Simulated Human Cognition Sensor System

• US 20160078316A1
• Filed: 08/17/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AES Corporation
• Original Assignee: AES Corporation
• Inventors: Sherman, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US14/828,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20160078316A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/44 Event detection
• 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 2201/05 Recognition of patterns representing particular kinds of hidden objects, e.g. weapons, explosives, drugs
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19613 Recognition of a predetermined image pattern or behaviour pattern indicating theft or intrusion

Abstract

This disclosure relates to systems and methods simulating human cognitive recognition of a threat. The disclosed systems utilize images captured from one or more security cameras to detect potential threats (i.e., reportable events). The images can be compared to template images stored in the system, the template images showing threats to a facility or individuals in the facility. The template images allow the system to determine whether a threat has been detected and whether it should be reported. The disclosed systems can be modified by the user and learn based on updates to the templates.

Claims

1. A cognitive recognition system for detection of threats comprising:

(a) one or more cameras, wherein the cameras are operably linked to a processor;

(b) a volatile memory for storing an image obtained by the one or more cameras;

(c) one or more non-volatile memories, wherein the non-volatile memories store criteria for determining whether the image detects a threat, and determining whether the threat in the image should be reported, and one or more template images used for comparison to the image stored in the volatile memory;

(d) a memory comprising executable instructions, wherein the processor executes the instructions to;

(i) access the volatile memory to obtain the image;

(ii) access the non-volatile memories to identify one or more template images;

(iii) compare the image to one or more template images;

(iv) identify a template image that is similar to the image;

(v) access criteria stored in the non-volatile memories; and

(vi) calculate whether the image identifies a threat that must be reported to an authorized person.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the authorized person is selected from the group consisting of user, security personnel, emergency personnel, police, and combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is operably connected to an alarm via a relay.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the alarm is audible or silent.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more non-volatile memories are two non-volatile memories.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a first non-volatile memory stores the criteria and a second non-volatile memory stores the template images.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a user interface.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the user interface is a network interface.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera is a digital camera.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera is an analog camera.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a digital image converter operably connected to the analog camera and to the processor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one more cameras are connected to the processor via a wireless connection.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein system transmits data to authorized individuals via a connection.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the data is transmitted via the connection selected from the group consisting of wireless, telephone line, broadband, DSL, and optical.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the data is transmitted using a standard selected from the group consisting of RS-232 and RS-485.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the system transmits an image to a display at a security station over a network only when the system detects a potentially reportable event.

17. The system of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions for the processor to execute to store one or more images from the volatile memory to the one or more non-volatile memories.

18. The system of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions for the processor to execute to store criteria in the non-volatile memory inputted from the user.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more non-volatile memories are divided into a permanent template memory and a learned template memory.

20. The system of claim 1 further comprising executable instruction for the processor to execute to categorize one or more template images as indicating a threat.

21. The system of claim 1 further comprising executable instruction for the processor to execute to allow a user to access the one or more non-volatile memories to modify, add, or remove one or more criteria.

22. The system of claim 1 further comprising executable instruction for the processor to execute to subtract information from the image in volatile memory from one or more template images in non-volatile memory.

23. The system of claim 1 further comprising executable instruction for the processor to execute to calculate a threat level based on the image in volatile memory and compare the threat level to the threshold specified for reporting the threat.

24. The system of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions for the processor to execute to alter the frame speed of the one or more cameras based on the identification of a potential threat.

25. A method for cognitive recognition of possible threats, the method comprising:

(a) providing one or more cameras operably linked to a processor;

(b) storing one or more images from the one or more cameras in a volatile memory;

(c) accessing one or more non-volatile memories, wherein the non-volatile memories store criteria for determining whether the threat in the image should be reported, for determining whether the image detects a threat, and one or more template images stored in the non-volatile memory;

(d) accessing the one or more images in the volatile memory;

(e) comparing the one or more images to one or more template images;

(f) identifying a template image that is similar to the one or more images;

(g) accessing criteria stored in the non-volatile memories to determine whether the template image similar to the one or more images identifies a threat; and

(h) calculating a percent correlation of one or more templates to confirm that the image identifies a reportable event that must be reported to an authorized person.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more cameras are operably linked to the processor by a network connection.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the network connection is selected from the group consisting of broadband, optical, wireless, DSL, and telephonic.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein one or more non-volatile memories are two non-volatile memories.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein a first non-volatile memory stores criteria for determining whether a reportable event has been detected and a second non-volatile memory stores the one or more template images.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more template images are stored in the system by the authorized person.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more template images are categorized according to whether the images represent a threat or non-threat.

32. The method of claim 25 further comprising storing an image from volatile memory into the one or more non-volatile memories after the image has been categorized as a reportable event or a non-reportable event.

33. The method of claim 25 further comprising accessing the one or more template images in the non-volatile memories using a memory map.

34. The method of claim 25 further comprising allowing the authorized person to recategorize the one or more template images stored in the one or more non-volatile memories.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein comparing the one or more template images to the one or more images comprises image subtraction to identify the differences between the one or more template images to the one or more images.

36. The method of claim 25, wherein comparing the one or more template images to the one or more images comprises overlaying a template image over an image to identify similarities between the template image and the image.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein comparing the one or more template images to the one or more images comprises approximating the similarities between the template image and the image.

38. The method of claim 25, wherein comparing the one or more template images to the one or more images comprises using a keypoint matching algorithm.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the keypoint matching algorithm identifies similarities between a template image and an image.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein comparing the one or more template images to the one or more images comprises approximating the similarities between the template image and the image.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising allowing the authorized person to set a limit by which the template image is determined to be similar to the image.

42. The method of claim 25 further comprising allowing the authorized person to modify the criteria for determining whether a threat has been identified.

43. The method of claim 25, wherein the criteria are selected from the group consisting of time of day, day of week, date, whether an object is an individual, whether the individual is authorized to be in the area, whether an event is occurring that is undesired, whether smoke is detected, whether fire is detected, whether an individual has a weapon, and combinations thereof.

44. The method of claim 25 further comprising reporting the threat to a display at a security station.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the display shows only an image when a reportable event is probable.

46. The method of claim 25 further comprising modifying the frame speed of the one or more cameras when a potential reportable event is detected.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the frame speed is increased from a low shutter rate to a higher shutter rate when a reportable event is probable.

48. The method of claim 25 further comprising comparing a first image in volatile memory to a second image in volatile memory to determine the differences between the images.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the comparison is performed using a subtraction algorithm.

50. The method of claim 25 further comprising updating the non-volatile memories with one or more images stored in the volatile memory so as the one or more images are categorized as template images.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the template images are categorized so as to allow the authorized person to identify the template images as being from the volatile memory.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the authorized person modifies the template images stored from volatile memory.

53. The method of claim 25 further comprising uploading one or more template images into the non-volatile memories.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the one or more template images are staged to show a probable reportable event.