Object blocking zones to reduce false alarms in video surveillance systems

A surveillance system for a protected area that comprises:

• an object recognizer that is configured to recognize an object in a sequence of images of the protected area,
• an object tracker that is configured to track a path of the object;
• a graphic interface that presents a reference image of a portion of the protected area to a user, the portion corresponds to a field of view of a camera, the user identifies one or more blocking zones within the protected area by drawing the one or more blocking zones on the reference image, the one or more blocking zones each define select regions within the images containing a relatively stationary object that exhibits some inconsequential or immaterial movement;
• and
• an alarm processor;
• wherein the object tracker is configured to:
• identify the recognized object as being non-reportable if the object is initially recognized as being completely within a blocking zone of the one or more blocking zones,
• identify the recognized object as being reportable if the object is initially recognized as being beyond the blocking zones,
• track the recognized object within the one or more blocking zones, and
• identify the recognized object as being reportable if the object departs the blocking zone and remains within the protected area;
• and
• the alarm processor is configured to limit notification of activity to recognized objects that are identified as being reportable
• wherein an alarm is generated for reportable objects and
• wherein after the object is identified as reportable the object can not be subsequently identified as being non-reportable and will continue to generate an alarm, even if the object enters a blocking zone.

A computer program stored on a computer memory that, when executed on a processing device, causes the processing device to:

• presenting a reference image on a graphic interface to a user, the reference image is a portion of a protected area associated with a field of view of a camera;
• identifying a defined blocking zone within the field of view from a drawing on the reference image of the graphic interface provided by the user, the defined blocking zone is drawn to include an extent of motion at least one relatively stationary object that exhibits some inconsequential or immaterial movement;
• detecting an object within a first image of a protected area from a camera, identifying the detected object as being non-reportable if the object is initially detected completely within the defined blocking zone within the protected area and within a field of view of the camera that includes the first image,
• identifying the recognized object as being reportable if the object is initially detected beyond the defined blocking zone,
• detecting the object within a second image from the camera,
• tracking the detected object within the defined blocking zone, and
• identifying the tracked object as being reportable if the tracked object in the subsequent image is located beyond the defined blocking zone yet still within the protected area
• wherein an alarm is generated for reportable objects and
• wherein after the object is identified as reportable the object can not be subsequently identified as being non-reportable and will continue to generate an alarm, even if the object enters a blocking zone.

A method implemented within a computer comprising:

• the computer presenting a reference image on a graphic interface to a user, the reference image is a portion of a protected area associated with a field of view of a camera;
• the computer identifying one or more defined blocking zones within the field of view from a drawing provided by the user on the reference image of the graphic interface, the one or more defined blocking zones each drawn to include an extent of motion of at least one relatively stationary object within the reference image that exhibits some inconsequential or immaterial movement;
• the computer obtaining images of a protected area from a camera, each image including the one or more defined blocking zones within the protected area,
• the computer detecting a moving object within the images regardless of the defined blocking zones,
• defining a classification for each of the detected objects, the classification including reportable and non-reportable, based on whether the detected object is completely within the one or more blocking zones,
• the computer tracking the detected object within the one or more blocking zones, and
• the computer reporting the detected object whenever the object is beyond the one or more blocking zones yet still within the protected area
• wherein after the object is defined as being reportable, the object can not be subsequently identified as being non-reportable
• including providing an alarm based on a location of each object that is classified as being reportable and continuing to provide the alarm even if even if the object enters a blocking zone, preventing the alarm for all objects that are classified as non-reportable.

A surveillance system that comprises:

• an object recognizer that is configured to recognize a target object in a sequence of images of a protected area,
• a graphic interface that presents a reference image of a portion of the protected area to a user, the portion corresponds to a field of view of a camera, the user identifies one or more blocking zones by drawing the one or more blocking zones on the reference image of the graphic interface, the one or more blocking zones define select regions of the protected area within the images, said one or more blocking zones are each drawn about a respective relatively stationary object that exhibits some inconsequential or immaterial movement,
• an object tracker that is configured to track a path of the recognized target object within the one or more blocking zones, and to classify the recognized target object as being reportable or non-reportable, based on whether the recognized target object is completely within the one or more blocking zones,
• wherein after the object is identified as reportable, the object can not be subsequently identified as being non-reportable
• an alarm processor that is configured to limit notification of activity to recognized target objects that are classified as being reportable whenever a recognized target object is outside the one or more blocking zones yet still within the protected area and continuing to generate the alarm even if even if the object enters a blocking zone.