System and method for capturing, storing, analyzing and displaying data related to the movements of objects

• US 8,860,811 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2013
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognyte Technologies Israel Ltd. (Cognyte Software Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Golan, Oren, Dudovich, Boaz, Daliyot, Shahar, Horovitz, Itzik, Kiro, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Golabbakhsh, Ebrahim
• Application Number:
  US13/853,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20130222586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 348/150, 348/153, 348/155, 348/159, 348/169, 348/39
• US Class Current: 348/150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/40 Software arrangements specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. user interfaces or toolboxes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/945 User interactive design; Environments; Toolboxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system and method for the capture and storage of data relating to the movements of objects, in a specified area and enables this data to be displayed in a graphically meaningful and useful manner. Video data is collected and video metadata is generated relating to objects (persons) appearing in the video data and their movements over time. The movements of the objects are then analyzed to detect the movements within a region of interest. This detection of movement allows a user, such as a manager of a store, to make informed decisions as to the infrastructure and operation of the store. One detection method relates to the number of people that are present in a region of interest for a specified time period. A second detection method relates to the number of people that remain or dwell in a particular area for a particular time period. A third detection method determines the flow of people and the direction they take within a region of interest. A fourth detection method relates to the number of people that enter a certain area by crossing a virtual line, a tripwire.

Claims

1. A method operable on a computer that is coupled to a memory containing video data of a prescribed physical area, the method responsive to the movement of objects in the prescribed physical area, the method comprising:

identifying objects in the prescribed physical area by querying the video data, wherein the objects that are identified are moving in the prescribed physical area;

specifying by a user, a direction arrow completely within the prescribed physical area, wherein the direction arrow is superimposed on a user-selected portion of an image of the prescribed physical area;

determining a number of objects that move in a direction of the specified direction arrow; and

generating a visually perceptible output of the number of objects that move in the direction of the specified direction arrow, such that a movement path of each of the respective numbers of objects is superimposed on the user-selected portion of the image of the prescribed physical area.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of generating the visually perceptible output of the number of objects further comprises:

generating still image of the prescribed physical area; and

superimposing a representation of the number of objects over the still image.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the act of superimposing the representation of the number of objects over the still image further comprises:

plotting the movements of the number of objects that moved in the direction of the specified direction arrow in the prescribed physical area.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a virtual line in the prescribed physical area,

wherein the specified direction arrow is specified with respect to the virtual line.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

defining a region of interest in the prescribed physical area,

wherein only objects that move in the specified direction arrow in the region of interest are determined.

6. A method operable on a computer to detect and analyze movement of objects in a prescribed physical area, the method comprising:

receiving video data of the prescribed physical area from at least one camera;

detecting movement of objects in the prescribed physical area;

generating video metadata in response to the detection act, the video metadata representing the detected objects and their movement in the prescribed physical area;

storing the video metadata in a database;

specifying by a user, a direction arrow completely within the prescribed physical area, wherein the direction arrow is superimposed on a user-selected portion of an image of the prescribed physical area;

determining a number of objects that move in a direction of the specified direction arrow; and

generating a visually perceptible output of the number of objects, objects that move in the direction of the specified direction arrow, such that a movement path of each of the respective numbers of objects is superimposed on the user-selected portion of the image of the prescribed physical area.

7. A system for detecting and analyzing movement of objects in a prescribed physical area, the system comprising:

an interface that receives video data of the prescribed physical area;

a video management system coupled to the interface, the video management system storing the video data;

a video analytics engine coupled to the video management system, the video analytics engine generating video metadata representing at least one object and its movement in the prescribed physical area;

an object movement analytics engine coupled to the video analytics engine, the object movement analytics engine determining a number of objects that move in a direction of a specified direction arrow completely within the prescribed physical area, wherein the direction arrow is superimposed by a user on a user-selected portion of an image of the prescribed physical area; and

a display coupled to the object movement analytics engine, the display displaying a visually perceptible output of the number of objects, objects that move in the direction of the specified direction arrow, such that a movement path of each of the respective numbers of objects is superimposed on the user-selected portion of the image of the prescribed physical area.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the interface receives video data from a plurality of cameras corresponding to a plurality of prescribed physical areas.