Object blocking zones to reduce false alarms in video surveillance systems

• US 8,558,892 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Brodsky, Tomas, Lin, Yun-Ting
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Assistant Examiner(s): HALLENBECK-HUBER, JEREMIAH CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US10/969,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20050157169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,282 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/152, 348/154, 348/159
• US Class Current: 348/155
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7864 T.V. type tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19602 Image analysis to detect motion of the intruder, e.g. by frame subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19606 Discriminating between target movement or movement in an area of interest and other non-signicative movements, e.g. target movements induced by camera shake or movements of pets, falling leaves, rotating fan
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• 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: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Blocking zones of a surveillance system are configured to prevent false alarms caused by motion within the zones, while allowing tracking of objects through the zones. An object that first appears within a blocking zone is not considered to be a reportable object until the object leaves the zone. All reportable objects are tracked, without regard to the blocking zones. Objects that remain within their initial blocking zone are not deemed to be reportable objects, and therefore do not generate alarms. If an object initially appears within overlapping zones, the object is not deemed to be reportable until it leaves each of the zones at least once. The blocking zones do not mask the video images, and thus a complete record of activity is available for forensic purposes.

Claims

1. A surveillance method of a protected area implemented within a surveillance system comprising:

a graphic user interface presenting a reference image of a portion of the protected area to a user, the portion corresponding to a field of view of the protected area from a camera;

identifying a set of bounds of a relatively stationary object within the protected area that exhibits some inconsequential or immaterial movement from a drawing provided on the reference image by the user through the graphic user interface;

defining a set of vertices of a blocking zone within the protected area around the relatively stationary object from the drawing;

obtaining an image of the protected area from the camera;

the surveillance system detecting an object image;

the surveillance system identifying the detected object as being non-reportable if the object is initially detected completely within the defined blocking zone of the image;

the surveillance system identifying the detected object as being reportable if the object is initially detected beyond the defined blocking zone of the image and within the protected area;

the surveillance system obtaining subsequent images from the camera;

the surveillance system detecting the object within the subsequent images;

the surveillance system tracking the detected object within the blocking zone

the surveillance system identifying the detected object as being reportable from the detected subsequent images if the detected object departs the defined blocking zone of the image and is still located within the protected area beyond the defined blocking zone of the image

wherein an alarm is generated for reportable objects and

wherein after the object is identified as reportable the object can not be subsequently identified as being non-reportable and will continue to generate an alarm, even if the object enters a blocking zone.

2. The surveillance method of claim 1, further including:

identifying the object based on a size of a group of pixels within the video images that exhibit a correlated motion through the sequence of video images.

3. The surveillance method of claim 1, wherein the blocking zone is defined to correspond to an image of a relatively stationary object that exhibits movement within a defined space.

4. The surveillance method of claim 1, wherein the blocking zone is defined to correspond to an image of a passageway within which transient objects may appear without appearing beyond the image of the passageway.

5. The surveillance method of claim 1, wherein the blocking zone is defined to correspond to an image of a reflective surface.

6. The surveillance method of claim 1, wherein the object is initially identified as being locating within a plurality of blocking zones, and identifying the object as reportable only if the object is detected to have been located beyond each of the plurality of blocking zones in the subsequent images.

7. The surveillance method of claim 1, further including determining whether to notify a user of the object that is identified as being reportable.

8. The surveillance method of claim 1, further including tracking motion of the object that is identified as being reportable.

9. The surveillance method of claim 1, further including recording the images independent of the blocking zone.

10. The surveillance method of claim 1, further including adjusting a relative location of the blocking zone within the image as the image is modified by a change of view of a device that provides the image.

23. The computer program of claim 1, further causes the processing device to adjust a location of the defined blocking zone relative to the field of view as the field of view changes.

11. A surveillance system for a protected area that comprises:

an object recognizer that is configured to recognize an object in a sequence of images of the protected area,

an object tracker that is configured to track a path of the object;

a graphic interface that presents a reference image of a portion of the protected area to a user, the portion corresponds to a field of view of a camera, the user identifies one or more blocking zones within the protected area by drawing the one or more blocking zones on the reference image, the one or more blocking zones each define select regions within the images containing a relatively stationary object that exhibits some inconsequential or immaterial movement; and

an alarm processor;

wherein the object tracker is configured to;

identify the recognized object as being non-reportable if the object is initially recognized as being completely within a blocking zone of the one or more blocking zones,

identify the recognized object as being reportable if the object is initially recognized as being beyond the blocking zones,

track the recognized object within the one or more blocking zones, and

identify the recognized object as being reportable if the object departs the blocking zone and remains within the protected area; and

the alarm processor is configured to limit notification of activity to recognized objects that are identified as being reportable

wherein an alarm is generated for reportable objects and

wherein after the object is identified as reportable the object can not be subsequently identified as being non-reportable and will continue to generate an alarm, even if the object enters a blocking zone.

12. The surveillance system of claim 11, further comprising:

one or more cameras that are configured to provide the images.

13. The surveillance system of claim 11, further comprising:

one or more recorders that are configured to record the images.

14. The surveillance system of claim 13, wherein the one or more recorders record the images independent of the blocking zone.

15. The surveillance system of claim 11, wherein the object tracker is further configured to:

determine whether the object is initially recognized as being in one or more other blocking zones, and

identify the object as being reportable only if the object also departs each of the one or more other blocking zones.

16. The surveillance system of claim 11, wherein the blocking zone includes an associated image region that includes at least one of:

a relatively stationary object that exhibits movement,

a passageway within which transient objects may appear, and a reflective surface.

17. The surveillance system of claim 16, further including at least one camera that provides the images, wherein the at least one camera provides a controllable field of view, and the object tracker is further configured to adjust a relative location of the blocking zone in the images so as to maintain a correspondence with the associated image region upon a change of the field of view of the at least one camera.

18. A computer program stored on a computer memory that, when executed on a processing device, causes the processing device to:

presenting a reference image on a graphic interface to a user, the reference image is a portion of a protected area associated with a field of view of a camera;

identifying a defined blocking zone within the field of view from a drawing on the reference image of the graphic interface provided by the user, the defined blocking zone is drawn to include an extent of motion at least one relatively stationary object that exhibits some inconsequential or immaterial movement;

detecting an object within a first image of a protected area from a camera, identifying the detected object as being non-reportable if the object is initially detected completely within the defined blocking zone within the protected area and within a field of view of the camera that includes the first image,

identifying the recognized object as being reportable if the object is initially detected beyond the defined blocking zone,

detecting the object within a second image from the camera,

tracking the detected object within the defined blocking zone, and

identifying the tracked object as being reportable if the tracked object in the subsequent image is located beyond the defined blocking zone yet still within the protected area

wherein an alarm is generated for reportable objects and

wherein after the object is identified as reportable the object can not be subsequently identified as being non-reportable and will continue to generate an alarm, even if the object enters a blocking zone.

19. The computer program of claim 18, that further causes the processing device to accept input from a user to create the defined blocking zone.

20. The computer program of claim 19, wherein accepting input from the user includes identifying coordinates that bound the blocking zone within a reference image corresponding to the field of view of the camera.

21. The computer program of claim 18, that further causes the processing device to notify a user of the object when the object is identified as being reportable.

22. The computer program of claim 18, that further causes the processing device to track a path of the object.

24. The computer program of claim 18, that further causes the processing device to record at least the first image and the second image.

25. A method implemented within a computer comprising:

the computer presenting a reference image on a graphic interface to a user, the reference image is a portion of a protected area associated with a field of view of a camera;

the computer identifying one or more defined blocking zones within the field of view from a drawing provided by the user on the reference image of the graphic interface, the one or more defined blocking zones each drawn to include an extent of motion of at least one relatively stationary object within the reference image that exhibits some inconsequential or immaterial movement;

the computer obtaining images of a protected area from a camera, each image including the one or more defined blocking zones within the protected area,

the computer detecting a moving object within the images regardless of the defined blocking zones,

defining a classification for each of the detected objects, the classification including reportable and non-reportable, based on whether the detected object is completely within the one or more blocking zones,

the computer tracking the detected object within the one or more blocking zones, and

the computer reporting the detected object whenever the object is beyond the one or more blocking zones yet still within the protected area

wherein after the object is defined as being reportable, the object can not be subsequently identified as being non-reportable

including providing an alarm based on a location of each object that is classified as being reportable and continuing to provide the alarm even if even if the object enters a blocking zone, preventing the alarm for all objects that are classified as non-reportable.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein defining the classification of each object includes defining the object as being reportable if the object is initially detected outside all of the defined blocking zones.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein defining the classification of each object includes defining the object as being non-reportable if the object is initially detected inside at least one of the defined blocking zones.

28. A surveillance system that comprises:

an object recognizer that is configured to recognize a target object in a sequence of images of a protected area,

a graphic interface that presents a reference image of a portion of the protected area to a user, the portion corresponds to a field of view of a camera, the user identifies one or more blocking zones by drawing the one or more blocking zones on the reference image of the graphic interface, the one or more blocking zones define select regions of the protected area within the images, said one or more blocking zones are each drawn about a respective relatively stationary object that exhibits some inconsequential or immaterial movement,

an object tracker that is configured to track a path of the recognized target object within the one or more blocking zones, and to classify the recognized target object as being reportable or non-reportable, based on whether the recognized target object is completely within the one or more blocking zones,

wherein after the object is identified as reportable, the object can not be subsequently identified as being non-reportable

an alarm processor that is configured to limit notification of activity to recognized target objects that are classified as being reportable whenever a recognized target object is outside the one or more blocking zones yet still within the protected area and continuing to generate the alarm even if even if the object enters a blocking zone.

29. The surveillance system of claim 28, wherein the object tracker is configured to classify the target object as reportable if the target object is initially detected outside each of the one or more blocking zones.

30. The surveillance system of claim 28, wherein the object tracker is configured to classify the target object as non-reportable if the target object is initially detected within at least one of the one or more blocking zones.

31. The surveillance system of claim 30, wherein the object tracker is further configured to classify the object as being reportable if the object is subsequently detected outside each of the one or more blocking zones.