Systems and Methods for Determining if Objects are in a Queue

• US 20070122002A1
• Filed: 01/29/2007
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FLIR Commercial Systems Incorporated (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Nomi Corp.
• Inventors: Crabtree, Ralph
• Granted Patent: US 7,400,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

Systems and methods that determine a position value of a first object and a position value of a second object, and compare the position value of the first object with the position value of the second object to determine if the second object is in a queue with the first object are provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a first object within a defined area using a sensor;

producing a position value of the first object based on an indicator from the sensor, the position value including at least two position coordinates and a corresponding time value; and

associating the position value of the first object with a queue set when at least a portion of the position value of the first object and at least a portion of a position value of a second object satisfies a queue parameter condition, the position value of the second object including at least two position coordinates and a corresponding time value, the position value of the second object being associated with the queue set, the queue set defining a queue associated with a seed location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the defined area is a first area,

the method, further comprising:

the position value of the second object is associated with the queue set when a seed parameter condition is satisfied based on a relationship between the position value of the second object and a second area, the second area being within a predetermined distance of the seed location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the second object is co-located with at least a portion of the second area, the first object is disposed outside of the second area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the position value of the first object is used to define a velocity of the first object, the queue parameter condition is satisfied based on the velocity of the first object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the queue set includes a plurality of tracks, the method further comprising:

identifying a third object as a final object; and

closing the queue set for a period of time when at least one of a queue parameter condition or a seed parameter condition is unsatisfied based on a position value of the final object and each track from a plurality of tracks included in the queue set, the position value of the first object being included in a first track from the plurality of tracks, the position value of the second object being included in a second track from the plurality of tracks.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including a position value associated with a third object in the queue set when the queue parameter condition is satisfied based on a calculated value, the calculated value being based on the position value associated with the third object and at least one of the position value of the first object or the position value of the second object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the calculated value is a single-dimensional spatial value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the position value of the first object is included in a track of the first object, the position value of the second object is included in a track of the second object, the track of the first object is included in the queue set when the queue parameter condition is satisfied.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the position value of the first object is included in a track of the first object,

the method, further comprising:

detecting a change in the track of the first object; and

repeating the associating in response to the change.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first object is a first person and the second object is a second person, the queue is a queue of people, the seed location is at a fixed location within the defined area.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a tracking system configured to detect, using a sensor, a first object within a defined area, the tracking system being configured to produce a position value of the first object based on an indicator from the sensor, the position value being included in a track of the first object, the position value including at least two position coordinates and a corresponding time value; and

a processor system configured to associate the track of the object with a queue set when at least a portion of the position value of the first object and at least a portion of a position value of a second object satisfies a queue parameter condition, the position value of the second object being included in the queue set, the queue set defining a queue associated with a seed location.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the queue parameter condition is satisfied based on at least one of a velocity of the first object or a velocity of the second object, the position value of the first object is a first position value of the first object, the velocity of the first object being calculated based on the first position value of the first object and a second position value of the first object.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor system is configured to calculate a single-dimensional spatial value based on the at least the portion of the position value of the first object and the at least the portion of the position value of the second object, the queue parameter condition is satisfied based on the single-dimensional spatial value.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the defined area is a first area, the second object is included in the queue set when a seed parameter condition is satisfied based on a velocity of the second object with respect to a second area within a predetermined distance of the seed location, at least a portion of the second object is co-located with at least a portion of the second area.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor system is configured to associate a position value associated with a third object in the queue set when the queue parameter condition is satisfied based on a calculated value, the calculated value being based on the position value associated with the third object and at least one of the position value of the first object or the position value of the second object.

16. A method comprising:

detecting, using a sensor, a first object within a defined area;

producing a position value of the first object based on an indicator from the sensor, the position value including at least two position coordinates and a corresponding time value;

receiving a position value of a second object associated with a beginning of a queue, the position value of the second object being included in a queue set, the queue set defining a queue associated with a seed location;

associating the position value of the first object with the queue set when at least a portion of the position value of the first object and at least a portion of a position value of a second object satisfies a queue parameter condition.

17. The method of claim 16, the defined area is a first area,

the method, further comprising:

the position value of the second object is included in the queue set when a seed parameter condition is satisfied, the seed parameter condition being satisfied based on a relationship between the position value of the second object and a second area, the second area being within a predetermined distance of the seed location.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the defined area is a first area, the beginning of the queue is defined by a second area within a predetermined distance of the seed location, the first object is disposed outside of the second area.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least a portion of the second object is co-located with at least a portion of the second area.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the position value of the first object is included in a track of the first object, the position value of the second object is included in a track of the second object, the track of the first object is included in the queue set when the queue parameter condition is satisfied.