Object recognition system and abnormality detection system using image processing

• US 5,757,287 A
• Filed: 01/11/1996
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Katsuyuki, Nakanishi, Kunio, Inoue, Haruki, Horie, Takeshi, Asada, Kazuyoshi, Kitamura, Tadaaki, Yahiro, Masakazu, Takatoo, Masao, Kobayashi, Yoshiki, Satoh, Yoshiyuki, Shibata, Toshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl C.
• Application Number:
  US08/584,667
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 340/917, 340/919, 340/920, 340/922, 340/928, 340/934, 340/935, 340/937, 340/936, 364/436, 364/437, 358/105, 358/113, 382/103, 382/104, 382/107, 382/190, 382/209
• US Class Current: 340/937
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30248 Vehicle exterior or interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/248 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors

Abstract

An object recognition system using the image processing in which an area having a unique feature is extracted from an input image of an object, the unique image is registered in a shade template memory circuit as a shade template, the input image is searched for an image similar to the shade template registered by a shade pattern matching circuit, the position of an object is determined for each template, the speed and direction of movement of the object is determined from the positional information, and the results thereof are integrated by a separation/integration circuit, thereby recognizing the whole of the moving object.

Claims

1. A vehicle recognition system for photographing a road by a TV camera and recognizing vehicle movement by processing images from the TV camera, comprising:

a template extracting circuit for extracting, as a template from an input image obtained by the TV camera an image pattern corresponding substantially to a moving vehicle whose movement is to be traced;

a template memory circuit for storing a template obtained with the template extracting circuit; and

a pattern matching circuit for determining a vehicle position within a subsequent input image by pattern matching between the template corresponding substantially to the moving vehicle stored in the template memory circuit and said subsequent input image.

2. A vehicle recognition system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a traffic parameter measurement section measuring a number and speed of vehicles passed by following vehicle positions obtained using said template.

3. A vehicle recognition system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said template more specifically corresponds only to the moving vehicle.

4. A traffic flow measurement system for photographing a road by a TV camera and recognizing vehicle movement by processing images from the TV camera, comprising:

a template memory circuit storing as a template, a vehicle image corresponding substantially to a moving vehicle whose movement is to be traced

a pattern matching circuit pattern matching between the template corresponding substantially to the moving vehicle stored in the template memory circuit and a subsequent input image obtained from the TV camera; and

a vehicle speed and direction determining means for determining a vehicle position by pattern matching with respect to the input image at a given time point, further determining the vehicle position with respect to the input image at a given time point and determining at least a speed and direction of movement of vehicles, in accordance with a change in coordinates of determined positions.

5. A traffic flow measurement system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said template more specifically corresponds only to the moving vehicle.

6. A pattern matching system for executing pattern matching between a continuously updated template and an input image, comprising:

a template memory circuit storing, as a template, a pattern of an image corresponding substantially to an object whose movement is to be traced;

a pattern matching circuit pattern matching between a template corresponding substantially to the object stored in the template memory circuit and a subsequent input image obtained from a TV camera; and

a template updating circuit sequentially updating the templates of the template memory circuit using subsequent input images.

7. A pattern matching system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said template more specifically corresponds only to the object.

8. A method for recognizing movement of a moving object by photographing the moving object by an image pick-up means and processing images from the image pick-up means, comprising the steps of:

storing different portions of an image of a moving object in advance as several types of templates, each template corresponding substantially to the moving object; and

matching patterns between the templates corresponding substantially to the moving object stored and a subsequent image obtained from the image pick-up means, and determining a position of the moving object within the subsequent image on a basis of at least one matching thereof.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said each template more specifically corresponds only to the moving object.

10. A method for recognizing movement of a moving object by photographing the moving object by an image pick-up means and processing images obtained by the image pick-up means, comprising the steps of:

cutting out and dividing an image including only one moving object as templates from an input image obtained by the image pick-up means, each template corresponding substantially to the moving object; and

matching patterns between a cut-out template corresponding substantially to the moving object and a subsequent input shade image at a next time point, and determining a position of the moving object within the input image.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said each template more specifically corresponds only to the moving object.

12. A system for following, in a picked-up image, a moving object of a shape and size changing with the direction of movement and distance from the image pick-up means, comprising:

a template memory circuit for storing, as a template, a pattern of an image of the moving object as a template, said template corresponding substantially to the moving object;

a pattern matching circuit for determining a position of the moving object by pattern matching between the template corresponding substantially to the moving object stored in the template memory circuit and an input image obtained from the image pick-up means; and

a template updating circuit for preparing an updated template corresponding substantially to the moving object for a next pattern matching from the template of the moving object cut out of a present input image and a preceding template of the moving object and storing the updated template in the template memory circuit.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said template and said updated template more specifically correspond only to the moving vehicle.

14. A vehicle recognition system for photographing a road by a TV camera and recognizing vehicle movement by processing images from the TV camera, comprising:

a background template extracting circuit for extracting, as a background template from an input image obtained by the TV camera, an image pattern corresponding substantially to a background;

a template extracting circuit for extracting, as a vehicle template from an input image obtained by the TV camera, an image pattern corresponding substantially to a vehicle, the vehicle template being different from the background template;

a template memory circuit for storing the background template and the vehicle template obtained with the background template extracting circuit and the template extracting circuit;

a pattern matching circuit for determining a vehicle position within a subsequent input image by pattern matching between the background template, the vehicle template and the subsequent input image.

15. A vehicle recognition system for photographing a road by a TV camera and recognizing vehicle movement by processing images from the TV camera, comprising:

a background template extracting circuit for extracting, as a background template from an input image obtained by the TV camera, an image pattern corresponding substantially to a background;

a template extracting circuit for extracting, as a vehicle template from an input image obtained by the TV camera, an image pattern corresponding substantially to a vehicle;

a template memory circuit for storing the background template and the vehicle template obtained with the background template extracting circuit and the template extracting circuit;

a moving area extracting circuit for extracting, as a moving area from a plurality of subsequent input images obtained by the TV camera, an image pattern corresponding substantially to a changing portion of the input images;

a subtracting arrangement for subtracting the background template and the moving area from an input image; and

a pattern matching circuit for determining a vehicle position within a resultant image from the subtracting arrangement by pattern matching between the template stored in the template memory circuit and the resultant image, so as to determine whether or not a stalled vehicle is present.