Apparatus and method of monitoring moving objects
AssigneesDenso Wave Incorporated, Denso Corporation
InventorsMasahiro TAKIGUCHI, Tetsuya IWASAKI, Kenji TSUBONE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A monitoring area is scanned by an area sensor device (e.g., an optical distance meter) detects objects. Moving objects are identified among the detected objects, and, among the identified moving objects, a moving object which is present in the monitoring area and which has been newest identified is set as a tracking target. The moving object which has been set at the tracking target is automatically tracked by a camera device. As a result, even if there are present a plurality of moving objects in the monitoring area, tracking targets can be switched from one to another, so that it is possible to designate, as a tracking target, a moving object desired by an observer.
Claims5
A method of monitoring a moving object within a predetermined monitoring area, the method comprising:
- detecting objects by scanning the monitoring area by an optical distance meter;
- identifying moving objects among the detected objects;
- setting, as a tracking target, among the identified moving objects, a moving object which is present in the monitoring area and which is newest identified;
- and
- automatically tracking the moving object which has been set as the tracking target, by an camera apparatus,
- wherein, when there are present a plurality of moving objects which are identified as being the newest,
- the tracking target is set in an order of starting from a moving object located the nearest to a border of the monitoring area, and
- the identified tracking target is automatically tracked, the setting and the automatically tracking being repeated for ail the identified moving objects;
- and
- wherein, when a response time is longer than a predicted time, the response time being a period of time required to automatically track a moving object newly set as a tracking target, the predicted time being a period of time necessary for the newly set tracking target to reach a priority monitoring object which is preset in the monitoring area, a priority monitoring area including the priority monitoring object is monitored, in fixed-point monitoring, at a wide angle by using the camera device.
An apparatus for monitoring a moving object in a preset monitoring area, the apparatus comprising:
- means for detecting objects by scanning the monitoring area using an optical distance meter;
- means for identifying moving objects among the detected objects;
- means for setting, as a tracking target, among the specified moving objects, a moving object which is present in the monitoring area and which is newest identified;
- means for automatically tracking the moving object which is set as the tracking target being automatically tracked, by an camera apparatus;
- means for automatically tracking the moving object which is set as the tracking target being automatically tracked, by the camera apparatus;
- means for setting the tracking target in an order of starting from a moving object located the nearest to a border of the monitoring area for repeating automatic tracking of the tracking target so that all the tracking targets are set through the repletion, when there are present a plurality of the moving objects which are identified as being the newest;
- and
- means for performing, using the camera device, fixed-point monitoring of a priority monitoring area including the priority monitoring object at a wide angle, when a response time is longer than a predicted time, the response time being a period of time required to automatically track a moving object newly set as a tracking target, the predicted time being a period of time necessary for the newly set tracking target to reach a priority monitoring object which is preset in the monitoring area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.