System and method for controlling surveillance cameras

• US 20170280043A1
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco International Management Company, LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Burke, Anthony, Madar, Piero, Humphreys, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 11,601,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/196 using television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19665 Details related to the storage of video surveillance data television signal recording H04N5/76
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system and method for controlling surveillance cameras is enclosed. In the system, a surveillance camera system includes surveillance cameras configured as VoIP server endpoints. The surveillance cameras receive messages from client devices such as mobile user devices and computer workstations functioning as VoIP client endpoints. The client devices establish a voice communications channel with the surveillance cameras for receiving and controlling one or more streams of image data sent by the surveillance camera over the voice communications channel to the client device. In a preferred embodiment, the voice communications channel includes a control session based on Session Information Protocol (SIP) and a data channel that is based on Real time transfer protocol (RTP). The data channel preferably operates in half duplex mode, which limits the potential for collisions on the data channel when the surveillance cameras are transmitting their image data to the client devices.

Claims

1. A system delivering image data from a surveillance camera, the system comprising:

a client device that establishes a voice communications channel for receiving and controlling one or more streams of image data generated by the surveillance camera.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice communications channel comprises a control session that the client device establishes with the surveillance camera, local image data storage system and/or cloud image data storage system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the client device controls the one or more streams of image data via the control session.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the control session authorizes the client device.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the control session is based upon the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice communications channel further comprises a data channel over which the client device receives the one or more streams of image data from the surveillance camera.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the data channel is based upon the Real time Transfer Protocol (RTP).

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the data channel is a half duplex data channel.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the surveillance camera is an IP surveillance camera including an application server that establishes the voice communications channel with the client device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the image data of the one or more streams of image data are stored within the surveillance camera.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an application server of the surveillance camera that includes:

a SIP layer based on an implementation of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for establishing a control session of the voice communications channel, for controlling the one or more streams of image data sent by the surveillance camera to the client device; and

an RTP layer based on an implementation of the Real Time Protocol (RTP) for establishing a half duplex data channel of the voice communications channel, for sending the one or more streams of image data to the client device.

12. A method for delivering image data from a surveillance camera, the method comprising:

a client device establishing a voice communications channel; and

receiving and controlling one or more streams of image data originating from the surveillance camera over the voice communications channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the client device establishing the voice communications channel comprises the client device establishing a control session and a data channel with the surveillance camera, local image data storage system and/or cloud image data storage system.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the data channel referencing a session ID of the control session.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the control session authorizing the client device.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising implementing the control session based upon the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

17. The method of claim 12, wherein controlling the one or more streams of image data comprises the client device sending control messages to the surveillance camera via an IP based control session of the voice communications channel.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the one or more streams of image data sent by the surveillance camera comprises the client device receiving the streams of image data from the surveillance camera over a data channel of the voice communications channel.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising operating the data channel in half duplex mode.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising implementing the data channel based upon the Real time Transfer Protocol (RTP).