Distributed Sensing and Video Capture System and Apparatus

• US 20140340533A1
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Verint Video Solutions Inc.
• Inventors: Matheson, Roderick
• Granted Patent: US 9,648,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Systems and apparatus for sensing and video capture include at least one camera with an optical sensor that captures video image data of a first sampling rate. An auxiliary sensor captures auxiliary data at a second sample rate. A processor is communicatively connected to the optical sensor and auxiliary sensor. The processor transmits video image data captured at the first sample rate auxiliary sensor data captured at the second sampling rate across a data connection to a centralized computer that receives the video image data and the auxiliary sensor data and operate to present the video image data and the auxiliary sensor data on a graphical display.

Claims

1. A system for sensing and video capture, the system comprising:

at least one camera comprising an optical sensor, at least one auxiliary sensor, and a processor that acquires and transmits video image data from the optical sensor and acquires and transmits auxiliary sensor data from the auxiliary sensor;

a data connection connected to the processor for the transmission of data from the processor; and

a centralized computer that receives the video image data and auxiliary sensor data from the processor across the data connection and processes the video data and auxiliary sensor data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the video image data is acquired and transmitted at a first sampling rate and the auxiliary data is acquired and transmitted at a second sampling rate wherein the first sampling rate is greater than the second sampling rate.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one auxiliary sensor comprises at least one of:

a temperature sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a light sensor, a chemical sensor, an accelerometer, and a humidity sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera is a plurality of cameras distributed about a facility.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one auxiliary sensor comprises a temperature sensor and the auxiliary data is a temperature measurement.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor processes the temperature measurements from the plurality of cameras and is configured to operate an environmental control system of the facility based upon the temperature measurements.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one auxiliary sensor further comprises an accelerometer and the auxiliary data further comprises an acceleration signal, wherein the centralized computer processes the acceleration signal to determine an operational status of the environmental control system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the auxiliary sensor further comprises a chemical sensor and the auxiliary data further comprises an indication of a chemical concentration, wherein the centralized computer processes the indication of the chemical concentration to determine the operational status of the environmental control system.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the centralized computer operates to map the received temperature measurements from the plurality of cameras and further comprising a graphical display operated by the centralized computer to visually present a temperature gradient map of the facility.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one auxiliary sensor comprises an accelerometer and the auxiliary data is an orientation of the camera of the plurality.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the centralized computer processes the received video data from the plurality of cameras to identify people in the video data and count the identified people in the video data, wherein the centralized computer uses the received orientation of the camera of the plurality to refine the identification of people in the video data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the centralized computer receives the orientation of the camera and compares the received orientation of the camera to a target orientation and produces an indication if the camera is in an expected position.

13. A digital video camera, comprising:

an optical sensor that captures video image data at a first sampling rate;

an auxiliary sensor that captures auxiliary sensor data at a second sampling rate;

a processor communicatively connected to the optical sensor and the auxiliary sensor, the processor transmits the video image data captured at the first sampling rate and the auxiliary sensor data captured at the second sampling rate.

14. The digital video camera of claim 13 such that a greater portion of the bandwidth transmitted from the processor is dedicated to the transmission of the video image data compared to the transmission of the auxiliary sensor data.

15. The digital video camera of claim 14, wherein the processor multiplexes the video image data at the first sampling rate with the auxiliary sensor data at the second sampling rate.

16. The digital video camera of claim 13, wherein the auxiliary sensor comprises a temperature sensor.

17. The digital video camera of claim 13, wherein the auxiliary sensor comprises an accelerometer.

18. The digital video camera of claim 13, wherein the auxiliary sensor comprises a humidity sensor.

19. The digital video camera of claim 13, further comprising:

a power supply configured to connect to a data connection wherein the power supply converts power from the data connection to provide power to the processor, optical sensor and at least one auxiliary sensor.

20. A system for sensing and video capture, the system comprising:

a plurality of cameras, each comprising;

an optical sensor that acquires video image data;

at least one auxiliary sensor that acquires auxiliary data;

a processor that receives and processes the video image data from the optical sensor and the acquired auxiliary data from the at least one auxiliary sensor; and

a power supply that provides power to the optical sensor, at least one auxiliary sensor, and the processor;

at least one data connection connected to each of the plurality of cameras, wherein in each of the plurality of cameras the data connection is connected to the processor and the to the power supply; and

a centralized computer that receives the digitized data from the processor across the data connection;

wherein in each camera of the plurality of cameras, the power supply converts power from the data connection to provide power to the processor, optical sensor, and at least one auxiliary sensor, the processor transmits the video data at a first sampling rate and periodically acquires and transmits the auxiliary sensor data at a second sampling rate across the data connection to the centralized computer, wherein the first sampling rate is greater than the second sampling rate.