SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR CAPTURING, PROCESSING, COMPRESSING, AND DISPLAYING IMAGE INFORMATION

• US 20070296814A1
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Benjamin Cooper, Michael Baies
• Original Assignee: Benjamin Cooper, Michael Baies
• Inventors: Cooper, Benjamin, Baies, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/674,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20070296814A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/503 involving temporal prediction adaptive coding with adaptive selection between spatial and temporal predictive coding H04N19/107; adaptive coding with adaptive selection among a plurality of temporal predictive coding modes H04N19/109

Abstract

A process and camera system is provided for capturing and compressing video image information. The compressed data may be efficiently transmitted to another location, where cooperating decompression processes are used. The compression process first captures a background image, and transmits the background image to a receiver. For each subsequent image, the image is compared at the camera to the background image, and a change file is generated. The change file is then transmitted to the receiver, which uses the background image and the change file to decompress the image. These changes may be aggregated by both the camera and the receiver for even better compression. In some cases, the background may be removed from the displayed image at the receiver, thereby displaying only changing image information. In this way, a display is less cluttered, enabling more effective human or automated monitoring and assessment of the changing video information.

Claims

1. A process for capturing and compressing security image information, comprising:

capturing a background image;

transmitting the background image for use by a receiver;

a) capturing an image;

b) comparing the image to the background image;

c) generating a change file responsive to the comparison;

d) transmitting the change file for use by the receiver;

repeating steps a-d for a sequence of images;

receiving feedback information from the receiver; and

adjusting step a, b, c, or d responsive to the feedback information.

2. The process according to claim 1, further including the step of generating a transient file, the transient file for aggregating changes responsive to the comparison.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein generating the change file comprises identifying pixels or blocks in the transient file that have moved, and generating offset values.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein generating the change file comprises identifying new pixels or blocks not in the background.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein generating the change file comprises identifying pixels or blocks that have moved, and generating offset values.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the feedback information comprises block size information, resolution information, window size information, threshold information, or motion estimation information.

7. A security system, comprising:

a camera system comprising;

a sensor having a fixed relationship with a security target;

the camera system operating the steps of;

capturing a background frame

transmitting the background frame to a receiver;

capturing a sequence of images;

generating a change file for each changed ones of the captured images;

transmitting the change file to the receiver;

a receiver system comprising;

a display;

a receiver;

the receiver system operating the steps of;

receiving and storing the background frame;

displaying the background frame on the display;

receiving the change file;

generating an overlay indicative of the change file;

displaying the overlay on the display; and

transmitting, from time to time, feedback information to the camera system.

8. The process according to claim 7, wherein the feedback information comprises block size information, resolution information, window size information, threshold information, or motion estimation information.

9. A process for processing image information, comprising:

retrieving a predefined graphical filter file;

a) capturing a new image;

b) comparing the image to the graphical filter file;

c) generating a change file responsive to the comparison;

d) transmitting the change file for use by a receiver; and

repeating steps a-d for a sequence of images;

receiving feedback information from the receiver; and

adjusting step a, b, c, or d responsive to the feedback information.

10. The process according to claim 9, wherein the predefined graphical filter file is a background image file.

11. The process according to claim 9, further including the step of transmitting the graphical filter file to a receiver.

12. The process according to claim 9, further including the steps of:

selecting a portion of the change file; and

adding the selected portion to the graphical filter file.

13. The process according to claim 12, further including the step of transmitting the selected portion to a receiver.

14. The process according to claim 12, wherein the predefined graphical filter file is a background image file and the selected portion is a set of pixels to be added to the background image file.

15. The process according to claim 9, wherein the feedback information comprises block size information, resolution information, window size information, threshold information, or motion estimation information.

16. A camera, comprising:

a sensor;

a memory storing a filter image; and

a processor operating the steps of;

a) capturing a new image;

b) comparing the new image to the filter image;

c) generating a change file responsive to the comparison;

d) receiving feedback information from a cooperating receiver or computer; and

e) adapting camera operation according to the received feedback information.

17. The camera according to claim 16, further including:

a radio, and

wherein the processor further operates the step of transmitting, using the radio, the change file to a receiver.

18. The camera according to claim 16, further including:

a network interface connection, and

wherein the processor further operates the step of transmitting, using the network interface connection, the change file to a receiver.

19. The process according to claim 16, wherein the feedback information comprises block size information, resolution information, window size information, threshold information, or motion estimation information.