Method and apparatus to select the best video frame to transmit to a remote station for CCTV based residential security monitoring

• US 6,700,487 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Colmenarez, Antonio Jr., Gutta, Srinivas, Cohen-Solal, Eric, Lyons, Damian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US10/139,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20030164764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 340/541, 340/528, 340/547, 340/545.1, 340/567, 340/531, 348/143, 348/152-155, 379/37, 379/39, 379/44
• US Class Current: 340/541
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19602 Image analysis to detect motion of the intruder, e.g. by frame subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19604 involving reference image or background adaptation with time to compensate for changing conditions, e.g. reference image update on detection of light level change
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A security monitoring system including: an alarm system having detectors for detection of an alarm in a structure; at least one camera for capturing image data inside and/or outside the structure; a processor for selecting a subset of the image data upon the occurrence of the alarm based on a predetermined criteria; and a modem for transmitting the subset of image data to a remote location. The processor ranks each video frame from the image data according to how well each video frame meets the predetermined criteria and the modem transmits a predetermined number of video frames having the best rank to the remote location.

Claims

1. A security monitoring system comprising:

an alarm system that is configured to detect an occurrence of an alarm;

at least one camera that is associated with the alarm and is configured to capture image data comprising a plurality of image frames;

a processor that is configured to select a subset of the image frames from the at least one camera that is associated with the alarm upon the occurrence of the alarm based on a set of predetermined criteria; and

a transmitter that is configured to transmit the subset of image frames to a remote location.

2. The security monitoring system of claim 1, wherein

the at least one camera includes a video camera,

the image data includes video image data, and

the subset of the image frames includes at least one video frame of the video image data.

3. The security monitoring system of claim 1, wherein

the processor is a computer vision system for analyzing the image data according to the predetermined criteria.

4. The security monitoring system of claim 3, further comprising an image recording system for recording the image data to be analyzed by the computer vision system.

5. The security monitoring system of claim 4, wherein

the image data is recorded for a predetermined time period before and after the occurrence of the alarm.

6. The security monitoring system of claim 4, wherein

the image data is analog image data,

the system further comprising

an analog to digital converter for converting the analog image data to digital image data prior to being analyzed by the computer vision system.

7. The security monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising

compressor that is configured to compress the subset of the image frames prior to transmission to the remote location.

8. The security monitoring system of claim 1, wherein

the transmitter includes a modem.

9. The security monitoring system of claim 1, wherein

the at least one camera includes a video camera,

the image data includes video image data, and

the subset of the image frames includes at least one video frame of the video image data,

the processor ranks each video frame from the image data according to how well each video frame meets the predetermined criteria, and

the transmitter transmits a predetermined number of video frames having the best rank to the remote location.

10. The security monitoring system of claim 1, wherein

the at least one camera includes a video camera,

the image data includes video image data, and

the subset of the image frames includes at least one video frame of the video image data,

the processor subtracts an established background from each video frame resulting in a difference region, and

the predetermined criteria are selected from a group consisting of:

how centered the difference region is in the video frame;

how large the difference region is in the video frame;

whether the difference region consists of a large difference region or a group of smaller difference regions in the video frame;

the contrast of the difference region in the video frame;

the lighting condition on the difference region in the video frame; and

whether a face is detected in the difference region in the video frame.

11. The security monitoring system of claim 10, wherein

if the set of predetermined criteria includes whether a face is detected in the difference region of the video frame,

a further set of predetermined criteria is selected from a group consisting of:

how much of the face is visible in the video frame;

whether the face is turned towards or away from the video frame; and

whether key features of the face are visible in the video frame.

12. The security monitoring system of claim 1, wherein

the at least one camera includes a video camera,

the image data includes video image data, and

the subset of the image frames includes at least one video frame of the video image data, and

the predetermined criteria are selected from a group consisting of:

whether the video frame is blurred;

how much skin color is contained in the video frame;

if a person is recognized in the video frame; and

the lighting condition on a region of motion in the video frame.

13. A method for monitoring a structure, the method comprising the

detecting an alarm in the structure;

capturing image data comprising a plurality of image frames associated with the alarm;

selecting a subset of the image frames upon the occurrence of the alarm based on a set of predetermined criteria; and

transmitting the subset of image frames to a remote location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

the subset of the image frames includes frames corresponding to a predetermined time period before and after the occurrence of the alarm.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein

the image data is analog image data,

the method further comprising

the step of converting the analog image data to digital image data.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising

compressing the subset of the image frames prior to transmission to the remote location.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein

the image data includes video image data and the subset of the image frames includes at least one video frame of the video image data,

the method further comprises

ranking each video frame from the image data according to how well each video frame meets the predetermined criteria, and

the subset includes a predetermined number of video frames having the best rank to the remote location.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein

the image data includes video image data and

the subset of the image frames includes at least one video frame of the video image data,

the method further comprises

subtracting an established background from each video frame resulting in a difference region, and

the predetermined criteria are selected from a group consisting of:

how centered the difference region is in the video frame;

how large the difference region is in the video frame;

whether the difference region consists of a large difference region or a group of smaller difference regions in the video frame;

the contrast of the difference region in the video frame;

the lighting condition on the difference region in the video frame; and

whether a face is detected in the difference region in the video frame.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein

if the predetermined criteria includes whether a face is detected in the difference region of the video frame,

a further set of predetermined criteria are selected from a group consisting of:

how much of the face is visible in the video frame;

whether the face is mined towards or away from the video frame; and

whether key features of the face are visible in the video frame.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein

the image data includes video image data and

the subset of the image frames includes at least one video frame of the video image data, and

the set of predetermined criteria are selected from a group consisting of:

whether the video frame is blurred;

how much skin color is contained in the video frame;

if a person is recognized in the video frame; and

the lighting condition on a region of motion in the video frame.