Defining a Handoff Zone for Tracking a Vehicle Between Cameras

• US 20140218532A1
• Filed: 04/11/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloudparc, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cloudparc, Inc.
• Inventors: Nerayoff, Steven David, Wong, Thompson S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,165,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30264 Parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/292 Multi-camera tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• 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 20/54 of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/593 Recognising seat occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 : Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 : License plates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 : of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/23 : Recognition of whole body movements, e.g. for sport training
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 : Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 : taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/24 : for parking meters
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 : Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 : identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 : by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 : with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/056 : with provision for distinguishing direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 : within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 : indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 : external to the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 : inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 : on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 : where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 : Management of a network of parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 : Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 : Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 : Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 : Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Defining a handoff zone for tracking a vehicle between cameras is disclosed. Initially, a first image stream is received from a first camera having a first field of view. A second image stream is also received from a second camera having a second field of view, where the second field of view is different from and at least partially overlapping with the first field of view. Next, an overlap area that defines the overlap between the first image stream and the second image stream is determined. A handoff zone within the overlap area is then determined, where tracking of the vehicle is passed from the first camera to the second camera after the vehicle enters the handoff zone. Finally, boundaries of the handoff zone are stored.

Claims

1. A method of defining a handoff zone for tracking a vehicle between cameras, the method comprising:

receiving a first image stream from a first camera having a first field of view;

receiving a second image stream from a second camera having a second field of view, the second camera being different from the first camera, and the second field of view being different from and at least partially overlapping with the first field of view;

determining an overlap area that defines the overlap between the first image stream and the second image stream;

determining a handoff zone within the overlap area, wherein tracking of a vehicle is passed from the first camera to the second camera after the vehicle enters the handoff zone; and

storing boundaries of the handoff zone,

wherein the steps of receiving, determining and storing are performed by one or more processors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the handoff zone within the overlap area comprises automatically generating at least two handoff border indictors without human interaction, the at least two handoff border indicators defining a beginning and an end of the handoff zone.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least two handoff border indictors are each straight lines.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least two handoff border indictors are each curved or freehand lines.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing a graphical user interface showing the at least two handoff border indicators superimposed on one or more of the first image stream and the second image stream to a user;

receiving an adjustment of one or more of the at least two handoff border indictors from the user; and

adjusting the one or more of the at least two handoff border indictors automatically generated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the handoff zone within the overlap area comprises:

providing a graphical user interface showing one or more of the first image stream and the second image stream to a user; and

receiving a selection of at least two handoff border indictors from the user, the at least two handoff border indicators defining a beginning and an end of the handoff zone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the handoff zone has an area that is smaller than the overlap area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the handoff zone is defined by a beginning handoff border indicator, an end handoff border indicator, a left lane border indicator, and a right lane border indicator.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a distance between the beginning handoff border indicator and the end handoff border indicator;

comparing the distance to a predetermined threshold; and

determining that the distance is less than the predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising alerting, in response to the determination that the distance is less than the predetermined threshold, a user to adjust one or more of the beginning handoff border indicator and the end handoff border indicator.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing, in response to the determination that the distance is less than the predetermined threshold, a graphical user interface enabling a user to adjust settings of one or more of the first camera and the second camera to change the distance between the beginning handoff border indicator and the end handoff border indicator.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the settings of the one or more of the first camera and the second camera are one or more of a pan, a tilt, a zoom, and a position of the one or more of the first camera and the second camera.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, in response to the determination that the distance is less than the predetermined threshold, adjusted settings of one or more of the first camera and the second camera to change the distance between the beginning handoff border indicator and the end handoff border indicator.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the beginning handoff border indicator and the end handoff border indicator are parallel, and the left lane border indicator and the right lane border indicator are parallel.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the left lane border indicator and the right lane border indicator are each transverse to the beginning handoff border indicator and the end handoff border indicator.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the handoff zone further comprises a center lane border indicator that is parallel to and between the left lane border indicator and the right lane border indicator.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising dividing the handoff zone into two or more subsegments that each has an area smaller than the area of the handoff zone.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first image stream and the second image stream are captured at the same time,

the first image stream comprises one or more first images,

the second image stream comprises one or more second images,

at least one of the one or more first images show the vehicle within the handoff zone at a first time, and

at least one of the one or more second images shows the vehicle within the handoff zone at the first time.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the overlap area comprises:

determining a first left lane border indicator and a first right lane border indicator for the first image stream; and

automatically, based on the determined first left lane border indicator and first right lane border indicator, determining a second left lane border indicator and a second right lane border indicator without human interaction using a position, orientation, or zoom of the second camera.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining the first left lane border indicator and the first right lane border indicator for the first image stream comprises identifying the first left lane border indicator or the first right lane border indicator by detecting a group of pixels having significantly the same characteristic within the first image stream.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the characteristic is color.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image stream and the second image stream show a vehicle, the method further comprising:

determining, based on at least one image of the first image stream, a first static characteristic of the vehicle;

determining, based on at least one image of the second image stream, a second static characteristic of the vehicle;

comparing the second static characteristic of the vehicle with the first static characteristic of the vehicle;

determining, in response to the comparison of the second static characteristic of the vehicle and the first static characteristic of the vehicle, that the second static characteristic of the vehicle is approximately equal to the first static characteristic of the vehicle;

determining, in response to the approximate equivalence between the second static characteristic of the vehicle and the first static characteristic of the vehicle, that the vehicle is present in the second field of view of the second camera; and

indicating, in response to the determination that the vehicle is present in the second field of view of the second camera, that the vehicle is present in the second field of view of the second camera.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein:

the first static characteristic of the vehicle is one or more of a vehicle make, a vehicle model, a vehicle year, a vehicle color, a vehicle outline, a vehicle size, and a vehicle dimension; and

the second static characteristic of the vehicle is one or more of a vehicle make, a vehicle model, a vehicle year, a vehicle color, a vehicle outline, a vehicle size, and a vehicle dimension.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein indicating that the vehicle is present in the second field of view of the second camera comprises indicating alphanumeric symbols of the license plate number of the vehicle.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein indicating that the vehicle is present in the second field of view of the second camera comprises passing tracking of the vehicle from the first camera to the second camera.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining, based on at least two images of the first image stream, a first dynamic characteristic of the vehicle;

determining, based on at least two images of the second image stream, a second dynamic characteristic of the vehicle;

comparing the second dynamic characteristic of the vehicle to the first dynamic characteristic of the vehicle;

determining, in response to the comparison of the second dynamic characteristic of the vehicle and the first dynamic characteristic of the vehicle, that the second dynamic characteristic of the vehicle is approximately equal to the first dynamic characteristic of the vehicle; and

determining, in response to the approximate equivalence between the second dynamic characteristic of the vehicle and the first dynamic characteristic of the vehicle, that the vehicle is present in the second field of view of the second camera.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein:

the first static characteristic and the second static characteristic of the vehicle are characteristics of the vehicle that do not change over time; and

the first dynamic characteristic and the second dynamic characteristic of the vehicle are characteristics of the vehicle that change over time.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein:

the first dynamic characteristic of the vehicle is one or more of a vehicle speed of travel, a lane identifier, and a vehicle direction of travel; and

the second dynamic characteristic of the vehicle is one or more of a vehicle speed of travel, a lane identifier, and a vehicle direction of travel.

29. A system for defining a handoff zone for tracking a vehicle between cameras, the system comprising one or more processors connected to at least one storage device, the system being configured to:

receive a first image stream from a first camera having a first field of view;

receive a second image stream from a second camera having a second field of view, the second camera being different from the first camera, and the second field of view being different from and at least partially overlapping with the first field of view;

determine an overlap area that defines the overlap between the first image stream and the second image stream;

determine a handoff zone within the overlap area, wherein tracking of a vehicle is passed from the first camera to the second camera after the vehicle enters the handoff zone; and

store boundaries of the handoff zone.

30. A storage device storing a computer program for defining a handoff zone for tracking a vehicle between cameras, the computer program comprising one or more code segments that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:

receive a first image stream from a first camera having a first field of view;

receive a second image stream from a second camera having a second field of view, the second camera being different from the first camera, and the second field of view being different from and at least partially overlapping with the first field of view;

determine an overlap area that defines the overlap between the first image stream and the second image stream;

determine a handoff zone within the overlap area, wherein tracking of a vehicle is passed from the first camera to the second camera after the vehicle enters the handoff zone; and

store boundaries of the handoff zone.