SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM, SURVEILLANCE CAMERA AND METHOD FOR SECURITY SURVEILLANCE

• US 20150244989A1
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Transcend Information Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Transcend Information Incorporated
• Inventors: LIAO, Mao-Yu
• Application Number:
  US14/191,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20150244989A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G08B 29/18 Prevention or correction of operating errors G08B29/02, G08B29/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• 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 surveillance system, a surveillance camera, and a method for security surveillance are provided. The surveillance system includes at least one first surveillance camera and a second surveillance camera electrically connected to the first surveillance camera via networks. When the first surveillance camera detects and determines that the second surveillance camera is disabled, the first surveillance camera changes a first viewing zone to overlap a second viewing zone of the second surveillance camera.

Claims

1. A surveillance camera, comprising:

a connecting unit configured to communicate with other surveillance cameras via networks;

a camera lens having a first viewing zone;

a processing unit electrically connected to the camera lens and the connecting unit, configured to detect and determining whether anyone of the other surveillance cameras is disabled to communicate with the other surveillance cameras with the connecting unit; and

a viewing-zone changing element electrically connected to the processing unit, and configured to change the first viewing zone to overlap a second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera.

2. The surveillance camera of claim 1, wherein the viewing-zone changing element comprises:

a pan-tilt mechanism configured to change the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera by rotating the camera lens of the surveillance camera.

3. The surveillance camera of claim 2, further comprising:

a memory element electrically connected to the processing unit, and having at least one predetermined rotation angle stored therein,

wherein the pan-tilt mechanism rotates the camera lens to change the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera in accordance with the predetermined rotation angle.

4. The surveillance camera of claim 2, further comprising:

a positioning transceiver electrically connected to the processing unit, and configured to receive a location data from the disabled surveillance camera; and

a calculation element electrically connected to the processing unit, and configured to produce a suggested rotation angle by using the position data,

wherein the pan-tilt mechanism changes the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone by rotating the camera lens in accordance with the suggested rotation angle.

5. The surveillance camera of claim 1, wherein the viewing-zone changing element comprises:

a zooming element configured to change the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera by zooming the first viewing zone.

6. The surveillance camera of claim 5, further comprising:

a memory element electrically connected to the processing unit, and having at least one predetermined zooming percentage stored therein,

wherein the zooming element zooms to change the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone in accordance with the predetermined zooming percentage.

7. The surveillance camera of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to respectively request the other surveillance cameras to reply to the other surveillance cameras with the connecting unit via the networks.

8. The surveillance camera of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to respectively receive indication signals from the disabled surveillance camera with the connecting unit via the networks.

9. A surveillance system comprising:

at least one first surveillance camera having a first viewing zone; and

a second surveillance camera electrically connected to the first surveillance camera via networks, and having a second viewing zone being different from the first viewing zone,

wherein, when the first surveillance camera detects and determines that the second surveillance camera is disabled, the first surveillance camera actively changes the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the second surveillance camera.

10. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein the first surveillance camera comprises:

a camera lens covering the first viewing zone; and

a pan-tilt mechanism rotatably disposed on the camera lens, and configured to rotate the camera lens to change the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the second surveillance camera in accordance with a predetermined rotation angle.

11. The surveillance system of claim 10, wherein the second surveillance camera further comprises a first positioning system transceiver for outputting a location data;

and the first surveillance camera further comprises;

a second positioning transceiver for receiving a location data from the second surveillance camera via the networks; and

a calculation element electrically connected to the second positioning transceiver, and calculating out a suggested rotation angle in accordance with the location data received by the second positioning transceiver,

wherein the camera lens changes the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the second surveillance camera by rotating the pan-tilt mechanism in accordance with the suggested rotation angle.

12. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein the first surveillance camera comprises:

a zooming element disposed on the camera lens, and zooming to change the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the second surveillance camera in accordance with a predetermined zooming percentage.

13. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein the second surveillance camera comprises:

a vibration sensor configured to output an abnormal signal to the first surveillance camera via the networks when the vibration sensor detects that the second surveillance camera is moved.

14. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein the second surveillance camera comprises:

a pixel variation sensor configured to output an abnormal signal to the first surveillance camera via the networks when the pixel variation sensor determines that two frames of the real-time videos of the second viewing zone are different.

15. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein

the first surveillance camera comprises a first connecting unit;

and

the second surveillance camera comprises a second connecting unit communicatively connected to the first connecting unit of the first surveillance camera via the networks,

when the first surveillance camera receives an abnormal signal from the second connecting unit of the second surveillance camera by the first connecting unit, the first surveillance camera determines that the second surveillance camera is disabled for outputting the real-time videos of the second viewing zone.

16. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein the first surveillance camera comprises a first connecting unit;

and

the second surveillance camera comprises a second connecting unit communicatively connected to the first connecting unit of the first surveillance camera via the networks,

wherein, when the second surveillance camera fails to reply a request sent from the first surveillance camera by the second connecting unit in a predetermined time, the first surveillance camera determines that the second surveillance camera is disabled as being failed to output the real-time videos of the second viewing zone.

17. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein the first surveillance camera comprises:

an action table having at least one predetermined rotation angle, and the predetermined rotation angle corresponding to the second surveillance camera.

18. The surveillance system of claim 9, wherein the first surveillance camera comprises:

an action table having at least one zooming percentage, the predetermined zooming percentage corresponds to the second surveillance camera.

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

a control center electrically connected to the first surveillance camera and the second surveillance camera via the networks, and configured to receive real-time videos of at least one of the first viewing zone of the first surveillance camera and the second viewing zone of the second surveillance camera.

20. A method for security surveillance implemented on at least one of surveillance cameras covering a first viewing zone, and the method comprising:

communicatively connecting to the other surveillance cameras via networks;

communicating to the other surveillance cameras via the networks, and detecting and determining whether anyone of the other surveillance cameras is disabled as being failed to output real-time videos of a second viewing zone by; and

changing the first viewing zone thereof to overlap the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera.

21. The method for security surveillance of claim 20, wherein the step of communicating to the other surveillance cameras via the networks, further comprises:

communicating to the other surveillance cameras via networks periodically.

22. The method for security surveillance of claim 20, wherein the step of detecting and determining whether anyone of the other surveillance cameras is disabled, further comprises:

detecting and determining whether any of the other surveillance cameras is functionally interrupted; and

when any of the other surveillance cameras is determined to be functionally interrupted, the one of the surveillance cameras is determined to be disabled.

23. The method for security surveillance of claim 22, wherein the step of detecting and determining whether anyone of the other surveillance cameras is functionally interrupted, further comprises:

detecting and determining whether an abnormal signal of any of the other surveillance cameras being vibrated is received from the one of the other surveillance cameras via the networks;

when the abnormal signal is received from the one of the other surveillance cameras via the networks, the one of the other surveillance cameras is determined to be functionally interrupted.

24. The method for security surveillance of claim 22, wherein the step of detecting and determining whether anyone of the other surveillance cameras is functionally interrupted, further comprises:

detecting and determining whether an abnormal signal is received from any of the other surveillance cameras via the networks, wherein the abnormal signal is outputted when two frames of the real-time videos of the second viewing zone is detected to be mainly different;

when the abnormal signal is received from any of the other surveillance cameras via the networks, the one of the other surveillance cameras is functionally interrupted.

25. The method for security surveillance of claim 20, wherein the step of detecting and determining whether anyone of the other surveillance cameras is disabled, further comprises:

requesting the other surveillance cameras to reply via the networks; and

determining whether anyone of the other surveillance cameras fails to reply in a predetermined period via the networks,

when anyone of the other surveillance cameras fails to reply in the predetermined period, the one of the other surveillance cameras is determined to be disabled.

26. The method for security surveillance of claim 20, wherein the step of changing the first viewing zone thereof for overlapping the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera, further comprises:

changing the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera by rotating the surveillance camera.

27. The method for security surveillance of claim 20, wherein the step of changing the first viewing zone thereof to overlap the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera, further comprises:

receiving a location data from the disabled surveillance camera;

producing a suggested rotation angle by using the location data; and

changing the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera by rotating the surveillance camera in accordance with the suggested rotation angle.

28. The method for security surveillance of claim 20, wherein the step of changing the first viewing zone thereof to overlap the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera, further comprises:

zooming to change the first viewing zone to overlap the second viewing zone of the disabled surveillance camera.