IMAGING PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHOD AND MANAGEMENT APPARATUS

• US 20130194433A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kei
• Granted Patent: US 9,253,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/169
• 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: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/40 Spoof detection, e.g. liveness detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/58 Solutions for unknown imposter distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming

Abstract

An imaging processing system includes one or more image capturing apparatuses, a reading unit configured to read biometric information from an authentication object person, a similarity calculation unit configured to calculate similarity based on a result of comparing biometric information read by the reading unit with true biometric information of the authentication object person, an authentication unit configured to perform authentication based on a comparison between the similarity calculated by the similarity calculation unit and a preliminarily set threshold, and a control unit configured to control, if the authentication performed by the authentication unit is successful, imaging processing, which is performed by the image capturing apparatus, based on the similarity calculated by the similarity calculation unit.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. An image capturing system comprising:

one or more image capturing apparatuses;

a control unit configured to control the one or more image capturing apparatuses;

an entry time determination unit configured to determine whether a time at which an imaging object enters an imagable area of the image capturing apparatus is included within a predetermined time period; and

a processing unit configured to change processing to be performed by the image capturing apparatus according to a result of determination performed by the entry time determination unit.

11. The image capturing system according to claim 10, further comprising a time period calculation unit configured to calculate the predetermined time period from a history of entry by an imaging object into the imagable area.

12. The image capturing system according to claim 11, wherein the time period calculation unit determines a time period, in which the number of times of entries of the imaging object into the imagable area per unit time period is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times, as the predetermined time period from the history of entry by the imaging object into the imagable area in a past predetermined time period.

13. The image capturing system according to claim 10, wherein the processing unit determines whether to perform tracking-imaging of an imaging object, and

wherein the image capturing system further comprise a tracking object determination unit configured to determine an imaging object as a tracking object if a time at which the imaging object enters the imagable area is not included within the predetermined time period.

14. The image capturing system according to claim 13, wherein the tracking object determination unit compares, when newly determining a tracking object, a tracking object upper limit number with the number of tracking objects already determined,

wherein the tracking object determination unit determines, if the tracking object upper limit number is greater than the number of tracking objects already determined, an imaging object, which is to be newly determined, as a tracking object, and

wherein the tracking object determination unit determines, if the tracking object upper limit number is equal to the number of tracking objects already determined, an imaging object, which is to be newly determined, as a tracking object, instead of one of the tracking objects already determined, which is the longest in tracking time thereof.

15. The image capturing system according to claim 10, wherein changing of the processing to be performed by the image capturing apparatus includes a change concerning whether to record an image of an imaging object, and

wherein an image of the imaging object is recorded if a time at which the imaging object enters the imagable area is not included within the predetermined time period.

16. The image capturing system according to claim 10, wherein changing of the processing to be performed by the image capturing apparatus includes at least one of a change in an imaging image quality, a change in a recording image quality, and a change in a frame rate, and

wherein at least one of the change in an imaging image quality, the change in a recording image quality, and the change in a frame rate is performed on the imaging object if a time at which the imaging object enters the imagable area is not included within the predetermined time period.

17. The image capturing system according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined time period is set corresponding to each imaging object,

wherein the image capturing system further comprises a group information storage unit configured to store information on a group to which an imaging object belongs, and

wherein the processing unit does not change processing to be performed by the image capturing apparatus if an imaging object enters the imagable area simultaneously with another imaging object belonging to the same group as that of the imaging object or within a predetermined time since the another imaging object enters the imagable area and a time at which the another imaging object enters the imagable area is included within the predetermined time period set for the another imaging object, even if a time at which the imaging object enters the imagable area is not included within the predetermined time period set for the imaging object.

18. The image capturing system according to claim 10, further comprising an authentication unit configured to perform authentication when an imaging object enters the imagable area and to identify the imaging object based on a result of the authentication.

19. An image capturing system including one or more image capturing apparatuses and a control apparatus configured to control the image capturing apparatuses, the image capturing system comprising:

a priority setting unit configured to set a priority for an imaging object such that the larger a difference between a time at which an imaging object enters an imagable area of the image capturing apparatus and a predetermined time period becomes, the higher the priority,

wherein the control apparatus is configured to change processing, which is performed by the image capturing apparatus, according to the priority set by the priority setting unit.

20. A method for controlling an image capturing system including one or more image capturing apparatuses and a control apparatus configured to control the image capturing apparatuses, the method comprising:

making determination on whether a time at which an imaging object enters an imagable area of the image capturing apparatus is included within a predetermined time period; and

changing processing, which is performed by the image capturing apparatus, according to a result of the determination.

21. A method for controlling an image capturing system including one or more image capturing apparatuses and a control apparatus configured to control the image capturing apparatuses, the method comprising:

setting a priority for an imaging object such that the larger a difference between a time at which an imaging object enters an imagable area of the image capturing apparatus and a predetermined time period becomes, the higher the priority; and

changing processing, which is performed by the image capturing apparatus, according to the set priority.

22. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions for controlling an image capturing system including one or more image capturing apparatuses and a control apparatus configured to control the image capturing apparatuses, the medium comprising:

computer-executable instructions for making determination on whether a time at which an imaging object enters an imagable area of the image capturing apparatus is included within a predetermined time period; and

computer-executable instructions for changing processing, which is performed by the image capturing apparatus, according to a result of the determination.

23. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions for controlling an image capturing system including one or more image capturing apparatuses and a control apparatus configured to control the image capturing apparatuses, the medium comprising:

computer-executable instructions for setting a priority for an imaging object such that the larger a difference between a time at which an imaging object enters an imagable area of the image capturing apparatus and a predetermined time period becomes, the higher the priority; and

computer-executable instructions for changing processing, which is performed by the image capturing apparatus, according to the set priority.