Verification of business processes using spatio-temporal data

• US 10,049,456 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Banerjee, Nilanjan, Bhattacharya, Subhrajit, Devi, Umamaheswari C., Singh, Raghavendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Li
• Application Number:
  US15/227,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20180040128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/07 Target detection

Abstract

One embodiment provides a method of identifying a location of a target object within a plurality of images, the method including: utilizing at least one processor to execute computer code that performs the steps of: receiving a plurality of images; receiving position information indicating a central location, wherein the central location comprises a location that the plurality of images were taken; receiving direction information indicating a position of a target object with respect to the central location, wherein one of the plurality of images contains the target object; and determining, using the position information and the direction information, a target location, wherein the target location comprises a location of the target object. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a location of a target object within a plurality of images, the method comprising:

utilizing at least one processor to execute computer code that performs the steps of;

receiving a plurality of images, wherein each of the plurality of images comprise an image of a target object at different time frames;

receiving position information indicating a central location, wherein the central location comprises a designated location where the plurality of images were taken;

receiving direction information, for each of the plurality of images, indicating a position of a target object with respect to the central location corresponding to each of the plurality of images;

determining, using the position information and the direction information, a target location corresponding to a location of the target object with respect to the central location within each of the plurality of images; and

identifying if the target location of the target object as determined using the position information and direction information corresponds to an expected location of the target object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying comprises comparing the determined target location to a predetermined location, wherein the predetermined location comprises the expected location where the target object is expected.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying a discrepancy between the determined target location and predetermined location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining time information, wherein the time information indicates a time that each of the plurality of images was taken.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising comparing the time information between two consecutive images of the plurality of images to a predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising notifying a user if the time information between two consecutive images exceeds the predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising comparing the target location and time information, for each of the plurality of images, to a predefined process.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying a discrepancy between the target location and time information of at least one of the plurality of images and the predefined process.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises identifying the location of the target object in a two dimensional space.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving distance information, wherein the distance information indicates how far the target object is from the central location.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving angle information, wherein the angle information indicates a height of the target object with respect to the central location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises identifying the location of the target object in a three dimensional space.

13. An apparatus for identifying a location of a target object within a plurality of images, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith and executable by the at least one processor, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code that receives a plurality of images, wherein each of the plurality of images comprise an image of a target object at different time frames;

computer readable program code that receives position information indicating a central location, wherein the central location comprises a designated location where the plurality of images were taken;

computer readable program code that receives direction information, for each of the plurality of images, indicating a position of a target object with respect to the central location corresponding to each of the plurality of images;

computer readable program code that determines, using the position information and the direction information, a target location corresponding to a location of the target object with respect to the central location within each of the plurality of images; and

identifying if the target location of the target object as determined using the position information and direction information corresponds to an expected location of the target object.

14. A computer program product for identifying a location of a target object within a plurality of images, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code that receives a plurality of images, wherein each of the plurality of images comprise an image of a target object at different time frames;

computer readable program code that receives position information indicating a central location, wherein the central location comprises a designated location where the plurality of images were taken;

computer readable program code that receives direction information, for each of the plurality of images, indicating a position of a target object with respect to the central location corresponding to each of the plurality of images;

computer readable program code that determines, using the position information and the direction information, a target location corresponding to a location of the target object with respect to the central location within each of the plurality of images; and

identifying if the target location of the target object as determined using the position information and direction information corresponds to an expected location of the target object.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer readable program code that compares the determined target location to a predetermined location, wherein the predetermined location comprises a location where the target object is expected;

and

computer readable program code that identifies a discrepancy between the determined target location and predetermined location.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising computer readable program code that obtains time information, wherein the time information indicates a time that each of the plurality of images was taken.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer readable program code that compares the time information between two consecutive images of the plurality of images to a predetermined threshold;

and

computer readable program code that notifies a user if the time information between two consecutive images exceeds the predetermined threshold.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising computer readable program code that compares the target location and time information, for each of the plurality of images, to a predefined process.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer readable program code that identifies a discrepancy between the target location and time information of at least one of the plurality of images and the predefined process.

20. A method of identifying a location of a target object within a plurality of images, the method comprising:

utilizing at least one processor to execute computer code that performs the steps of;

receiving a plurality of images, wherein each of the plurality of images comprise an image of a target object at different time frames;

receiving position information indicating a central location, wherein the central location comprises a designated location where the plurality of images were taken;

receiving direction information, for each of the plurality of images, indicating a position of a target object with respect to the central location corresponding to each of the plurality of images;

determining, using the position information and the direction information, a target location corresponding to a location of the target object with respect to the central location within each of the plurality of images; and

obtaining time information, wherein the time information indicates a time that each of the plurality of images was taken;

comparing the target location and time information, for each of the plurality of images, to a predefined process;

identifying a discrepancy between the target location and time information of at least one of the plurality of images and the predefined process, wherein the identifying a discrepancy comprises identifying if the target location of the target object as determined using the position information, direction information, and time information corresponds to an expected location of the target object; and

notifying a user of the discrepancy.