SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE

• US 20110128150A1
• Filed: 05/05/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iOmniscient Pty Ltd.
• Original Assignee: iOmniscient Pty Ltd.
• Inventors: Kanga, Rustom Adi, Li, Ivy Lai Chun
• Granted Patent: US 11,082,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19676 Temporary storage, e.g. cyclic memory, buffer storage on pre-alarm
• 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

A system and method for surveillance of a scene comprising the steps of: capturing a scene via at least two image streams; processing the first of the two image streams to detect an act, event or object; and, wherein when an act, event or object is detected, storing portions of the second image stream corresponding to the act, event or object independently of the first image stream.

Claims

1. A method for surveillance of a scene comprising the steps of:

capturing a scene via at least two image streams;

processing the first of the two image streams to detect an act, event or object; and

,

wherein when an act, event or object is detected, storing portions of the second image stream corresponding to the act, event or object independently of the first image stream.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the resolution of the first image stream is lower than the resolution of the second image stream.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least two image streams are captured utilising a single device.

4. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first image stream is produced by extracting 1 in n pixels of each image from the second image stream.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein n is any one of the integer values 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

6. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second image stream is stored in a buffer.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein at least one portion of the second image stream corresponding to the act, event or object detected is extracted from the buffer.

8. A method in accordance with claim 6 or 7, wherein the buffer is a circular buffer arranged to overwrite outdated image streams stored in the buffer with recently captured image streams.

9. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding Claims further comprising the step of identifying the event or object by use of the second image stream.

10. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the scene is divided into at least one sub-area.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the step of detecting the act, event or object operates on the at least one sub-area.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the step of detecting the act, event or object is one of a process of motion detection or non-motion detection.

13. A method in accordance with claim 11 or 12, wherein the step of identifying the act, event or object is operated on at least one sub-area.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the object is any one of a person, vehicle, sign, package, animal, device or a combination thereof.

15. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the first or second image streams is displayed on an interface.

16. A method in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein an alarm is generated where the event or object is detected.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the alarm is at least one of visual alert and an audio alert.

18. A method in accordance with claim 16 or 17, wherein the alarm is communicated to a remote device.

19. A method in accordance with any one of claims 9 to 18, wherein the identified act, event or object is highlighted on the interface.

44. A computer program including at least one instruction which, when loaded on a programmable device, causes the programmable device to perform the method steps of any one of claims 1 to 19.

45. A computer readable medium incorporating a computing program in accordance with claim 44.

46. Transmitting and receiving a data signal comprising the computer program in accordance with claim 44.

20. A system for surveillance of a scene comprising:

at least one camera arranged to capture a scene via at least two image streams;

a processor arranged to process the first of the two image streams to detect an act, event or object; and

,

wherein when an act, event or object is detected, storing portions of the second image stream corresponding to the act, event or object independently of the first image stream.

21. A system in accordance with claim 20, wherein the resolution of the first image stream is lower than the resolution of the second image stream.

22. A system in accordance with claim 20 or 21, wherein the at least two image streams are captured utilising a single device.

23. A system in accordance with any one of the claims 20 to 22, wherein the first image stream is produced by extracting 1 in n pixels of each image from the second image stream.

24. A system in accordance with claim 23, wherein n is any one of the integer values 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

25. A system in accordance with any one of the claims 20 to 24, wherein the second image stream is stored in a buffer.

26. A system in accordance with claim 25, wherein at least one portion of the second image stream corresponding to the act, event or object detected is extracted from the buffer.

27. A system in accordance with claim 25 or 26, wherein the buffer is a circular buffer arranged to overwrite outdated image streams stored in the buffer with recently captured image streams.

28. A system in accordance with any one of the claims 20 to 27 further comprising a module arranged to identify the event or object by use of the second image stream.

29. A system in accordance with any one of the claims 20 to 28, wherein the scene is divided into at least one sub-area.

30. A system in accordance with claim 29, wherein the processor arranged to detect the act, event or object operates on the at least one sub-area.

31. A system in accordance with claim 30, wherein the processor arranged to detect the act, event or object is processes one of motion detection or non-motion detection.

32. A system in accordance with claim 30 or 31, wherein the module arranged to identify the act, event or object is operated on at least one sub-area.

33. A system in accordance with claim 32, wherein the object is any one of a person, vehicle, sign, package, animal, device or a combination thereof.

34. A system in accordance with any one of the claims 20 to 33, wherein at least one of the first or second image streams is displayed on an interface.

35. A system in accordance with any one of the claims 20 to 34, wherein an alarm is generated where the event or object is detected.

36. A system in accordance with claim 35, wherein the alarm is at least one of visual alert and an audio alert.

37. A system in accordance with claim 35 or 36, wherein the alarm is communicated to a remote device.

38. A system in accordance with any one of claims 28 to 37, wherein the identified act, event or object is highlighted on the interface.

39. An electronic visual surveillance method utilising relatively lower and higher resolution image data, the method comprising:

continuously processing the lower resolution image data of an area of interest to detect the occurrence of an unusual act;

generating location data defining a sub-area of said area of interest where an unusual act has been detected;

for each said detected unusual act, identifying a subject from the higher resolution data corresponding to said sub-area; and

Storage and transmission of images in said sub-area.

40. A method as claimed in claim 39, wherein only a portion of said higher resolution image data corresponding to said sub-area is used in said identifying step.

41. A method according to claim 39, further including temporarily storing said higher resolution image data for said area of interest, and decimating said higher resolution data for use in said continuous processing step, and further wherein only a portion of said stored higher resolution image data corresponding to said sub-area is extracted for use in said identifying step.

42. A method as claimed in claim 39, further including receiving said lower and higher resolution image data from separate sources, and wherein only a portion of said higher resolution image data corresponding to said sub-area is used in said identifying step.

43. An electronic surveillance system comprising:

a camera outputting relatively lower and relatively higher resolution image data of an area of interest; and

a processor for processing said lower resolution image data to detect the occurrence of an unusual act, for generating location data defining a sub-area of said area of interest where an unusual act has been detected, and, for each detected unusual act, for identifying a subject from the relatively higher resolution data corresponding to said sub-area.