Tracking method and tracking apparatus

1. A tracking method comprising:

detecting a mobile unit within a space;

tracking the detected mobile unit;

making a position determination of the tracked mobile unit to obtain positional data; and

making a movement prediction of the tracked mobile unit, based on a high frequency component and a low frequency component of the positional data, wherein the movement prediction is made based on a differential amount of the high frequency component, and an angle between a differential amount of the high frequency component and a differential amount of the low frequency component.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting comprises detecting the mobile unit within the space, using an image obtained by imaging the mobile unit.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the detecting comprises detecting the mobile unit within the space, through a difference process between the image obtained by imaging the mobile unit and a reference image for the difference process.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the making of a position determination comprises deciding a representative point in an image area where the mobile unit is detected from the image, and determining the representative point as the position of the mobile unit.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the making of a position determination comprises deciding a point nearest to the lower end of the image in the image area, as the representative point.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the making of a position determination comprises deciding a point nearest to the center of the image in the image area, as the representative point.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting comprises detecting the mobile unit within the space, using a signal transmitted from the mobile unit.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein high pass positional data obtained by filtering the positional data through a high pass filter is used as the high frequency component.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the high pass filter is of a sequential or recursive computation type.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein low pass positional data obtained by filtering the positional data through a low pass filter is used as the low frequency component.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the low pass filter is of a sequential or recursive computation type.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

extracting a motion feature amount of the tracked mobile unit;

filtering the motion feature amount through a frequency filter; and

distinguishing multiple mobile units, based on the motion feature amount filtered through the frequency filter.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the extracting comprises extracting an optical flow of the tracked mobile unit, as the motion feature amount of the tracked mobile unit.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the distinguishing comprises distinguishing multiple mobile units, based on an angle of the optical flow.

15. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

outputting movement prediction data, via a user interface or via a communication interface, or notifying the movement prediction data to a mobile unit that comprises an autonomous mobile unit.

16. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

intervening in a movement operation of the tracked mobile unit, according to the movement prediction.

17. A tracking apparatus comprising:

a detection unit configured to detect a mobile unit within a space;

a tracking unit configured to track the detected mobile unit;

a determination unit configured to make a position determination of the tracked mobile unit; and

a prediction unit configured to make a movement prediction of the mobile unit, based on a high frequency component and a low frequency component of positional data obtained by the position determination, wherein the prediction unit makes the movement prediction based on a differential amount of the high frequency component, and an angle between the differential amount of the high frequency component and a different amount of the low frequency component.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising:

an extraction unit configured to extract a motion feature amount of the tracked mobile unit;

a filtering unit configured to filter the motion feature amount through a frequency filter; and

a distinguishing unit configured to distinguish multiple mobile units, based on the motion feature amount filtered through the frequency filter.