System and method for configuring surveillance cameras using mobile computing devices

• US 10,475,315 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Madar, Piero, Burke, Anthony, Humphreys, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Leron
• Application Number:
  US15/076,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20170278365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 358149
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1092 sensing by means of TV-scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1968 Interfaces for setting up or customising the system
• 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 method and system for configuring surveillance cameras can be used to leverage emerging trends in surveillance camera systems, while also enabling the configuration of cameras to operate in such systems. The method comprises displaying configuration images on mobile computing devices and enabling the cameras to view and capture those images within image data. The configuration images are then derived from image data from the surveillance cameras using integrated or separate analytics systems. Then, configuration information from the mobile device can be paired with corresponding surveillance cameras by reference to the configuration images. In one example, cloud image data storage is allocated as part of this setup and configuration process.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a surveillance camera for a premises, comprising:

providing a cloud image data storage system that enables storage to and access to dedicated storage for organizations that own surveillance camera systems in the cloud image data storage system;

a registration server maintaining user accounts for the organizations that own the surveillance camera systems;

the registration server enabling access to the dedicated storage in the cloud image data storage system for the organizations by;

surveillance cameras of the surveillance camera systems capturing image data that includes configuration images displayed on user devices,

sending the image data from the surveillance cameras, when the surveillance cameras are triggered to enter into a configuration mode, to the registration server that derives the configuration images from the image data, and

the registration server pairing configuration information from the user device with corresponding surveillance cameras by reference to the configuration images and associating the surveillance cameras with the user account for the organization owning the premises;

allocating storage in the cloud image data storage system for the surveillance cameras;

the surveillance cameras receiving path information to the allocated storage in the cloud image data storage system; and

the surveillance cameras then storing image data to the allocated storage in the cloud image data storage system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the configuration images comprises displaying quick response (QR) codes.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user device configuration information includes location information for the surveillance cameras.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user device configuration information includes user account information for owners of the surveillance cameras.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configuration images are derived from image data from the surveillance cameras using a remote analytics system or an analytics system integrated within the surveillance cameras.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the camera configuration information includes camera type information.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising unregistered surveillance cameras periodically sending image data to a registration server, which is used to pair the configuration information from the user device with the corresponding surveillance cameras.

8. A surveillance camera system, comprising:

a cloud image data storage system that enables storage to and access to dedicated storage for organizations that own surveillance camera systems in the cloud image data storage system;

user devices on which configuration images are displayed;

surveillance cameras for premises for generating image data of the user devices on which the configuration images are displayed; and

a registration server maintaining user accounts for the organizations that own the surveillance camera systems, sending the configuration images to the user devices when the surveillance cameras are triggered to enter into a configuration mode, receiving the image data from the surveillance cameras, deriving the configuration images from the image data, pairing configuration information from the user devices with corresponding surveillance cameras, associating the surveillance cameras with the user account for the organization owning the premises, and enabling data from the surveillance cameras to be stored to the cloud storage system after registration of the surveillance cameras by reference to the configuration images;

wherein storage is allocated in the cloud image data storage system for the surveillance cameras, the surveillance cameras receive path information to the allocated storage in the cloud image data storage system, and the surveillance cameras then store image data to the allocated storage in the cloud image data storage system.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the configuration images are quick response (QR) codes.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the user device configuration information includes location information for the surveillance cameras.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the user device configuration information includes user account information for owners of the surveillance cameras.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the camera configuration information includes camera type information.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the surveillance cameras periodically send image data to the registration server, which is used to pair the configuration information from the mobile device with the corresponding surveillance cameras.

14. The system according to claim 8, further comprising a remote analytics system that derives the configuration images from the image data from the surveillance cameras.

15. The system according to claim 8, further comprising an analytics system integrated within the surveillance cameras that derives the configuration images from the image data.

16. The system according to claim 8, wherein the configuration images are test patterns.