Methods and apparatus for a wireless surveillance system

• US 20080026713A1
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Sekhar, Ramesh V., Bartolo, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US11/495,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20080026713A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/187.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A wireless surveillance system includes an imaging device configured to produce an image; a wireless network device (such as an access port or mobile unit) connected to the imaging device; and a wireless switch coupled to the wireless network device and a network, the wireless switch configured to communicate with the wireless network device and route the image to a computer coupled to the network. Image processing may be performed, for example, by the wireless switch, and the image may be used for asset tracking and the like.

Claims

1. A wireless surveillance system comprising:

an imaging device configured to produce an image;

a wireless network device connected to the imaging device;

a wireless switch coupled to the wireless network device and a network, the wireless switch configured to communicate with the wireless network device and route the image to a computer connected to the network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless network device has a housing and the imaging device is incorporated within the housing of the wireless network device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging device is configured to produce an optical video image.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging device is configured to produce a thermal image.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless network device is a mobile unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless network device is an access port.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless network device operates in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard.

8. The system of claim 1, further including a computer-implemented image processing subsystem.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer-implemented image processing subsystem is configured to identify and track an entity using the image produced by the imaging device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the access port operates in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard.

10. A surveillance method comprising:

providing a plurality of imaging devices within an environment;

providing one or more access ports coupled to the plurality of imaging devices;

providing a wireless switch coupled to a network;

producing, via one of the imaging devices, a digital image;

communicating the digital image to the access port;

communicating the digital image to the wireless switch; and

processing the digital image to determine the identity of an entity represented within the digital image;

11. The method of claim 10, wherein producing the digital image includes producing an optical video image.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein producing the digital image includes producing a thermal image.

14. The method of claim 10, further including tracking the entity using at least one second image produced by one of the imaging devices.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein processing the digital image is performed by the wireless switch.

16. An access port configured to wirelessly receive data from a mobile unit and send the data to a wireless switch