Patent ID: 7542588

Claim:
A method, in a data processing system, for obtaining an image of an object of interest, comprising: predefining a targeted area; pointing a stationary camera at said targeted area, said stationary camera remaining pointed at said targeted area during operation of said data processing system; generating a trigger in response to an object moving through said targeted area, wherein movement through said target area generates said trigger; in response to said trigger: using said stationary camera to determine a motion of said object through said targeted area, said motion determined using a first set of video images of the object that were captured by the stationary camera as the object moved through said targeted area; using said motion determined using said first set of images to determine motion parameters; using said motion parameters to predict a future position of said object at a future time that is greater than a movement time of an active camera, wherein said object will arrive at said future position at or after, but not before, said future time, and further wherein said movement time is the time it takes said active camera to move to a desired orientation; controlling said active camera to capture a second set of images of the object at the future position of the object; evaluating a quality measure of each image in the second set of images; storing an image from the second set of images if a quality measure of the image meets predetermined criteria; and wherein controlling said active camera to capture a second set of images of the object includes transmitting control signals to the active camera causing the active camera to be oriented to the future position prior to arrival of the object at the future position, the active camera being at rest when the capturing of the second set of images is initiated, wherein blurring of said second set of images due to movement of said active camera is reduced.