System and method for overlap detection in surveillance camera network

• US 10,192,414 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Burke, Anthony, Humphreys, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Seth, Manav
• Application Number:
  US15/076,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20170278367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/292 Multi-camera tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/40 in video content extracting overlay text G06V20/62; video retrieval G06F16/70; processing of video elementary streams in video servers H04N21/234; processing of video elementary streams in video clients H04N21/44
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system and method for overlap detection in a surveillance camera network is disclosed. An analytics system of the system receives image data captured from the cameras and detects motion within the image data. The analytics system then correlates detected motion among the image data from the different cameras and determines overlap of fields of view of the cameras. In a preferred embodiment, a mobile user device held by an installer is moved through a critical path at the premises while the cameras are capturing the image data, and the analytics system determines whether the user device/installer is included in the image data from at least two of the cameras. In another embodiment, the analytics system determines overlap by determining correlated motion detection events associated with motion occurring at substantially the same time in image data from two or more different surveillance cameras and inferring that the motion is related.

Claims

1. A method for determining overlap of fields of view for surveillance cameras of a network, comprising:

defining a critical path monitored by the surveillance cameras via a mobile user device carried by the installer that presents a user interface to start and stop definition of the critical path;

the surveillance cameras capturing image data of the scene during the definition of the critical path and transferring the image data to an analytics system; and

the analytics system determining overlap from the image data along the critical path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the analytics system determining the overlap from the image data comprises the analytics system correlating motion within the image data to determine overlap for at least two of the surveillance cameras.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the motion within the image data from the network of surveillance cameras comprises tracking the mobile user device and/or an installer carrying the mobile user device as the mobile user device is moved along the path within a premises.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

the mobile user device traversing the path within a premises; and

the analytics system determining from correlated detected motion within the image data from the surveillance cameras whether the mobile user device and/or the installer is included in the image data from at least two of the surveillance cameras.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining that the image data from the at least two of the surveillance cameras was captured at substantially the same time.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein detecting motion within image data from the network of surveillance cameras comprises identifying objects within the image data and tracking the objects across the fields of view of the surveillance cameras.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein correlating detected motion among the image data from different surveillance cameras comprises generating motion detection events in response to detecting motion within the image data, and correlating the motion detection events.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising building a display grid including image data from at least two surveillance cameras having at least one portion of an object within a scene monitored by the surveillance cameras included within the image data, and sending the display grid for display on a user device.

9. A surveillance camera system, comprising:

two or more surveillance cameras generating image data of a scene;

a user device that presents a user interface to start and stop definition of a critical path; and

an analytics system that;

receives the image data from the surveillance cameras;

tracks the mobile user device and/or an installer carrying the mobile user device as the mobile user device is moved along the critical path within a premises; and

determines overlap within the scene by correlating detected motion among the image data from different surveillance cameras, and by determining that the correlated detected motion occurs at substantially the same time in the image data from two or more different surveillance cameras and inferring that the motion is related.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising building a display grid that includes the image data associated with the correlated motion and displaying the display grid to provide a visual indication of the overlap.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the analytics system creates a display grid that includes image data from at least two surveillance cameras.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the analytics system tracks a mobile user device and/or an installer carrying the mobile user device as the mobile user device is moved along a critical path within a premises.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the analytics system determines from the correlated motion within the image data whether the mobile user device and/or the installer is included in the image data from at least two of the surveillance cameras.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the analytics system determines that the image data from the at least two of the surveillance cameras was captured at substantially the same time.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the analytics system identifies objects within the image data and tracks the objects across fields of view of the surveillance cameras.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the analytics system generates motion detection events in response to detecting motion within the image data, and correlates the motion detection events.