Image-based object counting method and apparatus

• US 10,127,676 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanwha Vision Company Limited (Hanwha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hanwha Aerospace Co., Ltd. (Hanwha Corporation)
• Inventors: Yin, Shi Min, Ryu, Yeon Geol
• Primary Examiner(s): Goradia, Shefali
• Application Number:
  US15/240,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20170116724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30242 Counting objects in image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80

Abstract

An image-based object counting method includes rasterizing a counting line in an image into counting line pixels; determining two points on a trajectory line included in the image, as target pixels; determining, from the counting line pixels, corresponding pixels that corresponds to the target pixels; determining whether the counting line intersects with the trajectory line based on the target pixels and the corresponding pixels; and determining the number of one or more trajectory lines including the trajectory line that intersect with the counting line as the number of objects that pass through the counting line.

Claims

1. An image-based object counting method comprising:

rasterizing a counting line in an image into counting line pixels;

determining two points on a trajectory line included in the image as target pixels;

determining, from the counting line pixels, corresponding pixels that correspond to the target pixels;

determining whether the counting line intersects with the trajectory line based on the target pixels and the corresponding pixels; and

determining a number of one or more trajectory lines including the trajectory line that intersect with the counting line as a number of objects that pass the counting line, wherein

the determining of whether the counting line intersects with the trajectory line comprises determining that the counting line intersects with the trajectory line when a first result of comparison between a first target pixel from the target pixels and a first corresponding pixel corresponding to the first target pixel is different from a second result of comparison between a second target pixel from the target pixels and a second corresponding pixel corresponding to the second target pixel,

the determining of the corresponding pixels comprises, when one of two direction coordinates is a reference direction coordinate, determining, as the corresponding pixels, pixels having same reference direction coordinate values as the target pixels from among the counting line pixels,

the determining of whether the counting line intersects with the trajectory line comprises, when the other direction coordinate is a comparative direction coordinate, determining, as the first result of the comparison, whether a difference between a comparative direction coordinate value of the first target pixel and a comparative direction coordinate value of the first corresponding pixel is greater than 0, and determining, as the second result of the comparison, whether a difference between a comparative direction coordinate value of the second target pixel and a comparative direction coordinate value of the second corresponding pixel is greater than 0, and

the determining of the corresponding pixels comprises determining one of the two direction coordinates as the reference direction coordinate and determining the other direction coordinate as the comparative direction coordinate, based on an inclination of the counting line.

2. The image-based object counting method of claim 1, further comprising generating an index list including the counting line pixels,

wherein the determining of the corresponding pixels comprises:

determining whether the corresponding pixels corresponding to the target pixels exist within the index list;

re-generating the index list when the corresponding pixels do not exist within the index list; and

determining the corresponding pixels from among the re-generated index list.

3. The image-based object counting method of claim 2, wherein the re-generating of the index list comprises:

generating an extending line that extends from the counting line;

rasterizing the extending line in the image into extending line pixels; and

regenerating the index list including the counting line pixels and the extending line pixels.

4. The image-based object counting method of claim 3, wherein the determining of whether the counting line intersects with the trajectory line comprises:

classifying the index list into a plurality of sections when the extending line pixels are included in the index list; and

re-determining the target pixels when the corresponding pixels respectively belong to two different sections of the plurality of sections.

5. The image-based object counting method of claim 4, wherein the classifying of the index list into the plurality of sections comprises classifying the index list into a first external section corresponding to a first extending line piece not overlapping the counting line, the first extending line piece comprising a point adjacent to one of two end points of the counting line, a second external section corresponding to a second extending line piece not overlapping the counting line, the second extending line piece comprising a point adjacent to the other end point, and an internal section corresponding to a third extending line piece overlapped by the counting line, the internal section comprising the two end points of the counting line.

6. The image-based object counting method of claim 5, wherein the determining of whether the counting line intersects with the trajectory line comprises determining that the counting line does not intersect with the trajectory line when all of the corresponding pixels belong to the first external section or the second external section, and determining that the counting line intersects with the trajectory line, when all of the corresponding pixels belong to the internal section.

7. The image-based object counting method of claim 6, wherein the re-determining of the corresponding pixels comprises:

determining one point on the trajectory line as an additional target pixel;

acquiring an additional corresponding pixel corresponding to the additional target pixel from among the index list;

selecting a target pixel from the target pixels based on the target pixels, the additional target pixel, the corresponding pixels, and the additional corresponding pixel; and

determining the selected target pixel and the additional target pixel as the target pixels.

8. The image-based object counting method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the additional target pixel comprises determining a center point between the target pixels as the additional target pixel.

9. The image-based object counting method of claim 7, wherein the selecting of the one from the target pixels comprises selecting the first target pixel from the target pixels when the first result of the comparison between the first target pixel and the first corresponding pixel corresponding to the first target pixel is different from an additional result of comparison between the additional target pixel and the additional corresponding pixel.

10. The image-based object counting method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an extending line that extends from the counting line;

rasterizing the extending line in the image into extending line pixels; and

generating an index list including the counting line pixels and the extending line pixels.

11. The image-based object counting method of claim 1, wherein

the determining of whether the counting line intersects with the trajectory line comprises further determining an intersecting direction of an object that moves along the trajectory line when the counting line intersects with the trajectory line, and

the determining the number of one or more trajectory lines comprises counting the number of objects for each intersecting direction.

12. The image-based object counting method of claim 11, wherein the determining of whether the counting line intersects with the trajectory line comprises, when the difference between the comparative direction coordinate value of the first target pixel and the comparative direction coordinate value of the first corresponding pixel is greater than 0, determining that the intersecting direction is a first intersecting direction, and when the difference between the comparative direction coordinate value of the second target pixel and the comparative direction coordinate value of the second corresponding pixel is greater than 0, determining that the intersecting direction is a second intersecting direction different from the first intersecting direction.

13. An image-based object counting apparatus comprising one or more processors implementing:

an index generator configured to rasterize a counting line in an image into counting line pixels and generate an index list including the counting line pixels;

a target pixel determiner configured to determine two points on a trajectory line included in the image as target pixels;

a corresponding pixel determiner configured to determine corresponding pixels that correspond to the target pixels from among the index list;

an intersection determiner configured to determine whether the counting line intersects with the trajectory line based on the target pixels and the corresponding pixels; and

an object counter configured to determine a number of one or more trajectory lines including the trajectory line that intersect with the counting line as a number of objects that pass the counting line,

wherein the corresponding pixel determiner is further configured to;

determine that the counting line intersects with the trajectory line when a first result of comparison between a first target pixel from the target pixels and a first corresponding pixel corresponding to the first target pixel is different from a second result of comparison between a second target pixel from the target pixels and a second corresponding pixel corresponding to the second target pixel;

when one of two direction coordinates is a reference direction coordinate, determine, as the corresponding pixels, pixels having same reference direction coordinate values as the target pixels from among the counting line pixels,

when the other direction coordinate is a comparative direction coordinate, determine, as the first result of the comparison, whether a difference between a comparative direction coordinate value of the first target pixel and a comparative direction coordinate value of the first corresponding pixel is greater than 0, and determine, as the second result of the comparison, whether a difference between a comparative direction coordinate value of the second target pixel and a comparative direction coordinate value of the second corresponding pixel is greater than 0; and

determine one of the two direction coordinates as the reference direction coordinate and determine the other direction coordinate as the comparative direction coordinate, based on an inclination of the counting line.

14. The image-based object counting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the intersection determiner is configured to determine that the counting line intersects with the trajectory line when a first result of comparison between a first target pixel from the target pixels and a first corresponding pixel corresponding to the first target pixel is different from a second comparison result as a second result of comparison between a second target pixel from the target pixels and a second corresponding pixel corresponding to the second target pixel.

15. The image-based object counting apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the corresponding pixel determiner is configured to determine, as the corresponding pixels, pixels having the same reference direction coordinate values as the target pixels from among the index list, and

the intersection determiner determines, as the first result of the comparison, whether a difference between a comparative direction coordinate value of the first target pixel and a comparative direction coordinate value of the first corresponding pixel is greater than 0, and determines, as the second result of the comparison, whether a difference between a comparative direction coordinate value of the second target pixel and a comparative direction coordinate value of the second corresponding pixel is greater than 0.

16. The image-based object counting apparatus of claim 13, wherein

the corresponding pixel determiner is configured to determine whether the corresponding pixels corresponding to the target pixels exist within the index list,

the index list generator is configured to re-generate the index list when the corresponding pixels do not exist within the index list, and

the corresponding pixel determiner is configured to determine the corresponding pixels from among the re-generated index list.

17. The image-based object counting apparatus of claim 16, wherein, when the corresponding pixels do not exist within the index list, the index list generator is configured to generate an extending line that extends from the counting line, rasterizing the extending line in the image into extending line pixels, and generate the index list including the counting line pixels and the extending line pixels.