Scanning camera-based video surveillance system

• US 20070052803A1
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ObjectVideo Incorporated (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yu, Li, Haering, Niels, Gupta, Himaanshu, Egnal, Geoffrey, Lipton, Alan, Chosak, Andrew, Brewer, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,363,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• 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: 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 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1963 Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1968 Interfaces for setting up or customising the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19689 Remote control of cameras, e.g. remote orientation or image zooming control for a PTZ camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A video surveillance system may include at least one sensing unit capable of being operated in a scanning mode and a video processing unit coupled to the sensing unit, the video processing unit to receive and process image data from the sensing unit and to detect scene events and target activity.

Claims

1. A video surveillance system comprising:

at least one sensing unit capable of being operated in a scanning mode; and

a video processing unit coupled to the sensing unit, the video processing unit to receive and process image data from the sensing unit and to detect scene events and target activity.

2. The video surveillance system according to claim 1, wherein said video processing unit is further to generate alerts based on the detected scene events and target activity.

3. The video surveillance system according to claim 1, wherein said video processing unit includes:

a vision module coupled to receive video input from said sensing unit;

an inference module coupled to receive output from said vision module; and

a response module coupled to receive output from said inference module.

4. The video surveillance system according to claim 1, wherein said video surveillance system is adapted to operate in a scanning mode, an acquisition mode, and an interrogation mode.

5. The video surveillance system according to claim 4, wherein a different sensing unit is used to track a target during acquisition mode and interrogation mode from a sensing unit used in scanning mode.

6. The video surveillance system according to claim 1, wherein said video processing unit comprises a computer system including:

at least one processor; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to said at least one processor, the computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by said at least one processor, cause said processor to receive and process image data from the sensing unit and to detect scene events and target activity.

7. A method of processing video obtained by a scanning-capable sensing unit, comprising:

operating the sensing unit in a scanning mode to scan for a target of interest;

processing image data from the sensing unit in a scanning mode to detect the presence of an interesting target in a first view; and

upon detecting an interesting target, operating a scanning-capable sensing unit in an acquisition mode to obtain a second view to provide a closer view of the target than said first view.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said processing image data from the sensing unit in a scanning mode comprises:

identifying the presence, if any, of a target in the first view; and

generating at least one primitive to describe an action performed by the target.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said identifying the presence of a target comprises:

estimating and compensating for motion of said sensing unit.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said identifying the presence of a target comprises:

segmenting a video image corresponding to said first view into foreground and background components;

blobizing the foreground components to create one or more blobs; and

identifying one or more possible targets among said one or more blobs.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said identifying possible targets comprises:

tracking said one or more possible targets; and

classifying said one or more targets.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said processing image data from the sensing unit in a scanning mode includes utilizing at least one scene model to perform said identifying or said generating.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein said operating a sensing unit in an acquisition mode comprises:

estimating scene motion; and

compensating for motion of the sensing unit being operated in an acquisition mode.

14. The method according to claim 7, wherein said operating a sensing unit in an acquisition mode comprises:

segmenting a video image corresponding to said first view into foreground and background components;

performing template matching on at least one foreground component; and

generating a primitive based on said template matching.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said template matching utilizes an estimate of scene motion.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein said template matching utilizes at least one detected image feature.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein said template matching utilizes a target model.

18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising utilizing a scene model to perform at least one activity selected from the group consisting of:

said segmenting a video image;

said performing template matching; and

said generating a primitive.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

detecting at least one image feature based on a scene model.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said detecting employs a target model.

21. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

upon obtaining said closer view, operating a sensing unit in an interrogation mode to further track the target.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said operating a sensing unit in an interrogation mode comprises:

segmenting a video image corresponding to said first view into foreground and background components;

identifying and tracking the target; and

generating a primitive based on said identifying and tracking.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein identifying and tracking the target comprises:

performing blobization on said foreground components;

tracking said target based on said blobization; and

classifying said target.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein identifying and tracking the target comprises:

performing template matching on at least one foreground component; and

wherein said generating a primitive is based on said template matching.

25. The method according to claim 22, wherein said operating said sensing unit in an interrogation mode comprises:

utilizing a scene model to perform at least one activity selected from the group consisting of;

said segmenting a video image;

said identifying and tracking the target;

and said generating a primitive.

26. A computer-readable medium containing instructions to be executed by a processor that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform the method according to claim 7.

27. The computer-readable medium according to claim 26, further containing additional instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to additionally perform the following:

upon obtaining said closer view, operating a sensing unit in an interrogation mode to further track the target.

28. A video surveillance system comprising:

at least one sensing unit capable of being operated in a scanning mode;

a computer system coupled to said at least one sensing unit to receive video output from said at least one sensing unit, said computer system including;

at least one processor; and

the computer-readable medium according to claim 26, the computer-readable medium being coupled to said at least one processor to enable said at least one processor to execute the instructions contained on the computer-readable medium.

29. The method according to claim 7, wherein the sensing unit used to obtain said closer view is different from the sensing unit operated in scanning mode, and wherein the method further comprises:

upon obtaining said closer view, operating said sensing unit used to obtain said closer view in an interrogation mode to further track the target.