Cast shadow detection for moving objects based on binocular stereo vision

A novel cast shadow detection approach was proposed. A stereo vision system was used to capture images instead of traditional single camera. It was based on an assumption that cast shadows were on a special plane. The image obtained from one camera was inversely projected to the plane and then transformed to the view from another camera. The points on the plane shared the same position between original image and the transformed image. As a result, the cast shadows can be detected. In order to improve the efficiency of cast shadow detection and decrease computational complexity, the obvious object areas in CIELAB color space were removed and the potential shadow areas were obtained. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach can detect cast shadows accurately even under various illuminations.