Flexible layer tracking with weak online appearance model

1. A computer implemented method for tracking an object recorded within a selected frame of a sequence of frames of video data from at least one video camera, using a plurality of layers, at least one object layer of the plurality of layers representing the object, the method comprising the steps of:

a) assigning layer ownerships and layer ownership probabilities pixels in a layer of the selected frame using a non-parametric motion model;

b) re-assigning layer ownership and layer ownership probabilities for the pixels in the layer by jointly estimating motion, shape and appearance of the layer using a parametric maximization algorithm, the parametric maximization algorithm being based on a parametric motion model, a shape model, and an appearance model, the appearance model being based on at least one of 2D histograms and 3D histograms, the 2D histograms being 2D color histograms of pixels weighted over time and over the spatial extent of the layer as defined by the layer ownerships, the 3D histograms having bins that are populated according to pixel data and a geometric constraint, the geometric constraint being at least one of the distance of a pixel from an edge of a blob within a template and the distance of a pixel from an origin point; and

c) tracking the object.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of (d) estimating a set of motion parameters of the plurality of layers for the selected frame using the parametric maximization algorithm, wherein estimating the set of motion parameters is based upon:

appearances of the plurality of layers for a proceeding frame of the sequence of frames;

mixing probabilities and observed pixel data from pixels of the preceding frame;

observed pixel data and the layer ownership probabilities for the pixels of the selected frame; and

an initial estimated set of motion parameters of the plurality of layers for the selected frame.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein tracking the object is based upon:

the layer ownership probabilities for the pixels of the selected frame; and

the set of motion parameters of the plurality of layers estimated in step (d).

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein step (d) further includes the steps of:

b1) refining layer ownership probabilities for the plurality of layers in the selected frame using the expectation maximization algorithm based on;

the appearances of the plurality of layers for the preceding frame of the sequence of frames;

the mixing probabilities and the observed pixel data from the pixels of the preceding frame; and

the estimated set of motion parameters of the plurality of layers for the selected frame; and

b2) refining the estimated set of motion parameters of the plurality of layers for the selected frame using the estimation maximization algorithm based on;

the appearances of the plurality of layers for the preceding frame of the sequence of frames;

the mixing probabilities and the observed pixel data from the pixels of the preceding frame;

the observed pixel data and the updated layer ownership probabilities for the pixels of the selected frame; and

the estimated set of motion parameters of the plurality of layers for the selected frame.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein step (d) further includes the step of: b3) repeating steps (b1) and (b2) at least once.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein

the non-parametric motion model used in step (a) is optical flow; and

step (a) includes warping the mixing probabilities, the appearances of the plurality of layers, and the observed pixel data from the pixels of the preceding frame to the pixels of the selected frame to initialize the layer ownership probabilities for the pixels of the selected frame.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the non-parametric motion model used in step (a) includes matching of two dimensional or three dimensional histograms of the appearances of the plurality of layers of the preceding frame and the observed pixel data of blobs of pixels of the selected frame.