Video speed detection system

• US 8,184,863 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2011
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Traffic Solutions Incorporated (Verra Mobility Corp.)
• Original Assignee: American Traffic Solutions Incorporated (Verra Mobility Corp.)
• Inventors: Wang, Jigang
• Primary Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US13/178,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20110267460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382/104, 382/105, 382/106, 382/107, 382/155, 382/168, 382/173, 382/181, 382/193, 382/199, 382/203, 382/209, 382/232, 382/254, 382/260, 382/274, 382/276, 382286-291, 382/305, 382/312, 382/321, 340/933, 340/937, 1/1, 701/35
• US Class Current: 382/107
• 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: G08G 1/054 photographing overspeeding vehicles

Abstract

A system and method for measuring vehicle speeds using video sensing. The system comprises a tracking camera that generates accurately time-stamped video sequences of the monitored road at high frame rates and a processing unit that analyzes the video sequences in real time to detect moving vehicles and calculate their speeds using the time-over-distance method. The system automatically detects moving vehicles in each image frame and derives vehicle positions from a projective mapping established from reference markers on the road. Time information is obtained from the date and time stamp associated with each image frame. In one example, the system also allows a user of the system to set a trigger speed, and the system automatically saves a video clip of the vehicle whose speed exceeds the trigger speed, recording the speeding vehicle passing through the monitored traffic zone defined by the reference markers.

Claims

1. A multiple object speed tracking apparatus comprising:

a camera positioned to capture images of a monitored area;

a set of images of the monitored area that are generated by the camera;

a computer system that can analyze the set of images to detect at least two moving objects that are moving simultaneously within the monitored area;

wherein the computer system provides an on-site speed calibration process that includes a single process for transforming a single frame from the set of images into real world coordinates by considering, in a single step, the perspective of the image in a single frame from the set of images and the scaling of the image in the same single frame from the set of images; and

an apparatus mount upon which at least one of either the camera or the computer system is positioned, wherein the apparatus mount is one of either a fixed mount or a mobile mount, and wherein a longitudinal axis of the camera may be positioned at any viewing angle in relation to a longitudinal axis of a roadway as long the viewing angle allows images of the at least two moving objects to be included in one of either a set of low resolution images or a set of high resolution images,

wherein the computer system can substantially simultaneously determine a calculated rate of speed of at least two of the moving objects,

wherein the computer system can compare the calculated rate of speed of the at least two moving objects to a predetermined speed value, wherein the computer system includes a homographic calibration process of determining the calculated rate of speed of the at least two moving objects that includes a linear fit comparison of a set of elements related to a distance traveled by the at least two moving object to a time taken for the at least two moving objects to travel that distance, and wherein the computer system includes a process to ensure better accuracy of the calculated speed of the moving object by not indicating an object has exceeded the predetermined speed value until determining that a value of a residue of the liner fit does not exceed a preset maximum value of the residue of the linear fit, and

wherein a set of incident data is generated when the rate of speed of the at least two moving objects exceeds the predetermined speed value.

2. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a camera housing and a camera housing positioning unit disposed on the apparatus mount.

3. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 2 wherein the camera is a low resolution camera operatively disposed within the camera housing.

4. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a high resolution camera operatively disposed within the camera housing.

5. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 4 wherein the low resolution camera communicates the set of low resolution images to the computer system, and wherein the high resolution camera communicates the set of high resolution images to the computer system.

6. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 5 wherein the computer system communicates with the camera housing positioning unit to tilt, pan, and achieve an alignment of at least one of either the low resolution camera or the high resolution camera wherein the alignment allows at least one of either the low resolution camera or the high resolution camera to capture at least one of either the set of low resolution images or the set of high resolution images of the monitored area in which a plurality of moving objects are found.

7. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 6 wherein the at least two moving objects are automotive vehicles and the monitored area includes a portion of a roadway upon which the automotive vehicles are moving.

8. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 7 wherein the computer system includes a display monitor that can simultaneously display at least one of either the low resolution images or the high resolution images to an operator of the multiple object speed tracking apparatus.

9. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 8 wherein the display monitor displays a speed indicator window positioned adjacent to each of the at least two moving objects in one of either the set of low resolution images or the set of high resolution images.

10. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 9 wherein the speed indicator window includes a signal that the rate of speed of the at least two moving objects exceeds the predetermined speed.

11. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 9 wherein the set of incident data includes at least one of either a portion of an image of the monitored area generated during a time when the rate of speed of the moving object exceeded the value of the predetermined speed, the speed indicator window displaying the speed of the moving object during the time when the rate of speed of the moving object exceeded the value of the predetermined speed, an identification image that includes a set of identification information related to the moving object having a rate of speed that exceeds the predetermined speed, an incident list having information about other moving objects detected at about the same period of time during which the rate of speed of the moving object exceeded the predetermined speed, and a set of information related to the determination by the computer system that the rate of speed of the moving object exceeds the predetermined speed.

12. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 11 wherein the set of identification information includes at least one of either a license plate mounted on the moving object whose rate of speed has exceeded the value of the predetermined speed or a set of descriptive data related to the appearance of the moving object whose rate of speed has exceeded the value of the predetermined speed.

13. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a thermal imaging device capable of providing information to the computer system that allows the computer system to detect a moving object and determine a rate of speed of the moving object.

14. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 13 wherein the low resolution camera is a low resolution video camera, wherein the set of low resolution images is a set of low resolution video images, wherein the high resolution camera is a high resolution video camera, and wherein the set of high resolution images is a set of high resolution video images.

15. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a camera housing positioning unit mounted on a mast to position the camera at an elevation of at least about fifteen feet above ground level.

16. A multiple object speed tracking apparatus comprising:

a camera housing and a camera housing positioning unit;

a low resolution camera operatively disposed near the camera housing;

a high resolution camera operatively disposed near the camera housing;

a computer system including a display that displays a speed indicator window, wherein the low resolution camera communicates a set of low resolution images to the computer system, wherein the high resolution camera communicates a set of high resolution images to the computer system, and the computer system communicates with the camera housing positioning unit to tilt, pan, and achieve an alignment of at least one of either the low resolution camera or the high resolution camera wherein the alignment allows at least one of either the low resolution camera or the high resolution camera to capture at least one of either the set of low resolution images or the set of high resolution images of a monitored area in which a plurality of moving objects are moving;

an apparatus mount upon which at least one of either the low resolution camera, the high resolution camera, or the computer system is positioned, wherein the apparatus mount is one of either a fixed mount or a mobile mount, and wherein a longitudinal axis of the camera may be positioned at any viewing angle in relation to a longitudinal axis of a roadway as long the viewing angle allows images of the at least two moving objects to be included in one of either the set of low resolution images or the set of high resolution images; and

software for;

analyzing at least one of either the set of low resolution images or the set of high resolution images;

utilizing a speed calibration process that includes transforming a single frame from the set of low resolution images into real world coordinates by considering, in a single step, the perspective of the image in a single frame from the set of low resolution images and the scaling of the image in the same single frame from the set of low resolution images;

detecting at least one of the plurality of moving objects;

determining a speed of travel for the at least one of the plurality of moving objects;

determining if the speed of travel exceeds a predetermined speed value wherein the computer system includes a homographic calibration process of determining the calculated rate of speed of the at least two moving objects that includes a linear fit comparison of a set of elements related to a distance traveled by the at least two moving object to a time taken for the at least two moving objects to travel that distance, and wherein the computer system includes a process to ensure better accuracy of the calculated speed of the moving object by not indicating an object has exceeded the predetermined speed value until a determining that a value of a residue of the liner fit does not exceed a preset maximum value of the residue of the linear fit;

determining an identification of the at least one of the plurality of objects that has exceeded the predetermined speed value; and

preparing a set of incident data related to the at least one of the plurality of objects that has exceeded the predetermined speed value wherein the set of incident data is usable by authorized law enforcement agencies to enforce vehicle speed limits on a roadway by notifying and penalizing the owner of the vehicle that was moving faster than the value of the predetermined speed.

17. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 16 wherein the speed indicator window is positioned adjacent to at least one of the moving objects in one of either the set of low resolution images or the set of high resolution images.

18. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 17 wherein the set of incident data includes at least one of either a portion of an image of the monitored area generated during a time when the rate of speed of the moving object exceeded the value of the predetermined speed, the speed indicator window displaying the speed of the moving object during the time when the rate of speed of the moving object exceeded the value of the predetermined speed, an identification image that includes a set of identification information related to the moving object having a rate of speed that exceeds the predetermined speed, an incident list having information about other moving objects detected at about the same period of time during which the rate of speed of the moving object exceeded the predetermined speed, and a set of information related to the determination by the computer system that the rate of speed of the moving object exceeds the predetermined speed.

19. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 18 wherein the plurality of objects are vehicles moving on a plurality of lanes on the roadway,

wherein one of either the set of low resolution images and the set of high resolution images contains images of the plurality of vehicles,

wherein the set of high resolution images are used by the computer system to determine at least one of either a license plate mounted on the vehicle or a set of descriptive data related to the appearance of the vehicle,

wherein the display on the monitor includes images of the vehicles moving on the at least two lanes of the roadway and a speed indicator window near each individual vehicle to indicate the speed of the vehicle, the speed indicator window configured to display a first color to indicate the vehicle is not exceeding the value of the predetermined speed and display a second color to indicate the vehicle is traveling faster than the value of the predetermined speed,

wherein the low resolution camera is a low resolution video camera and the set of low resolution images is a set of low resolution video images, and

wherein the high resolution camera is a high resolution video camera and the set of high resolution images is a set of high resolution video images, and

wherein the computer system stores all images and incident data for a set period of time to allow the images and incident data to be checked for verification and acceptable accuracy at a later time.

20. The multiple object speed tracking apparatus of claim 19 wherein the set of incident data is usable by authorized law enforcement agencies to enforce vehicle speed limits on the roadway by notifying and penalizing the owner of the vehicle that was moving faster than the value of the predetermined speed.

21. A multiple object speed tracking apparatus comprising:

a camera housing and a camera housing positioning unit;

a low resolution camera operatively disposed near the camera housing wherein the low resolution camera captures a set of low resolution images;

a high resolution camera operatively disposed near the camera housing wherein the high resolution camera captures a set of high resolution images;

an apparatus mount upon which at least one of either the low resolution camera, the high resolution camera, or the computer system is positioned, wherein the apparatus mount is one of either a fixed amount or a mobile mount, and wherein a longitudinal axis of the camera may be positioned at any viewing angle in relation to a longitudinal axis of a roadway as long the viewing angle allows images of the at least two moving objects to be included in one of either the set of low resolution images or the set of high resolution images; and

a computer system comprising;

a computer having a user input device and a storage media system;

a monitor capable of showing a status display that includes the set of low resolution images from the low resolution camera and the set of high resolution images from the high resolution camera, wherein the computer system communicates with the camera housing positioning unit to tilt, pan, and achieve an alignment of at least one of either the low resolution camera or the high resolution camera, wherein the alignment allows at least one of either the low resolution camera or the high resolution camera to capture at least one of either the set of low resolution images or the set of high resolution images to capture a set of images of a monitored area in which a plurality of moving objects are found, and wherein the display includes a speed indicator window positioned adjacent to at least two of the moving objects in one of either the low resolution image or the high resolution image; and

a computer software package for;

detecting at least two of the plurality of moving objects and a speed of travel for each of the individual plurality of moving objects wherein the software package includes a single process for transforming a single frame from a set of low resolution images into real world coordinates by considering, in a single step, the perspective of the image in a single frame from the set of low resolution images and the scaling of the image in the same single frame from the set of low resolution images;

determining a speed of travel for at least two of the plurality of moving objects;

determining if the speed of travel exceeds a predetermined speed value wherein the computer system includes a homographic calibration process of determining the calculated rate of speed of the at least two moving objects that includes a linear fit comparison of a set of elements related to a distance traveled by the at least two moving object to a time taken for the at least two moving objects to travel that distance, and wherein the computer system includes a process to ensure better accuracy of the calculated speed of the moving object by not indicating an object has exceeded the predetermined speed value until a determining that a value of a residue of the liner fit does not exceed a preset maximum value of the residue of the linear fit;

determining an identification of at least two of the plurality of objects that has exceeded the value of the predetermined speed of travel; and

preparing a set of incident data related to at least two of the plurality of objects that has exceeded the value of the predetermined speed of travel wherein the set of incident data includes at least one of either a portion of an image of the monitored area generated during a time when the rate of speed of the moving object exceeded the value of the predetermined speed, the speed indicator window displaying the speed of the moving object during the time when the rate of speed of the moving object exceeded the value of the predetermined speed, an identification image that includes a set of identification information related to the moving object moving at the rate of speed that exceeds the predetermined speed, an incident list having information about other moving objects detected at about the same period of time during which the rate of speed of the moving object exceeded the predetermined speed, and a set of information related to the determination by the computer system that the rate of speed of the moving object exceeds the predetermined speed.