Video scene segmentation using spatial contours and 3-D robust motion estimation

A novel image sequence segmentation method which combines both spatial and temporal information is presented in this paper. The first step is an intensity segmentation scheme based on the edgeflow method. The temporal information is introduced through three-dimensional (3-D) motion estimation parameters. In the second step, regions obtained from the first step are clustered according to their 3-D motion models. In order to reduce the noise sensitivity of the motion estimation process, we introduce a robust method which produces accurate motion parameters and facilitates the correct clustering that follows. This ensures that rigid objects with luminance discontinuities can be segmented correctly. The method has been successfully tested in real imagery and typical examples are presented in this paper.