Moving body measuring device and an image processing device for measuring traffic flows

An image processing device for measuring traffic flows which comprises:

• a TV camera for taking an image of a vehicle and for providing image data;
• memory for storing the image data;
• means for setting an existence domain of the vehicle extending along a moving path of the vehicle based on the image data;
• means for sampling the image data;
• timewise data accumulating means for timewisely and continuously accumulating at every constant period, the image data sampled by the sampling means;
• means for forming two-dimensional binary data by binarizing the timewisely accumulated data obtained by the timewise data accumulating means so that the data has first and second data types;
• means for forming projected data by one-dimensionally projecting the image data binarized by the binarizing means;
• means for calculating an area occupied by elements of the first data type by the summing the first data type among the image data binarized by the binarizing means;
• and
• traffic flow monitoring means for detecting a timewise change of a traffic flow of vehicles moving in the existence domain by using the projected data obtained by the means for forming projected data and the area obtained by the area calculating means, and for issuing an alarm when the timewise change of the traffic flow is exceeds a first threshold.

An apparatus for taking an image of a moving body and for providing image data based on the moving body, the apparatus comprising:

• means for setting an existence domain of the moving body extended along a moving path;
• means for sampling the image data;
• means for accumulating the sampled data;
• means for receiving the accumulated data and for forming a two-dimensional locus of the movement of the moving body based on the accumulated data;
• means for calculating an area of the locus;
• and
• means for detecting a timewise change of the moving body in the existence domain based, at least in part, on the area of the locus calculated by the area calculating means.