Method and system for image-sequence-based target tracking and range estimation

摘要

A method of tracking targets across a sequence of images estimates the range of these tracked objects from the camera. The method assumes the motion of the camera between the successive frames is known. The distance from the sensor to the object is assumed to be much larger than the physical dimensions of the object. The method and system make use of the known sensor motion to generate "expected images" that are then used to establish a reliable correspondence and track the targets across the image sequence. The method and system use a mean/energy- normalized area correlation technique to establish inter-frame correspondence. With this correspondence, two new methods can estimate the range of the target from the sensor.