Tracking subjects using ranging sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10012729-B2
Application number	US-201414489216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2014
Priority date	Sep 17, 2014
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for tracking subjects within a three-dimensional physical environment are presented herein. A ranging sensor is mounted at a sensor location in the environment. The ranging sensor generates sensor output. The sensor output includes detected ranges of surfaces present in the environment as a function of orientations of the ranging sensor. Characteristics of the surface are determined using the detected ranges and orientations as polar coordinates of the surfaces.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for tracking subjects within a three-dimensional environment, the system comprising:
one or more physical processors configured by computer-readable instructions to:
receive sensor output from a ranging sensor that is rotationally mounted at a sensor location in an environment, such sensor output including detected ranges of surfaces of the environment as a function of orientations from the sensor location such that the ranges and the orientations of the surfaces are specified as polar coordinates with respect to a coordinate system origin at the sensor location; and
identify a continuous surface of an object using the detected ranges and orientations as the polar coordinates by determining range changes between adjacent polar coordinates, wherein the continuous surface is identified based on the range changes between the adjacent polar coordinates of the continuous surface not differing more than a threshold distance, and wherein a surface location of the continuous surface as a whole is characterized by the adjacent polar coordinates which do not differ more than the threshold distance.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to determine whether the continuous surface is a static surface or a moving surface.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions such that determining whether the continuous surface is a static surface or a moving surface is based on whether the polar coordinates of the continuous surface change over time.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to determine whether the continuous surface is associated with a human being.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions such that determining that the continuous surface is associated with a human being comprises determining whether a volume bounded by the continuous surface has a size, shape, and/or form that is indicative of a size, shape, and/or form corresponding to that of a human being.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions such that the determining that the continuous surface is associated with a human being comprises determining whether a volume bounded by the continuous surface has a size, shape, and/or form that is indicative of a size, shape, and/or form corresponding to that of a human head.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to determine whether the continuous surface includes an obscured edge or a non-obscured edge of a volume bounded by the continuous surface.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions such that determining that the continuous surface includes an obscured edge comprises using detected ranges and orientations of a second surface that is positioned adjacent to the continuous surface, and determining whether the detected ranges of the second surface are closer to the sensor location than the detected ranges of the continuous surface.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions such that determining that the continuous surface includes a non-obscured edge comprises using detected ranges and orientations of a second surface that is positioned adjacent to the surface, and determining whether the detected ranges of the second surface are farther from the sensor location than the detected ranges of the continuous surface.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions such that the received sensor output comprises measurements representing measured ranges and orientations from the sensor location of points on the surfaces, wherein a first group of measurements include measured ranges and orientations of a set of points on the continuous surface at a period in time at which the first group of measurements were taken.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to determine a size, shape, and/or form of a volume bounded by the continuous surface based on the first group of measurements, wherein the first group of measurements is inherently grouped based on the measured ranges and orientations from the sensor location of the set of points.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions such that the volume is determined to be associated with a human being based on whether the determined size, shape, and/or form of the volume corresponds to that of a human head.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions to track the movement of the volume through the environment.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more physical processors are configured by the computer-readable instructions such that tracking the movement of the volume through the environment includes matching sizes, shapes, and/or forms of volumes bounded by surfaces represented by groups of measurements taken at subsequent periods in time with the size, shape, and/or form of the volume, and establishing a track between the volume and the matched volumes at the subsequent periods in time.

15. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the ranging sensor.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the ranging sensor is a LIDAR sensor.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor output is generated by the ranging sensor during rotation of the ranging sensor at the sensor location.

18. A method of tracking subjects within a three-dimensional environment, the method being implemented in a computer system including one or more physical processors and storage media storing machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:
receiving sensor output from a ranging sensor that is rotationally mounted at a sensor location in an environment, such sensor output including detected ranges of surfaces of the environment as a function of orientations from the sensor location such that the ranges and the orientations of the surfaces are specified as polar coordinates with respect to a coordinate system origin at the sensor location; and
identifying a continuous surface of an object using the using detected ranges and orientations as the polar coordinates by determining range changes between adjacent polar coordinates, wherein the continuous surface is identified based on the range changes between the adjacent polar coordinates of the continuous surface not differing more than a threshold distance, and wherein a surface location of the continuous surface as a whole is characterized by the adjacent polar coordinates which do not differ more than the threshold distance.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising determining whether the continuous surface is a static surface or a moving surface.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein determining whether the continuous surface is a static surface or a moving surface is based on whether the polar coordinates of the continuous surface change over tim

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Freeman Kyle G

Classifications

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S15/66 Primary

  Sonar tracking systems · CPC title

• G01S15/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/4808

  Evaluating distance, position or velocity data · CPC title

• G01S15/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S15/46) · CPC title