Optical model for motion image analysis

Abstract

AbstractIn previous analysis of the motion image, the existence of the light source has not particularly been considered. In this paper, the optical model describing the relations among the light source, the object and the view point is introduced. The optical flow estimation problem is discussed based on the gradient method, using the constructed model. First, the relation between the light source and the object model is described as an optical model, and the constraint inherent in the considered scene is derived. As a result, it is shown that the optical flow can be estimated with a high precision also for the scene containing a light source.It is shown that the parameter, which has been considered as a correction term for improving the precision of the optical flow, is a physical parameter indicating the geometrical relation between the light source and the object, from the standpoint of the optical model. Then, not only can the optical flow be estimated with a high precision, but also the information concerning the incident direction from the light source and the reflection coefficients of the object can be newly restored. If the scene is of a simple structure, all parameters that describe the scene, i.e., the information concerning the location of the light source, the object and the camera, as well as the information concerning the shape of the object, and the reflection coefficient of the surface of the object can be estimated. The feasibility of the scene reconstruction is investigated using the CG techniques.