METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR OPERATING A VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

• US 20090079823A1
• Filed: 09/21/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Shelton, Stephen Anthony, John, Kenton Arthur St., Page, R. Kenin, Moreno, Nery Manuel, Bellamy, Dirk Livingston, Sharma, Vikas Mohan, McCormack, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 8,605,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• 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 13/19689 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

Methods and systems for a video surveillance system are provided. The system includes a plurality of network buses, a plurality of surveillance sensors, control devices, and sensor data storage devices and a keypad controller communicatively coupled to the at least one network bus. The keypad controller includes a plurality of interchangeable control modules communicatively coupled to said keypad controller that matingly engage a complementary portion of said keypad controller. The keypad controller further includes a processor configured to decode codec independent video streams, said processor further comprising a module configured to receive and transmit streaming video data to a network, a synchronous memory interface, and a plurality of universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UARTs). The keypad controller also includes a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

Claims

1. A video surveillance system comprising:

a network bus;

a plurality of surveillance sensors, control devices, and sensor data storage devices communicatively coupled to said network bus;

a keypad controller communicatively coupled to said network bus, said keypad controller comprising;

a plurality of interchangeable control modules communicatively coupled to said keypad controller, said control modules matingly engage a complementary portion of said keypad controller;

a processor configured to decode codec independent video streams, said processor further comprising a module configured to receive and transmit streaming video data to said network bus, a synchronous memory interface configured to communicate with a memory, and a plurality of universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UARTs) configured to communicate remote control commands using a network communicating using a respective protocol; and

an interface for a removable memory configured to receive program updates for said processor and send streaming video and audio data to a storage device communicatively coupled to said interface.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a joystick control module that is interchangeable with a keyboard control module.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a joystick control module wherein said joystick control module is configured to control said plurality of surveillance sensors in a first mode and to navigate a menu in a second mode.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said joystick module and said keyboard module comprise a plug and play hot swappable connection to said keypad controller.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said processor is configured to determine a codec dependent start code by parsing the codec independent video streams and to select a decoder based on the determined start code.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a display module comprising a visual display monitor configured to display at least one of images, real-time video sequences, stored video sequences, and a menu for setting system parameters, said display module further comprising a jog/shuttle control configured to control playback of video image streams in a first mode and to navigate a menu displayed on said monitor in a second mode.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said network bus comprises a first network bus configured to communicate using at least one of RS232, RS485, and RS422 protocols, and wherein said network further comprises an IP Pass-through module communicatively coupled to said keypad controller through a second network bus configured to communicate using at least one of an Ethernet and an Internet protocol, said IP Pass-through module is configured to:

receive a network data packet including a serial bus control message and a destination address for a device to be controlled from the second network bus;

decode the network data packet; and

transmit the serial bus message to the destination address on the first network bus.

8. A system in accordance with claim 7 wherein said IP Pass-through module is configured to:

receive a serial bus control message and address from a device communicatively coupled to the first network bus.

encode the serial bus message into a second network bus data packet; and

transmit the second network bus data packet using the second network bus.

9. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plurality of interchangeable control modules are communicatively coupled to said keypad controller using at least one of an infrared connection, a wireless short-range radio frequency personal area network (PAN), and a USB connection.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plurality of interchangeable control modules are communicatively coupled to said keypad controller using a wired electrical connection.

11. A computer-implemented method of operating a video surveillance system that includes a keypad controller comprising a video processor, said method comprising:

receiving analog video signals from a video surveillance sensor;

encoding the received analog video signals into a digital format video to be used by the video processor;

receiving codec independent digital format video signals from a network configured to communicate using at least one of Ethernet and Internet protocol;

decoding the digital format video signals by the video processor using a codec dependent component of the digital format video signals; and

processing the digital format video signals by the video processor.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein processing the digital format video signals by the video processor comprises at least one of real-time image capture processing, compression and decompression, color space conversion and real-time display, and data packetization for data communication over the network.

13. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said keypad controller further comprises a display module including a display screen and wherein receiving video signals comprises receiving a plurality of video streams substantially simultaneously and display at least a portion of the plurality of video streams simultaneously on the display screen.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13 further comprising:

selecting one of the plurality of video streams as a primary video stream;

displaying the primary video stream on the display screen; and

displaying at least a portion of the remaining video streams subordinated to the primary video stream.

15. A method in accordance with claim 13 further comprising displaying at least a portion of the remaining video streams in at least one of a sidebar of the display screen and a running strip along an edge of the display screen.

16. A method in accordance with claim 13 further comprising selecting the plurality of video streams for display based on at least one of a proximity of the cameras generating the video streams to a common location or path through an area, a logical selection based on a user input or a predetermined selection, and an activity fashion.

17. A method in accordance with claim 13 further comprising defining the selection of the plurality of video streams for display in a macro entered into the keypad controller.

18. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein decoding the digital format video signals comprises:

receiving a codec independent video stream from the network;

parsing the video stream for codec dependent start code;

identifying the type of compression was used in the incoming steam; and

selecting a decoder based on the identified type of compression;

19. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein receiving a codec independent video stream comprises receiving the codec independent video stream from at least one of a digital video recorder (DVR), a video streaming device, a video camera through a video encoder, and an IP camera.

20. A method in accordance with claim 11 further comprising

selecting a camera nomenclature aliasing menu using the keypad controller;

selecting an identifier for a camera on the menu using at least one of a softkey associated with the selection, a joystick, and a jog/shuttle control; and

selecting a plurality of textual location parameters associated with a corresponding physical location of the camera from the menu using the at least one of a softkey associated with the selection, a joystick, and a jog/shuttle control.

21. A method in accordance with claim 20 wherein selecting a plurality of textual location parameters comprises selecting a textual location parameter from a hierarchical menu of possible textual location parameters in turn through the menu.

22. A computer-implemented method of operating a video surveillance system that includes at least a first keypad controller comprising a video processor coupled to a plurality of networks having different data communication protocols, said method comprising:

discovering non-autodiscoverable components communicatively coupled to the network by;

transmitting a connect message to a first predetermined component address;

if a component responds to the connect message, adding the component to a connect list and transmitting a connect message to a second component address;

if a component does not respond to the connect message, transmitting a connect message to a second component address without adding the first component to the connect list;

if a component at the first address is controlled by a second keypad controller, requesting control of the component at the first address by the first keypad controller;

if the second keypad controller relinquishes control of the component at the first address, adding the first component to the connect list and transmitting a connect message to the second address;

if the second keypad controller does not relinquish control of the component at the first address, transmitting a connect message to the second address without adding the first component to the connect list; and

iteratively progressing through a predetermined sequence of addresses.

23. A method of controlling a component wherein the component is coupled to a first network bus configured for data communication using at least one of RS232, RS422, RS423, and RS485 protocols from a keypad controller communicatively coupled to a second network bus configured for data communication using at least one of Ethernet and Internet protocols, said method comprising:

receiving a network data packet including a serial bus control message and a destination address for a device to be controlled from the second network bus;

decoding the network data packet; and

transmitting the serial bus message to the destination address on the first network bus.

24. A computer implemented method of operating a video surveillance system that includes a network, a keypad controller communicatively coupled to the network, said keypad controller having a video processor and a universal serial bus (USB) interface communicatively coupled to said video processor, said USB interface configured to communicatively couple to a storage device, said method comprising:

establishing communications between the keypad controller and a video data storage device through the network;

selecting at least a portion of the stored video data for download;

determining an amount of memory space required to store the selected video data;

decoding the selected video data to a selected format; and

transmitting the decoded video data to the NAND flash architecture device.

25. A method in accordance with claim 24 further comprising:

establishing communications between the keypad controller and at least one of a camera channel and an IP camera through the network;

determining an amount of streaming video data time is available based on an available memory space on the storage device;

capturing streaming video live; and

transmitting the captured video the storage device.