Method, system, apparatus and readable medium for generating two video streams from a received video stream

• US 10,405,011 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Dorrell, Andrew James
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Tung T
• Application Number:
  US15/650,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20190020904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 37524016
• 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 13/19665 Details related to the storage of video surveillance data television signal recording H04N5/76
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19678 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2396 characterized by admission policies admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for network security using user profiles for access control H04L63/102; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18

Abstract

At least one method, apparatus, system and readable medium for generating two video streams from a received video stream are provided herein. A scene captured by the received video stream is divided into a first region and a second region by placing a virtual plane in the scene. The regions of the scene represented in the received video stream are assigned to at least one of two output video streams, the first region being assigned to at least a first output video stream and the second region to at least a second output video stream according to the virtual plane. Pixel data assigned to each output video stream is encoded to generate the two video streams.

Claims

1. A method of generating two video streams from a received video stream, the method comprising:

dividing a scene captured by the received video stream into a first region and a second region by placing a virtual plane in the scene such that the virtual plane defines and separates the first region and the second region;

assigning the regions of the scene represented in the received video stream to at least one of two output video streams, the first region being assigned to at least a first output video stream and the second region to at least a second output video stream according to the virtual plane; and

encoding pixel data assigned to each output video stream to generate the two video streams.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising assigning the first output video stream to a first user and the second output video stream to a second user.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a first secure access token to a first user for accessing the first output video stream and a second secure access token to a second user for accessing the second output video stream.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising capturing the first output video stream using a first set of capture parameters and the second output video stream using a second set of capture parameters, the first and second set of capture parameters being different.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual plane is represented as a two dimensional (2D) shape and has an associated three dimensional 3D location determined by reference to depth information determined by analysis of the scene, and the virtual plane encodes screen depth for each image pixel location within a screened area.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a position of the virtual plane with respect to the scene is agreed by at least two parties, at least one of the parties being a camera owner.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of:

(i) each point in the first region is characterised as being on a first side of the virtual plane and each point in a second region is characterised as being on a second side of the virtual plane; and

(ii) each point in the first region is assigned to the first output video stream, and each point in the second region is assigned to the second output video stream.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein each point within a predetermined distance of the virtual plane is assigned to both the first output video stream and the second output video stream.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a point assigned to the first video output stream is replaced with alternative content in the second output video stream.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the following:

(i) the first video stream and the second video stream operate to provide both a surveillance option and a privacy confirmation option for the first region and the second region, respectively;

(ii) the method further comprises displaying, for the first video stream, details or objects residing only in the first region, and displaying, for the second video stream, information or objects residing only in the second region; and

(iii) the method further comprises removing information or objects residing in the second region from a video feed or display of the first video stream such that the video feed or the display of the first video stream only displays information or objects residing in the first region, and removing information or objects residing in the first region from a video feed or display of the second video stream such that the video feed or the display of the second video stream only displays information or objects residing in the second region.

20. The method of claim 2, further comprising one or more of:

(i) recovering or generating a full video stream by recombining the first output video stream and the second output video stream in a case where the first user and the second user authorize the recovering or generating of the full video stream;

(ii) displaying the recovered or generated full video stream; and

(iii) displaying the recovered or generated full video stream such that the full video stream displays an event that occurred across the first region and the second region.

10. An apparatus for generating two video streams from a received video stream, the apparatus comprising:

means for dividing a scene captured by the received video stream into a first region and a second region by placing a virtual plane in the scene such that the virtual plane defines and separates the first region and the second region;

means for assigning the regions of the scene represented in the received video stream to at least one of two output video streams, the first region being assigned to at least a first output video stream and the second region to at least a second output video stream according to the virtual plane; and

means for encoding pixel data assigned to each output video stream to generate the two video streams.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first and second regions are assigned according to the virtual plane such that the first region and the second region have different output video streams based on the virtual plane division.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein one or more of the following:

(i) the first video stream and the second video stream operate to provide both a surveillance option and a privacy confirmation option for the first region and the second region, respectively;

(ii) the apparatus includes means for displaying, for the first video stream, details or objects residing only in the first region, and for displaying, for the second video stream, information or objects residing only in the second region; and

(iii) the apparatus includes means for removing information or objects residing in the second region from a video feed or display of the first video stream such that the video feed or the display of the first video stream only displays information or objects residing in the first region, and for removing information or objects residing in the first region from a video feed or display of the second video stream such that the video feed or the display of the second video stream only displays information or objects residing in the second region.

11. A system for generating two video streams from a received video stream, the system comprising:

a memory for storing data and a computer program;

a processor coupled to the memory for executing the program, the processor operating to;

divide a scene captured by the received video stream into a first region and a second region by placing a virtual plane in the scene such that the virtual plane defines and separates the first region and the second region;

assign the regions of the scene represented in the received video stream to at least one of two output video streams, the first region being assigned to at least a first output video stream and the second region to at least a second output video stream according to the virtual plane; and

encode pixel data assigned to each output video stream to generate the two video streams.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second regions are assigned according to the virtual plane such that the first region and the second region have different output video streams based on the virtual plane division.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein one or more of the following:

(i) the first video stream and the second video stream operate to provide both a surveillance option and a privacy confirmation option for the first region and the second region, respectively;

(ii) the processor further operates to display, for the first video stream, details or objects residing only in the first region, and display, for the second video stream, information or objects residing only in the second region; and

(iii) the processor further operates to remove information or objects residing in the second region from a video feed or display of the first video stream such that the video feed or the display of the first video stream only displays information or objects residing in the first region, and to remove information or objects residing in the first region from a video feed or display of the second video stream such that the video feed or the display of the second video stream only displays information or objects residing in the second region.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing at least one computer program that causes a processor to execute a method for generating two video streams from a received video stream, the method comprising:

dividing a scene captured by the received video stream into a first region and a second region by placing a virtual plane in the scene such that the virtual plane defines and separates the first region and the second region;

assigning the regions of the scene represented in the received video stream to at least one of two output video streams, the first region being assigned to at least a first output video stream and the second region to at least a second output video stream according to the virtual plane; and

encoding pixel data assigned to each output video stream to generate the two video streams.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first and second regions are assigned according to the virtual plane such that the first region and the second region have different output video streams based on the virtual plane division.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein one or more of the following:

(i) the first video stream and the second video stream operate to provide both a surveillance option and a privacy confirmation option for the first region and the second region, respectively;

(ii) the method further comprises displaying, for the first video stream, details or objects residing only in the first region, and displaying, for the second video stream, information or objects residing only in the second region; and

(iii) the method further comprises removing information or objects residing in the second region from a video feed or display of the first video stream such that the video feed or the display of the first video stream only displays information or objects residing in the first region, and removing information or objects residing in the first region from a video feed or display of the second video stream such that the video feed or the display of the second video stream only displays information or objects residing in the second region.