METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETECTING DURESS

• US 20120169872A1
• Filed: 12/31/2010
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Buildings LLC (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Buildings AB (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Williamson, Jon L.
• Application Number:
  US12/983,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20120169872A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19615 wherein said pattern is defined by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• 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 system and method is an analysis video to determine if a person is displaying a pre-determined position indicating that he/she is being held or forced to act under duress. The system takes a digital video image and compares the image to a library of video duress patterns. If a duress pattern is recognized, then the system notifies another party of the situation, such as a security officer.

Claims

1. A duress detection system for assessing if a person is in duress, the system comprising:

at least one video camera providing a live video feed;

a library containing at least one representation of duress occurring;

a mechanism for comparing the live video feed from the video camera to the at least one representation of duress occurring;

a mechanism for determining if the live video feed has an image sufficiently close to the image of the at least one representation of duress occurring; and

a notification mechanism for notifying that the system has noted a person showing patterns of duress.

2. A duress detection system of claim 1 wherein the representation in the library includes a representation of a position of a person.

3. A duress detection system of claim 2 wherein the notification mechanism sends an alarm.

4. A duress detection system of claim 2 wherein the notification mechanism sends a live video feed of the video camera wherein the mechanism for determining duress has determined duress is being shown.

5. A duress detection system of claim 1 wherein the representation in the library includes a representation of a position of an object.

6. A duress detection system of claim 5 wherein the notification mechanism sends an alarm.

7. A duress detection system of claim 5 wherein the notification mechanism sends a live video feed of the video camera wherein the mechanism for determining duress has determined duress is being shown.

8. A duress detection system of claim 1 wherein the live video feed is of a digitized image.

9. A method of detecting duress comprising:

capturing video images in real time from at least one camera;

comparing the live video feed from the video camera to the images of representation of duress occurring stored in a library;

determining if the live video feed has an image sufficiently close to at least one of the images of representation of duress occurring; and

notifying a third party that the system has noted a pattern of representation of duress occurring.

10. A method of detecting duress of claim 9 wherein the representation in the library includes a representation of a position of a person.

11. A duress detection method of claim 10 wherein the notification mechanism sends an alarm.

12. A duress detection method of claim 10 wherein the notification mechanism sends a live video feed of the video camera wherein the mechanism for determining duress has determined duress is being shown.

13. A method of detecting duress of claim 9 wherein the representation in the library includes a representation of a position of an object.

14. A duress detection method of claim 9 wherein the live video feed is of a digitized image.