Apparatus for setting image monitoring area and method therefor

• US 7,545,953 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chin-Ding Lai, Chin-Lun Lai, Hai-Chou Tien, Li-Shih Liao
• Original Assignee: Chin-Ding Lai, Chin-Lun Lai, Hai-Chou Tien, Li-Shih Liao
• Inventors: Lai, Chin-Lun, Lai, Chin-Ding
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella; Matthew C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ge; Yuzhen
• Application Number:
  US11/061,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20050271249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19652 Systems using zones in a single scene defined for different treatment, e.g. outer zone gives pre-alarm, inner zone gives alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19663 Surveillance related processing done local to the camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a method for setting an image monitoring area and an apparatus thereof, comprising setting a trigger parameter and a stop parameter in an image processing software, calculating and analyzing a series of continuous image frames taken in a predetermined space by an image fetching unit by running the image processing software, determining whether the trigger parameter is included in a target image in the image frames, responsive to the determination being affirmative, automatically calculating, analyzing, and recording a trace of the target image moving in the image frames, stopping the recording of the trace when the stop parameter is detected in the target image, and setting an area defined by the trace of the target image as an image monitoring area to be monitored.

Claims

1. A method for setting an image monitoring area, which is implemented to an image monitoring device installed with an image processing software comprising a trigger parameter and a stop parameter the trigger parameter and stop parameter are included in an analysis procedure, for enabling the image monitoring device to utilize the image processing software to calculate and analyze a series of continuous image frames taken in a specific space by an image fetching unit and further including a calculation procedure, a record procedure and a set procedure comprising steps of:

determining whether or not a target image in one of the image frames includes the trigger parameter including;

running the calculation procedure to perform calculation with respect to the image frames and sending a result of the calculation to a memory unit for storage;

running the analysis procedure to analyze the result of the calculation in order to determine whether the target image enters one of the image frames;

when determining that the target image enters the image frame, running the analysis procedure to analyze the result of the calculation in order to determine whether the target image contains the trigger parameter;

when determining that the target image contains the trigger parameter, automatically calculating, and analyzing subsequent image frames for procuring a trace of the target image, running the analysis procedure to analyze the trace of the target image moving in the image frames and recording the trace;

running the record procedure to record the trace of the target image in the memory unit;

determining whether or not the stop parameter is included in the target image in one of the subsequent image frames including;

running the analysis procedure to analyze the result of the calculation in order to determine whether the target image contains the stop parameter;

when determining that the target image contains the stop parameter in the subsequent image frame, running the set procedure to read the trace of the target image, stopping the recording of the trace of the target image and setting the area defined by the trace of the target image as the image monitoring area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a control procedure such that after setting the image monitoring area the analysis procedure is adapted to run and analyze the image monitoring area in order to determine whether the target image enters the image monitoring area, and the control procedure is adapted to run and generate a trigger signal and send the trigger signal to an electronic device for enabling the electronic device to perform a predetermined action in response to determining that the target image has entered the image monitoring area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, when determining that the target image has left the image monitoring area the control procedure is adapted to run and generate a stop signal and send the stop signal to the electronic device for disabling all actions being taken by the electronic device and causing the electronic device to return to an original state where no predetermined action is taken.