Pass-through compartment for persons and method for monitoring a spatial volume enclosed by a pass-through compartment for persons

• US 8,384,768 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vitracom AG (Trilux GmbH & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Vitracom AG (Trilux GmbH & Company KG)
• Inventors: Link, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNISON, JERRY B
• Application Number:
  US12/311,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10012 Stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/85 Stereo camera calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/53 Recognition of crowd images, e.g. recognition of crowd congestion

Abstract

It is customary to produce a three-dimensional image using a camera pair in order to ensure that people are isolated in a lock for separating people and to check that no more than one person at a time passes through the lock for separating people. It is an object of the invention to improve known systems and to accelerate them. To this end, a plurality of camera pairs are used according to the invention, which monitor a spatial volume which is to be monitored from several spatial directions at the same time. To this end, each camera pair monitors the space, determines a height profile and supplements shadowed points in the height profile with data of other camera pairs. Monitoring of a spatial volume, for example a passage lock.

Claims

1. Method for monitoring a spatial volume (10) enclosed by a pass-through compartment for persons using a plurality of camera pairs (11, 11′

) comprising cameras being disposed in pairs above the spatial volume (10), which are oriented from different spatial directions on the spatial volume (10) and are connected to computer hardware for digitalizing camera images (34, 34′

) detected by means of the cameras and for calculating, in each instance, a three-dimensional spatial image by means of superimposing the camera images (34, 34′

) of one camera pair (11,11′

), in each instance, whereby a three-dimensional spatial image is prepared from the camera images of each one camera pair by means of the computer hardware and a height profile is determined therefrom, and whereby a common height profile being completed in that spatial points that cannot be represented due to shadows cast in one spatial image or height profile are supplemented using spatial images or height profiles of other camera pairs (11, 11′

).

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein video data streams that come from the individual cameras and/or the camera pairs (11, 11′

) are digitalized.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the height profile is put into relation with a reference plane (30), wherein spatial points are calculated using homographies (32, 32′

, 33, 33′

) and straight line intersections in space.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the position of individual spatial points is determined as the intersection point of the sight beams (35, 35′

) of the two cameras of a camera pair (11, 11′

) to said spatial point, in each instance.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the height profile produced is compared with standard models, namely standard height profiles of persons or objects expected in the monitored spatial volume.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein after recognition of a standard profile, a check is carried out to determine whether another standard model can be inserted into the remaining space.