
From: ADEIA INC. (F/K/A XPERI HOLDING CORPORATION); ADEIA HOLDINGS INC.; ADEIA MEDIA HOLDINGS INC.; ADEIA IMAGING LLC; ADEIA MEDIA LLC; ADEIA MEDIA SOLUTIONS INC.; ADEIA SEMICONDUCTOR BONDING TECHNOLOGIES INC.; ADEIA TECHNOLOGIES INC.; ADEIA GUIDES INC.; ADEIA SOLUTIONS LLC; ADEIA SEMICONDUCTOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES INC.; ADEIA SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS LLC; ADEIA SEMICONDUCTOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LLC; ADEIA SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES LLC; ADEIA PUBLISHING INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071454/0343 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 5, 2024
From: FOTONATION LIMITED
To: TOBII TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
Reel/Frame 069516/0394 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 18, 2024
From: DINU, DRAGOS; MUNTEANU, MIHAI CONSTANTIN; CALIMAN, ALEXANDRU
To: FOTONATION LIMITED
Reel/Frame 066351/0218 →