Method and apparatus for processing pictures of vehicles

摘要

Pictures (video frames) of a road intersection are taken and analysed by breaking them up into blocks, to track movements of vehicles. Relative movement between vehicles is detected as an observation amount by an observation amount detecting section (26), and successive observation amounts are stored as an observation series into a storage section (27). Similarity of the observation series to a predetermined collision observation series is calculated by a classification section (28). A determination section (29) determines that two vehicles have collided if, in a case where the similarity is larger than a predetermined value, at least one of the vehicles concerned is at rest in a stoppage prohibition area set in a storage section (30) whilst an unrelated vehicle is moving. A vehicle breakdown is determined if collision determination conditions except for the similarity are met. By using not only a first scalar obtained by quantizing a relative velocity vector between vehicles but also a second scalar obtained by quantizing a relative position vector between vehicles as the observation amount, their relative movement can be classified more precisely. Vehicles are tracked in units of blocks by a mobile unit tracking section (25) to discriminate overlapping vehicles in pictures.