System and method for detecting anomalous objects in a region of interest

Abstract

The name of the invention is "System and method for detecting anomalous objects in an area of ​​interest". A system and method for detecting anomalous objects in an area of ​​interest (AOI) are disclosed. The method includes: receiving, by a computing device, a first set of movement parameters associated with movement of one or more objects in the AOI from a control unit associated with the one or more objects. The method further includes: extracting, by the computing device, a second set of movement parameters associated with movement in the AOI from output signals generated by one or more sensors. The method further includes: comparing, by the computing device, the first set of movement parameters with the second set of movement parameters, and determining, by the computing device, the presence of one or more anomalous objects in the AOI based on the comparison of the first set of movement parameters with the second set of movement parameters.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to detecting unusual objects, such as intruders, in a region of interest, and more particularly to detecting unusual objects in a region of interest using radar-based sensors. Background Art

[0002] In a radar system such as a Doppler radar system, a transmitted set of electromagnetic (EM) pulses may strike an object in the field of view (FOV) of the radar system and be reflected. A receiver of the radar system may receive the set of reflected EM pulses. If the object has a velocity relative to the radar unit, the spectrum of the reflected EM pulses may be shifted relative to the set of transmitted EM pulses due to the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect can be used to determine the relative velocity of the object.

[0003] Generally speaking, when an abnormal object is detected in an area of ​​interest (AOI), an alarm may be generated to alert a user of the AOI or other authorized entity of the presence of the abnormal object. However, in some cases, the signal from a sensor configured to detect the presence of an abnormal object may only indicate the presence of a potential abnormal object. In other words, the probability that the abnormal object is definitely present may not be high enough to confirm that the abnormal object is definitely present, and the probability may not be low enough to ignore these signals. Summary of the invention

[0004] A system for detecting one or more anomalous objects in an area of ​​interest (AOI) is disclosed herein. The system includes one or more sensors configured to detect movement in the AOI. The system further includes a computing device communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors. The computing device is configured to receive a first set of movement parameters associated with the movement of the one or more objects in the AOI from a control unit associated with the one or more objects. The computing device is further configured to extract a second set of movement parameters associated with the movement in the AOI from output signals generated by the one or more sensors. The computing device is further configured to compare the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters. The computing device is further configured to determine the presence of the one or more anomalous objects in the AOI based on the comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

[0005] In one or more embodiments, either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters include one or more of speed, time coordinates, and no movement.

[0006] In one or more embodiments, in response to the one or more sensors detecting the movement, the computing device is further configured to operate the one or more first objects through the control unit to change one or more parameters in the first set of movement parameters. In response to the one or more sensors detecting the movement, the computing device is further configured to identify one or more abnormal objects based on a comparison of the changed one or more parameters in the first set of movement parameters with the second set of movement parameters.

[0007] In one or more embodiments, changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing a speed of one or more objects.

[0008] In one or more embodiments, changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes periodically changing a speed of the one or more objects to a predefined value.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing a velocity of the one or more objects to zero velocity for a predefined duration.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters further include respective real-time positions of the one or more first objects in the region of interest.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the corresponding real-time positions of the one or more first objects include any one of a two-dimensional position and a three-dimensional position of the one or more first objects in the AOI.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the one or more sensors include a radar unit.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, the radar unit includes any one or combination of the following: a Doppler radar unit, a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar unit, an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar unit, and a pulse radar unit.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the one or more sensors include any one or combination of: a time of flight (ToF) unit, a lidar unit, and a passive infrared (PIR) unit.

[0015] Further disclosed herein is a method for detecting one or more anomalous objects in an area of ​​interest (AOI). The method includes receiving, by a computing device, a first set of movement parameters associated with movement of one or more objects in the AOI from a control unit associated with the one or more objects. The method further includes extracting, by the computing device, a second set of movement parameters associated with the movement in the AOI from output signals generated by one or more sensors. The method further includes comparing, by the computing device, the first set of movement parameters with the second set of movement parameters, and determining, by the computing device, the presence of the one or more anomalous objects in the AOI based on the comparison of the first set of movement parameters with the second set of movement parameters.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters include one or more of speed, time coordinates, and no movement.

[0017] In one or more embodiments, in response to the one or more sensors detecting the movement, the method further includes operating, by the computing device through the control unit, one or more first objects to change one or more parameters in the first set of movement parameters. In response to the one or more sensors detecting the movement, the method further includes identifying, by the computing device, one or more abnormal objects based on a comparison of the changed one or more parameters in the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing a speed of one or more objects.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes periodically changing a speed of the one or more objects to a predefined value.

[0020] In one or more embodiments, changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing a velocity of the one or more objects to zero velocity for a predefined duration.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters further include respective real-time positions of the one or more first objects in the region of interest.

[0022] In one or more embodiments, the corresponding real-time positions of the one or more first objects include any one of a two-dimensional position and a three-dimensional position of the one or more first objects in the AOI.

[0023] In one or more embodiments, the one or more sensors include a radar unit.

[0024] In one or more embodiments, the radar unit includes any one or combination of the following: a Doppler radar unit, a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar unit, an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar unit, and a pulse radar unit.

[0025] In one or more embodiments, the one or more sensors include any one or combination of: a time of flight (ToF) unit, a lidar unit, and a passive infrared (PIR) unit.

[0026] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, features, and techniques of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the subject disclosure of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the subject disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the subject disclosure.

[0028] In the drawings, similar components and / or features may have the same reference label. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description applies to any of the similar components having the same first reference label (regardless of the second reference label).

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a system for detecting anomalous objects in a region of interest according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 According to one or more embodiments of the present invention Figure 1 A detailed schematic block diagram of a computing device of the system;

[0031] Figure 3 According to one or more embodiments of the present invention Figure 1 A detailed schematic block diagram of another computing device of the system;

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of a method for detecting abnormal objects in a region of interest according to one or more embodiments of the present invention; and

[0033] Figure 5 It is used to realize Figure 2 and / or Figure 3 An exemplary schematic block diagram of a hardware system of a computing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are so detailed in order to clearly convey the present disclosure. However, the many details provided are not intended to limit the intended changes of the embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the scope and spirit of the subject disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0035] Various terms are used herein. To the extent a term used in a claim is not defined below, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have given that term as reflected in printed publications and issued patents at the time of filing.

[0036] In the specification, the spatial relationship between various components and the spatial orientation of various aspects of the components may be mentioned, as depicted in the accompanying drawings. However, as those skilled in the art will recognize after a complete reading of this subject disclosure, the components of the present invention described herein can be positioned in any desired orientation. Therefore, the use of terms such as "above", "below", "up", "down", "first", "second" or other similar terms to describe the spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of various aspects of such components should be understood to describe the relative relationship between components or the spatial orientation of various aspects of such components.

[0037] refer to Figure 1 , a schematic representation of a system 100 for detecting an anomalous object 194 in an area of ​​interest (AOI) 150 is shown. In some embodiments, AOI 150 may refer to any area, indoors or outdoors, in which an object 190 is suitable for moving. In some examples, AOI 150 may be a warehouse, or a storage area in which an object 190 is suitable for moving. In some embodiments, objects 190 may include a first object 192 and an anomalous object 194.

[0038] In some embodiments, object 190 may include a robot. Specifically, first object 192 may include a robot. Figure 1The illustrated embodiment shows first objects 192-1, 192-2, ... 192-N. The first objects 192-1, 192-2, ... 192-N may be collectively referred to interchangeably as "first objects 192". The robot may be adapted to have constrained motion, such as a robotic arm adapted to move in a predefined manner. The robot may also have more degrees of freedom of movement, such as an autonomous mobile robot adapted to move along a predefined path at a predefined speed. In one or more embodiments, the robot may be configured with a predefined purpose and / or motion target, and the robot may be configured to determine the path and speed of its movement based on the predefined purpose and / or motion target. In some embodiments, the first object 192 may include the two types of robots mentioned above. In some embodiments, the first object 192 may be communicatively coupled to a control unit 182 configured to operate the first object 192. In Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment of the system 100, the system 100 includes a single control unit 182 configured to operate all of the first objects 192. However, in some embodiments, each first object 192 may include a separate associated control unit. In addition, the first object 192 may be communicatively coupled to a first location unit 184, which is configured to generate a signal indicating the real-time location of the first object 192. Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 , each first object 192 - 1 , 192 - 2 . . . 192 -N may include a corresponding associated first location unit 184 - 1 , 184 - 2 . . . 184 -N. However, in some embodiments, the system 100 includes a single first location unit 184 that is communicatively coupled to all of the first objects 192 .

[0039] In some embodiments, object 190 may include a human being. Specifically, abnormal object 194 may include a human being. An abnormal object may be any object that is not allowed to exist within AOI 150. In some examples, during certain periods or durations, humans or other organisms may not be allowed to exist in AOI 150. Any human or other organism that is present during such periods may be considered an abnormal object 194. Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 shows exception objects 194 - 1 , 194 - 2 . . . 194 -N. The exception objects 194 - 1 , 194 - 2 . . . 194 -N may be collectively and interchangeably referred to as “exceptions 194 ”.

[0040] The objects 190 (including the first object 192 and the abnormal object 194) are movable and have movement attributes. In some embodiments, the movement attributes may include the movement speed of the object 190. In some embodiments, the movement attributes may include any one or a combination of the movement speed and the real-time position of the object 190.

[0041] The system 100 may further include one or more sensors 102 arranged at various locations in the AOI 150 . Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment of the present invention shows sensors 102-1, 102-2, ... 102-N. One or more sensors 102-1, 102-2, ... 102-N may be interchangeably referred to as "sensors 102". Sensors 102 may be configured to detect movement of an object 190 in AOI 150. In response to detecting movement of object 190, sensor 102 may be further configured to generate a signal. In some embodiments, each of sensors 102 may be communicatively coupled to each other via communication network 120.

[0042] In some embodiments, the communication network 120 may be a hardwired communication network. The hardwired communication network may be an optical cable or a metallic cable provided in the structure of the house 150 in which the sensors 102 are arranged. The hardwired communication network may be configured to transmit small amounts of data. Specifically, the hardwired communication network may be configured to transmit a signal generated by the sensor 102 in response to detecting an emergency event. When any one of the sensors 102 detects an emergency event and generates a signal, the signal may be received by the other sensors 102 and may be transmitted to the other sensors 102 via the hardwired communication network.

[0043] In some embodiments, the communication network 120 may be a wireless communication network. The wireless communication network may be any wireless communication network capable of transferring data between entities of the network, such as, but not limited to, carrier networks including circuit switching networks, public switching networks, content delivery networks (CDN) networks, long term evolution (LTE) networks, global mobile communication systems (GSM) networks, and universal mobile telecommunications systems (UMTS) networks, the Internet, intranets, local area networks, wide area networks, mobile communication networks, Bluetooth low energy (BLE) networks, and combinations thereof. Through the communication network 120, the sensors 102 may be configured to transmit signals to each other or to external devices.

[0044] In some embodiments, the sensor 102 may include a radar unit. Each radar unit may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter may be configured to transmit electromagnetic (EM) waves through the field of view (FOV) of the radar unit. The FOV may include the AOI 150. When the EM wave is incident on any object in the AOI 150, it is reflected, and the reflected EM wave is received by the receiver. In some embodiments, the radar unit may include any one or a combination of Doppler, frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW), ultra-wideband (UWB), and pulse radar units. A Doppler (or FMCW or UWB or pulse) radar unit may utilize the Doppler effect to determine the relative movement of an object relative to the receiver of the radar unit. The FMCW radar unit may determine the relative movement and relative position of an object relative to the position of the radar unit.

[0045] The system 100 may further include a second sensor 104 . Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 shows second sensors 104-1, 104-2, ... 104-N. The second sensors 104-1, 104-2, ... 104-N may be interchangeably collectively referred to as "second sensors 104". The second sensors 104 may be configured to detect the presence of one or more potential abnormal objects 194 in the AOI 150. In response to detecting the presence of one or more potential abnormal objects 194 in the AOI 150, the second sensors 104 may be further configured to generate a signal. The second sensors 104 may include any one or a combination of vibration sensors, thermal sensors, audio sensors, visual sensors, etc., which may be suitable for detecting the presence of abnormal objects 192 (such as humans or other creatures). In some embodiments, each of the second sensors 104 may be communicatively coupled to each other via the communication network 120.

[0046] Generally speaking, when an abnormal object 194 is detected in the AOI 150, an alarm may be generated to alert a user or other authorized entity of the AOI 150 that the abnormal object 194 exists. However, in some cases, the signal from the second sensor 104 may only indicate the presence of a potential abnormal object 194. In other words, the probability that the abnormal object 194 definitely exists may not be high enough to confirm the positive presence of the abnormal object 194, nor may the probability be low enough to ignore the signals. In such cases, it may be preferable to confirm the positive presence of the abnormal object 194 in the AOI before any countermeasures (such as generating an alarm) can be deployed.

[0047] Therefore, some means is needed to confirm the positive presence of an anomalous object in a region of interest. It would be even more desirable if such a means could be integrated into the existing infrastructure of the region of interest without significant addition of materials or equipment.

[0048] The system 100 may further include a server 110. The sensor 102, the second sensor 104, the control unit 182, and the first location unit 184 may be communicatively coupled to the server 110 via a communication network 120. In some embodiments, the server 110 may be a remote server. In some embodiments, the server 110 may be a cloud-based server. The server 110 may further be communicatively coupled to an external storage device 112 via the communication network 120. The external storage device 112 may be configured within the server 110, or may be a cloud-based storage device.

[0049] The server 110 may be configured with a computing device 200. The computing device 200 may be configured to detect abnormal objects 194 in the AOI 150. The computing device 200 may be implemented as a single device or a combination of multiple devices that may be communicatively coupled or networked together. The computing device 200 may be implemented in hardware or a suitable combination of hardware and software. The computing device 200 may be a hardware device including a processor that executes machine-readable program instructions. "Hardware" may include a combination of discrete components, integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, digital signal processors, or other suitable hardware. "Software" may include one or more objects, agents, threads, lines of code, subroutines, separate software applications, two or more lines of code, or other suitable software structures that operate in one or more software applications or on one or more processors. The processor may include, for example, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a central processing unit, a state machine, a logic circuit, any device that manipulates data or signals based on operating instructions, and the like. Among other capabilities, the processor may fetch and execute computer-readable instructions in a memory operatively coupled to the computing device 200 for performing tasks such as data processing, input / output processing, feature extraction, and / or any other functionality. Any reference to a task in this disclosure may refer to an operation being or potentially being performed on data.

[0050] The system 100 may further include units such as, but not limited to, a display unit, an audio unit, a notification unit, an input unit, an output unit, etc.; however, for the purpose of clarity, Figure 1 These units are not shown.

[0051] refer to Figure 2, showing a detailed schematic block diagram of a computing device 200. The computing device 200 includes a processor 202 and a memory 204 communicatively coupled to the processor 202. The memory 204 may store instructions that may be executed by the processor 202 to implement the computing device 200. The computing device 200 further includes an interface 206. The interface 206 may include a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices (referred to as I / O devices), storage devices, and the like. The interface 206 may also provide a communication path for one or more components of the computing device 200. The computing device 200 may be communicatively coupled to an external storage device 112. The external storage device 112 may be configured to store data generated during the execution of instructions by the processor 202 in order to implement the computing device 200. The external storage device 112 may be further configured to store additional data required to implement the computing device 200.

[0052] Reference now Figure 1 and Figure 2 , computing device 200 includes processing engine 210. Processing engine 210 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of processing engine 210. In some examples, processing engine 210 may be implemented by an electronic circuit module.

[0053] The processing engine 210 may include a movement parameter engine 212, a comparison engine 214, an abnormal object determination engine 216, a first object control engine 218, and (one or more) other engines 220. The (one or more) other engines 220 may include an engine configured to perform one or more auxiliary functions associated with the processing engine 210.

[0054] The movement parameter engine 212 may be configured to receive, from a control unit 182 associated with one or more first objects 192 , a first set of movement parameters associated with movement of the first objects 192 in the AOI 150 .

[0055] In some embodiments, the movement parameter engine 212 may be configured to operate in response to receipt of an activation signal. The activation signal may trigger operation of the processing engine 210 to detect an abnormal object 194 in the AOI 150. The activation signal may include signals received from the second sensor 104 indicating the positive presence of one or more abnormal objects 194 in the AOI 150. In some embodiments, these signals may indicate a probability that the potential one or more abnormal objects 194 in the AOI 150 are positively present. The activation signal may include these signals when the probability is at least equal to or greater than a predefined threshold.

[0056] The movement parameter engine 212 may be further configured to extract a second set of movement parameters associated with movement in the AOI 150 from the output signals generated by the sensor 102. The movement associated with the second set of movement parameters may include movement of all objects in the AOI, including the first object 192 and the exception object 194.

[0057] The comparison engine 214 may be configured to compare the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters. In one or more embodiments, either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters may include one or more of speed, time coordinates, and no movement.

[0058] The abnormal object determination engine 216 may be configured to determine the presence of one or more abnormal objects 194 in the AOI 150 based on a comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

[0059] In one or more embodiments, in response to the sensor 102 detecting the movement, the first object control engine 218 may be operated. The first object control engine 218 may be configured to operate one or more first objects 192 to change one or more parameters in the first set of movement parameters.

[0060] In one or more embodiments, changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing a speed of one or more objects.

[0061] In one or more embodiments, changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes periodically changing a speed of the one or more objects to a predefined value.

[0062] In one or more embodiments, changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing a velocity of the one or more objects to zero velocity for a predefined duration.

[0063] The anomalous object determination engine 216 may be further configured to determine the presence of one or more anomalous objects 194 in the AOI 150 based on a comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters after the first set of movement parameters has been changed.

[0064] Specifically, the abnormal object determination engine 216 is configured to determine a difference between the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters based on a comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters. In response to the second set of movement parameters being different from the first set of movement parameters, the abnormal object determination engine 216 may be further configured to compare the first set of movement parameters of the one or more first objects 192 with the second set of movement parameters of all objects 190 in the AOI 150. The abnormal object determination engine 216 may be further configured to: if the second set of movement parameters of the one or more objects 190 in the AOI 150 is substantially equal to the first set of movement parameters, then determine the one or more objects 190 in the AOI 150 as the first object 192.

[0065] Once the abnormal object determination engine 216 determines that an abnormal object 194 exists in the AOI, countermeasures such as issuing an alarm may be deployed.

[0066] refer to Figure 3 , shows a detailed schematic block diagram of another computing device 300. Figures 1 to 3 , a computing device 300 may be included in the system 100. The computing device 300 may operate and function similarly to the computing device 200. The computing device 300 includes a processor 302 and a memory 304 communicatively coupled to the processor 302. The computing device 300 further includes an interface 306. The interface 306 may also provide a communication path for one or more components of the computing device 300. The computing device 300 may be communicatively coupled to the external storage device 112. The computing device 300 further includes a processing engine 310. The computing device 300 may be configured to detect the presence of the abnormal object 194 in the AOI 150 by considering the movement parameters including the real-time position of the first object 192 in the AOI 150.

[0067] The processing engine 310 may include a movement parameter engine 312, a comparison engine 314, an abnormal object determination engine 316, a first object control engine 318, and (one or more) other engines 320. The (one or more) other engines 320 may include an engine configured to perform one or more auxiliary functions associated with the processing engine 310.

[0068] The movement parameter engine 312 may be configured to receive, from a control unit 182 associated with one or more first objects 192 , a first set of movement parameters associated with movement of the first objects 192 in the AOI 150 .

[0069] In some embodiments, the movement parameter engine 312 may be configured to operate in response to receipt of an activation signal. The activation signal may trigger operation of the processing engine 310 to detect an abnormal object 194 in the AOI 150. The activation signal may include signals received from the second sensor 104 indicating the positive presence of one or more abnormal objects 194 in the AOI 150. In some embodiments, these signals may indicate a probability that the potential one or more abnormal objects 194 in the AOI 150 are positively present. The activation signal may include these signals when the probability is at least equal to or greater than a predefined threshold.

[0070] The movement parameter engine 312 may be further configured to extract a second set of movement parameters associated with movement in the AOI 150 from the output signals generated by the sensor 102. The movement associated with the second set of movement parameters may include movement of all objects in the AOI, including the first object 192 and the exception object 194.

[0071] The comparison engine 314 may be configured to compare the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

[0072] The anomalous object determination engine 316 may be configured to determine the presence of one or more anomalous objects 194 in the AOI 150 based on a comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

[0073] In one or more embodiments, the first object control engine 318 may be operated in response to the sensor 102 detecting the movement. The first object control engine 318 may be configured to operate one or more first objects 192 to change one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters.

[0074] In one or more embodiments, either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters further include respective real-time positions of the one or more first objects in the region of interest.

[0075] In one or more embodiments, the corresponding real-time positions of the one or more first objects include any one of a two-dimensional position and a three-dimensional position of the one or more first objects in the AOI.

[0076] The anomalous object determination engine 316 may be further configured to determine the presence of one or more anomalous objects 194 in the AOI 150 based on a comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters after the first set of movement parameters has been changed.

[0077] Specifically, the abnormal object determination engine 316 is configured to determine a difference between the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters based on a comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters. In response to the second set of movement parameters being different from the first set of movement parameters, the abnormal object determination engine 316 may be further configured to compare the first set of movement parameters of the one or more first objects 192 with the second set of movement parameters of all objects 190 in the AOI 150. The abnormal object determination engine 316 may be further configured to: if the second set of movement parameters of the one or more objects 190 in the AOI 150 is substantially equal to the first set of movement parameters, then determine the one or more objects 190 in the AOI 150 as the first object 192.

[0078] Once the abnormal object determination engine 316 determines that an abnormal object 194 exists in the AOI, countermeasures such as issuing an alarm may be deployed.

[0079] refer to Figure 4 , a schematic flow chart of a method 400 for detecting anomaly objects 194 in an AOI 150 is shown. Referring now to Figures 1 to 4 At step 402, the method 400 includes: receiving, by the computing device 200, 300, a first set of movement parameters associated with movement of one or more first objects 192 in the AOI 150 from a control unit 182 associated with the one or more first objects 192. At step 404, the method 400 further includes: extracting, by the computing device 200, 300, a second set of movement parameters associated with movement in the AOI 150 from output signals generated by the one or more sensors 102. At step 406, the method 400 further includes: comparing, by the computing device 200, 300, the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters. At step 408, the method 400 further includes: determining, by the computing device 200, 300, the presence of one or more abnormal objects 194 in the AOI 150 based on the comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

[0080] In one or more embodiments, in response to the one or more sensors 102 detecting the movement, the method 400 further includes: operating the one or more first objects 192 by the computing device 200, 300 through the control unit 182 to change one or more parameters in the first set of movement parameters. In response to the one or more sensors 102 detecting the movement, the method 400 further includes: identifying the one or more abnormal objects 194 by the computing device 200, 300 based on the comparison of the one or more parameters changed in the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

[0081] Figure 5 is an exemplary schematic block diagram of a hardware system for implementing computing devices 200 and 300. Figure 5As shown in FIG. 5 , computer system 500 may include external storage device 510, bus 520, main memory 530, read-only memory 540, mass storage device 550, communication port 560, and processor 570. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a computer system may include more than one processor and communication port. Examples of processor 570 include, but are not limited to, (one or more) or Itanium 2 processor, or (one or more) or Athlon processor, Series processors, FortiSOC TM System on chip processor or other future processor. Processor 570 may include various modules. Communication port 560 may be any of an RS-232 port, a 10 / 100 Ethernet port, a gigabit or 10 gigabit port using copper or optical fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports for use with a modem-based dial-up connection. Communication port 560 may be selected depending on a network such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system is connected. Memory 530 may be a random access memory (RAM) or any other dynamic storage device known in the art. Read-only memory 540 may be any (one or more) static storage device, such as, but not limited to, a programmable read-only memory (PROM) chip for storing static information (e.g., for startup or BIOS instructions for processor 570). Mass storage device 550 may be any current or future mass storage solution that can be used to store information and / or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., with Universal Serial Bus (USB) and / or Firewire interfaces), such as those available from Seagate (e.g., the Seagate Barracuda 7102 series) or those available from Hitachi (e.g., the Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000); one or more optical disks; redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage devices, such as disk arrays (e.g., SATA arrays) available from various vendors including DotHill Systems Corp., LaCie, Nexsan Technologies, Inc., and Enhance Technology, Inc.

[0082] The bus 520 communicatively couples the processor(s) 570 with other memory, storage, and communication blocks. The bus 520 may be, for example, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) / PCI expansion (PCI-X) bus, a small computer system interface (SCSI), a USB, etc., for connecting expansion cards, drives, and other subsystems, and other buses, such as a front-side bus (FSB), which connects the processor 570 to a software system.

[0083] Optionally, operator and management interfaces (e.g., display, keyboard, and cursor control device) may also be coupled to bus 520 to enable an operator to interact directly with the computer system. Other operator and management interfaces may be provided via a network connection connected via communication port 560. External storage device 510 may be any type of external hard drive, floppy drive, Zip drive, compact disk - read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk rewritable (CD-RW), digital video disk - read only memory (DVD-ROM). The components described above are only intended to illustrate various possibilities. The aforementioned exemplary computer system should in no way limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0084] Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. The teachings of the present invention may be modified to accommodate specific circumstances or materials without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but that the present invention encompasses all embodiments falling within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0085] In interpreting the specification, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the elements, components, or steps mentioned may exist, be utilized, or be combined with other elements, components, or steps not explicitly mentioned. In the case where the specification and claims refer to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C, ..., and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, rather than A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

Claims

1. A system for detecting one or more abnormal objects in an area of ​​interest (AOI), the system comprising: one or more sensors configured to detect movement in the AOI; a computing device communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors, the computing device configured to: receiving, from a control unit associated with one or more objects, a first set of movement parameters associated with movement of the one or more objects in the AOI; extracting a second set of movement parameters associated with movement in the AOI from output signals generated by the one or more sensors; comparing the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters; as well as Based on a comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters, a presence of one or more abnormal objects in the AOI is determined.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: Either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters include one or more of speed, time coordinates, and no movement.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: In response to the one or more sensors detecting movement, the computing device is further configured to: operating one or more first objects by the control unit to change one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters; and The one or more abnormal objects are identified based on a comparison of the changed one or more parameters in the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein: Changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing a speed of the one or more objects.

5. The system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: Changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes periodically changing a speed of the one or more objects to a predefined value.

6. The system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: Changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing the speed of the one or more objects to zero speed for a predefined duration.

7. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters further include respective real-time positions of one or more first objects in the region of interest.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein: The corresponding real-time positions of the one or more first objects include any one of a two-dimensional position and a three-dimensional position of the one or more first objects in the AOI.

9. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein: The one or more sensors include a radar unit.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein: The radar unit includes any one or a combination of the following: a Doppler radar unit, a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar unit, an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar unit, and a pulse radar unit.

11. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The one or more sensors include any one or combination of: a time of flight (ToF) unit, a lidar unit, and a passive infrared (PIR) unit.

12. A method for detecting one or more anomalous objects in an area of ​​interest (AOI), the method comprising: receiving, by a computing device, from a control unit associated with one or more objects, a first set of movement parameters associated with movement of the one or more objects in the AOI; extracting, by the computing device, a second set of movement parameters associated with movement in the AOI from output signals generated by one or more sensors; comparing, by the computing device, the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters; as well as The presence of one or more abnormal objects in the AOI is determined by the computing device based on a comparison of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters include one or more of speed, time coordinates, and no movement.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: In response to the one or more sensors detecting movement, the method further comprises: operating one or more first objects by the computing device through the control unit to change one or more parameters in the first set of movement parameters; and The one or more abnormal objects are identified, by the computing device, based on a comparison of the changed one or more parameters in the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: Changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing a speed of the one or more objects.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: Changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes periodically changing a speed of the one or more objects to a predefined value.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein: Changing one or more parameters of the first set of movement parameters includes changing the speed of the one or more objects to zero speed for a predefined duration.

18. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: Either or both of the first set of movement parameters and the second set of movement parameters further include respective real-time positions of one or more first objects in the region of interest.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The corresponding real-time positions of the one or more first objects include any one of a two-dimensional position and a three-dimensional position of the one or more first objects in the AOI.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein: The one or more sensors include a radar unit.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The radar unit includes any one or a combination of the following: a Doppler radar unit, a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar unit, an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar unit, and a pulse radar unit.

22. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein: The one or more sensors include any one or combination of: a time of flight (ToF) unit, a lidar unit, and a passive infrared (PIR) unit.

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