Method and system for automatically determining the camera field of view in a camera network

• US 20080122958A1
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Bedros, Saad J., Huseth, Steve D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,792,005 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/262
• 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 13/19636 pertaining to the camera
• 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 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system and method for automatically determining the camera field of view in a camera network. The system has a plurality of spatially separated cameras and direction sensors, carried on respective cameras, configured to measure the angle directions of the field of views of the cameras. Elevation sensors are operably coupled to respective cameras to measure the elevation angles of thereof. A controller is configured to process direction and elevation measurement signals transmitted from the cameras to automatically determine the cameras'"'"' fields of views. One or more cameras having a field of view containing or nearby an event of interest can be selected from the determined field of views and indicated to a user via a graphical user interface. Selected cameras which are rotatably mounted can be rotated if need be to automatically bring the event of interest into the field of views of the selected cameras.

Claims

1. A system for automatically determining a camera field of view in a camera network, said system comprising

a plurality of spatially separated cameras,

direction sensors, carried on respective said cameras, said direction sensors being configured to measure the angle directions of the field of views of said cameras relative to magnetic north and generate corresponding direction measurement signals;

elevation sensors operably coupled to respective said cameras to measure the elevation angles thereof and generate corresponding elevation measurement signals; and

a controller, operably linked to said cameras, for processing said direction and elevation measurement signals to thereby enable the fields of views of said cameras to be automatically determined.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said direction sensors comprise magnetometer sensors.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said elevation sensors comprise resistive sensors or magnetic angle sensors.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to select at least one camera having a field of view containing an event of interest based on the at least one camera'"'"'s direction and elevation measurements being substantially equal to the horizontal and vertical camera-event bearings between the at least one camera and said event of interest.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a graphical user interface operably connected to said controller,

wherein said controller is further configured to indicate said selected camera(s) to a user via said graphical user interface.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said camera-event horizontal and vertical bearings are calculated using trigonometry from predetermined vertical and horizontal position information of said camera(s) and said event of interest.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured to determine the amount of horizontal and/or vertical rotation required to bring an event of interest into the field of view of at least one camera based on a comparison of the at least one camera'"'"'s direction and elevation measurements with respective predetermined camera-event horizontal and vertical bearings between the at least one camera and said event of interest.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said camera(s) include respective rotation devices, operably linked to said controller, for horizontally and/or vertically rotating said cameras in response to control signals received from said controller;

and

wherein said controller is configured to send said control signals to said at least one selected camera to horizontally and/or vertically rotate said at least one camera by said determined amounts of horizontal and/or vertical rotation to bring said event of interest into the field of view of said at least one camera.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said camera(s) comprise pan tilt zoom cameras;

and

wherein said determined amounts of horizontal and/or vertical rotation are calculated in terms of the number of degrees of panning and/or tilting required to bring said event of interest into the field of view of said at least one selected pan tilt zoom camera.

10. A camera system for use in a system for automatically determining a camera field of view in a camera network;

said camera system comprising

a camera,

a direction sensor, carried on said camera, said direction sensor being configured to measure the angle direction of the field of view of said camera relative to magnetic north and generate a corresponding direction signal; and

an elevation sensor operably coupled to said camera to measure the elevation angle thereof relative and generate a corresponding elevation signal.

11. The camera system of claim 10, wherein said direction sensor comprises a magnetometer sensor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said elevation sensor comprises a resistive sensor or a magnetic angle sensor.

13. A method for automatically determining a camera field of view in a camera network, said method comprising

measuring relative to magnetic north respective angle directions of the field of views of a plurality of spatially separated camera;

generating direction measurement signals corresponding to said measured angle directions;

measuring respective elevation angles of said spatially separated cameras; and

generating elevation measurement signals corresponding to said measured elevation angles.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said measuring relative to magnetic north respective angle directions of the fields of view of said cameras comprises

measuring the angle directions of said cameras using a magnetometer.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein measuring respective elevation angles comprises

measuring the elevation angles of said cameras using a resistive sensor or magnetic angle sensor.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting at least one camera having a field of view containing an event of interest based on said at least one camera'"'"'s direction and elevation measurements being substantially equal to respective camera-event horizontal and vertical bearings between said at least one camera and said event of interest.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said camera-event horizontal and vertical bearings are calculated using trigonometry from predetermined vertical and horizontal position information of said camera(s) and said event of interest,

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising

determining the amount of horizontal and/or vertical rotation required to bring an event of interest into the field of view of at least one camera based on a comparison of said at least one camera'"'"'s direction and elevation measurements with respective predetermined selected camera-event horizontal and vertical bearings between said at least one camera and said event of interest;

and

horizontally and/or vertically rotating said at least one selected camera by said determined amounts of horizontal and/or vertical rotation to bring said event of interest into the field of view of said at least one camera.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least one camera is a pan tilt zoom camera, and further comprising

determining the number of degrees of panning and/or tilting required to bring said event of interest into the field of view of said at least one camera;

and

panning and/or tilting said at least one camera by said determined amounts of panning and/or tilting to bring said event of interest into the field of view of said at least one selected pan tilt zoom camera.

17. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying a plan or map with said plurality of cameras annotated thereon, and

indicating said selected camera on said plan or map.