METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE DETECTION OF REMOVED OBJECTS IN VIDEO IMAGES

A method, system and program product for the detection of removed objects in video images is disclosed. An object (or objects) is within a fixed camera's FOV (Field of View), is designated to be monitored. If an object is not designated, an algorithm can be used to segment and identify all the objects in the image that is acquired by a fixed camera. In such case, all these objects can be monitored. A reference frame around the monitored object that also includes the surrounding background can be determined. The object can be extracted out of the reference frame, thereby creating a “reference with hole” image and an object reference image. The hole in the “reference with hole” image can be filled by either an in-painting algorithm or a texture synthesis algorithm depending on the complexity of the surrounding background.