VIRTUAL FENCE

• US 20090195654A1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Connell, Jonathan H. II
• Granted Patent: US 8,390,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/154
• 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 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a virtual fence provided using a plurality of video cameras. A method for providing a virtual fence in accordance with an embodiment includes: positioning a plurality of video cameras about a perimeter to be monitored, the perimeter comprising a plurality of designated areas; for each of the designated areas: capturing video data of the designated area using at least one video camera; analyzing the captured video data to detect an event; and sending at least one of image or video data to a central facility only in response to the detection of the event.

Claims

1. A method for providing a virtual fence, comprising:

positioning a plurality of video cameras about a perimeter to be monitored, the perimeter comprising a plurality of designated areas;

for each of the designated areas;

capturing video data of the designated area using at least one video camera;

analyzing the captured video data to detect an event; and

sending at least one of an alarm, image data, or video data to a central facility only in response to the detection of the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the captured video data to detect an event further comprises:

performing moving object detection on the captured video data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting an event further comprises:

detecting when a track of an object crosses the designated area.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting an event further comprises:

detecting a size of an object crossing the designated area; and

limiting the detection of an event to an object having at least a predetermined size.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning a plurality of video cameras further comprises:

providing a series of poles about the perimeter to be monitored, wherein each designated area comprises an area between a respective pair of the poles; and

mounting at least one video camera on each of the poles.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the video data of each designated area is captured by a first video camera mounted on a first of the respective pair of the poles and a second video camera mounted on a second of the respective pair of the poles.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second video cameras provide an overlap of coverage in the designated area.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein a pair of video cameras are mounted to each of the poles, further comprising, for each of the poles:

directing a first of the pair of video cameras mounted on the pole toward a previous pole in the series of poles; and

directing a second of the pair of video cameras mounted on the pole toward a next pole in the series of poles.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

associating a processing unit with each pole for analyzing the captured video.

10. A virtual fence, comprising:

a plurality of video cameras positioned about a perimeter to be monitored, the perimeter comprising a plurality of designated areas;

for each of the designated areas;

at least one video camera for capturing video data of the designated area;

a system for analyzing the captured video data to detect an event; and

a system for sending at least one of an alarm, image data, or video data to a central facility only in response to the detection of the event.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the system for analyzing the captured video data to detect an event further comprises:

a system for performing moving object detection on the captured video data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the system for analyzing the captured video data to detect an event further comprises:

a system for detecting when a track of an object crosses the designated area.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the system for analyzing the captured video data to detect an event further comprises:

a system for detecting a size of an object crossing the designated area; and

a system for limiting the detection of an event to an object having at least a predetermined size.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a series of poles located about the perimeter to be monitored, wherein each designated area comprises an area between a respective pair of the poles, and wherein at least one video camera is mounted on each of the poles.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the video data of each designated area is captured by a first video camera mounted on a first of the respective pair of the poles and a second video camera mounted on a second of the respective pair of the poles.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first and second video cameras provide an overlap of coverage in the designated area.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein a pair of video cameras are mounted to each of the poles, and wherein a first of the pair of video cameras mounted on the pole is directed toward a previous pole in the series of poles and a second of the pair of video cameras mounted on the pole is directed toward a next pole in the series of poles.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a processing unit associated with each pole for analyzing the captured video.

19. A program product stored on a computer readable medium, which when executed, provides a virtual fence, the computer readable medium comprising program code for:

capturing video data using a plurality of video cameras positioned about a perimeter to be monitored;

monitoring the video data using background subtraction to detect an event; and

sending at least one of an alarm, image data, or video data to a central facility only in response to the detection of the event.

20. A method for deploying an application for providing a virtual fence, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

capture video data using a plurality of video cameras positioned about a perimeter to be monitored;

monitor the video data using background subtraction to detect an event; and

send at least one of an alarm, image data, or video data to a central facility only in response to the detection of the event.