Method and system for performing surveillance

• US 20100013917A1
• Filed: 06/01/2005
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Paragano, Vincent, Hanna, Keith, Aggarwal, Manoj, Sawhney, Harpreet S.
• Application Number:
  US11/142,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20100013917A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20104 Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/269 using gradient-based methods
• 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 13/19608 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 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1968 Interfaces for setting up or customising the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19689 Remote control of cameras, e.g. remote orientation or image zooming control for a PTZ camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A method and system for performing surveillance includes receiving location information for a detected object via a first sensor and slewing a second sensor to the detected object in accordance with the location information provided by the first sensor. In one embodiment, the first sensor detects the presence of the object (which may or may not be moving), and the second sensor provides more refined or specific information about the detected object, such as a higher-resolution image of the detected object.

Claims

1. A method for performing surveillance comprising:

receiving location information for a detected object via a first sensor; and

slewing at least one second sensor to said detected object in accordance with said location information provided by said first sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first sensor is at least one of:

an imaging sensor, a fence sensor and a radar sensor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said imaging sensor is at least one of:

a fixed still camera, a fixed video camera, an infrared camera and a pan-tilt-zoom camera.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said location information comprises coordinates representing a location of said detected object in a mapped surveillance region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said coordinates are two-dimensional coordinates in an image captured by said first sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said stewing comprises:

mapping said location information to a set of three-dimensional coordinates representing a location of said detected object; and

issuing a control signal that causes said at least one second sensor to adjust its field of view to include said location of said detected object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said adjusting includes zooming in on said detected object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one second sensor is adapted for providing a more refined representation of said detected object than said first sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one second sensor is a pan-tilt-zoom camera.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving and said slewing are performed continuously in order to track movement of said detected object throughout a surveillance region.

11. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of a method for performing surveillance, comprising:

receiving location information for a detected object via a first sensor; and

slewing at least one second sensor to said detected object in accordance with said location information provided by said first sensor.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said first sensor is at least one of:

an imaging sensor, a fence sensor and a radar sensor.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein said imaging sensor is at least one of:

a fixed still camera, a fixed video camera, an infrared camera and a pan-tilt-zoom camera.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said location information comprises coordinates representing a location of said detected object in a mapped surveillance region.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said coordinates are two-dimensional coordinates in an image captured by said first sensor.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said slewing comprises:

mapping said location information to a set of three-dimensional coordinates representing a location of said detected object; and

issuing a control signal that causes said at least one second sensor to adjust its field of view to include said location of said detected object.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein said adjusting includes zooming in on said detected object.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said at least one second sensor is adapted for providing a more refined representation of said detected object than said first sensor.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said at least one second sensor is a pan-tilt-zoom camera.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said receiving and said slewing are performed continuously in order to track movement of said detected object throughout a surveillance region.

21. Apparatus for performing surveillance comprising:

means for receiving location information for a detected object via a first sensor; and

means for slewing at least one second sensor to said detected object in accordance with said location information provided by said first sensor.