3D Event Capture and Image Transform Apparatus and Method for Operation

• US 20160328616A1
• Filed: 05/05/2015
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eagle Eye Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dean Drako
• Inventors: Drako, Dean
• Granted Patent: US 10,025,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19667 Details realated to data compression, encryption or encoding, e.g. resolution modes for reducing data volume to lower transmission bandwidth or memory requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/20 Image signal generators

Abstract

Images are selectively captured and transmitted by 3D security cameras to avoid congestion of a network coupling them to a central server. Skeleton detection circuits enable conditional event capture when triggered. Head, hands, and feet are associated with pixel blocks. An artificial horizon is derived from a shoulder segment. An isometric floor perspective is derived from a series of foot positions. Orientation of feet, head, or hands relative to an artificial horizon triggers event capture and transmission. Simultaneous position of two feet above the floor perspective triggers event capture and transmission. Images are transformed to effectively alert a user.

Claims

1. An event capture apparatus comprises:

a network interface;

a non-transitory store;

a circuit to track at least one skeleton received from a skeletonization circuit; and

a circuit to transmit an alert upon an event capture.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit to determine a skeleton from a stream of images, the circuit coupled to a 3-D video camera.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit to associate an artificial horizon to a shoulder segment;

a circuit to identify at least one hand at the end of an arm segment; and

a circuit to trigger event capture when at least one hand is above the artificial horizon.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit to associate an artificial horizon to a shoulder segment;

a circuit to identify at least one foot at the end of a leg segment; and

,

a circuit to trigger event capture when at least one foot is above the artificial horizon.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit to define a base by the span between two feet;

a circuit to define an apparent center of mass among hands, head, shoulder, and spine; and

a circuit to trigger an event capture when the apparent center of mass is not above the base.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit to identify a first foot and a second foot at the ends of each leg segment;

a circuit to record the maximum downward travel of the first foot in a sequence of images;

a circuit to record the maximum downward travel of the second foot in a sequence of images;

a circuit to identify an isometric floor line below which each foot does not descend; and

a circuit to trigger an event capture when both feet are not abutting the floor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit to measure leg length;

a circuit to determine a body centerline; and

,

a circuit to trigger event capture when horizontal distance from a foot to body centerline>

square root of 2×

leg length.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit to measure maximum stride length between feet;

a circuit to determine a body center line below a head;

a circuit to determine a vertical measure from head to foot when foot crosses body center line; and

a circuit to trigger event capture when stride length is >

0.5×

vertical measure.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit to determine each shoulder position;

a circuit to determine each hand position; and

a circuit to trigger event capture when a shoulder and both hands are in a straight line.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit to determine a head position;

a circuit to determine each hand position; and

a circuit to trigger event capture when head and both hands are in a straight line.

11. A system comprising:

a user display;

an image store of captured events;

the store coupled to the user display,

an event capture apparatus;

the event capture apparatus coupled to the image store,

a skeletonization device;

the device coupled to the event capture apparatus, and

a 3-D video camera;

the camera coupled to the skeletonization device.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising an image transformation apparatus that comprises:

a circuit to determine pixel blocks that contain the head, hands, and feet of a skeleton;

a circuit to scope a video image to a bounding box that contains the head, hands, and feet of a skeleton and exclude pixel blocks that are exterior to the bounding box;

a circuit to scale the scoped image to fit the display parameters; and

,

a circuit to transmit the scaled image to the display.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the event capture apparatus causes an alert to be transmitted to the display when at least one of head is below the level of the feet, both hands are below the level of both feet, and center of mass of the skeleton is substantially at or below the level of both feet.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the event capture apparatus causes an alert to be transmitted to the display when shoulder and both hands are poised in a substantially straight linear alignment.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the event capture apparatus causes an alert to be transmitted to the display when both feet are simultaneously above the isometric floor, and a stride length between the feet is substantially longer than twice a leg length.

16. A method for operation of an event capture apparatus comprising:

recording at least one image at a 3-D digital camera;

generating a skeleton from a 3-D digital camera;

reading a store of previously generated skeletons;

triggering event capture when a generated skeleton substantially matches a stored skeleton;

selecting pixel blocks for terminus of spine, arm, and leg segments of the skeleton for image transformation;

transmitting viewports and thumbnail images with pixel blocks; and

transmitting an alert to a remote user operating a computer monitor.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising a process to determine when a generated skeleton substantially matches a stored skeleton comprising:

determining a first vector substantially aligned from head of the stored skeleton along the spine to the hip;

determining a second vector substantially aligned from the head of the generated skeleton along the spine to the hip; and

determining the angle of the first vector to vertical is within 15 degrees of the angle of the second vector to vertical.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

selecting pixel blocks for compression to lower resolution formats that do not contain portions of one of a head, a hand, and a foot.

19. A three dimensional (3-D) video analysis and alerting system comprising:

a 3-D video camera outputting a first image stream and a second image stream;

a first computing device that transforms the 3D camera images into a series of skeletons;

the computing device coupled to the output of the 3-D video camera; and

a second computing device, which is coupled to the first computing device, that analyzes the movement of the series of skeletons to determine at least one of the following movement events;

falling person, laying person, running person, frantic person, fleeing person, weapon wielding person, and, attacking person.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising:

an alerting system that transmits a notification to interested people of the movement event by one of;

an alert via video display, and a non-video alert via an electronic message.