System and method for the automatic control of video frame rate

• US 20050046611A1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qognify Ltd. (PSBU Midco SARL)
• Original Assignee: Nice Systems Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Safran, Israel, Shabtai, Moti
• Granted Patent: US 7,573,421 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/195
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19676 Temporary storage, e.g. cyclic memory, buffer storage on pre-alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23113 involving housekeeping operations for stored content, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; snloading stored programs G06F9/445; housekeeping operations in file systems, e.g. deletion policies G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25833 involving client hardware characteristics, e.g. manufacturer, processing or storage capabilities allocation of resources considering hardware capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5044; allocation of resources considering software capabilities in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/5055
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• 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 9/7921 for more than one processing mode

Abstract

The video rate processor (10) is made up of an Input Video Stream input (11), at least one Input Processor/Input Devices (12), at least one Most Recent Frame Buffer (14), and at least one Output Processes/Output Device (16). The video rate processor (10) is dynamically tuned to the specific requirements of a user and the capabilities of the user'"'"'s device. Further, the video rate processor (10) enables to receipt of video images in real time or from archived files while substantially maintaining the integrity of the video information.

Claims

1. A system for video rate control of at least one information units stream, the system comprising the elements of:

a first storage area to hold the at least one information unit stream stored at a low video frame rate;

a second storage area to hold the at least one information units stream stored at a high video frame rate;

an at least one input handling entity to store the at least one information unit stream into the first storage area at a low video frame rate and to store the at least one information units stream into the second storage area at a high video frame rate;

an at least one output handling entity for outputting the at least one information units stream from the first storage area and for outputting the at least one information units stream from the second storage area; and

a storage area selector entity for controlling the selection of the first storage area and the second storage area for the application of the input handling entity and the output handling entity to the at least one information units stream stored in the first storage area and the second storage area.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an at least one information unit stream processor device comprising the elements of:

at least one inputted information units stream having a pre-defined unit rate and carrying distinct information units;

at least one input handling entity to receive the at least one inputted information units stream and to store selectively at least one information unit into at least one storage area;

at least one storage area to hold at least one information unit received from the at least one input handling entity;

at least one output handling entity to obtain at least one information unit from the at least one storage area to regulate the unit rate of an at least one information units stream and to output the at least one information units stream; and

at least one information unit rate control mechanism to provide automatic unit rate control in order to regulate the unit rate of the at least one outputted information units stream.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the at least one information unit stream is inputted from at last one information units stream generator device.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the at least one information units stream is outputted to at least one information unit stream display device.

5. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the information units stream includes rich media.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one information units stream is a video stream.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one information unit is a video frame.

8. The system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the at least one information unit stream generator device is a surveillance video camera device.

9. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the at least one information units stream display device is a surveillance video monitor.

10. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the information units stream processor device is a video rate processor device.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the video rate processor device is operative in the selective unit rate control of an at least one video stream received from at least one surveillance video camera via the communication media and forwarded to at least one surveillance video monitor via a communication media.

12. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the at least one input handling entity is a standalone hardware device.

13. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the at least one input handling entity is a software routine.

14. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the at least one output handling entity is a standalone hardware device.

15. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the at least one output handling entity is software routine.

16. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the unite rate control of the at least one outputted information units stream is further regulated internally by synchronized timing mechanism associated with the at least one output handling entity.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the unit rate control of the at least one outputted information units stream is further controlled by associated meta-data.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the unit rate control of the at least one outputted information unit stream is further regulated by the predefined characteristics of the at least one output handling entity.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18 wherein the unit rate control of the at least one outputted information units stream is further regulated by the pre-defined characteristics of the communication media.

20. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the at least one storage area is implemented on a media storage device.

21. The system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the media storage device is a hard disk device.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21 wherein the media storage device is a tape device.

23. The system as claimed in claim 22 wherein the media storage device is a digital versatile disc device.

24. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the communication media is the Internet.

25. The system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the communication media is an Intranet network.

26. The system as claimed in claim 25 wherein the communication media is a wireless communication network.

27. The system as claimed in claim 26 wherein the communication media is a local or wide area network.

28. A method for the video control of at least one information units stream, the method comprising the steps of:

storing an at least one information unit stream at a low video frame rate into a first storage area;

storing the at least one information unit stream at a high video frame rate into a second storage area;

storing the at least one information unit stream at a high video frame rate into a second storage area; and

controlling the application of an input handling entity and an output handling entity to the at least one information unit stream stored in the first storage area and the at least one information unit stream stored in the second storage area consequent to the occurrence of an at least one event.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of outputting an at least one information units stream having a controlled specific unit rate by the at least one output handling entity to an at least one information units stream display device via the communication media.

30. The method as claimed in claim 28 wherein the unit rate of the at least one outputted information units stream generated by the at least one output handling entity is controlled by an in-built timing mechanism associated with the at least one output handling entity.

31. The method as claimed in claim 28 wherein the unit rate of the at least one outputted information units streams is further controlled the pre-defined characteristics of the at least one output handling entity.

32. The method as claimed in claim 28 wherein the unit rate of the at least one outputted information units streams is further controlled the pre-defined characteristics of the transmission media.

33. A method for generating a plurality of information units streams, provided with diverse unit rates, from at last one single information units stream having a pre-defined unit rate and distributing the plurality of the information unit streams, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting the at least one information units stream from an at least one information units stream generator device to a plurality of information units rate control devices;

controlling the operation of the plurality of information units rate control devices via a plurality of unit rate control mechanisms in order to provide diverse unit rates to a plurality of outputted information units streams;

storing the plurality of outputted information units streams into a plurality of data storage files associated with at least one media storage device;

thereby creating a plurality of information units stream data storage files with variable unit rate characteristics.

34. The method as claimed in claim 33 further comprising transmitting the plurality of the data storage files to a plurality of information units stream display devices in accordance with available communication bandwidth.

35. The method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the process for the generation of the data storage file is automatically controlled by and associated with the occurrence of at least one environmental event.

36. The method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the transmission of a specific data storage file to the information units stream display device is controlled by and associated with the occurrence of at least one environmental event.

37. The method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the transmission of the data storage files storing information units streams having diverse unit rate characteristics to at least one information units stream display device is controlled by and associated with the occurrence of at least one environmental event.

38. The method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the occurrence of the at least one environmental event and the lack thereof effect pre-defined, content-specific, unit-rate-specific and timed interactions among the data storage files.

39. The method as claimed in claim 33 wherein the data storage files are short-term buffer storage files.

40. The method as claimed in claim 39 wherein the data storage files are long-term archive storage files.

41. The method as claimed in claim 39 wherein the short-term buffer storage files are operative in the distribution of the recorded information units stream in real time.

42. The method as claimed in claim 40 wherein the long-term archive files are operative in the distribution of the recorded information units stream off-line.