Title: Synchronisation of vision-based sensor networks with variable frame rates

Authors: C.H. Messom

Addresses: School of Information Technology, Monash University, Sunway Campus, Malaysia

Abstract: This paper introduces a synchronisation methodology for distributed vision-based sensor networks with clock skew or variable frame rates. The methodology requires a ballistic or otherwise predictive object to be tracked by the sensor network and used to calibrate the clock skew and/or relative variable frame rates between the cameras. The relative time stamp of each image captured can be extracted using the dynamic model of the predictive object. The time stamps and a best fit correlation are used to synchronise all the cameras (and their video streams) that are tracking the same predictive object. In sport the predictive object is likely to be a ballistic object such as a ball or a player in flight, while in security applications, the predictive object may be trains, cars or other objects travelling at predictable speeds in known locations.

Keywords: distributed systems; camera synchronisation; sensor networks; variable frame rates; image time stamp; dynamic modelling; object tracking; vision.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAT.2010.034744

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, 2010 Vol.39 No.1/2/3, pp.153 - 158

Published online: 18 Aug 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article