MOVING OBJECT AUTOMATIC TRACKING APPARATUS

• US 20100002083A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I-Pro Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takenaka, Shinji, Michimoto, Yasuyuki, Oyabu, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 8,144,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Even when a moving object intrudes into an area other than an initially registered preset position, movement of the moving object can be detected and tracked.

A moving object automatic tracking apparatus 1 comprises a movement detector 11 for detecting movement of a moving object from an image obtained in time series from an image input portion 2, a tracker 12 for tracking the moving object by controlling a platform of the image input portion 2 in a direction of movement of the moving object based on a movement detection result of the movement detector 11, an area manager 13 for performing management of a registered preset position and new registration of a preset position indicating an area for executing tracking by the tracker 12 and movement detection by the movement detector 11, and a patrol monitor 14 for monitoring while patrolling plural preset positions set and managed by the area manager 13, and when a position in which the moving object is tracked and lost differs from the initialized preset position, the lost position is newly added and registered as an adaptive preset position.

Claims

1. A moving object automatic tracking apparatus comprising:

a movement detector which detects movement of a moving object in an image obtained from an image input portion capable of controlling a photography direction;

a tracker which tracks the moving object by controlling the photography direction of the image input portion in a direction of movement of the moving object based on a detection result of the movement detector;

an area manager which adaptively registers a preset position, and manages a registered preset position, the present position indicating an area for performing tracking and movement detection of the moving object; and

a patrol monitor for patrolling and monitoring the preset position.

2. The moving object automatic tracking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the area manager registers a peripheral area including a lost position of tracking as the adaptive preset position when the moving object moves to an area other than the initially registered preset position and is tracked and lost.

3. The moving object automatic tracking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the area manager deregisters the adaptive preset position when the moving object is not detected in an area of the adaptive preset position even when a predetermined time has elapsed after the adaptive preset position is registered.

4. The moving object automatic tracking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the area manager sets a preset disapproval area where setting of the adaptive preset position is disapproved, and manages registration of the preset position.

5. The moving object automatic tracking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the patrol monitor includes a patrol order setting portion for setting and changing order of performing patrol monitoring.