Video tracking systems and methods employing cognitive vision

• US 20090315996A1
• Filed: 05/09/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuvision Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuvision Inc.
• Inventors: Guler, Sadiye Zeyno, Silverstein, Jason Adam, Farrow, Matthew Kevin, Pushee, Ian Harris
• Granted Patent: US 9,019,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7864 T.V. type tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/12 Bounding box
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• 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 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19652 Systems using zones in a single scene defined for different treatment, e.g. outer zone gives pre-alarm, inner zone gives alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Video tracking systems and methods include a peripheral master tracking process integrated with one or more tunnel tracking processes. The video tracking systems and methods utilize video data to detect and/or track separately several stationary or moving objects in a manner of tunnel vision. The video tracking system includes a master peripheral tracker for monitoring a scene and detecting an object, and a first tunnel tracker initiated by the master peripheral tracker, wherein the first tunnel tracker is dedicated to track one detected object.

Claims

1. A video tracking system, comprising:

a master peripheral tracker operative to interact with an image data stream, said master peripheral tracker including logic to monitor a scene and to detect an object; and

a first tunnel tracker initiated by said master peripheral tracker, said first tunnel tracker including logic dedicated to track one said detected object.

2. The video tracking system of claim 1 further including a second tunnel tracker initiated by said master peripheral tracker after detecting a second object, said second tunnel tracker including logic dedicated to track said second detected object.

3. The video tracking system of claim 2 further including a third tunnel tracker initiated by said master peripheral tracker after detecting a third object, said third tunnel tracker including logic dedicated to track third second detected object.

4. The video tracking system of claim 1 further including a digital video controller constructed and arranged to receive image data.

5. The video tracking system of claim 1 further including a tracker proxy for communicating with said master peripheral tracker and client applications.

6. The video tracking system of claim 1, wherein said master peripheral tracker includes an object detector and an object tracker.

7. The video tracking system of claim 1, wherein said tunnel tracker executes an edge based tunnel tracking algorithm.

8. The video tracking system of claim 1, wherein said tunnel tracker executes a Kernel based tunnel tracking algorithm.

9. The video tracking system of claim 1, wherein said tunnel tracker executes a Background subtraction based tunnel tracking algorithm.

15. A site component for use with the video tracking system of claim 1.

10. A video tracking method, comprising:

monitoring a scene and detecting an object using a master peripheral tracker; and

initiating by said master peripheral tracker a first tunnel tracker dedicated to track one said detected object.

11. The video tracking method of claim 10 further including initiating by said master peripheral tracker a second tunnel tracker dedicated to track a second detected object.

12. The video tracking method of claim 10 wherein said master peripheral tracker sends image requests to a digital video controller.

13. The video tracking method of claim 10 wherein said master peripheral tracker and said digital video controller exchange image data streams and notification messages.

14. The video tracking method of claim 10 wherein said master peripheral tracker provides assembled tracking images to a tracker proxy that communicates with client applications.

16. A server executable for use with the video tracking system comprising:

monitoring a scene and detecting an object using a master peripheral tracker; and

initiating by said master peripheral tracker a first tunnel tracker dedicated to track one said detected object.

17. A computer program product for providing video tracking data, comprising:

monitoring a scene and detecting an object using a master peripheral tracker; and

initiating by said master peripheral tracker a first tunnel tracker dedicated to track one said detected object.