SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VIDEO CONTENT ANALYSIS

• US 20140369417A1
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: SHI, Fang, MING, Jin, WU, Qi, YOU, Fan, BAO, Kai
• Granted Patent: US 9,609,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/164 Feedback from the receiver or from the transmission channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/198 including smoothing of a sequence of encoding parameters, e.g. by averaging, by choice of the maximum, minimum or median value
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/52 by predictive encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51

Abstract

Video analytics systems and methods are described that typically comprise a video encoder operable to generate macroblock video analytics metadata (VAMD) from a video frame. Functional modules receive the VAMD and an encoded version of the video frame is configured to generate video analytics information related to the frame using the VAMD and the encoded video frame. The downstream decoder can use the VAMD to obtain a global motion vector related to the frame, detect and track motion of an object within the frame and monitor a line provided or found within the frame. Traversals of the line by a moving object can be detected and counted using information in the VAMD and the line may be part of a polygon that delineates an area to be monitored within the encoded frame. The VAMD can comprise macroblock level and video frame level information.

Claims

1. A method for generating video analytics at a video encoder, comprising:

encoding a video frame using macroblock-based video encoding process to obtain an encoded version of the video frame; and

generating video analytics metadata (VAMD) for each of a plurality of macroblocks processed while encoding the video frame.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the VAMD to a video decoder configured to generate video analytics information related to the video frame based on the VAMD and the encoded version of the video frame.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein encoding the video frame comprises:

compressing the video frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the VAMD comprises:

generating motion vectors for the plurality of macroblocks.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the motion vectors have sub-pixel granularity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the VAMD comprises:

filtering the motion vectors to obtain one filtered motion vector for each of the plurality of macroblocks; and

providing filtered motion vectors in the VAMD.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the video encoder is embedded in a communications device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the video encoder is provided in a camera.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the VAMD;

generating one or more video analytics messages using results obtained by processing the VAMD, wherein the one or more video analytics messages comprises at least one global video analytics message or at least one local video analytics message; and

providing the VAMD and the one or more video analytics messages to a video decoder,

wherein the video decoder is configured to generate video analytics information related to the video frame based on the encoded version of the video frame, the VAMD, and the one or more video analytics messages.

10. A communications device comprising:

a video sensor configured to capture video frames representative a sequence of images;

a video encoder configured to;

encode the video frames using macroblock-based video encoding to provide encoded versions of the video frames, and

generate video analytics metadata (VAMD) for each of a plurality of macroblocks processed while encoding each video frame; and

a communication interface adapted to transmit the VAMD to a video decoder configured to generate video analytics information related to the video frames based on the VAMD and the encoded version of the video frames.

11. The communications device of claim 10, wherein the encoded version of the video frames include compressed video frames.

12. The communications device of claim 10, wherein the VAMD comprises motion vectors generated for the plurality of macroblocks.

13. The communications device of claim 10, further comprising:

a video analytics engine configured to process the VAMD, and to generate one or more video analytics messages from results obtained by processing the VAMD,

wherein the one or more video analytics messages comprises at least one global video analytics message or at least one local video analytics message, and

wherein the communication interface is configured to transmit the video analytics messages to the video decoder with the VAMD and the encoded version of the video frames.

14. The communications device of claim 10, wherein the video sensor is provided in a camera.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a camera;

a video encoder configured to provide encoded versions of video frames representative of images received from the camera, wherein the video encoder is further configured to generate video analytics metadata (VAMD) for each video frame; and

a communication interface adapted to transmit the VAMD over a network to a video decoder configured to generate video analytics information related to the video frames based on the VAMD and the encoded versions of the video frames.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the video encoder is configured to generate the encoded versions of the video frames using macroblock-based video encoding, and wherein the video encoder is further configured to generate the VAMD for each of a plurality of macroblocks processed while encoding each video frame.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the encoded versions of the video frames include compressed video frames.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a video analytics engine configured to process the VAMD and generate one or more video analytics messages from results obtained by processing the VAMD.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more video analytics messages comprises at least one global video analytics message or at least one local video analytics message.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the results obtained by processing the VAMD include information related to motion indexing, background extraction, object segmentation, motion detection, virtual line detection, object counting, motion tracking, speed estimation, a background model, a motion alarm, virtual line detections, or electronic image stabilization parameters.