Automatic identification of changes in objects

• US 9,792,526 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charter Communications Operating LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Charter Communications Operating LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kilpatrick, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harandi, Siamak
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zohrabyan, Narek
• Application Number:
  US14/633,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20160253576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 382103, 382105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/751 Comparing pixel values or logical combinations thereof, or feature values having positional relevance, e.g. template matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

The specification and drawings present a new method, apparatus and software related product (e.g., a computer readable memory or a storage device) for automatic timely finding of deficiencies in objects such as automobiles, railcar, airplane tractor trailer, intermodal containers and the like, by automatically monitoring the object'"'"'s appearance changes while they are moving in a course of normal operation using their camera pictures/images, e.g., during passing through a check point.

Claims

1. A method for automatically monitoring a plurality of vehicles based at a facility, comprising:

storing, via a computing device, baseline picture data comprising baseline pictures of each of the plurality of vehicles based at the facility, the baseline picture data including a unique identification associated with a corresponding vehicle;

receiving, from one or more cameras located at a check point providing vehicle ingress or egress of the facility and configured to take pictures of vehicles moving therethrough, further picture data comprising pictures of vehicles taken automatically during movement of the vehicles through the check point;

identifying on each taken picture the corresponding vehicle and the unique identification associated with the corresponding vehicle;

storing, via the computing device, the received further pictured data including the taken pictures and corresponding unique identification of the vehicles;

comparing at least a latest picture of each vehicle taken during each of one or more predefined time intervals with the corresponding stored baseline picture of the vehicle;

determining whether a difference between at least the latest picture of the each vehicle and the corresponding stored baseline picture of the each vehicle exceeds either of a maintenance related threshold level and an accident related threshold level set for each of the one or more predefined time intervals; and

providing, in response to a determination that either of the maintenance related and accident related threshold levels have been exceeded, indication of a corresponding vehicle requiring a maintenance or accident related corrective action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more cameras comprise an array of cameras.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the accident related corrective action comprises one or more of:

requiring repair of the vehicle; and

determining whether accident related information has been reported.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received picture data indicates for each picture a time the picture is taken during the predefined time interval, so that the storing also includes storing a respectful time of taking a corresponding picture of the each object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a truck, an airplane, an automobile, a tractor trailer or a vehicle carrying an-intermodal container.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintenance related corrective action comprises one or more of:

washing the vehicle,

repairing the vehicle,

correcting addition of an unauthorized feature or item to the vehicle,

correcting removal of an authorized feature or item from the vehicle,

inflating a tire on the vehicle, and

installing a lock on a container on the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said indication is one or more of:

a report not requiring any action, a report requiring an action, a sound alarm requiring an immediate action and an urgent e-mail message requiring said immediate action or a further immediate action.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identification is a license plate number, a barcode or a radio frequency identification (RFID).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more predefined time intervals are one or more of:

one hour, one day, one week and one month.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the further picture data comprising pictures of vehicles taken automatically during either or both of vehicle ingress and vehicle egress of the facility.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the program logic comprising;

logic to store baseline picture data comprising baseline pictures of each of the plurality of vehicles based at the facility, the baseline picture data including a unique identification associated with a corresponding vehicle;

logic to receive from one or more cameras located at a check point providing vehicle ingress or egress of the facility and configured to take pictures of vehicles moving therethrough, further picture data comprising pictures of vehicles taken automatically during movement of the vehicles through the check point;

logic to identify on each taken picture the corresponding vehicle and the unique identification associated with the corresponding vehicle;

logic to store the received further pictured data including the taken pictures and corresponding unique identification of the vehicles;

logic to compare at least a latest picture of each vehicle taken during each of one or more predefined time intervals with the corresponding stored baseline picture of the vehicle;

logic to determine whether a difference between at least the latest picture of the each vehicle and the corresponding stored baseline picture of the each vehicle exceeds either of a maintenance related threshold level and an accident related threshold level set for each of the one or more predefined time intervals; and

logic to provide in response to a determination that either of the maintenance related and accident related threshold levels have been exceeded, indication of a corresponding vehicle requiring a maintenance or accident related corrective action.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing computer program instructions capable of being executed by a computer processor, the computer program instructions defining code for:

storing, via a computing device, baseline picture data comprising baseline pictures of each of the plurality of vehicles based at the facility, the baseline picture data including a unique identification associated with a corresponding vehicle;

receiving, from one or more cameras located at a check point providing vehicle ingress or egress of the facility and configured to take pictures of vehicles moving therethrough, further picture data comprising pictures of vehicles taken automatically during movement of the vehicles through the check point;

identifying on each taken picture the corresponding vehicle and the unique identification associated with the corresponding vehicle;

storing, via the computing device, the received further pictured data including the taken pictures and corresponding unique identification of the vehicles;

comparing at least a latest picture of each vehicle taken during each of one or more predefined time intervals with the corresponding stored baseline picture of the vehicle;

determining whether a difference between at least the latest picture of the each vehicle and the corresponding stored baseline picture of the each vehicle exceeds either of a maintenance related threshold level and an accident related threshold level set for each of the one or more predefined time intervals; and

providing, in response to a determination that either of the maintenance related and accident related threshold levels have been exceeded, indication of a corresponding vehicle requiring a maintenance or accident related corrective action.