Stopped object detection

• US 10,051,246 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pelco (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Pelco (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Su, Wei, Wang, Lei, Aghdasi, Farzin, Yang, Shu
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Jeffery
• Application Number:
  US14/850,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20150381950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: 348143
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20081 Training; Learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30242 Counting objects in image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/53 Recognition of crowd images, e.g. recognition of crowd congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A video surveillance system includes: an input configured to receive indications of images each comprising a plurality of pixels; a memory; and a processing unit communicatively coupled to the input and the memory and configured to: analyze the indications of the images; compare the present image with a short-term background image stored in the memory; compare the present image with a long-term background image stored in the memory; provide an indication in response to an object in the present image being disposed in a first location in the present image, in a second location in, or absent from, the short-term background image, and in a third location in, or absent from, the long-term background image, where the first location is different from both the second location and the third location.

Claims

1. A video surveillance system comprising:

an input configured to receive indications of images each comprising a plurality of pixels;

a memory; and

a processing unit communicatively coupled to the input and the memory and configured to;

analyze the indications of the images;

compare a present image with a short-term background image stored in the memory;

compare the present image with a long-term background image stored in the memory;

determine that a motion of an object in the present image is duration-qualified motion in response to the object in the present image being disposed in a first location in the present image, in a second location in, or absent from, the short-term background image, and in a third location in, or absent from, the long-term background image, wherein the first location is different from both the second location and the third location; and

provide a stopped-object indication in response to the object with duration-qualified motion being stopped in a zone longer than an alarm-trigger time for that zone.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

update the short-term background image using the present image in response to lack of motion in images during a preceding short-term time threshold; and

update the long-term background image using the present image in response to lack of motion in images during a preceding long-term time threshold.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing unit is configured to actuate an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication only if the object is larger than a size threshold.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing unit is configured to actuate an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication only if the object is within a size range.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing unit is configured to actuate an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication only in response to the first location being different from each of the second location and the third location by at least a movement threshold.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is a camera, the camera further comprising a video capture device configured to convert reflected light into the indications of the images, and wherein the input is communicatively coupled to the video capture device to receive the indications of the images from the video capture device.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user interface communicatively coupled to the processing unit and configured to provide an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication.

8. A video surveillance method comprising:

receiving indications of images each comprising a plurality of pixels;

analyzing the indications of the images;

comparing a present image with a short-term background image stored in the memory;

comparing the present image with a long-term background image stored in the memory;

determining that a motion of an object in the present image is duration-qualified motion, in response to the object in the present image being disposed in a first location in the present image, in a second location in, or absent from, the short-term background image, and in a third location in, or absent from, the long-term background image, wherein the first location is different from both the second location and the third location; and

providing a stopped-object indication in response to the object with duration-qualified motion being stopped in a zone longer than an alarm-trigger time for that zone.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

updating the short-term background image using the present image in response to lack of motion in images during a preceding short-term time threshold; and

updating the long-term background image using the present image in response to lack of motion in images during a preceding long-term time threshold.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the processing unit is configured to actuate an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication only if the object is larger than a size threshold.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the processing unit is configured to actuate an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication only if the object is within a size range.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the processing unit is configured to actuate an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication only in response to the first location being different from each of the second location and the third location by at least a movement threshold.

13. A computer program product residing on a non-transitory processor-readable medium and comprising instructions configured to cause a processor to:

receive indications of images each comprising a plurality of pixels;

analyze the indications of the images;

compare a present image with a short-term background image stored in the memory;

compare the present image with a long-term background image stored in the memory;

determine that a motion of an object in the present image is duration-qualified motion, in response to the object in the present image being disposed in a first location in the present image, in a second location in, or absent from, the short-term background image, and in a third location in, or absent from, the long-term background image, wherein the first location is different from both the second location and the third location; and

provide a stopped-object indication in response to the object with duration-qualified motion being stopped in a zone longer than an alarm-trigger time for that zone.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to:

update the short-term background image using the present image in response to lack of motion in images during a preceding short-term time threshold; and

update the long-term background image using the present image in response to lack of motion in images during a preceding long-term time threshold.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to actuate an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication only if the object is larger than a size threshold.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to actuate an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication only if the object is within a size range.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to actuate an alarm in response to the stopped-object indication only in response to the first location being different from each of the second location and the third location by at least a movement threshold.