People counting systems and methods

• US 20060067456A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FLIR Commercial Systems Incorporated (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Point Grey Research Inc (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Steenburgh, Malcolm, Tucakov, Vladimir, Ku, Shyan
• Granted Patent: US 7,692,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 377/6
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00 Individual registration on entry or exit

Abstract

A system for counting a number of people or other moving objects entering or leaving a space has a camera which provides an image of an entrance to the space. A data processor identifies moving objects in the image. The data processor is configured to count people or other objects which enter or leave an area within the image for two or more segments of a boundary of the area. Accuracy of the counting system can be monitored by comparing the counts for the different segments.

Claims

1. An automated method for counting objects moving between spaces, the method comprising:

obtaining digitized images of a region lying between two or more spaces;

in a data processor;

processing the digitized images to detect moving objects in the images;

for a period, accumulating a first count of those of the moving objects that cross a boundary of a defined area lying within the image in a direction into the defined area;

for the period, accumulating a second count of those of the moving objects that cross the boundary of the defined area in a direction out of the defined area; and

,

computing an accuracy measure based at least in part on the first and second counts.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein computing the accuracy measure comprises computing a difference of the first and second counts.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein computing the accuracy measure comprises dividing the difference of the first and second counts by a sum of the first and second counts.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein computing the accuracy measure comprises computing a quotient of the first and second counts.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the boundary comprises a plurality of segments and accumulating the first count comprises separately accumulating a count of a number of the moving objects that cross the boundary of the defined area in the direction into the defined area for each of the plurality of segments.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein accumulating the second count comprises separately accumulating a count of a number of the moving objects that cross the boundary of the defined area in the direction out of the defined area for each of the plurality of segments.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein the defined area comprises a polygon having at least three sides and each of the segments is one side of the polygon.

8. A method according to claim 5 wherein the area is disposed in a location such that all of the moving objects which cross any one of the segments in the direction into the area must originate from the same one of the two or more spaces.

9. A method according to claim 5 wherein there are two or more of the segments such that all of the moving objects which cross the two or more of the segments in the direction out of the area cross into a same one of the two or more spaces.

10. A method according to claim 5 wherein at least one of the segments is curved.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein processing the image data comprises determining that none of the moving objects are in the area at either a start or an end of the period.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein processing the image data comprises determining a number of the moving objects within the area at a start of the period and determining a number of the moving objects within the area at an end of the period.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein processing the image data comprises counting a number of the moving objects that are in the defined area at an end of the period and wherein computing the accuracy measure is based in part on the number of the moving objects that are in the defined area at an end of the period.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein the moving objects are people.

15. A method according to claim 1 comprising obtaining the digitized images from a camera oriented to look downward onto the area from above.

16. A method according to claim 1 comprising repeating computing the accuracy measure for a plurality of different periods and outputting a graphical indication of the accuracy measure as a function of time.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the graphical indication of the accuracy measure comprises a bar chart.

18. A method according to claim 1 comprising maintaining an image buffer comprising one or more most recent digitized images and preserving contents of the image buffer upon the accuracy measure indicating the occurrence of a counting error.

19. A program product comprising a computer readable medium carrying computer readable instructions which, when executed by a data processor, cause the data processor to perform a method according to claim 1.

20. Apparatus for counting people or other moving objects, the apparatus comprising:

a data processor connected to receive digitized images of a region lying between two or more spaces, the data processor executing software instructions that cause the data processor to detect moving objects in the images;

a data store accessible to the data processor, the data store storing;

an area definition, the area definition defining a boundary of a defined area within the images, the boundary comprising a plurality of segments; and

,

for each of the plurality of the segments an inbound moving object counter and an outbound moving object counter;

wherein the data processor is configured to;

each time a moving object crosses into the defined area across one of the segments, increment the corresponding one of the inbound moving object counters;

each time a moving object crosses out of the defined area across one of the segments, increment the corresponding one of the outbound moving object counters; and

,

compute an accuracy measure based at least in part on a sum of the counts in the inbound moving object counters and a sum of the counts in the outbound moving object counters.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20 wherein the data processor is configured to compute a difference between the sum of the counts in the inbound moving object counters and the sum of the counts in the outbound moving object counters and to compute the accuracy measure based at least in part on the difference.

22. Apparatus according to claim 20 wherein the data processor is configured to compute a quotient of the sum of the counts in the inbound moving object counters and the sum of the counts in the outbound moving object counters and to compute the accuracy measure based at least in part on the quotient.

23. Apparatus according to claim 20 wherein the defined area comprises a polygon.

24. Apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the segments comprise straight lines.

25. Apparatus according to claim 20 wherein the defined area is a triangle.