Neighborhood alert mode for triggering multi-device recording, multi-camera motion tracking, and multi-camera event stitching for audio/video recording and communication devices

• US 10,402,989 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Modestine, John, Roth, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US15/904,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20180233025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 555 Days
• Field of Search: 709219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/292 Multi-camera tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/44 Event detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• 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 13/19636 pertaining to the camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 : Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 : Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 : Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 : Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 : Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 : Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/001 : Concealed systems, e.g. disguised alarm systems to make covert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/004 : using portable personal devices hand-held or body-worn self-defence devices using repellent gases or chemicals F41H9/10
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 : using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 : Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/003 : Signalling to neighbouring houses
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/005 : with transmission via computer network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 : using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 : Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/57 : for processing of video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 : Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 : for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 : for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 : for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 : Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 : Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 : for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 : Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 : Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 : Video door telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 : User group management

Abstract

The present embodiments relate to improvements to audio/video (A/V) recording and communication devices, including improved approaches to using a neighborhood alert mode for triggering multi-device recording, to a multi-camera motion tracking process, and to a multi-camera event stitching process to create a series of “storyboard” images for activity taking place across the fields of view of multiple cameras, within a predetermined time period, for the A/V recording and communication devices.

Claims

1. A method for a video security system installed at a property, the video security system comprising a first camera installed at a first location at the property and a second camera installed at a second location at the property, wherein the video security system is associated with a client device, the method comprising:

receiving first image data from the first camera of a first source of motion that is within a field of view of the first camera, wherein the first image data is associated with a first time stamp indicating the time when the first image data was recorded;

receiving second image data from the second camera of a second source of motion that is within a field of view of the second camera, wherein the second image data is associated with a second time stamp indicating the time when the second image data was recorded;

determining whether the second time stamp is within a predetermined amount of time after the first time stamp;

when the second time stamp is within the predetermined amount of time after the first time stamp, creating composite image data comprising the first image data followed by the second image data; and

transmitting the composite image data to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time is three minutes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time depends on a distance between the first camera and the second camera.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time increases when the distance between the first camera and the second camera increases, and wherein the predetermined amount of time decreases when the distance between the first camera and the second camera decreases.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data and the second image data are received at a backend system in network communication with the first camera and the second camera.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data and the second image data are received at a smart home hub located at the property and in network communication with the first camera and the second camera.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time can be set by a user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined amount of time can be set by a user by selecting a predetermined amount of time from a plurality of selectable predetermined times presented at a user interface on the client device.

9. An camera event stitched image file created by a video security system installed at a property, the video security system comprising a first camera installed at a first location at the property and a second camera installed at a second location at the property, wherein the video security system is associated with a client device, using a method comprising:

receiving first image data from the first camera of a first source of motion that is within a field of view of the first camera, wherein the first image data is associated with a first time stamp indicating the time when the first image data was recorded;

receiving second image data from the second camera of a second source of motion that is within a field of view of the second camera, wherein the second image data is associated with a second time stamp indicating the time when the second image data was recorded;

determining whether the second time stamp is within a predetermined amount of time after the first time stamp; and

when the second time stamp is within the predetermined amount of time after the first time stamp, creating composite image data comprising the first image data followed by the second image data.

10. The camera event stitched image file of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount of time is three minutes.

11. The camera event stitched image file of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount of time depends on a distance between the first camera and the second camera.

12. The camera event stitched image file of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount of time increases when the distance between the first camera and the second camera increases, and wherein the predetermined amount of time decreases when the distance between the first camera and the second camera decreases.

13. The camera event stitched image file of claim 9, wherein the first image data and the second image data are received at a backend system in network communication with the first camera and the second camera.

14. The camera event stitched image file of claim 9, wherein the first image data and the second image data are received at a smart home hub located at the property and in network communication with the first camera and the second camera.

15. The camera event stitched image file of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount of time can be set by a user.

16. The camera event stitched image file of claim 15, wherein the predetermined amount of time can be set by a user by selecting a predetermined amount of time from a plurality of selectable predetermined times presented at a user interface on the client device.

17. The camera event stitched image file of claim 9, wherein the composite image is video.

18. The camera event stitched image file of claim 17, wherein the composite image is at least two video clips configured to run as a single video on the client device.

19. The camera event stitched image file of claim 9, wherein the composite image is a series of still images.

20. The camera stitched image file of claim 19, wherein the composite image is a series of still images configured to be presented as a continuous slide show on the client device.