SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM WITH DIRECT DATABASE SERVER STORAGE

• US 20140333777A1
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Tink, Edsel James, Van Der Elst, Yves, Gottardi, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 9,367,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/159
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/71 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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: G08B 13/19693 using multiple video sources viewed on a single or compound screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A video surveillance system includes at least one of a camera or a streamer. A data base server is coupled to the camera and can store metadata for a video clip from the camera or streamer. A media storage server is coupled to both the camera or, the streamer, and to the data base server to store the clip in the absence of any network video recorders.

Claims

1. A surveillance system comprising:

a plurality of cameras;

a metadata storage unit coupled to members of the plurality; and

a media storage device, separate from but coupled to the unit, and to members of the plurality of cameras wherein, in response to a query, the unit can retrieve respective pre-stored metadata, and forward at least some of that metadata to the device for retrieving and downloading pre-stored video identified by the forwarded metadata.

2. A system as in claim 1 which includes a plurality of user input units, coupled to the storage unit, wherein the query is manually entered into one of the user input units and executed by the storage unit.

3. A system as in claim 2 which includes circuitry to select and initiate operation of a camera.

4. A system as in claim 3 wherein selected information relative to video and audio data from an operating camera is stored in the media storage device.

5. A system as in claim 4 where the selected information comprises metadata.

6. A system as in claim 2 wherein the query from a user input unit to the storage unit causes the metadata storage unit to download selected, stored video directly from the media storage device to a reviewing station.

7. A system as in claim 1 where the storage device stores audio signals in addition to the video signals and the metadata storage unit comprises a data base server to implement centralized management and search functions of video and audio stored in the storage unit.

8. A system as in claim 1 where the cameras establish a connection with the unit with a selected protocol.

9. A system as in claim 8 wherein the selected protocol comprises a tcp-type connection.

10. A system as in claim 1 wherein metadata is also stored in the device and the unit tests the integrity of the metadata stored in the device.

11. A system as in claim 10 where storage management is facilitated by including system wide parameters along with metadata in responding to a query.

12. A surveillance system comprising:

a plurality of cameras;

a storage unit which receives and stores at least video signals from the cameras; and

a database control system coupled to the cameras and to the storage unit, wherein a camera of the plurality of cameras establishes a connection with the database control system and reports metadata of the recording to the database control system, the camera sends a request to the database control system to acquire the camera'"'"'s configuration information, then establishes a connection with a specific storage server of the storage unit as indicated in the configuration information and records the video data directly to the storage unit based upon the configuration information provided, and, where workstation based client applications query the database control system for recordings and then directly receive the recordings from the storage unit in response to a query; and

wherein metadata is also stored in the storage unit and the control system tests the integrity of the metadata stored in the unit.

13. A system as in claim 12 which includes circuitry to generate a trigger which activates the at least one of the camera and the streamer to obtain the video clip therefrom, wherein metadata for the video clip is stored on the data base control system.

14. A system as in claim 13 which includes a user station coupled to the control system and to the storage unit, wherein a query entered at the user station causes the control system to download the video clip from the storage unit.

15. A system as in claim 14 where the storage unit receives and stores audio clips, and wherein, in response to a query from the user station, the data base control system downloads a selected audio clip from the storage unit.

16. A system as in claim 15 where the control system implements centralized management and search functions of video and audio clips stored in the storage unit.

17. A method of acquiring at least one video-clip comprising:

providing a camera and, at least intermittently obtaining video indicative of a region being monitored;

obtaining metadata associated with the video;

the camera establishing a connection with a first server and reporting the metadata;

storing the metadata on the first server;

the camera sending a request to the first server for the camera'"'"'s configuration information;

the camera establishing a direct connection with a second different server as indicated by the configuration information;

the camera storing at least the obtained video on the second, different server;

the first server receiving a user query for the stored video where workstation based client applications query the first server for recordings;

responding to the user query, where responding includes the workstation based client applications directly receiving the stored video from the second, different server; and

visually presenting the received video.

18. A method as in claim 17 which includes testing the integrity of the metadata stored in the second server.

19. A method as in claim 18 wherein storage management is facilitated by including system wide parameters along with metadata in responding to a query.

20. A method as in claim 19 which includes obtaining audio and storing the obtained audio on the second, different server, and implementing, on the first server, centralized management and search functions of video and audio clips stored on the second, different server.