Real time processing of video frames for triggering an alert

A computer program product, comprising a computer readable physically tangible storage device having a computer readable program code stored therein, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm adapted to implement a method for real time processing of a sequence of video frames received in synchronization with a recording of the video frames in real time for triggering an alert, each frame comprising a two-dimensional array of pixels and a frame-dependent color intensity at each pixel, said method implemented by execution of program code on a processor of a computer system, said method comprising:

• said processor analyzing a current frame in the sequence and at least one frame in the sequence occurring prior to the current frame, said array of pixels in each frame being a totality of pixels in each frame in the sequence of video frames received in synchronization with the recording of the video frames in real time, said analyzing comprising performing a background subtraction on the at least one frame, said performing the background subtraction determining a background image and also determining a static region mask that identifies each pixel in the static region upon the static region mask being superimposed on the current frame, said background image comprising the array of pixels and a background model of the at least one frame and not comprising any moving object, said static region consisting of a contiguous distribution of pixels in the current frame, said analyzing determining an existence of a static object consisting of either an abandoned object existing in the static region of the current frame and not existing in the static region of the background image or a removed object existing in the static region of the background image and not existing in the static region of the current frame;
• after said analyzing, said processor determining a status of the static object, said status being an abandoned status if the static object is said abandoned object or a removed status if the static object is said removed object;
• said processor storing in a data storage medium of the computer system:
• the determined status, a time of a reference frame consisting of the current frame at which the status was determined, the static region in the reference frame, and the static object;
• after said determining the status of the static object, said processor ascertaining that a plurality of requirements has been satisfied, said plurality of requirements comprising a persistence requirement, a non-persistence duration requirement, and a persistence duration requirement;
• responsive to said ascertaining that the plurality of requirements has been satisfied, said processor triggering the alert,
• wherein the persistence requirement is that the static region in each frame of a plurality of frames is persistent relative to the reference frame, said plurality of frames occurring during a time interval immediately following a time of occurrence of the reference frame,
• wherein the non-persistence duration requirement is that for each frame of one or more frames in at least one time period during the time interval, the static region is non-persistent relative to the static region in the reference frame and that a cumulative time duration (TNP) encompassed by the one or more frames is less than a specified non-persistence duration threshold (T1),
• wherein the persistence duration requirement is that a cumulative time duration (TTOT) encompassed by the plurality of frames occurs only after the at least one time period has elapsed and exceeds a specified persistence duration threshold (T2) characterized by T2>T1.

A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for real time processing of a sequence of video frames received in synchronization with a recording of the video frames in real time for triggering an alert, each frame comprising a two-dimensional array of pixels and a frame-dependent color intensity at each pixel, said method implemented by execution of program code on a processor of a computer system, said method comprising:

• said processor analyzing a current frame in the sequence and at least one frame in the sequence occurring prior to the current frame, said array of pixels in each frame being a totality of pixels in each frame in the sequence of video frames received in synchronization with the recording of the video frames in real time, said analyzing comprising performing a background subtraction on the at least one frame, said performing the background subtraction determining a background image and also determining a static region mask that identifies each pixel in the static region upon the static region mask being superimposed on the current frame, said background image comprising the array of pixels and a background model of the at least one frame and not comprising any moving object, said static region consisting of a contiguous distribution of pixels in the current frame, said analyzing determining an existence of a static object consisting of either an abandoned object existing in the static region of the current frame and not existing in the static region of the background image or a removed object existing in the static region of the background image and not existing in the static region of the current frame;
• after said analyzing, said processor determining a status of the static object, said status being an abandoned status if the static object is said abandoned object or a removed status if the static object is said removed object;
• said processor storing in a data storage medium of the computer system:
• the determined status, a time of a reference frame consisting of the current frame at which the status was determined, the static region in the reference frame, and the static object;
• after said determining the status of the static object, ascertaining that a plurality of requirements has been satisfied, said plurality of requirements comprising a persistence requirement, a non-persistence duration requirement, and a persistence duration requirement;
• responsive to said ascertaining that the plurality of requirements has been satisfied, said processor triggering the alert,
• wherein the persistence requirement is that the static region in each frame of a plurality of frames is persistent relative to the reference frame, said plurality of frames occurring during a time interval immediately following a time of occurrence of the reference frame,
• wherein the non-persistence duration requirement is that for each frame of one or more frames in at least one time period during the time interval, the static region is non-persistent relative to the static region in the reference frame and that a cumulative time duration (TNP) encompassed by the one or more frames is less than a specified non-persistence duration threshold (T1),
• wherein the persistence duration requirement is that a cumulative time duration (TTOT) encompassed by the plurality of frames occurs only after the at least one time period has elapsed and exceeds a specified persistence duration threshold (T2) characterized by T2>T1.

A process for supporting computer infrastructure, said process comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable program code in a computer system, wherein the program code in combination with the computer system is configured to perform a method for real time processing of a sequence of video frames received in synchronization with a recording of the video frames in real time for triggering an alert, each frame comprising a two-dimensional array of pixels and a frame-dependent color intensity at each pixel, said method implemented by execution of program code on a processor of the computer system, said method comprising:

• said processor analyzing a current frame in the sequence and at least one frame in the sequence occurring prior to the current frame, said array of pixels in each frame being a totality of pixels in each frame in the sequence of video frames received in synchronization with the recording of the video frames in real time, said analyzing comprising performing a background subtraction on the at least one frame, said performing the background subtraction determining a background image and also determining a static region mask that identifies each pixel in the static region upon the static region mask being superimposed on the current frame, said background image comprising the array of pixels and a background model of the at least one frame and not comprising any moving object, said static region consisting of a contiguous distribution of pixels in the current frame, said analyzing determining an existence of a static object consisting of either an abandoned object existing in the static region of the current frame and not existing in the static region of the background image or a removed object existing in the static region of the background image and not existing in the static region of the current frame;
• after said analyzing, said processor determining a status of the static object, said status being an abandoned status if the static object is said abandoned object or a removed status if the static object is said removed object;
• said processor storing in a data storage medium of the computer system:
• the determined status, a time of a reference frame consisting of the current frame at which the status was determined, the static region in the reference frame, and the static object;
• after said determining the status of the static object, said processor ascertaining that a plurality of requirements has been satisfied, said plurality of requirements comprising a persistence requirement, a non-persistence duration requirement, and a persistence duration requirement;
• responsive to said ascertaining that the plurality of requirements has been satisfied, said processor triggering the alert,
• wherein the persistence requirement is that the static region in each frame of a plurality of frames is persistent relative to the reference frame, said plurality of frames occurring during a time interval immediately following a time of occurrence of the reference frame,
• wherein the non-persistence duration requirement is that for each frame of one or more frames in at least one time period during the time interval, the static region is non-persistent relative to the static region in the reference frame and that a cumulative time duration (TNP) encompassed by the one or more frames is less than a specified non-persistence duration threshold (T1),
• wherein the persistence duration requirement is that a cumulative time duration (TTOT) encompassed by the plurality of frames occurs only after the at least one time period has elapsed and exceeds a specified persistence duration threshold (T2) characterized by T2>T 1.