Image processing device and elevator mounting it thereon

• US 20020191819A1
• Filed: 07/03/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Manabu, Sumi, Kazuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,079,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/468 Call registering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/4669 using passenger condition detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation

Abstract

The present invention provides the image processing apparatus having a function of detecting a wheelchair passenger. This image processing apparatus comprises a TV camera installed so that a hall where passengers are waiting is monitored through the camera provided in the vicinity of the elevator door, a face area extraction unit, a wheelchair area estimation unit, and a wheelchair existence judgment unit. The image processing apparatus is operated in the following manner, that is, one or a plurality of passengers'"'"' face area is identified by the face area extraction unit based on the image picked-up by the TV camera, and the position of the face area on the image is detected. If the passenger is sitting on a wheelchair, the area where the wheelchair is likely to exist on the image is estimated by the wheelchair area estimation unit from the position of the face area. The estimated area where the wheelchair is likely to exist is checked by the wheelchair existence judgment unit, to thereby judge whether the wheelchair exists.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a face area extraction unit which extracts a first area including a person'"'"'s face from a photographed person'"'"'s image;

a detection area estimation unit which estimates a desired detection area previously registered within the image, using the area extracted by the face area extraction unit; and

a judgment unit which judges whether an image in a second area extracted by the detection area estimation unit coincides with a previously registered condition.

2. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a TV camera installed so as to pick up an image of the outside of a compartment from the vicinity of a door which separates the inside and outside of the compartment;

a face area extraction unit which detects a position of a person'"'"'s face area from the image picked-up by the TV camera;

a wheelchair area estimation unit which estimates an area corresponding to a wheelchair portion from the image using the extracted face area position when the person is assumed to be on a wheelchair; and

a wheelchair existence judgment unit which judges whether a wheelchair exists from the image information of the estimated wheelchair area.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a distance measurement unit which measures a distance up to the face area extracted by the face area extraction unit, wherein the wheelchair area estimation unit estimates a wheelchair area using the measured distance data.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the distance measurement unit comprises:

an optical beam generation unit which generates a spot-like or slit-like optical beam;

an optical beam scanning unit which scans so that the generated optical beam is projected to an area to be measured;

and a reflected light detection unit which detects a reflected light of the scanned and projected optical beam, and the distance measurement unit measures a distance up to an object based on a scanning angle of the optical beam and a position where the reflected light is detected.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a range gate setting unit which sets a range threshold in order to judge that a person approaches a certain range from the compartment; and

an image pickup timing determination unit which determines a timing at which an image is picked up through recognition by the distance measurement unit that the person comes into the range gate,

wherein an image is picked up by the TV camera according to the determined timing.

6. An elevator provided with the image processing apparatus according to any one of claim 2 to claim 5, wherein a TV camera is the TV camera which photographs a passenger from the vicinity of the door of the elevator, and information obtained by the wheelchair existence judgment unit is input into a control unit of the elevator.