MOVING OBJECT DETECTING DEVICE, MOVING OBJECT DETECTING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20100290672A1
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nishino, Katsuaki, Tsunashima, Nobuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,548,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20012 Locally adaptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/215 Motion-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting movement of an object captured by an imaging device, the apparatus includes a moving object detection unit, that is (1) operable to detect movement of an object based on a first moving object detecting process, and (2) operable to detect movement of the object based on a second moving object detecting process. The apparatus also includes an output unit operable to generate an output based on the detection by the moving object detection unit based on at least one of the first and second moving object detecting processes.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting movement of an object captured by an imaging device, the apparatus comprising:

a moving object detection unit,

operable to detect movement of an object based on a first moving object detecting process, and

operable to detect movement of the object based on a second moving object detecting process; and

an output unit operable to generate an output based on the detection by said moving object detection unit based on at least one of the first and second moving object detecting processes.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first moving object detecting process is different than the second moving object detecting process.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and the second moving detecting processes operates in accordance with at least one of a plurality of detection factors.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one of the plurality of detection factors comprises motion vector detection, using a plurality of captured images.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of captured images includes one or more previously captured images or presently captured images.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving object detection unit includes a camera.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one of the plurality of detection factors comprises normalized correlation detection, using a plurality of captured images.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of captured images includes one or more previously captured images or one or more presently captured images.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the at least one of the plurality of detection factors comprises at least one of:

a spatial resolution associated with distance on an image display screen; and

a temporal resolution associated with an interval between captured images.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a coordinate specifying unit operable to provide a motion detection region,

wherein the moving object detection unit is operable to detect the movement of the object within the motion detection region

wherein the output comprises an indication of proximity of the location of the object relative to the imaging device.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first moving object detecting process corresponds to a location of the object having a first proximity with respect to the imaging device,

wherein the second moving object detecting process corresponds to a location of the object having a second proximity with respect to the imaging device,

wherein the first proximity is further from the imaging device than the second proximity.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving object detection unit includes first and second moving object detection processors and wherein the first moving object detection processor includes a first processing requirement such that the first moving object detecting process is selected based on the first processing requirement.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second moving object detection processes includes a second processing requirement such that the second moving object detecting process is selected based on the second processing requirement.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first moving object detecting process and the second moving object detecting process comprise a process including:

motion vector detection and normalized correlation detection.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first moving object detecting process and the second moving object detecting process comprise a process including:

spatial resolution including a first resolution spatial setting and a second resolution spatial setting,

wherein the first resolution spatial setting is lower than the second resolution spatial setting.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first moving object detecting process and the second moving object detecting process comprise a process including:

temporal resolution including a first frame rate setting and a second frame rate setting,

wherein the first frame rate setting is lower than the second frame rate setting.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first moving object detecting process and the second moving object detecting process comprise processes including:

motion vector detection and normalized correlation detection;

a first resolution spatial setting and a second resolution spatial setting,

wherein the first resolution spatial setting is lower than the second resolution spatial setting.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first moving object detecting process and the second moving object detecting process comprise processes including:

motion vector detection and normalized correlation detection; and

a first frame rate setting and a second frame rate setting,

wherein the first frame rate setting is lower than the second frame rate setting.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first moving object detecting process and the second moving object detecting process comprise processes including:

motion vector detection and normalized correlation detection;

a first resolution spatial setting and a second resolution spatial setting; and

a first frame rate setting and a second frame rate setting,

wherein the first resolution spatial setting is lower than the second resolution spatial setting; and

wherein the first frame rate setting is lower the second frame rate setting.

20. A method for detecting a moving object comprising:

using one or more first detection factors to detect movement of an object to provide a first object detection output;

using one or more second detection factors to detect movement of an object to provide a second object detection output; and

producing an output if said first and/or second object detection output is provided.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first object detection output is different than the second object detection output.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first detection factors comprise:

a first detecting method;

a first spatial direction resolution; and

a first time domain resolution.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the second detection factors comprise:

a second detecting method;

a second spatial direction resolution; and

a second time domain resolution.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein using the one or more first detection factors comprises:

selecting a first moving object detecting process from among a plurality of moving object detecting processes.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein selecting the first moving object detecting process comprises:

selecting a normalized correlation detecting method.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein selecting the first moving object detecting process comprises:

selecting a normalized correlation detecting method; and

reducing a spatial direction resolution associated with distance on a display screen, wherein the spatial direction resolution is reduced as a function of the object being closer with respect to captured images of the object.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein selecting the first moving object detecting process comprises:

selecting a normalized correlation detecting method; and

increasing a temporal resolution associated with an interval between captured images of the object, wherein the temporal resolution is increased as a function of the object being located closer with respect to the captured images of the object.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein selecting the first moving object detecting process comprises:

selecting a normalized correlation detecting method;

reducing a spatial direction resolution associated with distance on a display screen, wherein the spatial direction resolution is reduced as a function of the object being located closer with respect to captured images of the object; and

increasing a temporal resolution associated with an interval between the captured images of the object, wherein the temporal resolution is increased as a function of the object being located closer with respect to the captured images of the object.

29. The method according to claim 21, wherein using the one or more first detection factors comprises:

selecting a first moving object detecting process from among a plurality of moving object detecting processes based on a processing power requirement for executing the selected first moving object detecting process.

30. The method according to claim 21, wherein using the one or more second detection factors comprises:

selecting a second moving object detecting process from among a plurality of moving object detecting processes based on a processing power requirement for executing the selected second moving object detecting process.

31. A non transitory computer readable recording medium for storing a computer program for detecting a moving object, wherein the program executes the steps of:

using one or more first detection factors to detect movement of an object to provide a first object detection output;

using one or more second detection factors to detect movement of an object to provide a second object detection output; and

producing an output if said first and/or second object detection output is provided.

32. The computer readable recording medium of claim 31, wherein the first object detection output is different than the second object detection output.

33. A moving object detector comprising:

a processing unit configured to operate in accordance with one or more first parameters to detect movement of an object and produce a first object detection output,

said processing unit being further configured to operate in accordance with one or more second parameters, the one or more second parameters being different than the one or more first parameters, to detect the movement of an object and produce a second object detection output; and

a detection result processor configured to produce an output indicating a moving object if at least one output from the processing unit is produced.