Methods and apparatus for a wide area coordinated surveillance system

• US 20070039030A1
• Filed: 08/11/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SightLogix, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SightLogix, Inc.
• Inventors: Chin, Danny, Romanowich, John, Cleary, Geoffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,284,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• 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 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19663 Surveillance related processing done local to the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A coordinated surveillance system uses a larger number of fixed low resolution detection smart camera devices and a smaller number of pan/tilt/zoom controllable high resolution tracking smart camera devices. The set of detection cameras provide overall continuous coverage of the surveillance region, while the tracking cameras provide localized high resolution on demand. Each monitor camera device performs initial detection and determines approximate GPS location of a moving target in its field of view. A control system coordinates detection and tracking camera operation. A selected tracking camera is controlled to focus in on, confirm detection, and track a target. Based on a verified detection, a guard station is alerted and compressed camera video is forwarded to the guard station from the camera(s). The guard station can direct a patrol guard to the target using GPS coordinates and a site map. Redundancy is provided by using multiple control units, each able to handle the full load in the event of failure. Camera devices vote on the status of the control units. A failed detection camera device can be temporarily replaced by a tracking camera device in a back-up mode of operation thus maintaining full overall basic coverage of the surveillance region.

Claims

1. A security method comprising:

operating a first camera device including a processor to generate digital images of a first region;

operating the first camera device to perform a target detection operation on at least one image detected by said first camera device; and

operating the first camera device to transmit a first target detection signal indicating detection of a target when said target detection analysis determines the presence of a target in an image detected by said first camera device.

2. The security method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating, immediately prior to detection of said target, the first camera device in a first mode in which the first camera device does not output video; and

operating the first camera device, following detection of said target by the first camera device, to transition from said first mode of operation to a second mode of operation in which video signals including images of the detected target are transmitted by said first camera device.

3. The security method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating a second camera device to monitor a portion of said first region in which the first camera device detected a target following generation of the first target detection signal by the first camera device;

operating the second camera device to perform a target detection analysis on at least one image corresponding to said portion of said first region detected by said second camera device; and

in response to detection of a target by the second camera device in the portion of said first region, operating the second camera device to transmit a second target detection signal indicating detection of a target.

4. The security method of claim 3, wherein said first target detection signal is sent from said first camera device to said second camera device.

5. The security method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first and second target detection signals include global position coordinate information which provide target position information.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said system includes a guard interface unit which includes at least one of a video display device and a video recording device, the method further comprising:

operating at least one of the first and second camera devices to transition, following detection of a target by said second camera device, from a mode of operation in which video signals are not output to a mode of operation where video signals including a detected target are output to the guard interface unit.

7. The method of claim 3,

wherein said first camera device is a fixed mount camera device;

wherein said second camera device is a movable mount camera device including a motor for adjusting the position of the camera device; and

wherein the system includes more fixed mount camera devices than it includes movable mount camera devices, the method further comprising;

operating the second camera device to adjust its portion to capture images of said portion of the first region in which said first camera device detected a target following generation of said first target detection signal by said first camera device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the system includes at least four times the number of fixed mount camera devices then it includes movable mount camera devices.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first camera device and second camera device are coupled to a control system by a network which supports IP communications, the method further comprising, prior to operating the second camera device to monitor at least a portion of said first region but after generation of the first target detection signal:

operating the control system to receive said first target detection signal; and

operating the control system to signal the second camera device to monitor at least the portion of the first region in which said first camera device detected said target.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said control system selects the second camera device to monitor at least the portion of the first region from a plurality of camera devices included in said system based on received target position information.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

operating the control system to signal at least one of the first and second camera devices to transmit video to a guard interface unit in response to determining that the second camera device detected a target that in the same portion of the first region in which the first camera device detected a target.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing in at least one of the first camera device, the second camera device and the control system terrain map information which can be associated with the location of an image generated by one of said camera devices.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

operating the control system to triangulate the position of a target detected by multiple camera devices in said system based on global position system coordinates provided by a plurality of camera devices which detected the target and camera device pointing angle information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first target detection signal includes global position coordinates indicative of the location of the detected target.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first camera device is one of a fixed mount camera device and a movable mount tracking camera device.

16. A security system comprising:

a first camera device including;

a camera module for generating signals corresponding to a first region being monitored by said camera module;

a processor coupled to said camera module for generating digital images of the first region from the signals generated by said camera module;

a target detection module for receiving said digital images of the first region, the target detection module being enabled to perform a target detection operation on at least one digital image of the first region; and

a transmission module enabled to transmit a first target detection signal indicating detection of a target when target detection analysis performed by said target detection module determines the presence of a target in an image detected by said first camera device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first camera device further includes:

an overall control module for controlling said first camera device to operate in a plurality of different modes of operation at different points in time, said overall control module controlling the camera device to operate in a first mode in which the first camera device does not output video during a period of time during which the camera device does not detect a target; and

to, following detection of a target by the first camera device, to transition from said first mode of operation to a second mode of operation in which video signals including images of the detected target are transmitted by said first camera device.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a second camera device used to monitor a portion of said first region, the second camera device including;

a mount control module for controlling the direction in which said second camera device points in response to a control signal received after the first camera device detects a target;

a second target detection module enabled to perform a target detection analysis on at least one image corresponding to said portion of said first region detected by said second camera device; and

a second transmitter module enabled to transmit a second target detection signal indicating detection of a target in response to detection of a target by the second camera device in the portion of said first region.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said first and second cameras are coupled together by a communications link thereby enabling target detection signals generated by the first camera device to be received by said second camera device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein at least one of the first and second target detection signals includes global position coordinate information which provides target position information.

21. The system of claim 18,

wherein said first camera device is a fixed mount camera device;

wherein said second camera device is a movable mount camera device including a motor for adjusting the position of the camera device;

wherein the system includes more fixed mount camera devices than it includes movable mount camera devices; and

wherein said second camera includes a zoom lens to capture images of said portion of the first region in which said first camera device detects a target.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the system includes at least four times the number of fixed mount camera devices then it includes movable mount camera devices.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein a network which supports IP communications couples the first camera device and second camera device are coupled to a control system;

and

wherein the control system includes;

a receiver for receiving target detection signals; and

a transmitter for sending a signal to the second camera device to cause the second camera device to monitor at least the portion of the first region in which said first camera device detects a target as indicated by a target detection signal received from the first camera.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said control system further includes:

a control module for selecting the second camera device to monitor at least the portion of the first region from a plurality of camera devices included in said system based on received target position information.

25. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

a control module for controlling said transmitter to signal at least one of the first and second camera devices to transmit video to a guard interface unit in response to determining that the second camera device detected a target that in the same portion of the first region in which the first camera device detected a target.

26. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a control system coupled to said first and second cameras, the control system including;

a data storage device which stores terrain map information which can be associated with the location of an image generated by one of said first and second camera devices.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said control system further comprises:

a target position triangulation module enabled to triangulate the position of a target detected by multiple camera devices in said system based on global position system coordinates provided by a plurality of camera devices which detected the target and camera device pointing angle information.

28. The system of claim 16, wherein the first target detection signal includes global position coordinates indicative of the location of the detected target.

29. The system, of claim 16, wherein the first camera device is one of a fixed mount camera device and a movable mount tracking camera device.