Video processing system providing enhanced tracking features for moving objects outside of a viewable window and related methods

• US 8,363,109 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ollnova Technologies Limited (Atlantic IP Services Limited)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dunkel, Christopher T., Bakir, Tariq, McDonald, Robert, Heminghous, John, Peterson, Aric
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/634,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20110141287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 348148-169, 382/103
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30212 Military
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51

Abstract

A video processing system may include a display and a video processor coupled to the display. The video processor may be configured to display a georeferenced video feed on the display defining a viewable area, determine actual geospatial location data for a selected moving object within the viewable area, and generate estimated geospatial location data along a predicted path for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable area and based upon the actual geospatial location data. The video processor may be further configured to define a successively expanding search area for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable window and based upon the estimated geospatial location data, and search within the successively expanding search area for the moving object when the successively expanding search area is within the viewable area.

Claims

1. A video processing system comprising:

a display; and

a video processor coupled to said display and configured to display a georeferenced video feed on said display defining a viewable area,

determine actual geospatial location data for a selected moving object within the viewable area,

generate estimated geospatial location data along a predicted path for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable area and based upon the actual geospatial location data,

define a successively expanding search area for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable area and based upon the estimated geospatial location data,

search within the successively expanding search area for the moving object when the successively expanding search area is within the viewable area, and

discontinue generating the estimated geospatial location data based upon a threshold.

2. The video processing system of claim 1 wherein said video processor is further configured to overlay an annotation indicator for the moving object within the viewable area.

3. The video processing system of claim 1 further comprising a geospatial database for storing the actual geospatial location data.

4. The video processing system of claim 1 wherein the viewable area is defined by a first set of boundary pixels;

and wherein said video processor is further configured to define the successively expanding search area by a second set of boundary pixels.

5. The video processing system of claim 1 wherein said video processor is configured to generate the estimated geolocation data further based upon a velocity model.

6. The video processing system of claim 5 wherein the velocity model accounts for elevation.

7. The video processing system of claim 5 wherein the velocity model accounts for earth curvature.

8. The video processing system of claim 1 wherein the video feed is from a video camera.

9. A video processing system comprising:

a display; and

a video processor coupled to said display and configured to

display a georeferenced video feed on said display defining a viewable area,

determine actual geospatial location data for a selected moving object within the viewable area,

generate estimated geospatial location data along a predicted path for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable area and based upon the actual geospatial location data,

overlay a tracking indicator for the moving object within the viewable area,

define a successively expanding search area for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable area and based upon the estimated geospatial location data,

search within the successively expanding search area for the moving object when the successively expanding search area is within the viewable area, and

discontinue generating the estimated geospatial location data based upon a threshold.

10. The video processing system of claim 9 wherein said video processor is further configured to overlay an annotation indicator for the moving object within the viewable area.

11. The video processing system of claim 9 wherein said video processor is configured to generate the estimated geolocation data further based upon a velocity model.

12. A video processing device comprising:

a memory and a processor cooperating with said memory and configured to

display a georeferenced video feed on a display and defining a viewable area,

determine actual geospatial location data for a selected moving object within the viewable area,

generate estimated geospatial location data along a predicted path for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable area and based upon the actual geospatial location data,

define a successively expanding search area for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable area and based upon the estimated geospatial location data,

search within the successively expanding search area for the moving object when the successively expanding search area is within the viewable area, and

discontinue generating the estimated geospatial location data based upon a threshold.

13. The video processing device of claim 12 wherein said geospatial tracking module is further configured to overlay at least one of a tracking indicator and an annotation indicator for the moving object within the viewable area.

14. A video processing method comprising:

displaying a georeferenced video feed on a display defining a viewable area;

determining actual geospatial location data for a selected moving object within the viewable area;

generating estimated geospatial location data along a predicted path for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable area and based upon the actual geospatial location data;

defining a successively expanding search area for the moving object when the moving object is no longer within the viewable area and based upon the estimated geospatial location data;

searching within the successively expanding search area for the moving object when the successively expanding search area is within the viewable area; and

discontinuing generating the estimated geospatial location data based upon a threshold.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising overlaying at least one of a tracking indicator and an annotation for the moving object within the viewable area.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the viewable area is defined by a first set of boundary pixels;

and wherein defining the successively expanding search area comprises defining the successively expanding search area based upon a second set of boundary pixels.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein generating comprises generating the estimated geolocation data further based upon a velocity model.