Patent ID: 7136507
Filing Date: 2006-11-14
Classification: G06K,G08B

Abstract:
1. A method for use in a video surveillance system, the method comprising generating a first hypothesis comprising a set of hypothesized trajectories of respective objects hypothesized to have been moving through an area under surveillance at a previous time, generating a second hypothesis comprising a different set of hypothesized trajectories of respective ones of said objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said previous time, generating a first extended hypothesis comprising a set of hypothesized trajectories of respective objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at a present time, the trajectories of said first extended hypothesis comprising 1) at least ones of the trajectories of the first hypothesis, 2) one or more of the objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, and 3) a particular set of connections extending at least ones of the trajectories of said first hypothesis to at least ones of the objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, generating a second extended hypothesis comprising a set of hypothesized trajectories of respective ones of said objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, the trajectories of said second extended hypothesis comprising 1) at least ones of the trajectories of the first hypothesis, 2) one or more of said objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, and 3) a particular set of connections extending at least ones of the trajectories of said first hypothesis to at least ones of the objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, the first and second extended hypotheses being different from one another, generating a third extended hypothesis comprising a set of hypothesized trajectories of respective ones of said objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, the trajectories of said third extended hypothesis comprising 1) at least ones of the trajectories of the second hypothesis, 2) one or more of the objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, and 3) a particular set of connections extending at least ones of the trajectories of said second hypothesis to at least ones of the objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, generating a fourth extended hypothesis comprising a set of hypothesized trajectories of respective ones of said objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, the trajectories of said fourth extended hypothesis comprising 1) at least ones of the trajectories of the second hypothesis, 2) one or more of the objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, and 3) a particular set of connections extending at least ones of the trajectories of said second hypothesis to at least ones of the objects hypothesized to have been moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, the third and fourth extended hypotheses being different from one another, identifying at least one of said first, second, third and fourth extended hypotheses as being more likely than others of said first, second, third and fourth extended hypotheses to represent the actual trajectories of the actual objects moving through the area under surveillance at said present time, and utilizing said at least said one of said first, second, third and fourth extended hypotheses to determine whether at least one predefined alert condition has occurred within the area under surveillance.