MONITORING CAMERA SYSTEM, IMAGING DEVICE, AND VIDEO DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20090257589A1
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohmori, Motoji, Yokota, Kaoru, Sakakibara, Mizuho, Saso, Atsushi, Watanabe, Kazuhisa, Yamamoto, Naoaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An imaging device (1) for imaging a subject and distributing the captured video. The privacy of the subject is adequately protected, and a required monitoring function is realized. The imaging device (1) comprises an imaging section (10) for imaging a subject, an encryption key list storage section (13) storing encryption key data associated with a video display device and permitting display of the captured video showing the subject for each subject, a communication section (12) for judging whether or not a specific subject corresponding to the video display device is shown in the captured video, a video encrypting section (15) for encrypting a partial video of at least the specific subject in the captured video with encryption key data associated with video display device specifying information on the specific subject when the communication section (12) has judged that the specific subject is shown in the captured image, thereby to convert the partial video into an encrypted video, and create a limited captured video including the encrypted video, and a video transmitting section (16) for distributing the limited captured video to the video display device.

Claims

1. A monitoring camera system comprising an imaging device which captures one or more objects and distributes captured video and a video display device which receives and displays the captured video,

wherein said imaging device includes:

a capturing unit operable to capture an object;

an encryption key storage unit in which encryption key data is stored for each object, the encryption key data being associated with a video display device that is permitted to display the captured video in which the object is included;

an object judging unit operable to judge whether or not a specific object, which is an object associated with said video display device, is included in the captured video;

a limited-capture video generation unit operable to convert at least a part showing the specific object in the captured video into encrypted video by encrypting the part using the encryption key data which is associated with said video display device and is stored for the specific object, and to generate limited-capture video which includes the encrypted video, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included; and

a video distribution unit operable to distribute the limited-capture video to said video display device, and

said video display device includes;

a reception unit operable to receive the limited-capture video;

a decryption key storage unit operable to store decryption key data which is associated with said video display device; and

a video decryption unit operable to generate decrypted video by decrypting the encrypted video included in the limited-capture video using the decryption key data.

2. An imaging device which captures one or more objects and distributes captured video, comprising:

a capturing unit operable to capture an object;

an encryption key storage unit which encryption key data is stored for each object, the encryption key data being associated with a video display device that is permitted to display the captured video in which the object is included;

an object judging unit operable to judge whether or not a specific object, which is an object associated with the video display device, is included in the captured video;

a limited-capture video generation unit operable to convert at least a part showing the specific object in the captured video into encrypted video by encrypting the part using the encryption key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object, and to generate limited-capture video which includes the encrypted video, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included; and

a video distribution unit operable to distribute the limited-capture video to the video display device.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2, further comprising

a radio signal reception unit operable to receive a radio signal emitted from an identification (ID) tag attached to the object;

wherein video display device designation information and the encryption key data are stored, in association with each other, in said encryption key storage unit, the video display device designation information designating the video display device that is permitted to display the captured video in which the object is included; and

said object judging unit operable to judge whether or not the specific object is included in the captured video depending on whether or not an identification code included in the radio signal received by said radio signal reception unit matches the video display device designation information stored by said encryption key storage unit.

4. The imaging device according to claim 2,

wherein the encrypted key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object and the decryption key data held by the video display device are common key data.

5. The imaging device according to claim 2,

wherein said limited-capture video generation unit includes:

a key generation unit operable to generate video encryption key data;

a captured video encryption unit operable to convert at least a part showing the specific object in the captured video into the encrypted video by encrypting the part using the video encryption key data generated by said key generation unit, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included;

a video key encryption unit operable to convert the video encryption key data generated by said key generation unit into encrypted video encryption key data by encrypting the video encryption key data using the encryption key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object; and

a generation unit operable to generate the limited-capture video that includes the encrypted video generated by said video encryption unit and the encrypted video encryption key data generated by said video encryption unit.

6. The imaging device according to claim 2,

wherein the limited-capture video generation unit includes:

a conversion unit operable to convert the specific object video which is video of the specific object in the captured video into encrypted specific object video by encrypting the specific object video using the encryption key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included;

a background video generation unit operable to generate background video in which the specific object video is removed from the captured video, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included; and

a generation unit operable to generate the limited-capture video that includes the encrypted specific object video generated by said conversion unit and the background video generated by said background video generation unit.

7. The imaging device according to claim 6, further comprising

a background video storage unit operable to store background video captured beforehand in a situation where there is no object,

wherein said background video generation unit is operable to read out the background video from said background video storage unit, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included.

8. The imaging device according to claim 6, further comprising

a background video storage unit operable to store background video generated by synthesizing plural videos in which the specific object video is removed from the captured video,

wherein said background video generation unit is operable to read out the background video from said background video storage unit, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included.

9. The imaging device according to claim 6, further comprising

a face image storage unit in which face image data of the specific object is stored,

wherein said conversion unit includes:

an extraction unit operable to read out, from said face image storage unit, the face image data associated with the specific object, and to extract the specific object video by searching the read out face image data in the captured video; and

a video conversion unit operable to convert the specific object video extracted by said extraction unit into the encrypted specific object video by encrypting the specific object video using the encryption key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object.

10. A distribution device which distributes, to a video display device, captured video captured by an imaging device, said distribution device comprising:

an encryption key storage unit in which encryption key data is stored for each object, the encryption key data being associated with a video display device that is permitted to display the captured video in which the object is included;

an object judging unit operable to judge whether or not a specific object, which is an object associated with the video display device, is included in the captured video;

a limited-capture video generation unit operable to convert at least a part showing the specific object in the captured video into encrypted video by encrypting the part using the encryption key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object, and to generate the limited-capture video including the encrypted video, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included; and

a video distribution unit operable to distribute the limited-capture video to the video display device.

11. The distribution device according to claim 10,

wherein the limited-capture video generation unit includes:

a conversion unit operable to convert the specific object video which is video of the specific object in the captured video into encrypted specific object video by encrypting the specific object video using the encryption key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included;

a background video generation unit operable to generate background video in which the specific object video is removed from the captured video, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included; and

a generation unit operable to generate the limited-capture video that includes the encrypted specific object video generated by said conversion unit and the background video generated by said background video generation unit.

12. The distribution device according to claim 11, further comprising

said background video storage unit operable to store background video captured beforehand in a situation where there is no object, and

wherein said background video generation unit is operable to read out the background video from said background video storage unit, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included.

13. The distribution device according to claim 11, further comprising

said background video storage unit operable to store background video generated by synthesizing plural videos in which the specific object video is removed from the captured video, and

wherein said background video generation unit is operable to read out the background video from the background video storage unit, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included.

14. A distribution method for use in a distribution device which distributes, to a video display device, captured video captured by an imaging device,

wherein encryption key data is stored for each object in the distribution device, the encryption key data being associated with the video display device that is permitted to display the captured video in which the object is included, and

said method comprises:

an object judging step of judging whether or not a specific object, which is an object associated with the video display device, is included in the captured video;

a limited-capture video generating step of converting at least a part showing the specific object in the captured video into encrypted video by encrypting the part using the encryption key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object, and of generating the limited-capture video including the encrypted video, when it is judged in said object judging step that the specific object is included; and

a video distributing step of distributing the limited-capture video to the video display device.

15. A program embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, which is used in a distribution device which distributes, to a video display device, captured video captured by an imaging device,

wherein encryption key data is stored for each object in the distribution device, the encryption key data being associated with the video display device that is permitted to display the captured video in which the object is included, and

said program causes a computer to execute:

an object judging step of judging whether or not a specific object, which is an object associated with the video display device, is included in the captured video;

a limited-capture video generating step of converting at least a part showing the specific object in the captured video into encrypted video by encrypting the part using the encryption key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object, and of generating the limited-capture video including the encrypted video, when it is judged in said object judging step that the specific object is included; and

a video distributing step of distributing the limited-capture video to the video display device.

16. An integrated circuit for distributing, to a video display device, captured video captured by an imaging device, said integrated circuit comprising:

an encryption key storage unit in which encryption key data is stored for each object, the encryption key data being associated with a video display device that is permitted to display the captured video in which the object is included;

an object judging unit operable to judge whether or not a specific object, which is an object associated with the video display device, is included in the captured video;

a limited-capture video generation unit operable to convert at least a part showing the specific object in the captured video into encrypted video by encrypting the part using the encryption key data which is associated with the video display device and is stored for the specific object, and to generate the limited-capture video including the encrypted video, when said object judging unit judges that the specific object is included; and

a video distribution unit operable to distribute the limited-capture video to the video display device.