Synchronizing Audio-Visual Data With Event Data

• US 20110010623A1
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Industrial Video & Control Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Industrial Video & Control Company LLC
• Inventors: Rubin, Stephen E., Chisholm, Alpin C., Vanslette, Paul J.
• Application Number:
  US12/500,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010623A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/704
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

In general, a user interface portrays both at least a portion of a time history of a sequence of events that has occurred, and at least a portion of a time track of audio-visual material associated with the time history of the sequence of events. An indication of one of the events or of a time is received, and the portrayal of either the time history or the time track is caused to be adjusted to be in synchrony with the other of the time history or the time track with respect to which the indication has been received.

Claims

1. A method comprising

at a user interface that portrays both (a) at least a portion of a time history of a sequence of events that has occurred and (b) at least a portion of a time track of audio-visual material associated with the time history of the sequence of events,

receiving an indication of one of the events or of a time, and

causing the portrayal of either the time history or the time track to be adjusted to be in synchrony with the other of the time history or the time track with respect to which the indication has been received.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the audio-visual material comprises at least one of video material and audio material.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the audio-visual material and the time history are stored separately.

4. The method of claim 3 in which storage of the audio-visual material and the time history of the sequence of events remains separate while the portrayal is caused to be in synchrony.

5. The method of claim 1 also comprising enabling a user to select a type of the events, the sequence of which is portrayed graphically.

6. The method of claim 1 also comprising enabling a user to navigate within the interface with respect to time.

7. The method of claim 1 also comprising enabling a user to navigate within the interface with respect to information related to the sequence of events.

8. The method of claim 1 also comprising associating an audio-visual capture device with a context in which the sequence of events occurs.

9. The method of claim 8 in which the audio-visual capture device comprises a camera.

10. The method of claim 8 in which the associating comprises comparing context information with configurable parameters.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the associating comprises generating a record that contains an association between the audio-visual capture device and the context in which the sequence of events occurs.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising

storing in a first file the time history, the first file comprising one or more event timestamps representative of times of occurrence of the events, and

storing in a second file the audio-visual material, the second file comprising one or more audio-visual timestamps representative of points in time within the audio-visual material.

13. The method of claim 12 in which the user interface displays a first timeline associated with the audio-visual material and a second timeline associated with the time history, the first and second timelines being based in part on the event timestamps and the audio-visual timestamps.

14. The method of claim 13 in which navigating to a specific point in time within either the first timeline or the second timeline causes a navigation to the specific point in time within the other of the first timeline or the second timeline.

15. A method comprising

as a user navigates along (a) a graphically displayed time history of a sequence of events that has occurred or (b) a simultaneously graphically displayed time track of audio-visual material associated with the time history of the sequence of events,

automatically synchronizing the display of the other of the time history or the time track.

16. A method performed in a computer system comprising

receiving audio-visual material and storing the audio-visual material in a first storage location,

receiving time history of a sequence of events and storing the time history in a second storage location, and

allowing an application to access the audio-visual material and the time history in order to simultaneously display a graphically displayed time history of a sequence of events that has occurred and a time track of audio-visual material associated with the time history of the sequence of events.

17. A method comprising

at a user interface:

(a) portraying to a user audio-visual material for a frame of view being monitored, and (b) displaying navigation features to the user that are based on data about occurrences in the frame of view,

the navigation features being based on existing data that has been accumulated by a system that controls at least some of the occurrences in the frame of view,

the navigation features enabling the user to identify one of the occurrences as an occurrence of interest and to have the user interface then automatically portray a portion of the audio-visual material that relates to that occurrence of interest.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the data about occurrences associated with the field of view comprises a trend chart.

19. The method of claim 17 in which the data about occurrences associated with the field of view comprises process events or alarms.

20. The method of claim 17 in which the data about occurrences associated with the field of view comprises data fields of a process control database.

21. The method of claim 17 in which the system comprises a process control system and the frame of view and the occurrences are associated with a process being controlled.

22. A method comprising

at a user interface:

(a) portraying to a user audio-visual material for a frame of view being monitored, and (b) displaying navigation features to the user that are based on messages about occurrences in the frame of view,

the navigation features being based on existing data that has been accumulated by a system that controls at least some of the occurrences in the frame of view,

the navigation features enabling the user to identify at least one of the messages as a message of interest and to have the user interface then automatically portray a portion of the audio-visual material that relates to the one or more messages.