Method and apparatus for detecting motion in MPEG video streams

• US 20060210175A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pelco Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pelco (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Huang, Chien-Min, Aghdasi, Farzin
• Granted Patent: US 7,933,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation

Abstract

A method of detecting motion in a video image comprising the steps of connecting an MPEG compliant encoder to a video source that provides video images, compressing the video data in the video images and generating a compressed video image bit stream having a motion compensation component, receiving the generated compressed video image bit stream, comparing the motion compensation component to a threshold value, and indicating that motion has occurred if the motion compensation component is greater than the threshold value.

Claims

1. A method of detecting motion in a video image comprising the steps of:

connecting an MPEG compliant encoder to a video source that provides video images;

compressing the video data in the video images and generating a compressed video image bit stream having a motion compensation component;

receiving the generated compressed video image bit stream;

comparing the motion compensation component to a threshold value; and

indicating that motion has occurred if the motion compensation component is greater than the threshold value.

2. A method of detecting an abandoned object in a video image comprising the steps of:

connecting an MPEG compliant encoder to a video source that provides video images;

storing a reference video frame;

obtaining the current video image frame;

determining the motion compensation for the current video image frame versus the reference video frame;

comparing the motion compensation to a threshold value;

compressing the current video image; and

storing an indication in the compressed video image that an abandoned object has been detected if the motion compensation is greater than the threshold value.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 further comprising the steps of starting a timer when the motion compensation is greater than the threshold value;

continuing to increment the timer for each current video frame that has a motion compensation greater than the threshold value;

resetting the timer if a current video frame has a motion compensation less than the threshold value;

comparing the timer to a predetermined period of time; and

indicating that an abandoned object has been detected if the timer is greater than the predetermined period of time.

4. A method of detecting the removal of an object in a video image comprising the steps of:

connecting an MPEG compliant encoder to a video source that provides video images;

storing a reference video frame containing an object to be monitored;

defining a zone of interest around the object to be monitored;

obtaining the current video image frame;

determining the motion compensation for the current video image frame in the zone of interest versus the reference video frame zone of interest;

comparing the motion compensation to a threshold value;

compressing the current video image; and

storing an indication in the compressed video image that the removal of the object to be monitored has been detected if the motion compensation is greater than the threshold value.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising the steps of starting a timer when the motion compensation is greater than the threshold value;

continuing to increment the timer for each current video frame that has a motion compensation greater than the threshold value;

resetting the timer if a current video frame has a motion compensation less than the threshold value;

comparing the timer to a predetermined period of time; and

indicating that the removal of the object to be monitored has been detected if the timer is greater than the predetermined period of time.

6. An apparatus for detecting motion in a video image comprising:

an encoder adapted to be connected to a video image source, said encoder providing compressed video images including an MPEG compliant motion compensation between two video images; and

a comparator connected to said encoder for comparing the motion compensation with a predetermined threshold to determine if the motion compensation is greater than said predetermined threshold, said comparator providing an indication if the motion compensation is greater than said predetermined threshold.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said encoder provides a motion vector in said MPEG compliant motion compensation and said comparator compares said motion vector to said predetermined threshold and provides an indication if said motion vector is greater than said predetermined threshold.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said encoder provides said motion compensation in the meta-data portion of the compressed video image.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein said motion compensation is a motion vector.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein said motion compensation is a sum of the absolute values of the distortion between the frames.

8. An apparatus for detecting an abandoned object in a video image comprising:

an encoder adapted to be connected to a video image source, said encoder providing compressed video images including an MPEG compliant motion compensation between two video images and comprising a first memory for storing the current video image frame and a processor;

a second memory for storing a reference video image;

said processor determining the motion compensation for the current video image stored in said first memory with the reference video image stored in said second memory, comparing said motion compensation with a threshold value, and providing an indication in the compressed image for the current frame that an abandoned object has been detected if the motion compensation is greater than the threshold value.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 8 further comprising a timer and wherein said processor is adapted to start said timer when the motion compensation is greater that the threshold value, to allow the timer to continue to increase provided that the motion compensation for each subsequent current video image has a motion compensation greater than the threshold value and to compare the timer to a predetermined time, and to provide an indication in the compressed image for the current frame that an abandoned object has been detected if the timer is greater than the predetermined time.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said motion compensation is a motion vector.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said motion compensation is a sum of the absolute values of the distortion between the frames.

10. An apparatus for detecting the removal of an object in a video image comprising:

an encoder adapted to be connected to a video image source, said encoder providing compressed video images including an MPEG compliant motion compensation between two video images and comprising a first memory for storing the current video image frame and a processor;

a second memory for storing a reference video image containing an object to be monitored;

said processor being adapted to allow a zone of interest to be defined around the object in the reference image and determining the motion compensation for the zone of interest in the current video image stored in said first memory with the zone of interest in the reference video image stored in said second memory, comparing said motion compensation with a threshold value, and providing an indication in the compressed image for the current frame that the removal of the object has been detected if the motion compensation is greater than the threshold value.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10 further comprising a timer and wherein said processor is adapted to start said timer when the motion compensation is greater that the threshold value, to allow the timer to continue to increase provided that the motion compensation for each subsequent current video image has a motion compensation greater than the threshold value and to compare the timer to a predetermined time, and to provide an indication in the compressed image for the current frame that the removal of the object has been detected if the timer is greater than the predetermined time.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said motion compensation is a motion vector.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said motion compensation is a sum of the absolute values of the distortion between the frames.