Systems and methods for managing video data

• US 10,362,273 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Worrill, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Trang U
• Application Number:
  US13/566,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20130194430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,545 Days
• Field of Search: 348143, 348159, 3482113, 348455, 348588
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods for managing video data. Embodiments are described by reference to a Digital Video Management (DVM) system, for example methods for providing a user with access to view live feed from cameras in a DVM system. In overview, a DVM system is configured to provide a user interface for allowing an operator to view a plurality of video display objects, wherein each display object is configured to display live video data captured at a camera of the DVM system. The user interface is further configured to provide access to one or more camera groups, wherein the one or more camera groups are respectively defined by dynamic parameters. The DVM system executes a process for updating the constituent cameras of each camera group responsive to changes in the dynamic parameters.

Claims

1. A method for managing video data in a DVM system, the method including:

providing a user interface for allowing an operator to view a plurality of video display objects, wherein the plurality of display objects are each simultaneously displaying live video data captured at a camera of the DVM system;

via the user interface, providing access to one or more camera groups, each camera group including one or more constituent cameras that are all providing live video streaming;

defining the one or more camera groups based on dynamic parameters which change automatically over time such that the constituent cameras that are in a given group change over time; and

updating the constituent cameras that make up each camera group in response to changes in the dynamic parameters.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the one or more camera groups includes a recently viewed camera group defined by the most recent n cameras viewed via the user interface, wherein 0<

n<

a predefined maximum.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the user interface is configured to display a screen object containing video display objects indicative of the cameras in the recently viewed camera group.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the video display objects provide live video streaming.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the live video streaming is at a rate less than the rate of streaming when the cameras where being viewed.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the live video streaming rate varies between the cameras in the viewed camera groups in response to specified criteria.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the user interface is configured to enable user creation of camera groups based on specified dynamic parameters.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the one more groups are defined by dynamic parameters thereby to configure groups for one or more of the following:

cameras recently viewed at a given client terminal;

cameras recently viewed across the DVM system;

cameras having a high view rate over a predefined period;

cameras having greater than a threshold incident rate over a predefined period;

cameras having greater than a threshold motion rate over a predefined period;

cameras having greater than a threshold number of movement observations, based on analytics software, over a predefined period;

cameras in respect of which alarms have been raised over a predefined period;

cameras which have had greater than a threshold number of fail or error conditions over a predetermined period; and

cameras having a fail or error condition.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein each group has a maximum size, and is populated by a set of cameras of up to and including the maximum size that best satisfy the dynamic parameters.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein a given camera group is displayable in a user interface object including a screenshot or streaming feed for each of the cameras.

11. A DVM system configured to perform a method including:

providing a user interface for allowing an operator to view a plurality of video display objects, wherein the plurality of display objects are each simultaneously displaying live video data captured at a camera of the DVM system;

via the user interface, providing access to one or more camera groups that are all providing live video streaming;

defining the one or more camera groups based on dynamic parameters that change automatically over time such that the constituent cameras that are in a given group change over time; and

updating the constituent cameras that make up each camera group in response to changes in the dynamic parameters.

12. A DVM system according to claim 11 including:

a plurality of camera servers, wherein each camera server is configured to utilise video data from an assigned one or more video streaming units; and

a plurality of video streaming units, wherein each streaming unit is configured to stream, onto a network, video data for a respective camera.

13. A DVM system according to claim 11 wherein the one or more camera groups includes a recently viewed camera group defined by the most recent n cameras viewed via the user interface, wherein 0<

n<

a predefined maximum.

14. A DVM system according to claim 12 wherein the user interface is configured to display a screen object containing video display objects indicative of the cameras in the recently viewed camera group.

15. A DVM system according to claim 11 wherein the live video streaming rate varies between the cameras in the viewed camera groups in response to specified criteria.

16. A DVM system according to claim 11 wherein the user interface is configured to enable user creation of camera groups based on specified dynamic parameters.

17. A tangible non-transitive computer-readable carrier medium carrying computer executable code that, when executed via one or more processes, allows the performance of a method including:

providing a user interface for allowing an operator to view a plurality of video display objects, wherein the plurality of display objects are each simultaneously displaying live video data captured at a camera of the DVM system;

via the user interface, providing access to one or more camera groups that are all providing live video streaming;

defining the one or more camera groups based on dynamic parameters that change automatically over time such that the constituent cameras that are in a given group change over time; and

updating the constituent cameras that make up each camera group in response to changes in the dynamic parameters.

18. A computer-readable carrier medium according to claim 17 wherein the one or more camera groups includes a recently viewed camera group defined by the most recent n cameras viewed via the user interface, wherein 0<

n<

a predefined maximum.

19. A computer-readable carrier medium according to claim 17 wherein the live video streaming rate varies between the cameras in the viewed camera groups in response to specified criteria.

20. A computer-readable carrier medium according to claim 17 wherein the user interface is configured to enable user creation of camera groups based on specified dynamic parameters.