Video recorder

• US 20050078186A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kreiner, Barrett Morris, Page, Joseph E. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US10/674,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20050078186A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/152
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19606 Discriminating between target movement or movement in an area of interest and other non-signicative movements, e.g. target movements induced by camera shake or movements of pets, falling leaves, rotating fan
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19647 Systems specially adapted for intrusion detection in or around a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19676 Temporary storage, e.g. cyclic memory, buffer storage on pre-alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode

Abstract

Methods are disclosed for recording an event. Audio and/or video data of the event is stored in memory. The audio and/or the video data is also stored in a loop buffer. The contents of the loop buffer are transferred to the memory to provide time-delayed audio data and/or time-delayed video data. The time-delayed audio/video data precedes the event in time. The time-delayed audio/video data may be useful for reconstructing/analyzing the event.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing in memory at least one of audio data and video data of an event, the video data comprising a series of picture frames;

storing at least one of the audio data and the video data in a loop buffer; and

transferring the contents of the loop buffer to the memory to provide at least one of time-delayed audio data and time-delayed video data, the time-delayed audio data and the time-delayed video data preceding the event.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising applying a set of rules to transfer the contents of the loop buffer to memory.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transferring the contents of the loop buffer to a mass-storage device.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transferring the contents of the loop buffer to an optical storage device.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transferring the contents of the loop buffer to a flash memory storage device.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating the contents of the loop buffer via a communications network.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a switch to transfer the contents of the loop buffer to the memory.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with a vehicle controller to transfer the contents of the loop buffer to the memory.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising tagging the video data with metadata, the metadata providing a description of the contents of the loop buffer.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising interfacing with means for sensing the event.

11. A method, comprising:

storing in memory at least one of audio data and video data of an event, the video data comprising a series of picture frames;

storing at least one of the audio data and the video data in a loop buffer;

specifying at least one of i) multiple regions of interest within a single picture frame and ii) multiple regions of disinterest within the single picture frame; and

transferring the contents of the loop buffer to the memory, the contents of the loop buffer providing at least one of time-delayed audio data and time-delayed video data, the time-delayed audio data and the time-delayed video data preceding the event.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising transferring the contents of the loop buffer to an optical storage device.

13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising applying a set of rules when specifying the multiple regions of interest and the multiple regions of disinterest.

14. A method according to claim 11, further comprising applying a set of rules to transfer the contents of the loop buffer to the memory.

15. A method according to claim 11, further comprising interfacing with means for sensing the event.

16. A method according to claim 11, further comprising communicating the contents of the loop buffer via a communications network.

17. A method according to claim 11, further comprising tagging the video data with metadata, the metadata providing a description of the contents of the loop buffer.

18. A method, comprising:

storing in memory at least one of audio data and video data of an event, the video data comprising a series of picture frames;

storing at least one of the audio data and the video data in a loop buffer;

specifying at least one of i) multiple regions of interest within a single picture frame and ii) multiple regions of disinterest within the single picture frame;

transferring the contents of the loop buffer to the memory, the contents of the loop buffer transferred at a bitrate associated with the region of interest, the contents of the loop buffer providing at least one of time-delayed audio data and time-delayed video data, the time-delayed audio data and the time-delayed video data preceding the event in time.

19. A method according to claim 18, further comprising applying a set of rules to transfer the contents of the loop buffer to the memory.

20. A method according to claim 18, further comprising applying a set of rules to dynamically vary the bitrate of the transferred contents of the loop buffer.