SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

• US 20120300081A1
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanwha Vision Company Limited (Hanwha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Techwin Co., Ltd. (Hanwha Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Hak-Je
• Granted Patent: US 9,060,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/159
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

Provided is a surveillance system including a plurality of network cameras; and at least one server connected to the network cameras via a communication network, wherein each of the network cameras captures and stores video data, extracts metadata, which is a basis of event data, from the video data, transmits the metadata to the server, and wherein, if requested by the server, each of the network cameras transmits the stored video data to the server.

Claims

1. A surveillance system comprising:

a plurality of network cameras; and

at least one server connected to the network cameras via a communication network,

wherein each of the network cameras captures and stores video data, extracts metadata, which is a basis of event data, from the video data, transmits the metadata to the server, and wherein, if requested by the server, each of the network cameras transmits the stored video data to the server.

2. The surveillance system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server comprises:

a subscriber management server which manages subscriber information about a subscriber, and provides a service requested by the subscriber to the subscriber;

an event server which acquires event data by using the metadata received from the network cameras and stores the event data; and

a search server which searches for subscriber-specific event data in the event data stored in the event server according to at least one of the subscriber information and service information from the subscriber management server, and receives video data by communicating with at least one of the network cameras corresponding to the subscriber-specific event data.

3. The surveillance system of claim 2, wherein each of the network cameras comprises:

an optical component;

a photoelectric converter which converts light incident via the optical component to electric signals;

a signal processor which generates the video data by processing the electric signals from the photoelectric converter;

a controller which receives the video data from the signal processor and controls the network camera;

a metadata extractor which extracts the metadata from the video data from the controller and inputs the metadata to the controller;

a video data compressor which compresses the video data from the controller and inputs the compressed video data to the controller;

a non-volatile memory which stores programs for operating the controller and the compressed video data from the controller;

a volatile memory which loads the programs for operating the controller and buffers the compressed video data from the controller; and

a communication interface which supports communication between the controller and the event server and communication between the controller and the search server.

4. The surveillance system of claim 3, wherein, after the compressed video data is stored in the non-volatile memory, the controller determines whether there is a storage error by reading the stored compressed video data, and

wherein, if it is determined that the storage error occurs, the controller transmits storage error information to the event server.

5. The surveillance system of claim 2, wherein, when the event server stores the event data, the event data is stored together with information regarding the subscriber which requests a service related to the event data, information regarding at least one camera of the cameras which transmits the metadata used to acquire the event data, and video information indicating a location at which video data corresponding to the metadata is stored.

6. The surveillance system of claim 2, wherein, when the subscriber requests a real-time event service, the subscriber management server transmits the at least one of the subscriber information and the service information to the event server.

7. The surveillance system of claim 2, wherein, if the subscriber requests a summarized video service related to the event data, the subscriber management server transmits the at least one of the subscriber information and the service information to the search server, and the search server:

searches for the subscriber-specific event data from among the event data stored in the event server;

receives the video data by communicating with the at least one of the plurality of network cameras corresponding to the subscriber-specific event data;

analyzes the video data and extracts summarized video data according to a result of the analysis; and

transmits the extracted summarized video data to the subscriber or an address which the subscriber designates.

8. The surveillance system of claim 2, wherein, if the subscriber requests a face video service related to the event data, the subscriber management server transmits the at least one of the subscriber information and the service information to the search server, and the search server:

searches for the subscriber-specific event data from among the event data stored in the event server;

receives the video data by communicating with the at least one of the plurality of network cameras corresponding to the subscriber-specific event data;

generates face video data by using portions of the received video data containing face videos; and

transmits the generated face video data to the subscriber or an address which the subscriber designates.

9. The surveillance system of claim 2, further comprising:

a quality improving server which processes the video data received from the search server to improve video quality; and

a back-up server which stores a backup of the video data received from the search server.

10. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein, if the subscriber requests a video back-up service related to the event data, the subscriber management server transmits the at least one of the subscriber information and the service information to the search server, and the search server:

searches for the subscriber-specific event data from among the event data stored in the event server;

receives the video data by communicating with the at least one of the plurality of network cameras corresponding to the subscriber-specific event data; and

transmits the received video data to the back-up server.

11. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein, if the subscriber requests a quality improvement service related to the event data, the subscriber management server transmits the at least one of the subscriber information and the service information to the search server, and the search server:

searches for the subscriber-specific event data from among the event data stored in the event server;

receives the video data by communicating with the at least one of the plurality of network cameras corresponding to the subscriber-specific event data; and

transmits the received video data to the quality improving server.

12. The surveillance system of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of a coordinate of an object of the video data, a moving distance of the object per second, a direction in which the object moves, and a type of the object.

13. The surveillance system of claim 2, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of a coordinate of an object of the video data, a moving distance of the object per second, a direction in which the object moves, and a type of the object.

14. A server system connected to a plurality of network cameras, the server comprising:

an event server which receives and stores metadata which is generated based on video data captured and stored in the cameras;

a search server which;

receives a request for video service from a subscriber of the server system, and, in response to the request;

searches for metadata corresponding to the request from among the metadata stored in the event server;

communicates with at least one of the cameras storing video data corresponding to the searched-for metadata; and

receives and transmits the corresponding video data to the subscriber or an address which the subscriber designates.

15. The server system of claim 14, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of a coordinate of an object of the video data, a moving distance of the object per second, a direction in which the object moves, and a type of the object.

16. The server system of claim 14, wherein the event server generates and stores event data based on the metadata stored in the event server, and

wherein, in response to the request, the search server:

searches for event data corresponding to the request from among the event data stored in the event server; and

communicates with the at least one of the cameras storing video data corresponding to the searched-for event data; and

receives and transmits the corresponding video data to the subscriber or the address which the subscriber designates.

17. The server system of claim 16, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of a coordinate of an object of the video data, a moving distance of the object per second, a direction in which the object moves, and a type of the object.

18. A camera connected to a server system, the camera comprising:

an optical component which receives video;

a photoelectric converter which converts the video to video data;

a metadata extractor which extracts metadata from the converted video data and transmits the extracted metadata to the server system;

a memory which stores the video data; and

a controller which receives a request for video data corresponding to metadata and, in response to the request, transmits the video data.

19. The camera of claim 18, wherein the metadata comprises at least one of a coordinate of an object of the video data, a moving distance of the object per second, a direction in which the object moves, and a type of the object.