Video monitoring system with object masking

• US 20050129272A1
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Rottman, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,825,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19643 wherein the cameras play different roles, e.g. different resolution, different camera type, master-slave camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19686 Interfaces masking personal details for privacy, e.g. blurring faces, vehicle license plates

Abstract

A video monitoring system is proposed, which is used to mask objects in a monitored scene that involve the privacy of an individual. Such objects include vehicle license plates or the person himself. An unmasking occurs when proof of legitimacy is entered. In a modification, a combination of a stationary camera and a moving camera also permits the masking of individual objects in the monitored scene.

Claims

1. A video monitoring system, wherein the video monitoring system has at least one camera (1) for monitoring a scene, a processor (3) that processes a camera signal, and a display (5) that shows the monitored scene, characterized in that the processor (3) identifies at least one object in the scene and that the video monitoring system has means for masking the at least one object in the scene, wherein an unmasking occurs as a function of a predetermined event.

2. The video monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that the masking means covers the at least one object with a uniform color tone or shade of gray.

3. The video monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that the event is a predetermined point in time and/or an entry into an input device (7) of the video monitoring system.

4. The video monitoring system according to claim 3, characterized in that the entry is an authorization and/or proof of legitimacy.

5. The video monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that the video monitoring system has at least one stationary camera for recording a general view of the scene and at least one moving camera for recording a detail of the scene, wherein the masking is adopted from the scene recorded by the stationary camera into the scene recorded by the moving camera.

6. The video monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor (3) executes the object identification in conjunction with a color distribution and/or a first geometric form and/or a relationship of the first geometric form to a second geometric form and/or a grayscale value or texture information.