Surveillance camera terminal

• US 9,398,231 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation, University of Tokyo
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation, University of Tokyo
• Inventors: Nakano, Junichi, Yuasa, Shinya, Naito, Takeshi, Kamijo, Shunsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Jeffery
• Application Number:
  US13/634,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20130002869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,989 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A surveillance camera terminal includes an imaging means that outputs a frame image, an imaging visual field control means that changes the imaging visual field of the imaging means in a surveillance area, an object extracting means that extracts an object being imaged by processing the frame image taken by the imaging means, a tracking means that detects a position of the object in the surveillance area based on a position of the object extracted by the object extracting means on the frame image and the imaging visual field of the imaging means, an imaging visual field storage means that stores an imaging visual field, and detection means that detects whether or not the object being tracked by the tracking means has traveled to a position near a handover area for handover of the object to another surveillance camera terminal.

Claims

1. A surveillance camera terminal comprising:

imaging means configured to output a frame image obtained by imaging an area in an imaging visual field;

imaging visual field control means configured to change the imaging visual field of the imaging means in a surveillance area;

object extracting means configured to extract a first object to be tracked, from one or more objects imaged in the frame image;

tracking means configured to detect a position of the first object in the surveillance area based on a position of the first object extracted, by the object extracting means, from the frame image and the imaging visual field and then track the first object;

imaging visual field storage means configured to store an imaging visual field of the imaging means imaging a handover area in which the first object is positioned when the first object is handed over to each of other surveillance camera terminals to which the first object is possible to be handed over;

identification means configured to;

projective-transform a first handover frame image and a second handover frame image into a common coordinate system, the first handover frame image being obtained by the imaging means imaging the handover area with the imaging visual field of another surveillance camera terminal to which the first object is handed over, that is stored in the imaging visual field storage means and the second handover frame image being obtained by the another surveillance camera terminal imaging the handover area with the imaging visual field used when the first object is handed over between the surveillance camera terminal and the another surveillance camera terminal, and

identify the first object included in one or more second objects imaged in the hand over area by associating, on a one-to-one-basis, the second objects imaged in the handover area between the first handover frame image and the second handover frame image based on a position of each of the second objects in the first handover frame image and a position of each of the second objects in the second handover frame image that have been projective-transformed into the common coordinate system; and

detection means configured to detect whether or not the first object that is being tracked by the tracking means has traveled to a position near the handover area for handover of the first object to the another surveillance camera terminal,

wherein the imaging visual field control means changes the imaging visual field of the imaging means in accordance with the position of the first object that is being tracked by the tracking means in the surveillance area, and

wherein, when the detection means detects that the first object that is being tracked by the tracking means has traveled to the position near the handover area for handover to the another surveillance camera terminal, the imaging visual field control means adjusts the imaging visual field of the imaging means to the imaging visual field of the another surveillance camera terminal, that is stored in the imaging visual field storage means.

2. The surveillance camera terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the detection means detects that the first object that is being tracked by the tracking means has traveled to the position near the handover area for handover to the another surveillance camera terminal, the imaging visual field control means changes the imaging visual field of the imaging means to the imaging visual field in which the handover area in which the first object is handed over is imaged while capturing the first object in the imaging visual field of the imaging means.

3. The surveillance camera terminal according to claim 1, further comprising synchronization means configured to synchronize timing for imaging by the imaging means to timing for imaging by the another surveillance camera terminal to which the first object has to be handed over.

4. The surveillance camera terminal according to claim 1, further comprising handover request notification means configured to make a handover request to the another surveillance camera terminal to which the first object has to be handed over when the detection means detects that the first object that is being tracked by the tracking means has traveled to the position near the handover area for handover to the another surveillance camera terminal.

5. The surveillance camera terminal according to claim 4, wherein when the handover request is received from the another surveillance camera terminal, the imaging visual field control means adjusts the imaging visual field of the imaging means to the imaging visual field of the another surveillance camera terminal, that is stored in the imaging visual field storage means.

6. The surveillance camera terminal according to claim 2, further comprising synchronization means configured to synchronize timing for imaging by the imaging means to timing for imaging by the another surveillance camera terminal to which the first object has to be handed over.

7. The surveillance camera terminal according to claim 2, further comprising handover request notification means configured to make a handover request to the another surveillance camera terminal to which the first object has to be handed over when the detection means detects that the first object that is being tracked by the tracking means has traveled to the position near the handover area for handover to the another surveillance camera terminal.

8. The surveillance camera terminal according to claim 3, further comprising handover request notification means configured to make a handover request to the another surveillance camera terminal to which the first object has to be handed over when the detection means detects that the first object that is being tracked by the tracking means has traveled to the position near the handover area for handover to the another surveillance camera terminal.