POSITION CALIBRATION INFORMATION COLLECTING APPARATUS, POSITION CALIBRATION INFORMATION COLLECTING METHOD, AND POSITION CALIBRATION INFORMATION COLLECTING PROGRAM

• US 20110184685A1
• Filed: 09/02/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamagami, Katsuyoshi, Tanigawa, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/02 Indoor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/09 for tracking people
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/80 Analysis of captured images to determine intrinsic or extrinsic camera parameters, i.e. camera calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/36 Indoor scenes

Abstract

A person is detected by an observer device. A person detection history is recorded in a person detection history database. A position where the person is detected for the first time is estimated by a first-time detection position estimating unit, to be stored in a first-time detection position history database. The position of the door of the room in terms of local coordinates is estimated by a doorway position estimating unit. The calibration information as to the position of the observer device is calculated by a position calibration information calculating unit based on the door position in terms of local coordinates and that in terms of global coordinates.

Claims

1. A position calibration information collecting apparatus, comprising:

an observer device that acquires feature information as to a person present in an environment having a doorway, local coordinates of a position where the person is detected in a local coordinate space of the environment, and a time when the person is detected, as observation information;

a first-time detection position estimating unit for estimating a position where the person is detected for a first time within the local coordinate space, based on the feature information as to the person, the local coordinates, and the time each observed by the observer device;

a doorway position estimating unit for estimating local coordinates of a doorway position of the doorway in the local coordinate space, based on the position where the person is detected for the first time within the local coordinate space estimated by the first-time detection position estimating unit; and

a position calibration information calculating unit for outputting position calibration information for calibration of a position of the observer device, based on global coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway in a global space of the environment and the local coordinates of the doorway position estimated by the doorway position estimating unit.

2. The position calibration information collecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a person detection history database that stores therein the feature information as to the person, the local coordinates of the person, and the time when the person is detected, each being the observation information acquired by the observer device; and

a first-time detection position history database that stores therein by the first-time detection position estimating unit, the position where the person is detected for the first time in the local coordinate space as first-time detection position information, with the time when the person is detected, based on the information stored in the person detection history database,

wherein the first-time detection position estimating unit refers to the person detection history database as to each piece of the observation information being acquired by the observer device and being associated with a detection of the person, to determine whether or not any other piece of the observation information that stores feature information identical to the feature information of the observation information is stored in the person detection history database between the time when the person is detected being the observation information and a time a prescribed time before, and when the other observation information storing the identical feature information is not stored in the person detection history database, the first-time detection position estimating unit estimates that the position where the person is detected being the observation information is the position where the person is detected for the first time, and stores the position where the person is detected for the first time in the first-time detection position history database.

3. The position calibration information collecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the doorway position estimating unit refers to automatic door identification information as to the doorway, as to around the position where the person is detected for the first time in the local coordinate space, to estimate the position where the person is detected for the first time as the local coordinates of the doorway position in the local coordinate space.

4. The position calibration information collecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an environment map storing unit for storing therein the global coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway in the global space of the environment,

wherein the position calibration information calculating unit calculates the position calibration information for performing calibration as to the position of the observer device, based on the global coordinates of the doorway position and the local coordinates of the doorway position, using the global coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway in the global space stored in the environment map storing unit.

5. The position calibration information collecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the environment map storing unit stores therein automatic door identification information that identifies whether a door at the doorway in the global space automatically opens or the door is manually opened, and

the position calibration information calculating unit calculates the position calibration information, based on the automatic door identification information stored in the environment map storing unit, by associating the door at the doorway in terms of the local coordinates and the door at the doorway in terms of the global coordinates to each other.

6. The position calibration information collecting apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein when there exist a plurality of pairs of local coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway determined to be the doorway where the door at the doorway automatically opens based on the automatic door identification information as the position where the person is detected for the first time, the first-time detection position estimating unit determines that, out of the plurality of positions where the person is detected for the first time, a position located at farthest coordinates from central coordinates of the environment is the local coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway, and

when there exist a plurality of pairs of local coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway determined to be the doorway where the door at the doorway is manually opened based on the automatic door identification information as the position where the person is detected for the first time, the first-time detection position estimating unit determines that a barycenter position of the plurality of positions where the person is detected for the first time is the local coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway.

7. The position calibration information collecting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a person detection history database that stores therein the feature information as to the person, the local coordinates of the person, and the time when the person is detected the observation information, each being the observation information acquired by the observer device; and

a first-time detection position history database that stores therein by the first-time detection position estimating unit, the position where the person is detected for the first time in the local coordinate space as first-time detection position information, with the time when the person is detected, based on the information stored in the person detection history database,

wherein the environment map storing unit further stores therein information as to a position where the person is likely to stay within the global space,

the doorway position estimating unit further estimates a position where the person is likely to stay within the local coordinate space, based on the feature information as to the person, the local coordinates of the person, and the time when the person is detected, each being stored in the person detection history database,

the first-time detection position history database stores therein by the first-time detection position estimating unit the position where the person is likely to stay within the local coordinate space with the time when the person is detected,

the doorway position estimating unit estimates local coordinates of the position where the person is likely to stay in the local coordinate space, based on the position where the person is likely to stay within the local coordinate space stored in the first-time detection position history database, and

the position calibration information calculating unit calculates the position calibration information for performing calibration as to the position of the observer device, based on the global coordinates of the position where the person is likely to stay and the local coordinates of the position where the person is likely to stay estimated by the doorway position estimating unit.

8. The position calibration information collecting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a person detection history database that stores therein the feature information as to the person, the local coordinates of the person, and the time when the person is detected the observation information, each being the observation information acquired by the observer device; and

a first-time detection position history database that stores therein by the first-time detection position estimating unit, the position where the person is detected for the first time in the local coordinate space as first-time detection position information, with the time when the person is detected, based on the information stored in the person detection history database,

wherein the environment map storing unit further stores therein information as to a position where the person is inhibited from intruding,

the doorway position estimating unit further estimates a position where the person is inhibited from intruding within the local coordinate space, based on the feature information as to the person, the local coordinates of the person, and the time when the person is detected, each being stored in the person detection history database,

the first-time detection position history database stores therein, by the first-time detection position estimating unit, the position where the person is inhibited from intruding within the local coordinate space with the time when the person is detected,

the doorway position estimating unit estimates local coordinates of the position where the person is inhibited from intruding in the local coordinate space, based on the position where the person is inhibited from intruding within the local coordinate space stored in the first-time detection position history database, and

the position calibration information calculating unit calculates the position calibration information for performing calibration as to the position of the observer device, based on the global coordinates of the position where the person is likely to stay and the local coordinates of the position where the person is inhibited from intruding estimated by the doorway position estimating unit.

9. A position calibrating apparatus, comprising:

the position calibration information collecting apparatus according to claim 1; and

a calibrating unit for performing calibration as to the position of the observer device based on the position calibration information calculated by the position calibration information calculating unit of the position calibration information collecting apparatus based on the global coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway installed in the global space and the local coordinates of the doorway position.

10. A position calibration information collecting apparatus, comprising:

an observer device that acquires feature information as to a person present in an environment having a doorway, local coordinates of a position where the person is detected in a local coordinate space of the environment, and a time when the person is detected, as observation information;

a last-time detection position estimating unit for estimating a position where the person is detected for a last time within the local coordinate space, based on the feature information as to the person, the local coordinates, and the time each observed by the observer device;

a doorway position estimating unit for estimating local coordinates of a doorway position of the doorway in the local coordinate space, based on the position where the person is detected for the last time within the local coordinate space estimated by the last-time detection position estimating unit; and

a position calibration information calculating unit for outputting position calibration information for calibration of a position of the observer device, based on global coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway in a global space of the environment and the local coordinates of the doorway position estimated by the doorway position estimating unit.

11. A position calibration information collecting method, comprising:

acquiring, by an observer device, feature information as to a person present in an environment having a doorway, local coordinates of a position where the person is detected in a local coordinate space of the environment, and a time when the person is detected, as observation information;

estimating, by a first-time detection position estimating unit, a position where the person is detected for a first time within the local coordinate space, based on the feature information as to the person, the local coordinates, and the time each observed by the observer device;

estimating, by a doorway position estimating unit, local coordinates of a doorway position of the doorway in the local coordinate space, based on the position where the person is detected for the first time within the local coordinate space estimated by the first-time detection position estimating unit; and

outputting, by a position calibration information calculating unit, position calibration information for calibration of a position of the observer device, based on global coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway in a global space of the environment and the local coordinates of the doorway position estimated by the doorway position estimating unit.

12. A position calibration information collecting program for causing a computer to execute functions of:

acquiring, by an observer device, feature information as to a person present in an environment having a doorway, local coordinates of a position where the person is detected in a local coordinate space of the environment, and a time when the person is detected, as observation information;

estimating, by a first-time detection position estimating unit, a position where the person is detected for a first time within the local coordinate space, based on the feature information as to the person, the local coordinates, and the time each observed by the observer device;

estimating, by a doorway position estimating unit, local coordinates of a doorway position of the doorway in the local coordinate space, based on the position where the person is detected for the first time within the local coordinate space estimated by the first-time detection position estimating unit; and

calculating, by a position calibration information calculating unit, position calibration information for performing calibration as to a position of the observer device, based on global coordinates of the doorway position of the doorway in a global space of the environment and the local coordinates of the doorway position estimated by the doorway position estimating unit.