Patent ID: 7596240

Claim:
A tracking method for tracking an object using an imaging device configured for controlling at least one of an imaging direction and zooming, said method comprising the steps of: detecting the object based on an image from said imaging device; calculating a current or a predicted visual field range of said imaging device according to a X-Y coordinate system on a monitor map using X-Y coordinates of four corners of the current or predicted visual field range which has a shape of a trapezoid; determining whether or not the current or predicted visual field range includes an imaging prohibited region; controlling at least one of the imaging direction and zooming of said imaging device based on detected information of the object when the current or predicted visual field range does not include an imaging prohibited region; and tracking said object, wherein said determining step includes: comparing said imaging prohibited region represented in the X-Y coordinate system on the monitor map to a position of the current or predicted visual field range represented in the X-Y coordinate system on the monitor map to determine presence/absence of an overlap between said imaging prohibited region and the current or predicted visual field range, wherein the monitor map is stored in a memory and is a plane view taken from directly above said imaging device, and wherein said position of the current or predicted visual field range represented in the X-Y coordinate system on the monitor map is obtained by the calculating step.