Method, system, computer program product and computer-readable recording medium for object tracking

• US 8,890,957 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Chiueh, Tzi-Cker, Fan, Teng-Kai, Lai, Hsun-Feng, Chen, Tse-Shih
• Primary Examiner(s): HARVEY, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US13/338,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20130162818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 348169-172, 348/153, 348/143, 348/159, 382/103
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/292 Multi-camera tracking
• 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

Abstract

A method for object tracking is provided, which is suitable for retrieving and analyzing distributed surveillance data. The method for object tracking includes the following steps: determining a set of surveillance data corresponding to at least one initial object spot in a set of initial object spots according to a location and a time of the initial object spot; retrieving segments of surveillance data in the set of surveillance data; finding at least one discovered object spot matching a target object qualification in the set of surveillance data and adding the discovered object spot into a set of discovered object spots; setting the set of initial object spots to be the set of discovered object spots and repeating the aforementioned steps when the set of discovered object spots is not empty; and outputting the discovered object spot when the set of discovered object spots is empty.

Claims

1. A method for object tracking, adapted to an object tracking system, and the method for object tracking comprising:

setting a set of discovered paths to be empty;

determining a set of surveillance data corresponding to at least one initial object spot in a set of initial object spots according to a location and a time of the initial object spot;

retrieving one or a plurality of segments of surveillance data in the set of surveillance data;

finding at least one discovered object spot matching a target object qualification of a target object in the set of surveillance data, adding the at least one discovered object spot into a set of discovered object spots, and adding a discovered path defined by the discovered object spot and the initial object spot corresponding to the discovered object spot into the set of discovered paths when the at least one discovered object spot is found;

setting the set of initial object spots to be the set of discovered object spots and returning to the step of determining the set of surveillance data when the set of discovered object spots is not empty; and

outputting the at least one discovered object spot and the set of discovered paths when the set of discovered object spots is empty.

2. The method for object tracking as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining the set of surveillance data comprises:

determining a set of surveillance devices corresponding to the initial object spot according to the location of the initial object spot; and

determining at least one segment of surveillance data of at least one surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices according to the time of the initial object spot, wherein the set of surveillance data is formed by the at least one segment of surveillance data of the at least one surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices.

3. The method for object tracking as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of determining the set of surveillance devices comprises:

determining a set of possible paths, wherein the set of possible paths comprises at least one possible path that leaves a search range from the location of the initial object spot in an electronic map; and

regarding each of the possible paths, locating a surveillance device on the possible path that is nearest to the initial object spot within the search range, wherein the set of surveillance devices is formed by the surveillance devices nearest to the initial object spot.

4. The method for object tracking as claimed in claim 3, wherein the search range is an enclosed area in the electronic map, and a distance between at least one location in the search range and the initial object spot does not exceed a threshold value.

5. The method for object tracking as claimed in claim 3, wherein the set of surveillance devices and the set of surveillance data form a search pocket corresponding to the initial object spot, and the method for object tracking further comprises:

marking the search pocket to be closed;

marking the search pocket to be open when at least one of the possible paths has no surveillance device within the search range; and

outputting the mark of the search pocket when the set of discovered object spots is empty.

6. The method for object tracking as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

estimating a travelling time of the target object from the initial object spot to the at least one surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices; and

regarding the surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices, determining a begin time and an end time of the segment of surveillance data of the surveillance device according to the time of the initial object spot and the travelling time.

7. The method for object tracking as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of estimating the travelling time comprises:

estimating a travelling speed of the target object from the initial object spot to the at least one surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices; and

regarding the surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices, estimating the travelling time according to a distance between the initial object spot and the surveillance device and the travelling speed.

8. The method for object tracking as claimed in claim 2, wherein a location of the at least one of the discovered object spots is a location of the surveillance device that records the segment of surveillance data where the at least one discovered object spot belongs.

9. The method for object tracking as claimed in claim 1, wherein a location of the at least one of discovered object spots is a location where the target object appears in the segment of surveillance data where the at least one discovered object spot belongs.

10. The method for object tracking as claimed in claim 1, wherein a time of the at least one of the discovered object spots is a time when the target object appears in the segment of surveillance data where the at least one discovered object spot belongs.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, storing a computer program, wherein when a computer loads and executes the computer program, the aforementioned method for object tracking as claimed in claim 1 is implemented.

12. An object tracking system, comprising:

a plurality of surveillance devices; and

an analyser, coupled to the surveillance devices through a network, wherein the analyser sets a set of discovered paths to be empty, the analyser determines a set of surveillance data corresponding to at least one initial object spot in a set of initial object spots according to a location and a time of the initial object spot, the analyser retrieves one or a plurality of segments of surveillance data in the set of surveillance data from the surveillance devices, the analyser finds at least one discovered object spot matching a target object qualification of a target object in the set of surveillance data, adds the at least one discovered object spot into a set of discovered object spots, and adds a discovered path defined by the discovered object spot and the initial object spot corresponding to the discovered object spot into the set of discovered paths when the analyser finds the at least one discovered object spot, the analyser sets the set of initial object spots to be the set of discovered object spots and returns to the step of determining the set of surveillance data when the set of discovered object spots is not empty, and the analyser outputs the at least one discovered object spot and the set of discovered paths when the set of discovered object spots is empty.

13. The object tracking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the analyser determines a set of surveillance devices corresponding to the initial object spot according to the location of the initial object spot, and determines at least one segment of surveillance data of at least one surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices according to the time of the initial object spot, wherein the set of surveillance data is formed by the at least one segment of surveillance data of the at least one surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices.

14. The object tracking system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the analyser determines a set of possible paths, wherein the set of possible paths comprises at least one possible path that leaves a search range from the location of the initial object spot in an electronic map, and regarding each of the possible paths, the analyser locates a surveillance device on the possible path that is nearest to the initial object spot within the search range, wherein the set of surveillance devices is formed by the surveillance devices nearest to the initial object spot.

15. The object tracking system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the search range is an enclosed area in the electronic map, and a distance between at least one location in the search range and the initial object spot does not exceed a threshold value.

16. The object tracking system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the set of surveillance devices and the set of surveillance data form a search pocket corresponding to the initial object spot, and the analyser marks the search pocket to be closed, when at least one of the possible paths has no surveillance device within the search range, the analyser marks the search pocket to be open, and when the set of discovered object spots is empty, the analyser outputs the mark of the search pocket.

17. The object tracking system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the analyser estimates a travelling time of the target object from the initial object spot to at least one surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices, and regarding the surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices, the analyser determines a begin time and an end time of the segment of surveillance data of the surveillance device according to the time of the initial object spot and the travelling time.

18. The object tracking system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the analyser estimates a travelling speed of the target object from the initial object spot to at least one surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices, and regarding the surveillance device in the set of surveillance devices, the analyser estimates the travelling time according to a distance between the initial object spot and the surveillance device and the travelling speed.

19. The object tracking system as claimed in claim 13, wherein a location of at least one of the discovered object spots is a location of the surveillance device that records the segment of surveillance data where the discovered object spot belongs.

20. The object tracking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein a location of at least one of the discovered object spots is a location where the target object appears in the segment of surveillance data where the discovered object spot belongs.

21. The object tracking system as claimed in claim 12, wherein a time of the at least one of the discovered object spot is a time when the target object appears in the segment of surveillance data where the discovered object spot belongs.