Object detection device, object detection server, and object detection method

• US 7,180,050 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2003
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Imagawa, Taro, Nakagawa, Masamichi, Azuma, Takeo, Okamoto, Shusaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu; Thanh X.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ko; Tony
• Application Number:
  US10/486,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20040211883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 250/221, 315/154, 340/853.7, 340/5.81, 340/5.82, 340/5.61, 340/438, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 250/221
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/14 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00 Individual registration on entry or exit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A tag communication section (12) receives tag information transmitted from an information tag (11) attached to a person (P) to be detected. An attribute lookup section (15) looks up an attribute storage section (16) using ID included in the tag information to obtain attribute information such as the height of the person (P). A target detection section (14) specifies the position, posture and the like of the person (P) in an image obtained from an imaging section (13) using the attribute information.

Claims

1. An object detection equipment comprising:

an imaging section for taking an image;

a tag communication section for receiving tag information transmitted from an information tag attached to a given target; and

a target detection section for detecting the given target in the image taken by the imaging section by acquiring position information of the information tag in the image using the tag information received by the tag communication section and by performing image processing by referring to the acquired position information.

2. The object detection equipment of claim 1, wherein the tag information includes attribute information representing an attribute of the given target, and

the target detection section performs the detection using the attribute information included in the tag information received by the tag communication section.

3. The object detection equipment of claim 1, wherein the tag information includes ID information of the given target,

the object detection equipment further comprises:

an attribute storage section for storing a correspondence between ID information and attribute information; and

an attribute lookup section for looking up contents of the attribute storage section using the ID information included in the tag information received by the tag communication to obtain the attribute information of the given target. and

the target detection section performs the detection using the attribute information obtained by the attribute lookup section.

4. The object detection equipment of claim 1, wherein the target detection section comprises:

an image segmentation portion for determining a partial image area having the possibility of including the given target in the image by acquiring position information of the information tag in the image using the tag information and by referring to the acquired position information; and

an image recognition portion for detecting the given target in the partial image area determined by the image segmentation portion.

5. The object detection equipment of claim 1, wherein the tag information includes position information representing a position of the information tag, and the target detection section performs the detection by referring to the position information included in the tag information received by the tag communication section.

6. The object detection equipment of claim 1, wherein the tag communication section estimates a position of the information tag from a state of reception of the tag information, and the target detection section performs the detection by referring to the position estimated by the tag communication section.

7. The object detection equipment of claim 1, wherein the tag information includes a detection procedure for the given target, and

the target detection section performs the detection by executing the detection procedure included in the tag information received by the tag communication section.

8. The object detection equipment of claim 1, wherein the target detection section performs the detection with only image processing without use of the tag information when a reception state of the tag communication section is bad.

13. The object detection equipment of claim 1, wherein the target detection section links in advance position coordinates in a three-dimensional space in which the given target exists with coordinates in the image and refers to the linking to acquire position information of the information tag in the image using the tag information.

9. An object detection server for receiving an image taken by an imaging section and tag information transmitted from an information tag attached to a given target, and

detecting the given target in the image by acquiring position information of the information tag in the image using the tag information and by performing image processing by referring to the acquired position information.

11. The object detection server of claim 9, wherein in detecting the given target,

a partial image area having the possibility of including the given target is determined in the image by acquiring position information of the information tag in the image using the tag information and by referring to the acquired position information;

and

the given target is detected in the determined partial image area.

10. An object detection method comprising the steps of:

receiving an image taken by an imaging section;

receiving tag information transmitted from an information tag attached to a given target; and

detecting the given target in the image by acquiring position information of the information tag in the image using the tag information and by performing image processing by referring to the acquired position information.

12. The object detection method of claim 10, wherein the detecting step comprises:

an image segmentation step of determining a partial image area having the possibility of including the given target in the image by acquiring position information of the information tag in the image using the tag information and by referring to the acquired position information; and

an image recognition step of detecting the given target in the partial image area determined in the image segmentation step.