Method for detection and recognition of fog presence within an aircraft compartment using video images

• US 20090040367A1
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey James Shirer, Mokhtar Sadok, Radoslaw Romuald Zakrzewski, Robert Lowell Zeliff
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey James Shirer, Mokhtar Sadok, Radoslaw Romuald Zakrzewski, Robert Lowell Zeliff
• Inventors: Zakrzewski, Radoslaw Romuald, Sadok, Mokhtar, Shirer, Jeffrey James, Zeliff, Robert Lowell
• Granted Patent: US 8,400,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/370
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0053 using visual equipment, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24765 Rule-based classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/253 of extracted features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/256 of results relating to different input data, e.g. multimodal recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/765 using rules for classification or partitioning the feature space
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/806 of extracted features
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/811 the classifiers operating on different input data, e.g. multi-modal recognition
• 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: G08B 17/125 by using a video camera to detect fire or smoke

Abstract

Detecting video phenomena, such as fire in an aircraft cargo bay, includes receiving a plurality of video images from a plurality of sources, compensating the images to provide enhanced images, extracting features from the enhanced images, and combining the features from the plurality of sources to detect the video phenomena. Extracting features may include determining an energy indicator for each of a subset of the plurality of frames. Detecting video phenomena may also include comparing energy indicators for each of the subset of the plurality of frames to a reference frame. The reference frame corresponds to a video frame taken when no fire is present, video frame immediately preceding each of the subset of the plurality of frames, or a video frame immediately preceding a frame that is immediately preceding each of the subset of the plurality of frames. Image-based and non-image based techniques are described herein in connection with fire detection and/or verification and other applications.

Claims

1-418. -418. (canceled)

419. A system for acquiring camera data in a space, comprising:

a plurality of cameras disposed in the space;

a first plurality of illumination units wherein each of the first plurality of illumination units is disposed proximal to one of the cameras;

a second plurality of illumination units disposed overhead in the space; and

a control unit that controls actuation of the illumination units and the cameras.

420. A system, according to claim 419, further comprising:

a plurality of filters that filter energy provided to the cameras, wherein the filters pass energy corresponding to the output of the illumination units.

421. A system, according to claim 420, wherein the filters pass light having a wavelength of above approximately 800 nm.

422. A system, according to claim 419, wherein the control unit actuates different combinations of illumination units while the cameras acquire data.

423. A system, according to claim 422, where the different combinations are selected from one or more of the following:

all illumination units on, all illumination units off, only the second plurality of illumination units on, and only a subset of the first plurality of illumination units on.

424. A system, according to claim 419, wherein the cameras are CCD cameras.

425. A system, according to claim 424, wherein the first and second plurality of illumination units emit light in the NIR band.

426. A system, according to claim 420, wherein the filters filter out visible light.

427. A system, according to claim 426, wherein the cameras are CCD cameras and the first and second plurality of illumination units emit light in the NIR band.

428. A system for acquiring camera data in a space, comprising:

cameras means for accepting camera data;

a first plurality of illumination unit means disposed proximal to the camera means;

a second plurality of illumination unit means disposed overhead in the space; and

control means for controlling actuation of the illumination unit means and the camera means.

429. A system, according to claim 428, further comprising:

a plurality of filters means for filtering energy provided to the cameras and for passing energy corresponding to the output of the illumination units.

430. A system, according to claim 429, wherein the filter means pass light having a wavelength of above approximately 800 nm.

431. A system, according to claim 428, wherein the control means actuates different combinations of illumination units while the cameras acquire data.

432. A method of acquiring data in a space, comprising:

placing a plurality of cameras in the space;

placing a plurality of illumination units in the space, wherein some of the illumination units are overhead in the space and some of the illumination units are associated with each of the cameras; and

actuating the illumination units while the cameras acquire the data.

433. A method, according to claim 432, wherein actuating the illumination units includes actuating different combinations of illumination units while the cameras acquire data.

434. A method, according to claim 433, where the different combinations are selected from one or more of the following:

all illumination units on, all illumination units off, and only a subset of the plurality of illumination units on.

435. A method, according to claim 432, further comprising:

filtering out light having a particular range of wavelengths.

436. A method, according to claim 435, wherein the particular range of wavelengths includes visible light.

437. A method, according to claim 436, wherein the cameras are CCD cameras and the illumination units emit light in the NIR band.

438. Computer software that acquires data in a space, comprising:

executable code that actuates a plurality of cameras; and

executable code that actuates a plurality of illumination units while the cameras acquire the data, wherein different combinations of illumination units to be actuated are selected from one or more of the following;

all illumination units on, all illumination units off, and only a subset of the plurality of illumination units on.

439. Computer software, according to claim 438, further comprising:

executable code that causes undesirable light to be filtered out.

440-459. -459. (canceled)