Automatic imaging device selection for video analytics

• US 9,565,400 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Molello, Michael Anthony, Curlander, James Christopher, Graybill, Jules Cook
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Jr., Howard D
• Application Number:
  US14/137,973
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• 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: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• 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: G06V 20/54 of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A suitable imaging device for capturing images of an object or an area of interest may be automatically selected based on information regarding the locations and/or other operational properties of a plurality of imaging devices, and a location of the object or the area of interest. One or more geometric models of the fields of view of the imaging devices may be generated, and whether the object or the area of interest falls within one or more of the fields of view may be determined using such models. Where multiple imaging devices may include the object or the area of interest, within a field of view, the imaging device having the most suitable image, e.g., the largest or highest resolution image of the object or the area of interest, may be selected.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying an object of interest;

receiving information regarding at least one triggering metric associated with the object of interest;

determining a position of the object of interest according to a coordinate system;

determining positions of each of a plurality of imaging devices according to the coordinate system;

determining an orientation of each of the plurality of imaging devices;

modeling, for each of the plurality of imaging devices, a field of view of the imaging device based at least in part on the position of the imaging device and the orientation of the imaging device;

determining whether the object of interest is within the field of view of at least one of the plurality of imaging devices;

in response to determining that the object of interest is within the field of view of at least one of the plurality of imaging devices,

selecting one of the plurality of imaging devices having the object of interest within the field of view; and

configuring the selected imaging device to monitor the object of interest according to a triggering metric.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the orientation of each of the plurality of imaging devices comprises an axis of orientation of a lens of the imaging device defined by at least one of a roll angle, a pitch angle or a yaw angle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein modeling the field of view of the imaging device comprises:

defining a geometric section in free space according to the coordinate system; and

determining whether the position of the object of interest is within the geometric section,

wherein the geometric section is defined based at least in part on the axis of orientation of the lens of the imaging device and the position of the imaging device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining whether the triggering metric occurred within a field of view of the selected imaging device using the at least one computer processor; and

in response to determining that the triggering metric occurred within the field of view of the selected imaging device,

generating at least one signal associated with at least one of the object of interest or the triggering metric.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the selected imaging device to monitor the object of interest according to the triggering metric comprises:

determining a location of the object of interest within the field of view of the selected imaging device;

selecting a plurality of pixels within the field of view of the selected imaging device; and

configuring the selected imaging device to monitor the selected plurality of pixels within the field of view according to the triggering metric.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon,

wherein the instructions, when executed, cause a computer system having at least one computer processor and at least one data store to perform a method comprising:

identifying information regarding positions of a plurality of imaging devices;

identifying information regarding orientations of the plurality of imaging devices;

identifying information regarding at least one of an object or an area of interest, wherein the information comprises a position of the object or the area of interest;

modeling, for each of the plurality of imaging devices, a field of view of the imaging device based at least in part on the position of the imaging device and the orientation of the imaging device using the at least one computer processor;

determining, for each of the plurality of imaging devices, whether the object or the area of interest appears within the field of view of at least one imaging device; and

in response to determining that the object or the area of interest appears within the field of the at least one imaging device,

storing an association between the object or the area of interest and the at least one imaging device in which the object or the area of interest appears within the field of view in at least one data store.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein each of the positions of the plurality of imaging devices is defined by a set of coordinates according to a coordinate system, and

wherein the position of the object or the area of interest is defined by a set of coordinates according to the coordinate system.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the information regarding the orientations of the plurality of imaging devices comprises an angle of view of a lens of the imaging device and an axis of orientation of the imaging device defined by at least one of a roll angle, a pitch angle or a yaw angle.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein modeling the field of view of the imaging device comprises:

defining a geometric section in free space based at least in part on the position of the imaging device and the angle of view of the lens of the imaging device according to the coordinate system using the at least one computer processor.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein determining, for each of the plurality of imaging devices, whether the object or the area of interest appears within the field of view of the at least one imaging device comprises:

determining whether the set of coordinates defining the object or the area of interest is within the geometric section.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the geometric section is a substantially pyramidal section having an origin associated with the lens of the imaging device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of imaging devices has an adjustable position, an adjustable orientation, or an adjustable focal length, and

wherein the method further comprises:

identifying an adjustment to one of the adjustable position, the adjustable orientation or the adjustable focal length using the at least one computer processor,

wherein the adjustment causes the object or the area of interest to appear within the field of view of the at least one imaging device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the adjustable orientation comprises at least one of an adjustable roll angle of rotation, an adjustable pitch angle of rotation or an adjustable yaw angle of rotation.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6,

wherein the object or the area of interest appears within the field of view of at least two imaging devices, and

wherein the method further comprises:

determining a number of pixels covering an aspect of the object or the area of interest within the field of view of the at least two imaging devices using the at least one computer processor;

determining locations of the pixels covering the aspect of the object or the area of interest within the field of view of the at least two imaging devices; and

selecting one of the at least two imaging devices for monitoring the object or the area of interest based at least in part on the number of the pixels or the locations of the pixels within the field of view of the at least two imaging devices.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the number of the pixels or the locations of the pixels are determined according to an optical transfer function of the imaging device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

capturing images of the object or the area of interest using the selected imaging device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

determining locations of pixels covering an aspect of the object or the area of interest within the field of view of the selected imaging device; and

initiating video analytics of the images of the object or the area of interest captured by the selected imaging device based at least in part on the locations of the pixels using the at least one computer processor.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving information regarding at least one triggering metric;

determining whether the at least one triggering metric has been satisfied within at least one of the images of the object or the area of interest captured by the selected imaging device; and

in response to determining that the at least one triggering metric has been satisfied,

generating at least one signal associated with an alert using the at least one computer processor.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises

processing at least one of the captured images to recognize at least one of an outline, a movement or a figure associated with the object or the area of interest using the at least one computer processor.

20. A monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of imaging devices; and

a computing device in communication with at least one of the plurality of imaging devices,

wherein the computing device is configured to implement one or more services, and

wherein the one or more services are configured to;

identify a position of an event of interest, wherein the event of interest occurred at a given time;

identify operational characteristics of each of the plurality of imaging devices at the given time;

identify a field of view for each of the plurality of imaging devices at the given time; and

determine whether the field of view of at least one of the plurality of imaging devices included the position of the event of interest at the given time based at least in part on the operational characteristics of each of the plurality of imaging devices at the given time.

21. The monitoring system of claim 20, wherein the operational characteristics of at least one of the plurality of imaging devices comprise:

a position of the at least one imaging device;

a roll angle of the at least one imaging device;

a pitch angle of the at least one imaging device;

a yaw angle of the at least one imaging device;

or

a focal length of the at least one imaging device.

22. The monitoring system of claim 20, wherein the one or more services are further configured to:

determine, for each of the plurality of imaging devices, a geometric model of the field of view of the imaging device according to a coordinate system, wherein the geometric model is based at least in part on the operational characteristics of the imaging device;

identify a set of coordinates associated with the position of the event of interest according to the coordinate system; and

determine, for each of the plurality of imaging devices, whether the set of coordinates associated with the position of the event of interest is within the geometric model of the field of view of the imaging device.