System for determining the position of movable dummy elements

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for determining the position of movable dummy elements in a roofed test site, in particular in a hall. The system comprises a camera configured to record an image of a monitoring area of the roofed test site, a movable dummy element which is movable through the monitoring area, the dummy element comprising a marker element arranged to be visible on the recorded image of the monitoring area, and a position determination unit coupled to the camera and configured to determine the position of the marker element in the monitoring area based on the recorded image.

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. A system for determining the position of movable dummy elements in a rooted test site, the system comprising: a camera configured to record an image of a monitoring area of the roofed test site, a movable dummy element, which is movable through the monitoring area, a marker element which is movable with the dummy element so as to be visible on the recorded image of the monitoring area, and a position determination unit which is coupled to the camera and is configured to determine the position of the marker element in the monitoring area based on the recorded image.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the marker element is arranged on the dummy element.

23. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a further marker element which is arranged stationary in the monitoring area such that it is visible on the recorded image of the monitoring area.

24. The system according to claim 21, wherein the position determination unit is configured to overlay a virtual grid over the image, where each grid field of the grid is indicative of a particular position in the monitoring area.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein a grid field is smaller than 9 cm.sup.2.

26. The system according to claim 21, wherein the camera is configured to record a further image after a certain time offset after the image, wherein the position determination unit is configured to determine a movement speed and movement direction of the marker element based on the recorded image and the further image.

27. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a further camera which is configured to record an image of a further monitoring area of the roofed test site, wherein the position determination unit is coupled to the further camera and is configured to determine the position of the marker element in the further monitoring area based on the recorded image of the further camera.

28. The system according to claim 27, wherein the further monitoring area is positioned adjacent to the monitoring area, wherein at least one edge region of the monitoring area and a further edge region of the further monitoring area overlap.

29. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a further movable dummy element which is movable through the monitoring area and/or the further monitoring area, a further marker element which is movable with the dummy element such that it is visible on the recorded image of the monitoring area or the image of the further monitoring area.

30. The system according to claim 19, wherein the position determination unit is configured to determine a collision point of the dummy element with the further dummy element.

31. The system according to claim 21, wherein the dummy element is a two-wheeler, a motorcycle or a bicycle, a motor vehicle, a human dummy or an animal dummy.

32. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a movable platform wherein the dummy element is arranged on the movable platform.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein the marker element is arranged on the platform.

34. The system according to claim 21, further comprising at least one illumination means for illuminating the monitoring area with electromagnetic radiation, wherein the camera is configured to record, in the image, the electromagnetic radiation by means of which the illumination means illuminates the monitoring area.

35. The system according to claim 44, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is generated in the visible spectrum with a wavelength of 380 to 750 nm, or wherein the electromagnetic radiation is generated in the non-visible spectrum.

36. The system according to claim 21, wherein the marker element is fluorescent; and/or wherein the marker element comprises an illuminant, which generates visible light or non-visible light which is recordable by the camera.

37. The system according to claim 21, where the camera has less than 10 megapixels; and/or wherein the marker element has a round or rectangular circumference, wherein the marker element comprises particular two color regions.

38. The system according to claim 21, wherein the marker element comprises a direction indicator which indicates an orientation of the object.

39. The system according to claim 38, wherein the direction pointer represents an arrow, has an arrangement of at least two points or has a specific arrangement of at least 2-coloured patterns to define the direction of movement.

40. The system according to claim 2, wherein the maker element comprises an information field arranged to be visible on the recorded image of the monitoring area, wherein the information field is designed such that specific data can be read out on the basis of the image of the information field on the recorded image.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In the following, for further explanation and for a better understanding of the present invention, embodiments are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] FIGS. 1A to 2B are schematic illustrations of a hall as a roofed test site according to the system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIGS. 1A and 2A show side views and FIGS. 1B and 2B show top views of the hall.

[0043] FIGS. 3 to 15 are schematic illustrations of marker elements according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0044] FIGS. 16 to 25 are schematic illustrations of dummy elements with marker elements according to exemplary embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0045] The same or similar components in different figures are provided with the same reference numerals. The illustrations in the figures are schematic.

[0046] FIGS. 1A to 2B are schematic illustrations of a hall as a roofed test site according to the system 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIGS. 1A and 2A show side views and FIGS. 1B and 2B show top views of the hall.

[0047] The system 100 comprises a camera 101 configured to record an image of a monitoring area 103 of the roofed test site 130, a movable dummy element 110 which may be moved through the monitoring area 103, the dummy element 110 comprising a marker element 120 arranged to be visible on the recorded image of the monitoring area 103, and a position determination unit 106 coupled to the camera 101 and configured to determine the position of the marker element 120 in the monitoring area 102 based on the recorded image.

[0048] The system 100 comprises a further camera 102 configured to record an image of a further monitoring area 104 of the roofed test site 130, wherein the position determination unit 106 is coupled to the further camera 102 and configured to determine the position of the marker element 130 in the further monitoring area based on the recorded image of the further camera 102.

[0049] The cameras 101, 102 are arranged such that at least one edge region of the monitoring area 103 and a further edge region of the further monitoring area 104 overlap in an overlapping area 105.

[0050] According to the figures, a plurality of different dummy elements 110 with corresponding marker elements 120 may be present in the roofed test site 130 and may move along their movement paths 111 accordingly. Based on the recorded images, corresponding positions of the individual dummy elements 110 may be determined.

[0051] According to an exemplary embodiment, the position determination unit is configured to determine a collision point of the dummy element with the further dummy element.

[0052] Further, the system 100 comprises illumination means 107 for illuminating the monitoring area 103, 104 with electromagnetic radiation, wherein the camera 101, 102 is configured to record, in the image, the electromagnetic radiation by means of which the illumination means 107 illuminates the monitoring area 103, 104.

[0053] FIG. 3 to FIG. 15 are schematic illustrations of marker elements according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0054] The marker elements 120 may have a circular or rectangular circumference, with the marker element 120 having particular two color regions, in particular white and black.

[0055] FIG. 9 shows a marker element with an information field as a barcode.

[0056] In FIG. 10, a marker element is shown which additionally has a direction indicator as an arrow 1001 indicating an orientation of the object.

[0057] In FIG. 11, in addition to the direction indicator in the form of an arrow 1001, a direction indicator consisting of three dots 1101 is also shown. Furthermore, a specific arrangement 1201 of at least 2-coloured patterns may be used to define the direction of movement (see FIG. 12).

[0058] FIG. 16 to FIG. 25 show schematic illustrations of dummy elements 110 with various marker elements 120 according to exemplary embodiments of the invention.

[0059] Supplementally, it should be noted that “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps and “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. It should further be noted that features or steps that have been described with reference to any of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims are not to be regarded as a limitation.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0060] 100 System [0061] 101 Camera [0062] 102 further camera [0063] 103 Monitoring area [0064] 104 further monitoring area [0065] 105 Overlapping area [0066] 106 Position determination unit [0067] 107 Illumination means [0068] 110 Dummy element [0069] 111 Movement path [0070] 120 Marker element [0071] 901 Information field [0072] 1001 Arrow [0073] 1101 Arrangement of three points [0074] 1201 Arrangement of 2-coloured patterns