NETWORK CAMERA USING HIERARCHICAL EVENT DETECTION AND DATA DETERMINATION

• US 20140347478A1
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Center For Integrated Smart Sensors Foundation (Center for Integrated Smart Sensors)
• Original Assignee: Center For Integrated Smart Sensors Foundation (Center for Integrated Smart Sensors)
• Inventors: Kyung, Chong Min, Cho, Hyun Tae
• Granted Patent: US 9,743,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• 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

Provided is a network camera, including: an event detector configured to detect an event; an image sensor configured to capture an image in response to the detected event; a storage configured to store image data of the captured image; a transceiver configured to transmit and receive the image data over a network; a controller configured to control the event detector, the image sensor, the storage, and the transceiver, to select a single network mode from among a plurality of network modes based on whether power is supplied from an outside, and to configure the network based on the selected network mode; and a power source configured to supply the power to the event detector, the image sensor, the storage, the transceiver, and the controller.

Claims

1. A network camera, comprising:

an event detector configured to detect an event;

an image sensor configured to capture an image in response to the detected event;

a storage configured to store image data of the captured image;

a transceiver configured to transmit and receive the image data over a network;

a controller configured to control the event detector, the image sensor, the storage, and the transceiver, to select a single network mode from among a plurality of network modes based on whether power is supplied from an outside, and to configure the network based on the selected network mode; and

a power source configured to supply the power to the event detector, the image sensor, the storage, the transceiver, and the controller.

2. The network camera of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to select a single network mode from among a low-power and low-speed network mode and a high-power and high-speed network mode based on whether the power is supplied from the outside, and to configure the network based on the selected network mode.

3. The network camera of claim 1, wherein the transceiver comprises a first sub-transceiver for a low-power and low-speed network and a second sub-transceiver for a high-power and high-speed network.

4. The network camera of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to use a multichannel in response to an increase in an amount of data transmitted and received.

5. The network camera of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the image data to a sink or a gateway through a multipath.

6. The network camera of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to maintain a low-power and low-speed network mode while the power is not supplied to a streetlight and to switch from the low-power and low-speed network mode to a high-power and high-speed network mode when the image data is to be transmitted.

7. The network camera of claim 1, wherein the power source comprises a power supply module configured to be directly supplied with the power from a wire lead in a streetlight and a battery module configured to store the power.

8. A network monitoring system, comprising:

a network camera of claim 1;

a streetlight network configured to connect the streetlight network camera to another network camera;

an Internet;

a sink configured to connect the streetlight network and the Internet; and

a management center connected to the Internet.

9. The network monitoring system of claim 8, wherein a residual battery amount of the network camera and a resolution of an image captured by the network camera have a negative correlation.

10. The network monitoring system of claim 8, wherein a residual battery amount of the network camera and an amount of image data transmitted from the network camera have a negative correlation.

11. A hierarchical event detector, comprising:

a first event detector configured to detect an event signal;

a second event detector configured to calculate an event emergency class set as a plurality of levels from the event signal detected by the first event detector;

a data determiner configured to determine a format of data so that a data rate per second increases according to an increase in a level of the event emergency class calculated by the second event detector; and

a transceiver configured to transmit, to an outside transmission data of the format determined by the data determiner or to receive an external command.

12. The hierarchical event detector of claim 11, wherein the first event detector comprises at least one of an image sensor configured to detect an image signal, a sound sensor configured to detect a sound signal, an infrared (IR) sensor configured to detect a thermal signal, and an acceleration sensor configured to detect a vibration/mobile signal.

13. The hierarchical event detector of claim 11, wherein the first event detector is variably set based on a level of energy supplied.

14. The hierarchical event detector of claim 11, wherein the second event detector comprises at least one of an emergency analyzer configured to calculate the event emergency class directly from the event signal detected by sensors included in the first event detector and a behavior recognizer configured to determine the event emergency class by analyzing a behavior or a pattern from the event signal detected by the sensors included in the first event detector.

15. The hierarchical event detector of claim 14, wherein the emergency analyzer is configured to calculate the event emergency class using table matching or a predetermined equation.

16. The hierarchical event detector of claim 11, wherein the second event detector is configured to generate metadata of the event signal, and

the transceiver is configured to transmit the metadata to a network when a bandwidth of the network is insufficient or when the network is insufficiently supplied with energy required to transmit the event signal.

17. The hierarchical event detector of claim 14, further comprising:

a power source,

wherein the second event detector is configured to calculate the event emergency class using the emergency analyzer when a residual amount of the power source is less than a predetermined threshold, and to calculate the event emergency class using the behavior recognizer when the residual amount of the power source is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold.

18. The hierarchical event detector of claim 11, further comprising:

a network monitoring unit configured to verify an available bandwidth of a network, and to request the network for a channel preemption.

19. The hierarchical event detector of claim 18, wherein the network monitoring unit is configured to enable the data determiner to adjust a size of event data, thereby enabling real time transmission of the event data, when the available bandwidth of the network is insufficient.

20. A method of determining target data, the method comprising:

detecting an event signal;

calculating an event emergency class set as a plurality of levels from the event signal; and

determining a format of data so that a data rate per second increases according to an increase in a level of the calculated event emergency class.