Object tracking using scene-, object- and location specific tracking parameters

#The present disclosure relates to tracking of objects in an image stream capturing a scene. In particular, the present disclosure relates to how such tracking may be improved based on statistical information about the scene.

#Various object tracking algorithms exist for tracking an object in multiple image frames of an image stream capturing a scene. Such “object trackers” may use e.g., Kalman-filtering or similar techniques to, based on own models of how objects supposedly moves and on regular inputs from an object detector responsible for detecting at least a position of an object in an image frame, predict how the object will move and where the object is thus likely to be found in one or more subsequent image frames of the image stream.

#A video stream capturing a scene may however include multiple objects moving at e.g., different speeds and/or suddenly changing one or both of their speeds and directions of movement. As conventional object trackers are optimized objects moving at predefined speeds and/or directions of movements, such object trackers may thus struggle to properly, with great enough accuracy, track objects in such scenes. For example, an object tracker optimized to track slow-moving pedestrians may struggle to also properly track fast-moving present in the same scene. This may be particularly true if the vehicles also sometimes change their direction of movement and/or their speeds.

#Exemplifying embodiments will now be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIGS. 1A and 1B schematically illustrate an example scene in which the envisaged solutions of the present disclosure are applicable;

#FIG. 2A schematically illustrates, in terms of various functional units, embodiments of a method and device according to the present disclosure;

#In the drawings, like reference numerals will be used for like elements unless stated otherwise. Unless explicitly stated to the contrary, the drawings show only such elements that are necessary to illustrate the example embodiments, while other elements, in the interest of clarity, may be omitted or merely suggested. As illustrated in the Figures, the (absolute or relative) sizes of elements and regions may be exaggerated or understated vis-à-vis their true values for illustrative purposes and, thus, are provided to illustrate the general structures of the embodiments.

#An example scene in which various embodiments of a method, device, computer program and computer program product as envisaged herein are applicable will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.

#FIG. 1A schematically illustrates a snapshot of an example scene 100, as provided in e.g., a particular image frame of an image stream capturing the scene 100. The image stream is for example generated by a monitoring camera pointing towards the scene. The monitoring camera may e.g., be used for surveillance, traffic situation analysis, or other tasks in which being aware of what is happening in the scene 100 is desirable.