Method for automatically reducing stored data in a surveillance system

• US 20050271251A1
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3VR Security Incorporated (Identiv, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 3VR Security Incorporated (Identiv, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haupt, Gordon T., Russell, Stephen G., Vallone, Robert P., Fleischer, Stephen D., Freeman, J. Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,760,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/40 in video content extracting overlay text G06V20/62; video retrieval G06F16/70; processing of video elementary streams in video servers H04N21/234; processing of video elementary streams in video clients H04N21/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A method of managing video data storage in a video surveillance system is disclosed. The disclosed methods extend the amount of calendar time for which video and image data can be stored on a storage device. The disclosed methods apply decision criteria, such as rules, configuration data and preferences, to support intelligent automatic reduction of stored surveillance data such that images and video data of most interest are maintained while less important data is deleted, compressed or archived.

Claims

1. A method of managing data storage in a video surveillance system that includes at least two cameras, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

obtaining data storage management rules, said data storage management rules including at least;

a first rule; and

a second rule, said second rule associated with a specified event;

receiving video data;

if the specified event is detected, then storing the received data in accordance with the second rule; and

if the specified event is not detected, then storing the received data in accordance with the first rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first rule specifies a different time period, compression setting, and/or storage location for storing video data than said second rule.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first rule specifies how and where to store video surveillance system data received from a first camera, and wherein said data storage management rules further include a third rule specifying how and where to store video surveillance data received from a second camera, wherein the step of storing the received data in accordance with the first rule comprises:

if the received data is received from the second camera, then storing the received data in accordance with the third rule, and

if the received data is received from the first camera, then storing the received data in accordance with the first rule.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said first rule further specifies at least one time period, and wherein the step of storing received data in accordance with the first rule further comprises storing received data in accordance with the time periods specified in the first rule.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said first rule specifies a different time period, compression setting, and/or storage location for storing video data than said third rule.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

receiving an ad hoc data reduction request; and

updating data storage in accordance with the ad hoc data reduction request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second rule comprises event metadata storage information and video data storage information,

wherein the step of storing received data in accordance with the second rule comprises:

determining metadata about the specified event;

storing determined metadata in accordance with the event metadata information of the second rule, and

storing video data associated with the specified event in accordance with the video data storage information of the second rule.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said event metadata storage information includes an identification of an event database for storing metadata,

wherein said video data storage information includes an identification of a video data storage location for storing video data associated with the specified event, said video data storage location being separate from the event database,

said step of storing received data in accordance with the second rule additionally comprising:

storing the video data associated with the event in the video data storage location; and

storing determined metadata with a link to the stored video data in a row in the event database.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein video data storage information specifies storing video data on separate archival media.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the specified event comprises:

determining that the received video data contains an object; and

the step of determining metadata comprises;

determining at least one potential identification candidate for the object.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of determining metadata further comprises determining a best match for the object in the received video data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of determining a best match comprises:

comparing a set of identifying information extracted from the received video data to a plurality of stored sets of identifying information, each stored set of identifying information associated with an object;

calculating a confidence score for each comparison; and

determining a best matching object based on the confidence scores.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified event is an event detected through an external source.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the specified event is a motion detection event.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of storing received data in accordance with the second rule comprises:

determining metadata about the specified event from the external source; and

storing determined metadata in accordance with event metadata information included in the second rule.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said data storage management rules further include a fourth rule specifying a condition and data storage update information, the method additionally comprising the steps of:

detecting the condition specified by with the fourth rule; and

updating video data storage in accordance with the data storage update information in the fourth rule.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving video data comprises receiving video data from a source external to the video surveillance system.

28. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

29. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 2.

30. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 3.

31. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 4.

32. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 5.

33. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 6.

34. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 7.

35. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 8.

36. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 9.

37. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 10.

38. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 11.

39. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 12.

40. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 13.

41. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 14.

42. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 15.

43. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 16.

44. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 17.

18. A method of managing data storage in a video surveillance system, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

obtaining data storage management rules, said data storage management rules including at least a first rule and a second rule;

receiving video data;

storing received video data in accordance with the first rule; and

if a condition matching a condition specified in the second rule occurs, then evaluating stored data in accordance with the second rule, and updating data storage in accordance with the evaluation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said data storage management rules include a third rule, said third rule associated with a specified event, further comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

detecting the specified event;

determining metadata about the detected event;

storing determined metadata about the detected event and received video data associated with the detected event in accordance with the third rule.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of storing determined metadata about the detected event and received video data associated with the detected event further comprises storing the determined metadata and received video data associated with the detected event in separate storage locations, in accordance with the third rule.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the condition specified in the second rule comprises a time.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of updating data storage comprises reducing stored video data using a data reduction technique selected from the group consisting of:

moving video data to archival media, deleting video data, compressing video data, and resampling video data.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of updating data storage comprises reducing stored video data using two data reduction techniques selected from the group consisting of:

moving video data to archival media, deleting video data, compressing video data, and resampling video data.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein said first rule specifies how and where to store video data received from a first camera in the video surveillance system, and wherein said data storage management rules further include a fourth rule specifying how and where to store video data received form a second camera in the video surveillance system, wherein the step of storing the received data in accordance with the first rule comprises:

if the received data is received from the second camera, then storing the received data in accordance with the fourth rule; and

if the received data is received from the first camera, then storing the received data in accordance with the first rule.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

receiving an ad hoc data reduction request; and

updating data storage in accordance with the ad hoc data reduction request.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the condition specified in the second rule comprises a user having verified or corrected an object identification made by the system for an object in stored video data;

the step of updating data storage comprising deleting the stored video data from which an object identification was verified or corrected.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the condition specified in the second rule comprises an age of stored video data.

45. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 18.

46. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 19.

47. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 20.

48. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 21.

49. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 22.

50. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 23.

51. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 24.

52. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 25.

53. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 26.

54. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 27.