Affordable person detection in omnidirectional cameras using radial integral channel features

Abstract

Omnidirectional cameras cover more ground than perspective cameras, at the expense of resolution. Their comprehensive field of view makes omnidirectional cameras appealing for security and ambient intelligence applications. Person detection is usually a core part of such applications. Conventional methods fail for omnidirectional images due to different image geometry and formation. In this study, we propose a method for person detection in omnidirectional images, which is based on the integral channel features approach. Features are extracted from various channels, such as LUV and gradient magnitude, and classified using boosted decision trees. Features are pixel sums inside annular sectors (doughnut slice shapes) contained by the detection window. We also propose a novel data structure called radial integral image that allows to calculate sums inside annular sectors efficiently. We have shown with experiments that our method outperforms the previous state of the art and uses significantly less computational resources.