Method and apparatus for dual mode digital video recording

• US 20060171452A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pelco Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pelco (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Waehner, Glenn C.
• Application Number:
  US11/047,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20060171452A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.10
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19667 Details realated to data compression, encryption or encoding, e.g. resolution modes for reducing data volume to lower transmission bandwidth or memory requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• 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 21/44029 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for recording video data in a surveillance system comprising receiving video data from a surveillance camera, recording the received video data at a first rate, and recording the received video data at a second rate with the second rate being slower than the first rate.

Claims

1. A method of recording video data in a surveillance system comprising the steps of:

receiving video data from a surveillance camera;

recording the received video data at a first rate; and

recording the received video data at a second rate, said second rate being slower than said first rate.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said receiving step comprises receiving video data from a plurality of surveillance cameras and said step of recording the received video data at a first rate comprises the steps of compressing the received video data from said plurality of surveillance cameras and storing the compressed video data from said plurality of surveillance cameras.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said step of recording the received video data at a second rate comprises the steps of sampling the compressed video data from said plurality of surveillance cameras and storing the sampled video data.

4. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said step of recording the received video data at a second rate comprises the steps of sampling the video data received from said plurality of surveillance cameras, compressing the sampled video data and storing the compressed sampled video data.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of recording video data at a first rate comprises recording said video data from said plurality of video cameras continuously.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein said step of recording video data at a second rate comprises recording said video data from said plurality of video cameras periodically.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of recording the received video data at a first rate comprises recording the received video data at the same rate that the video data is received and said step of recording the received video data at a second rate comprises recording the received video data at a rate that is less than the rate that the video data is received.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of recording the received video data at a first rate comprises overwriting video data that has been stored after a period of time.

9. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said step of recording video data at a first rate comprises recording said video data from said plurality of video cameras continuously.

10. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said step of recording the received video data at a first rate comprises recording the received video data from said plurality of video cameras at same rates that the video data is received from said plurality of video cameras.

11. A method as recited in claim 3 further comprising the step of digitizing the video data received from said plurality of surveillance cameras and wherein said step of compressing the video data received from said plurality of surveillance cameras comprises compressing the digitized video data from said plurality of surveillance cameras and said step of sampling the video data received from said plurality of surveillance cameras comprises sampling the digitized video data from said plurality of surveillance cameras.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of receiving an indication of an event and preventing the video data recorded at said first rate during said event from being overwritten.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of receiving audio data associated with said received video data and recording the received audio data independently of said received video data.

14. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of receiving point of sale data associated with said received video data and recording the received point of sale data independently of said received video data.

15. An apparatus for recording video data in a surveillance system comprising:

a plurality of inputs for receiving video data;

a first memory for storing video data;

a second memory for storing video data;

a processor connected to said plurality of inputs and said first and second memories for compressing video data received on said plurality of inputs, storing the compressed video data in said first memory at a first rate, sampling the compressed video data and storing the sampled video data in said second memory.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein the video data in said first memory is overwritten when said first memory is full.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein the compressed video data is stored in said first memory at the same rate that video data is received at said plurality of inputs.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17 wherein the sampled video data is stored at a rate that is less than the rate that video data is received at said plurality of inputs.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 15 further comprising a plurality of analog-to-digital converters connected between said plurality of inputs and said processor to convert analog video data to digital video data.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 15 further comprising an input for receiving audio data associated with video data received on said plurality of inputs for receiving video data, a third memory, and wherein said processor stores audio data received by said input for receiving audio data in said third memory independently of the video data received on said plurality of inputs for receiving video data.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 15 further comprising an input for receiving point of sale data associated with video data received on said plurality of inputs for receiving video data, a fourth memory, and wherein said processor stores point of sale data received by said input for receiving point of sale data in said fourth memory independently of the video data received on said plurality of inputs for receiving video data.

22. An apparatus as recited in claim 20 further comprising a time reference generator for providing a time reference to said processor and wherein said processor associates a time reference with video data stored in said first and second memories and audio data stored in said third memory so that video data and audio data can be correlated.

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 21 further comprising a time reference generator for providing a time reference to said processor and wherein said processor associates a time reference with video data stored in said first and second memories and point of sale data stored in said fourth memory so that video data and point of sale data can be correlated.

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 15 further comprising an input for receiving an indication of an event and wherein said processor prevents video data stored in said first memory during said event from being overwritten.

25. An apparatus for recording video data in a surveillance system comprising:

a plurality of inputs for receiving video data;

a first memory for storing video data;

a second memory for storing video data;

a processor connected to said plurality of inputs and said first and second memories for compressing video data received on said plurality of inputs, storing the compressed video data in said first memory at a first rate, sampling the video data received at said plurality of inputs at a second rate that is less than said first rate, compressing the sampled video data, and storing the compressed sampled video data in said second memory.

26. A video surveillance system comprising:

a network;

a plurality of video cameras connected to said network;

a digital video recorder connected to said network, said digital video recorder having a plurality of inputs to receive video data from said plurality of video cameras, a first memory for storing video data;

a second memory for storing video data, a processor connected to said plurality of inputs and said first and second memories for compressing video data received on said plurality of inputs, storing the compressed video data in said first memory at a first rate, sampling the compressed video data and storing the compressed sampled video data in said second memory.

27. A video surveillance system as recited in claim 26 wherein the video data in said first memory of said digital video recorder is overwritten when said first memory is full.

28. A video surveillance system as recited in claim 26 wherein the compressed video data is stored in said first memory of said digital video recorder at the same rate that video data is received at said plurality of inputs of said digital video recorder.

29. A video surveillance system as recited in claim 28 wherein the compressed sampled video data is stored at a rate that is less than the rate that video data is received at said plurality of inputs of said digital video recorder.

30. An video surveillance as recited in claim 26 wherein said plurality of video cameras are analog cameras and said digital video recorder further comprises a plurality of analog-to-digital converters connected between said plurality of inputs and said processor to convert analog video data to digital video data.

31. A video surveillance system comprising:

a network;

a plurality of video cameras connected to said network;

a digital video recorder connected to said network, said digital video recorder having a plurality of inputs to receive video data from said plurality of video cameras, a first memory for storing video data;

a second memory for storing video data, a processor connected to said plurality of inputs and said first and second memories for compressing video data received on said plurality of inputs, storing the compressed video data in said first memory at a first rate, sampling the video data received at said plurality of inputs at a second rate that is less than said first rate, compressing the sampled video data, and storing the compressed sampled video data in said second memory.