Tracking objects with obscured object determination based on proximity of bounding shapes and relative motion of objects, and bounding shape estimation

1 . An electronic device, comprising:

a processor to:

provide a first set of images to an object tracker to output a bounding shape that represents a first object in the first set of images;

determine a relative motion of the first object with respect to a second object in the first set of images;

determine that the first object is obscured by the second object based on the relative motion of the first object;

lose track, via the object tracker, of the first object in a second set of images in response to the first object being obscured by the second object; and

estimate a size and location of the bounding shape in the second set of images in response to the object tracker losing track of the object in the second set of images, wherein the location of the bounding shape is estimated using a minimum x-coordinate and a minimum y-coordinate, a maximum x-coordinate and a maximum y-coordinate, or an average location of the bounding shape in the first set of images.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the bounding shape output by the object tracker comprises size information and location information for the bounding shape.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor to estimate the location of the bounding shape comprises the processor to:

determine that the object is static in the first set of images; and

use location information for the bounding shape output by the object tracker in the first set of images to determine the location of the bounding shape in the second set of images.

4 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor to estimate the location of the bounding shape comprises the processor to:

determine that the object is moving in the first set of images; and

apply a filter to predict the location of the bounding shape in the second set of images based on location information for the bounding shape output by the object tracker in the first set of images.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor to apply a filter to predict the size and location of the bounding shape in the second set of images based on size information and location information for the bounding shape output by the object tracker in the first set of images.

6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is to suspend bounding shape estimation in response to the object tracker tracking the object in a third set of images.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is to suspend bounding shape estimation in response to expiration of a timeout period.

8 . An electronic device, comprising:

a processor to:

generate, via an object tracker, a first bounding shape that represents a first person and a second bounding shape that represents a second person in a first set of images;

determine a relative motion of the first object with respect to a second object in the first set of images;

determine a proximity of the first bounding shape with respect to the second bounding shape;

determine that the first person is obscured by the second person based on the relative motion of the first person and the proximity;

lose track, via the object tracker, of the first person in a second set of images in response to the first person being obscured by the second person;

estimate, via a bounding shape estimator, a size and location of the first bounding shape in the second set of images in response to losing track of the first person in the second set of images; and

suspend estimation by the bounding shape estimator in response to the first person moving into view from behind the second person.

9 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is to estimate the size and location of the first bounding shape in response to determining that the first person is obscured by the second person.

10 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is to suspend bounding shape estimation in response to the processor determining that an estimated location of the first person is outside of a location of the second person.

11 . A non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium comprising instructions when executed cause a processor of an electronic device to:

provide a first set of images to a machine-learning (ML) model of an object tracker to output a bounding shape that represents a first person in the first set of images and a second bounding shape that represents a second person in the first set of images;

determine a proximity of the first bounding shape with respect to the second bounding shape and a relative motion of the first person with respect to the second person;

determine that the first person is obscured by the second person based on the proximity of the first bounding shape and the relative motion of the first person;

determine that the ML model of the object tracker loses track of the first person in a second set of images;

determine that the first person was in motion in the first set of images;

activate a filter of a bounding shape estimator to estimate a size and a location of the bounding shape in the second set of images in response to determining that the first person was in motion in the first set of images; and

suspend the filter of the bounding shape estimator in response to the first person moving into view from behind the second person.

12 . The non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to:

determine that the first person is within a threshold distance from a second person when the ML model lost track of the first person; and

activate the filter to estimate the size and location of the bounding shape in response to determining that the first person is within the threshold distance from the second person.

13 . The non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the filter comprises a Kalman filter.

14 . The non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions when executed cause the processor to suspend the bounding shape estimation in response to the ML model resuming tracking of the first person.

15 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor further:

upon the size and location of the bounding shape being estimated, start a timeout period; and

suspend the estimation of the size and location of the bounding shape in the second set of images in response to an expiration of a timeout period.