Identifying an obstacle in a route

• US 9,613,274 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stevens, Mark B., Wilson, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj, Dave
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAQUE, MD NAZMUL
• Application Number:
  US14/284,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20150339531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/001 Teaching or communicating with blind persons G09B21/02 - G09B21/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/008 using visual presentation of the information for the partially sighted
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system and computer implemented method for identifying an object in a route is disclosed. The method may include capturing a first set of images during a first traversal of a first route. The method may also include capturing a second set of images during a second traversal of the first route. The method may also include identifying, by comparing the first set of images with the second set of images, an object in the second set of images meeting an obstruction criteria. The method may also include providing a notification of the object which was identified as meeting the obstruction criteria.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for identifying an object in a route, the method comprising:

capturing, by an image capture device, a first set of images during a first traversal of a first route;

capturing, by the image capture device, a second set of images during a second traversal of the first route;

identifying, by an image analysis module configured to compare the first set of images with the second set of images, an object in the second set of images meeting an obstruction criteria; and

providing a notification of the object which was identified as meeting the obstruction criteria;

wherein capturing the first set of images during the first traversal of the first route includes;

collecting route frequency data for a set of routes traversed by a user;

determining, for a specific route of the set of routes traversed by the user, that a frequency value is greater than a frequency threshold value;

selecting, in response to determining that the specific route has the frequency value greater than the frequency threshold value, the route as the first route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obstruction criteria includes a displacement threshold and an object size threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the first set of images during the first traversal of the first route includes:

creating, in response to receiving a route traversal initiation command, a starting point of the first route;

collecting, in response to receiving the route traversal initiation command, image data and distance data for a path traversed by a user; and

creating, in response to receiving a route traversal termination command, an ending point of the first route.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of images and the second set of images are captured by a mobile device including but not limited to one or more selected from the group consisting of smart phones, tablets, smart watches, and wearable computing devices.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining, using a user interface provided on the mobile device, a set of route preferences and a set of obstruction criteria preferences.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first route is a frequently traversed path by a user between a first location and a second location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the object in the second set of images meeting an obstruction criteria further comprises using a digital image processing algorithm configured to use Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) techniques to detect one or more objects, and measure one or more dimensions of the one or more objects.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of images and the second set of images are captured at a set of image capture locations selected from a group consisting of doorways, corners, hallway entrances, or configurable distance increments.