SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM HAVING STATUS DETECTION MODULE, METHOD FOR SELF-MONITORING OF AN OBSERVER, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20100201821A1
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Loos, Hartmut, Niem, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 8,432,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/159
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Monitoring systems typically comprise a plurality of monitoring cameras, which are disposed in different locations for monitoring one or more monitoring regions. Monitoring systems of said type are used, for example, to monitor places, inter-sections, buildings, libraries, train stations, factories, prisons, retirement homes and the like. The invention relates to a monitoring system (1) for monitoring a plurality of monitoring regions (5), wherein the monitoring system (1) can be and/or is controlled by at least one human observer (4), comprising a status detection module (8), which is designed and/or arranged to determine the monitoring status of the observer (4) based on optically detected status signals of the observer (4).

Claims

1. A surveillance system (1) for monitoring a plurality of surveillance regions (5), in which the surveillance system (1) is controllable and/or controlled by at least one human observer (4), characterized by a state detection module (8) which is designed and/or situated such that the surveillance state of the observer (4) may be determined on the basis of optically detected state signals of the observer (4).

2. The surveillance system as recited in claim 1,

wherein

the surveillance state includes a fatigue level and/or a focus or viewing direction of the observer.

3. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 1,

wherein

the state signals are designed as signals that are generated passively and/or in a manner that is unbeknownst to and/or uncontrolled by the observer (4).

4. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 1,

wherein

the state signals are designed as facial signals and/or head signals.

5. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 1, characterized by a human-machine interface (HMI, 6) for recording the state signals of the observer (4), and which includes an evaluation device (11) for evaluating the state signals that were recorded, the result of the evaluation being the surveillance state of the observer (4).

6. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 5,

wherein

the human-machine interface (HMI) is designed as a camera (6) which is designed and/or situated to record the observer (4).

7. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 1, characterized by a warning module (12) which is designed to output a warning signal depending on the surveillance state.

8. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 1, characterized by an instruction module (13) which is designed to guide the observer (4), via instructions, in the implementation of a specified and/or specifiable surveillance strategy, and to monitor compliance with the instructions via an evaluation of the surveillance state.

9. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 1, characterized by a training module (14) which evaluates the surveillance state and generates training instructions in order to improve the quality of surveillance.

10. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 1, characterized by a recording module (18) which is designed to store the surveillance state together with the signal stream from the surveillance system (1).

11. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 1, characterized by a selection module (15) which is designed to identify, on the basis of the surveillance state, a surveillance monitor (3) and/or a surveillance object located in the surveillance region (5) as the selected surveillance object.

12. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 11, characterized by a control module (16) which is designed to track the selected surveillance object by selecting and/or actuating and/or controlling surveillance sensors (9) in the surveillance regions (5).

13. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 11, characterized by a tracking module (17) which is designed to mark and/or track the selected surveillance object using digital image processing.

14. The surveillance system (1) as recited in claim 11, characterized by an instruction module (18) which is designed to output additional information about the selected surveillance object.

15. A method for the self-monitoring of an observer who monitors a plurality of surveillance regions using a surveillance system,

wherein

optical state signals of the observer are recorded, and the surveillance state of the observer is determined on the basis of the state signals.

16. A computer program comprising program code means for carrying out all steps of the method as recited in claim 15 when the program is run on a computer or the surveillance system (1).