Method and apparatus for image collection and analysis

• US 9,349,051 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Fix, Jeremy, Hilliard, Brandon B
• Primary Examiner(s): COUSO, JOSE L
• Application Number:
  US14/797,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20150324644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• 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 20/80 Recognising image objects characterised by unique random patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/07 Target detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a processor that can detect an event, access location information for a group of mobile communication devices that are each automatically capturing images, and identify a subset of the group of mobile communication devices that are in proximity to the event based on the location information. The processor can provide first image analysis criteria to the subset of the group of mobile communication devices without providing the first image analysis criteria to remaining devices of the group of mobile communication devices where the first image analysis criteria includes first characteristics associated with an object. The processor can receive a first target image that includes the object from a first mobile communication device of the subset of the group of mobile communication devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing first images, by a first mobile communication device of a group of mobile communication devices, wherein the capturing is performed automatically by the first mobile communication device subject to recording limitations designated based on user input, wherein a second mobile communication device of the group of mobile communication devices automatically captures second images;

receiving, by the first mobile communication device, first image analysis criteria including first characteristics associated with an object;

applying, by the first mobile communication device, image pattern recognition to the first images according to the first image analysis criteria to identify a first target image that includes the object;

determining, by the first mobile communication device, second image analysis criteria from the first target image, wherein the second image analysis criteria includes second characteristics associated with the object; and

providing, by the first mobile communication device, the second image analysis criteria to the second mobile communication device to enable the second mobile communication device to perform image pattern recognition on the second images according to the second image analysis criteria to identify a second target image that includes the object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first images in a memory of the first mobile communication device; and

deleting a portion of the first images from the memory responsive to satisfying a maximum storage threshold defined by the recording limitations, wherein the first image analysis criteria comprises text describing the first characteristics associated with the object, and wherein the second image analysis criteria comprises an image sample of the object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first images is time stamped, and

wherein the recording limitations include time limitations for the capturing of the first images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image analysis criteria is received from a remote server that provides the first image analysis criteria to a subset of the group of mobile communication devices without providing the first image analysis criteria to remaining devices of the group of mobile communication devices, wherein the subset includes the first and second mobile communication devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the subset of the group of mobile communication devices is selected by the remote server based on location information for each of the subset of the group of mobile communication devices.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the subset of the group of mobile communication devices is selected by the remote server based on device capabilities for each of the subset of the group of mobile communication devices.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing an accuracy assessment on the first images and the second images to assign an accuracy score to each of the first images and the second images.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the accuracy assessment is based on one of such location information for a respective mobile device, a type of content of the first images and the second images, and a quality of the first images and the second images.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing, by the first mobile communication device, a plurality of target images that includes the object to a remote server, wherein an order of providing the plurality of target images to the remote server is based on the accuracy score.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first mobile communication device, third image analysis criteria including third characteristics associated with the object, wherein the third image analysis criteria is received from the second mobile communication device and is generated based on detection of the third characteristics from the second target image; and

applying, by the first mobile communication device, additional image pattern recognition to the first images according to the third image analysis criteria to identify a third target image that includes the object.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the first mobile communication device, an undesired lighting condition; and

suspending the capturing of the first images by the first mobile communication device during the undesired lighting condition.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image analysis criteria comprises text describing the first characteristics associated with the object without providing an image sample of the object, and wherein the second image analysis criteria comprises the image sample of the object.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

capturing first images, wherein the capturing is performed automatically subject to recording limitations designated based on user input, wherein a second mobile communication device of a group of mobile communication devices associated with a remote server automatically captures second images;

receiving first image analysis criteria including first characteristics associated with an object from the remote server;

applying image pattern recognition to the first images according to the first image analysis criteria to identify a first target image that includes the object;

determining second image analysis criteria from the first target image, wherein the second image analysis criteria includes second characteristics associated with the object; and

providing the second image analysis criteria to a mobile communication device to enable the mobile communication device to perform image pattern recognition on the second images according to the second image analysis criteria to identify a second target image that includes the object.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise performing an accuracy assessment on the first images and the second images to assign an accuracy score to each of the first images and the second images.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the accuracy assessment is based on one of such location information the first images and the second images, a type of content of the first images and the second images, and a quality of the first images and the second images.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise providing a plurality of target images that includes the object to the remote server, wherein an order of providing the plurality of target images to the remote server is based on the accuracy score.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

capturing first images by a first mobile communication device of a group of mobile communication devices, wherein the capturing is performed automatically by the first mobile communication device subject to recording limitations designated based on user input, wherein a second mobile communication device of the group of mobile communication devices automatically captures second images;

receiving, by the first mobile communication device, first image analysis criteria including first characteristics associated with an object;

applying, by the first mobile communication device, image pattern recognition to the first images according to the first image analysis criteria to identify a first target image that includes the object;

determining, by the first mobile communication device, second image analysis criteria from the first target image, wherein the second image analysis criteria includes second characteristics associated with the object; and

providing, by the first mobile communication device, the second image analysis criteria to the second mobile communication device to enable the second mobile communication device to perform image pattern recognition on the second images according to the second image analysis criteria to identify a second target image that includes the object.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise performing an accuracy assessment on the first images and the second images to assign an accuracy score to each of the first images and the second images.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the accuracy assessment is based on one of such location information for a respective mobile device, a type of content of the first images and the second images, and a quality of the first images and the second images.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise providing, by the first mobile communication device, a plurality of target images that includes the object to a remote server, wherein an order of providing the plurality of target images to the remote server is based on the accuracy score.