Method for finding paths in video

• US 20060066719A1
• Filed: 09/24/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ObjectVideo Incorporated (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ObjectVideo Incorporated (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chosak, Andrew J., Yu, Li, Haering, Niels, Zhang, Zhong, Venetianer, Peter L., Lipton, Alan J., Yin, Weihong, Liu, Haiying, Rasheed, Zeeshan, Egnal, Geoffrey, Yu, Liang Yin
• Application Number:
  US10/948,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20060066719A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

An input video sequence may be processed by processing the input video sequence to obtain target information; and building at least one path model based on said target information. The path model may be used to detect various events, particularly in connection with video surveillance.

Claims

1. A video processing system comprising:

an up-stream video processing device to accept an input video sequence and output information on one or more targets in said input video sequence; and

a path builder, coupled to said up-stream video processing device to receive at least a portion of said output information and to build at least one path model.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said up-stream video processing device comprises:

a detection device to receive said input video sequence;

a tracking device coupled to an output of said detection device; and

a classification device coupled to an output of said tracking device, an output of said classification device being coupled to an input of said path builder.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an event detection device coupled to receive an output of said path builder and to output one or more detected events.

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising:

an event specification interface coupled to said event detection device to provide one or more events of interest to said event detection device.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said event specification interface comprises a graphical user interface.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said path builder provides feedback to said up-stream video processing device.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said path builder comprises:

at least one buffer.

8. A method of video processing, comprising:

processing an input video sequence to obtain target information; and

building at least one path model based on said target information.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said processing an input video sequence comprises:

detecting at least one target;

tracking at least one target; and

classifying at least one target.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said building at least one path model comprises:

building at least one size map;

building at least one of the group consisting of entry maps and exit maps; and

training said at least one path model based on said at least one of the group consisting of an entry map and an exit map.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the group consisting of said building at least one size map and building at least one of the group consisting of entry maps and exit maps comprises:

for a given target, considering at least one instance of the target;

filtering said at least one instance of the target; and

determining if said at least one instance of the target is mature.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said at least one of the group consisting of said building at least one size map and building at least one of the group consisting of entry maps and exit maps further comprises:

if at least one instance of the target is mature, updating at least one map model corresponding to at least one location where an instance of the target is mature.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said wherein at least one of the group consisting of said building at least one size map and building at least one of the group consisting of entry maps and exit maps further comprises:

determining if at least one map model forming part of said at least path model is mature.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

detecting at least one event based on said at least one path model.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said detecting at least one event comprises:

for a given target, comparing at least one path of the target with at least one path of said at least one path model.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said comparing comprises:

using a user-defined comparison criterion.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

obtaining at least one user-defined criterion for event detection.

18. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to claim 8.

19. A video processing system comprising:

a computer system; and

the computer-readable medium according to claim 18.

20. A video surveillance system comprising:

at least one camera to generate an input video sequence; and

the video processing system according to claim 19.