Patent ID: 8411141
Filing Date: 2013-04-02
Classification: G06T,G11B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A video surveillance method that processes an image using a video processing apparatus, the images being imaged by a fixed camera and the video surveillance method comprising: obtaining a feature amount vector from an entire image of a frame obtained by the camera in a steady state wherein the frame does not contain any abnormality to be watched; obtaining feature amount vectors from respective video frames imaged by the camera; obtaining degrees of dissimilarity between the feature amount vector in the steady state and the feature amount vectors of the video frames respectively; determining variable lengths of video durations including multiple video frames by delimiting a video based on changes in the degrees of dissimilarity of the video frames; obtaining, for each video duration, an average of the degrees of dissimilarity of the video frames included in the video duration as a degree of dissimilarity of the video duration; recording the degrees of dissimilarity of the video durations and images of the video durations correspondingly on a recording means; rearranging and displaying, using the video surveillance apparatus, the video durations in decreasing order of dissimilarity; and receiving a playback condition for playback in an amount-of-displacement forward playback mode, wherein all components of the feature amount vector are only spatial feature amounts not based on time so as to be applicable to low frame rate images or time-lapse images, the spatial feature including a color histogram or an intensity gradient in each area divided from the entire image by a predetermined size, the feature amount of the steady state is obtained by averaging among multiple video frames included in the vide duration at the steady state, and the degrees of dissimilarity D(X,Y) are obtained by an equation; wherein xi and yi are components of the feature amount of the vectors of the video frames and the feature amount of the vector in the steady state respectively and wi are weights for respective components, the video durations of a plurality of video frames are displayed in decreasing order of the degree of dissimilarity or in temporal order depending on selection of a playback mode, obtaining of the average of degrees of dissimilarity adds a degree of dissimilarity and an ID to a table every time a degree of dissimilarity exceeds a threshold value, the table being configured to include a list of degrees of dissimilarity and IDs, recording the degrees of dissimilarity, based on the playback condition, accesses the table to retrieve the list of average degrees of dissimilarity and IDs of a corresponding camera and rearranges the list of average degrees of dissimilarity in decreasing order of the degree of dissimilarity with a first row of the rearranged list set to a reference row, and obtaining the feature amount extracts a first ID and the last ID on the reference row, and a value of the first ID is set to an ID of a video frame to be transmitted by the video surveillance method and wherein when the retrieved video frame is transmitted, a transmit ID is incremented.