Device, method, and computer for image-based counting of objects passing through a counting section in a specified direction

Abstract

For operators of public or commercial buildings, such as supermarkets, it is interesting to determine how many persons, in particular potential buyers, enter the building each day. In other areas, as well, entering and exiting moving objects are counted: it is typical, for example, that cars driving into and out of a parking garage are counted. The invention relates to a devicefor counting objects in a monitoring area, having a counting module, wherein the counting module comprises an object counter increasing by one counting value when one of the objects completely passes through a counting sectionin a counting directionas a counting object, having at least one monitoring camerafor capturing the monitoring area, wherein the monitoring camerais designed for outputting an image data stream of the monitoring area, and having an extraction moduledesigned for extracting moving image areas in a current image of the image data flow, wherein the moving image areas can represent the objects or partial segments thereof, wherein the counting moduleis designed for increasing the object counterby a partial value for each current image for one of the moving image areas, the direction of motion thereof corresponding to the counting directionand thus representing a potential counting object or a partial segment thereof, said partial value being less than the counting value.