System and Method for Locating an Object in a Specified Area

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for locating an object and optionally determining the dimension thereof in a specified area/space, comprising a plurality of cameras which capture the area from different locations, wherein a common detection region is provided for each of at least two cameras which are arranged at different locations; means for marking an object detected simultaneously by at least two cameras in the images captured by the respective cameras; and means for determining the position of the object marked in the images of the cameras by calculating the respective line of position between each camera and the object detected by each camera and by calculating the coordinates of the object at the intersection of the lines of position in a coordinate system mapping the area.

Claims

1. System A system for locating an object in a predetermined area with: a plurality of cameras covering the area from different locations, wherein at least two cameras arranged at different locations each have a common coverage area, means for marking an object detected simultaneously by at least two cameras in the images respectively recorded by the cameras, and means for determining the position of the object marked in the images of the cameras by calculating the respective position lines in the space between the respective camera and the object detected by the respective camera and calculating the coordinates of the object at the intersection of the position lines in a coordinate system mapping the area.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means arranged to output an alarm upon entry of an object into at least a partial area of the area or exit of an object from at least a partial area of the area.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is arranged for counting predetermined objects detected by the cameras.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the system is arranged to output an alarm when a predetermined number of predetermined objects detected by the cameras is exceeded.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the object is selected from the group of objects consisting of a human, an animal, a vehicle and/or an event.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the area is selected from the areas consisting of a room, a surface, a square, a roof of a house, a deck of a ship, a track, a platform, a bridge, and a port.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the cameras is located at the boundaries of the area.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the cameras is configured as a thermal imaging camera.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for marking an object detected simultaneously by at least two cameras are set up for automatic object recognition and/or face recognition in the images respectively recorded by the cameras.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for marking an object detected simultaneously by at least two cameras in the images respectively recorded by the cameras are set up for automatic gesture and/or facial expression recognition.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate system is a Cartesian coordinate system.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate system is a three-dimensional coordinate system.

13. A method for locating an object in a predetermined area with the steps: detecting an object in an area captured by at least two cameras arranged at different locations, marking the object in the images captured simultaneously by the cameras, and determining the position of the object in a coordinate system imaging the area by means of the marking made in the images of the cameras by calculating the respective standing line between the respective camera and the object detected by the respective camera and calculating the coordinates of the object at the intersection of the standing lines.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising outputting an alarm when the object enters a predetermined portion of the predetermined area or exits a predetermined portion of the predetermined area.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the object is marked by means of a method for automatic object recognition.

Description

[0044] In the following, the invention shall be described in more detail using a particularly preferably configured embodiment depicted in the attached drawings, in which:

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of an area monitored by a plurality of cameras in which four persons are located;

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a first image captured by a first camera;

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a second image captured simultaneously by a second camera to the image captured by the first camera;

[0048] FIG. 4 shows a third image captured simultaneously by a third camera to the other images; and

[0049] FIG. 5 shows a schematic plan view according to FIG. 1 with the stationary lines calculated for each camera and for each object.

[0050] FIG. 6 shows a first image captured by the first camera together with the perspective image of the second camera of a space in which an airborne object is located at a height F with the dimensions H, W, D.

[0051] FIG. 7 shows an image captured at the same time by the second camera to the image of FIG. 6 of a space in which a flying object is located at the height F with the dimensions H, W, D

[0052] FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of an area monitored by a plurality of cameras in which four persons are located. In particular, FIG. 1 shows a particularly preferably designed system for locating persons A, B, C, D in a predetermined area 100 with a plurality of cameras 10, 20, 30 covering the area 100 from different locations.

[0053] The cameras 10, 20, 30 are located at the boundaries of the area 100, for example a room, a square or the deck of a ship, and are oriented such that each of the cameras 10, 20, 30 can basically detect any person A, B, C, D located in the area 100—the coverage area of the cameras 10, 20, 30 is thus essentially identical, although viewed from different locations. The cameras 10, 20, 30, which may be designed in particular as thermal imaging cameras, or the logic connected to them, have automatic object recognition so that marking of the persons in the images taken simultaneously by the cameras 10, 20, 30 takes place automatically.

[0054] The problem with locating all persons A, B., C, D in the area is that cameras 10, 20, 30 cannot capture all persons A, B, C, D equally well, because some of the persons A, B, C, D—depending on the angle of view of camera 10, 20, 30—are covered by another person A, B, C, D.

[0055] Thus, the respective images captured by the cameras 10, 20, 30 actually show only three persons each instead of the four persons A, B, C, D actually present in the area 100. Thus, the first image captured by the first camera 10 shown in FIG. 2 allows marking the persons B, D and A, but not the person C, which is obscured by the person A. In the second image taken by the second camera 20, shown in FIG. 3, person C obscures person D so that only persons A, B and C can be marked. Finally, in the third image of the third camera 30 shown in FIG. 4, person B is obscured by person D, so that only persons A, B and C can be marked.

[0056] Nevertheless, precise localization of all persons A, B, C, D in the monitored area 100 is possible by calculating—as shown in FIG. 5—the lines of sight between the persons A, B, C, D marked in the images of the cameras 10, 20, 30 and the respective cameras 10, 20, 30, the coordinates of the persons A, B, C, D resulting from the intersections of three lines of sight in each case in a coordinate system mapping the area.