Patent Document ID: 9280833
Application ID: 13784974
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer implemented method for calibrating image data from non-overlapping cameras, the method comprising executing on a processing unit the steps of: tracking each of a plurality of individual objects distinguished within scenes of image data from each of plurality of non-overlapping cameras, wherein scenes of the images of different ones of the non-overlapping cameras are geographically remote and distinct from each other and do not overlap so that an object visible within any one scene cannot be visible within a scene from another camera at the same time; performing iterative across-camera image-matching to track the movements of objects distinguished from frame data of scenes of initial ones of the cameras to subsequent-in-time frame data of scenes of other, ending ones of the cameras, wherein the initial and ending cameras are defined by tracks of the objects moving from the initial camera scene to the ending camera scene; determining for pairings of the initial and ending cameras each of at least one path of motion of the tracked objects through each of the scenes of the initial and ending cameras, wherein the paths through the scenes are each defined by different respective scene entry and exit points; for each of the determined pairings of the initial and ending cameras, selecting a combination of one of the at least one paths through the initial camera scene and a path of one of the at least one paths through the ending camera scene as a path connection combination, in response to the selected combination having a highest total number of tracked movements of objects along the selected combination of the paths relative to a total number of tracked movements of objects along all other combinations of one of the at least one paths through the initial camera scene and one of the at least one paths of motion of the tracked objects through the ending camera scene; for each of the determined pairings of the initial and ending cameras, determining a path connection of the initial camera scene to the ending camera scene as the scene exit point of the path connection combination path through the initial camera scene of the each pairing, and the scene entry point of the path connection combination path through the ending camera scene of the each pairing; determining each of a plurality of different time-delay values observed between appearances of objects matched in the scenes of the determined pairings of the initial and ending cameras; defining a plurality of different and consecutive-in-time time-delay histogram bins within a total range of possible values of the observed time-delays, wherein the time-delay histogram bins each span consecutive subset ranges of delay times of the total range of possible values of the observed time-delays; for each matched pair of object images. entering a vote into a one of the time-delay histogram bins having a subset range of delay times that comprises a delay time between an appearance of the object image in the initial camera scene and an appearance in the ending camera scene; modeling, via kernel density estimators, totals of the votes entered into each of the different time-delay histogram bins; defining a two-dimensional affinity cost matrix for associating the path connection combinations with pluralities of unique camera pairing entries, wherein the matrix is organized on a first dimension defined by each of a plurality of the non-overlapping cameras as initial cameras for a possible path of motion of the tracked objects between respective camera scenes, and on a remainder second dimension defined by each of the non-overlapping cameras as an ending camera for the possible path of motion of the tracked objects between respective camera scenes; and for each of the cost matrix unique camera pairing entries, determining an affinity cost as a sum total of the kernel density estimator model totals of all intervening connected cameras for the determined path connections that link the initial and ending cameras, and as an infinite value for the determined path connections that do not link the ending camera to the initial camera.