Apparatus for Automated Monitoring of Facial Images and a Process Therefor

• US 20160026855A1
• Filed: 04/21/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Centre For Development of Advanced Computing
• Original Assignee: Centre For Development of Advanced Computing
• Inventors: Mazumdar, Debasis, Mukherjee, Ritesh
• Granted Patent: US 10,592,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/25 Determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/446 using Haar-like filters, e.g. using integral image techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Provided herein is an apparatus for automated monitoring of facial images. The apparatus includes a cabinet having at least one video capturing device for continuously capturing video. The apparatus also includes means for analyzing frames to identify human facial images and for cropping facial images with data and time information, if detected, and at least one means for instantaneously transmitting the cropped facial images with date and time to at least one predefined storage unit operating in an unattended mode. The predefined storage unit is operatively connected to the cabinet. The apparatus can be configured for headless startup by means of an in built application software. A process for automated monitoring of facial images for surveillance purposes in a monitoring apparatus is also provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automated monitoring of facial images comprising:

a cabinet having at least one video capturing device for continuously capturing videos;

means for analyzing frames to identify human facial images and for cropping facial images with date and time information, if detected; and

at least one means for instantaneously transmitting the cropped facial images with date and time to at least one predefined storage unit operating in an unattended mode, and to which the cabinet is operatively connected.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said apparatus is configured to headless start up by means of an in built application software.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said application software is enabled to analyze the captured videos frame by frame using a Haar classification image calculation mechanism, to recognize whether or not any face has been captured and to crop facial images when detected and to normalize and capture the date and time.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cabinet is formed of an electrically conductive material and has a sliding tray arrangement for securing the cabinet to a hidden location, and wherein a frontal portion of said cabinet has an inbuilt digital video camera.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a top portion of the cabinet has a power supply arrangement for operating the apparatus and a slot for insertion of a micro SD card having application software.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a bottom portion of the cabinet comprises USB slots for connecting a wi-fi dongle for immediate transfer of cropped facial images with date and time to an off-site storage unit operating in an unattended mode, for preserving captured images in said storage unit for investigation and analysis instantaneously or as and when required.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein a top portion of the cabinet has a power supply arrangement for operating the apparatus and a slot for insertion of a micro SD card having application software.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein a bottom portion of the cabinet comprises USB slots for connecting a wi-fi dongle for immediate transfer of cropped facial images with date and time to an off-site storage unit operating in an unattended mode, for preserving captured images in said storage unit for investigation and analysis instantaneously or as and when required.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said apparatus is a surveillance device attached adjacent to an eye-hole of each location intended to place under surveillance, for capturing visitors'"'"'/possible intruders'"'"' facial images and for preserving those with a proper date and time stamp in the off-site storage unit.

7. An apparatus for automated monitoring of facial images comprising a cabinet having at least one video capturing device for continuously capturing videos;

means for analyzing frames to identify human facial images and for cropping facial images with date and time information, if detected; and

at least one means for transmitting in real time the cropped facial images with date and time to at least one predefined storage unit operating in unattended mode, and to which the cabinet is operatively connected, wherein a bottom portion of the cabinet is provided with a slot for an RJ45 connector to attach a LAN cable for transfer of cropped facial images to an off-site storage unit in an unattended mode, and for preserving captured images in said storage unit for investigation and analysis instantaneously or when required.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said apparatus is a surveillance device attached adjacent to an eye-hole of each location intended to place under surveillance, for capturing visitors'"'"'/possible intruders'"'"' facial images and for preserving those with a proper date and time stamp in the off-site storage unit.

9. A process for automated monitoring of facial images for surveillance purposes in a monitoring apparatus, comprising:

(a) continuously capturing videos using a video capturing device;

(b) analyzing frame by frame of the captured videos with the help of application software using a Haar classifier image calculation mechanism for identifying human face images, cropping facial images when detected, and normalizing; and

(c) capturing date and time information of the detected facial images and immediately transmitting cropped facial images to a predefined off site storage unit operating in an unattended mode, using a wi-fi dongle or network cable for investigation and analysis instantaneously or as and when required.

10. The process for automated monitoring of facial images as claimed in claim 9, wherein the application software initiates headless start up of the apparatus.