SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING INACTIVE OBJECTS

• US 20200134836A1
• Filed: 12/28/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre Limited
• Original Assignee: Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Hung Kwan, Tong, Chi Hung, Ng, Ka Man, Kwan, King Hong Paros
• Granted Patent: US 10,902,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20021 Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• 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 7/215 Motion-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/144 Movement detection for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A system for detecting inactive objects includes a thermal imaging device arranged to acquire a thermal signature of an active object; movement detection processor arranged to process the thermal signature of the active object to monitor for any motion of the active object and whenupon the thermal signature indicates that the motion of the active object is below a movement threshold, determine that the active object is inactive.

Claims

1. A system for detecting inactive objects comprising:

a thermal imaging device arranged to acquire a thermal signature of an active object;

movement detection processor arranged to process the thermal signature of the active object to monitor for any motion of the active object and whenupon the thermal signature indicates that the motion of the active object is below a movement threshold, determine that the active object is inactive.

2. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 1, wherein the movement detection processor continuously acquires and processes the thermal signature of the active object during a detection period.

3. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 2, wherein the acquired thermal signature is divided into a plurality of portions, with each of the portions further processed to determine whether each portion is dynamic or static.

4. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 3, wherein when the number of dynamic portions of the thermal signature is below a predetermined movement threshold, the active object associated with the thermal signature would be determined to be inactive.

5. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 4, wherein the each of the plurality of portions are determined to be dynamic or static by measuring for any variance rates in the portion.

6. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 5, wherein the each of the plurality of portions are determined to be dynamic if the variance rates exceed a predefined variance rate over a predefined period of time.

7. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 6, wherein the thermal signature is an image or a stream of images captured by a thermal optical device.

8. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 7, wherein the plurality of portions include one or more pixels of an image or stream of images.

9. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 1, wherein the movement detection processor processes a stream of thermal images to establish the presence of the active object.

10. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 9, wherein the movement detection processor tracks the active object within each image of the stream of thermal images and acquire new thermal signatures of the active object over a period of time.

11. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 10, wherein the detection period is initiated when the active object is first captured within the stream of thermal images.

12. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 11, wherein the active object is first captured within the stream of thermal images by comparing an earlier thermal image and a subsequent thermal image within the stream of thermal images.

13. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 11, wherein the detection period is terminated when the active object is detected to leave the stream of thermal images.

14. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 13, wherein the active object is detected to leave the stream of thermal images by comparing an earlier thermal image and a subsequent thermal image within the stream of thermal images.

15. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 7, wherein the thermal optical device is a low resolution thermal camera.

16. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 15, wherein the low resolution thermal camera is arranged to capture outlines of objects with minimal detail of the objects.

17. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 7, wherein the thermal optical device is placed above a working area.

18. A system for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 17, wherein the working area includes one or more heat sources.

19. A method for detecting inactive objects comprising the steps of:

acquiring a thermal signature of an active object;

processing the thermal signature of the active object to monitor for any motion of the active object and whenupon the thermal signature indicates that the motion of the active object is below a movement threshold, determine that the active object is inactive.

20. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 19, wherein the step of processing the thermal signature to monitor for any motion of the active object includes continuously acquiring and processing the thermal signature of the active object during a detection period.

21. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 20, wherein the acquired thermal signature is divided into a plurality of portions, with each of the plurality of portions further processed to determine whether the each of the plurality of portions is dynamic or static.

22. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 21, wherein when the number of dynamic portions of the thermal signature is below the predetermined threshold, the thermal signature associated with the active object would be determined to be inactive.

23. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 22, wherein the each of the plurality of portions are determined to be dynamic or static by measuring for any variance rates in the portion.

24. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 23, wherein the each of the plurality of portions are determined to be dynamic if the variance rates exceed a predefined variance rate over a predefined period of time.

25. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 24, wherein the thermal signature is an image or a stream of images captured by a thermal optical device.

26. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 25, wherein the plurality of portions include one or more pixels of an image or stream of images.

27. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 19, wherein the step of acquiring the thermal signature includes processing a stream of thermal images to establish the presence of the active object.

28. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 27, wherein the step of acquiring the thermal signature further includes tracking the active object within each image of the stream of thermal images and acquiring new thermal signatures of the active object over a period of time.

29. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 28, wherein the detection period is initiated when the active object is first captured within the stream of thermal images.

30. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 29, wherein the active object is first captured within the stream of thermal images by comparing an earlier thermal image and a subsequent thermal image within the stream of thermal images.

31. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 30, wherein the detection period is terminated when the active object is detected to leave the stream of thermal images.

32. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 31, wherein the active object is detected to leave the stream of thermal images by comparing an earlier thermal image and a subsequent thermal image within the stream of thermal images.

33. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 26, wherein the thermal optical device is a low resolution thermal camera.

34. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 33, wherein the low resolution thermal camera is arranged to capture outlines of objects with minimal detail of objects.

35. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 26, wherein the thermal optical device is placed above a working area.

36. A method for detecting inactive objects in accordance with claim 35, wherein the working area includes one or more heat sources.