TRACKING DEVICE, TRACKING METHOD, TRACKING DEVICE CONTROL PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20090096871A1
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Kuwano, Satoru, Inoue, Tomohiro, Kakiuchi, Takashi, Senga, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,599,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/169
• 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: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/173 face re-identification, e.g. recognising unknown faces across different face tracks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A tracking device includes feature information detection means for detecting feature information from a photographic image and tracking object matching means for comparing the feature information with tracking object information in which feature information of a plurality of figures are registered so that the feature information corresponds to a priority indicating tracking order of the feature information and for determining whether or not the feature information is information of the tracking object. The tracking device also includes priority acquisition means for acquiring the priority of the feature information detected from the tracking object information where it is determined that the feature information detected is the information of the tracking object and control means for controlling the photographing section, based on the priority acquired, so as to continuously include, in the photographic image from which the feature information is detected, feature information that has a highest priority in the photographic image.

Claims

1. A tracking device which tracks a tracking object by controlling a photographing section so as to continuously include the tracking object in a photographic image, the tracking device comprising:

feature information detection means for detecting feature information from the photographic image;

tracking object matching means for (i) comparing the feature information thus detected with tracking object information in which feature information of a plurality of figures are registered so that the feature information corresponds to a priority indicating tracking order of the feature information, and (ii) determining whether or not the feature information thus detected is information of the tracking object;

priority acquisition means for acquiring the priority of the feature information thus detected from the tracking object information, in the case where it is determined that the feature information thus detected is the information of the tracking object; and

control means for controlling the photographing section, based on the priority thus acquired, so as to continuously include, in the photographic image from which the feature information is detected, feature information that has a highest priority in the photographic image.

2. The tracking device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the feature information is face information which specifies features of a face of a figure.

3. The tracking device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising position recognition means for continuously recognizing, in the photographic image, a position of the feature information thus detected by the feature information detection means,

wherein the tracking object matching means skips the matching when (i) the feature information detection means detects same feature information, in a photographic image which is subsequently obtained, as the feature information, which has been detected by the feature information detection means, and (ii) the position recognition means recognizes the position of the feature information in the photographic image.

4. The tracking device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the photographing section includes a plurality of photographing devices,

the control means controls the photographing section so that, when one of the photographing devices that has tracked feature information having the highest priority can no longer track the feature information having the highest priority, other one of the photographing devices that can track the feature information having the highest priority tracks the feature information having the highest priority.

5. The tracking device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

an input section via which a user is able to set and change a priority in the tracking object information.

6. The tracking device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the tracking object matching means (i) finds a similarity between the feature information detected by the feature information detection means and the feature information included in the tracking object information, (ii) determines, in a case where the similarity thus found is greater than a predetermined authentication threshold value, that the feature information thus detected is information of a tracking object and (iii) finds authentication reliability indicative of how large the similarity thus found is as compared with the predetermined authentication threshold value; and

in a case where the photographic image includes a plurality of feature information having an identical priority, the control means controls the photographing section so that one of the plurality of feature information, which has a greater authentication reliability, is continuously included in the photographic image.

7. The tracking device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the control means controls the photographing section so that at least one of a size and a position of the feature information that has the highest priority is always fixed in the photographic image.

9. A tracking device control program for operating a tracking device as set forth in claim 1, the control program causing a computer to function as each of the means in the tracking device.

10. A computer-readable recording medium wherein a tracking device control program as set forth in claim 9 is recorded.

11. The tracking device as set forth in claim 2, further comprising position recognition means for continuously recognizing, in the photographic image, a position of the feature information thus detected by the feature information detection means,

wherein the tracking object matching means skips the matching when (i) the feature information detection means detects same feature information, in a photographic image which is subsequently obtained, as the feature information, which has been detected by the feature information detection means, and (ii) the position recognition means recognizes the position of the feature information in the photographic image.

12. The tracking device as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

the photographing section includes a plurality of photographing devices,

the control means controls the photographing section so that, when one of the photographing devices that has tracked feature information having the highest priority can no longer track the feature information having the highest priority, other one of the photographing devices that can track the feature information having the highest priority tracks the feature information having the highest priority.

13. The tracking device as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

the photographing section includes a plurality of photographing devices,

the control means controls the photographing section so that, when one of the photographing devices that has tracked feature information having the highest priority can no longer track the feature information having the highest priority, other one of the photographing devices that can track the feature information having the highest priority tracks the feature information having the highest priority.

14. The tracking device as set forth in claim 2, further comprising:

an input section via which a user is able to set and change a priority in the tracking object information.

15. The tracking device as set forth in claim 3, further comprising:

an input section via which a user is able to set and change a priority in the tracking object information.

16. The tracking device as set forth in claim 4, further comprising:

an input section via which a user is able to set and change a priority in the tracking object information.

17. The tracking device as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

the tracking object matching means (i) finds a similarity between the feature information detected by the feature information detection means and the feature information included in the tracking object information, (ii) determines, in a case where the similarity thus found is greater than a predetermined authentication threshold value, that the feature information thus detected is information of a tracking object and (iii) finds authentication reliability indicative of how large the similarity thus found is as compared with the predetermined authentication threshold value; and

in a case where the photographic image includes a plurality of feature information having an identical priority, the control means controls the photographing section so that one of the plurality of feature information, which has a greater authentication reliability, is continuously included in the photographic image.

18. The tracking device as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

the tracking object matching means (i) finds a similarity between the feature information detected by the feature information detection means and the feature information included in the tracking object information, (ii) determines, in a case where the similarity thus found is greater than a predetermined authentication threshold value, that the feature information thus detected is information of a tracking object and (iii) finds authentication reliability indicative of how large the similarity thus found is as compared with the predetermined authentication threshold value; and

in a case where the photographic image includes a plurality of feature information having an identical priority, the control means controls the photographing section so that one of the plurality of feature information, which has a greater authentication reliability, is continuously included in the photographic image.

19. The tracking device as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

the tracking object matching means (i) finds a similarity between the feature information detected by the feature information detection means and the feature information included in the tracking object information, (ii) determines, in a case where the similarity thus found is greater than a predetermined authentication threshold value, that the feature information thus detected is information of a tracking object and (iii) finds authentication reliability indicative of how large the similarity thus found is as compared with the predetermined authentication threshold value; and

in a case where the photographic image includes a plurality of feature information having an identical priority, the control means controls the photographing section so that one of the plurality of feature information, which has a greater authentication reliability, is continuously included in the photographic image.

20. The tracking device as set forth in claim 5, wherein:

the tracking object matching means (i) finds a similarity between the feature information detected by the feature information detection means and the feature information included in the tracking object information, (ii) determines, in a case where the similarity thus found is greater than a predetermined authentication threshold value, that the feature information thus detected is information of a tracking object and (iii) finds authentication reliability indicative of how large the similarity thus found is as compared with the predetermined authentication threshold value; and

in a case where the photographic image includes a plurality of feature information having an identical priority, the control means controls the photographing section so that one of the plurality of feature information, which has a greater authentication reliability, is continuously included in the photographic image.

8. A tracking method for tracking a tracking object by controlling a photographing section so as to continuously include the tracking object in a photographic image, the tracking method comprising the steps of:

detecting feature information from the photographic image;

comparing the feature information thus detected with tracking object information in which feature information of a plurality of figures are registered so that the feature information corresponds to a priority indicating tracking order of the feature information;

determining whether or not the feature information thus detected is information of the tracking object;

acquiring the priority of the feature information thus detected from the tracking object information, in the case where it is determined that the feature information thus detected is the information of the tracking object; and

controlling the photographing section, based on the priority thus acquired, so as to continuously include, in the photographic image from which the feature information is detected, feature information that has a highest priority in the photographic image.