Security camera system and displaying method by security camera

• US 6,714,236 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2000
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Security Video Camera Systems Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kogane, Haruo, Wakiyama, Koji, Tamura, Kazushige, Wada, Jyoji, Yano, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, NHON THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/660,326
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.718, 348/143, 348/152, 348/153, 348/156, 348/155
• US Class Current: 348/152
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1963 Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ]
• 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 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

To provide a security camera system for displaying a picture so as to easily know a place where an abnormal situation occurs. The security camera system includes a security camera 61 having at least more than one rotation axis and a controller 70 for controlling the security camera 61. The controller 70 is provided with a moving picture detector 80 for detecting a motion from pictures taken by the security camera during an automatic monitoring operation. The controller switches an operation of the security camera from automatic monitoring to still monitoring in the case when the moving picture detector detects a motion from monitored pictures. Therefore, in the case when a suspicious person, fire smoke, or the like is detected in a subject building at night, for example, during an automatic monitoring operation for shooting target monitoring places sequentially, a shooting point of the security camera is fixed there so as to shoot and display an abnormal situation on a monitor screen.

Claims

1. A security camera system, comprising:

a security camera having more than one rotation axis; and

a controller for controlling said security camera;

wherein

said controller includes motion detecting means for detecting a motion from pictures taken by said security camera during an automatic rotating operation, and

said controller stops the automatic rotating operation of said security camera in the case that said motion detecting means detects said motion.

2. The security camera system according to claim 1, wherein said controller further includes alarm generating means for outputting an alarm signal in the case when said moving picture detecting means detects said motion.

3. The security camera system according to claim 1, wherein said controller further includes voice synthesizing means for outputting a synthesized voice denoting a target place in the case when said moving picture detecting means detects said motion.

4. The security camera system according to claim 1, wherein said controller further includes communicating means, which uses a public line, for automatically calling a specific phone number in the case when said moving picture detecting means detects said motion.

5. The security camera system according to claim 1, wherein said controller further includes character generating means for generating a character string denoting an abnormal situation and superimposing said character string on a picture in the case when said moving picture detecting means detects said motion.

6. The security camera system according to claim 1, wherein said controller holds graphic data of a monitoring area, and said controller is controlled so as to display said graphic data on which a motion detected point is denoted in the case when said moving picture detecting means detects said motion.

7. A security camera system, comprising:

a security camera having more than one rotation axis; and

a controller for controlling said security camera, wherein

said controller includes motion detecting means for detecting a motion from pictures taken by said security camera during an automatic rotating operation,

said controller stops the automatic rotating operation of said security camera if said motion detecting means detects said motion, and

said controller records monitored pictures taken by said security camera, during an automatic monitoring operation, and monitoring history data including monitoring places and monitoring times of said security camera.

8. The security camera system according to claim 7, wherein said monitored pictures and said monitoring history data are accumulated only for a fixed time, so that older monitored pictures and monitoring history data are sequentially discarded so as to accumulate newer monitored pictures and monitoring history data.

9. The security camera system according to claim 7, wherein a monitored picture of a monitoring place is selected from said accumulated monitored pictures and replayed repetitively in case said monitoring place is selected from said monitoring history data.

10. A security camera system, comprising:

a security camera having more than one rotation axis; and

a controller for controlling said security camera, wherein

said controller includes motion detecting means for detecting a motion from pictures taken by said security camera during an automatic rotating operation,

said controller stops the automatic rotating operation of said security camera if said motion detecting means detects said motion, and

said controller includes picture recognizing means for recognizing a human face looking up at said security camera from among said pictures taken by said security camera, and said controller records both said human face recognized by said picture recognizing means and its shooting time.

11. The method for displaying pictures taken by said security camera according to claim 10, wherein said additional information displayed together with said one picture is a character string denoting an occurrence of an abnormal situation.

12. The method for displaying pictures taken by a security camera according to claim 10, wherein said additional information is a focal length of said security camera, said added information being displayed together with said one picture.

13. The method for displaying pictures taken by a security camera according to claim 10, wherein said added information is graphic data of a monitoring area, said added information being displayed together with said one picture.

14. A method for displaying pictures taken by a security camera, which has more than one rotation axis, in a security camera system that includes a controller for controlling said security camera, the method comprising:

detecting, with a motion detector of said controller, motion from pictures taken by said security camera during an automatic rotating operation;

stopping, with said controller, the automatic rotating operation of said security camera if said motion detector detects said motion in said pictures taken by said security camera;

adding additional information to one of the pictures taken by said security camera; and

displaying said one picture with the additional information when said controller detects said motion.

15. A method for displaying pictures taken by a security camera, which has more than one rotation axis, in a security camera system that includes a controller for controlling said security camera, the method comprising:

detecting, with a motion detector of said controller, motion from pictures taken by said security camera during an automatic rotating operation;

stopping, with said controller, the automatic rotating operation of said security camera if said motion detector detects said motion in pictures taken by said security camera;

holding, with said controller, monitored pictures taken by said security camera, during an automatic monitoring operation, and monitoring history data including both monitoring place and monitoring time of said security camera; and

repetitively replaying a monitored picture of a monitoring place if said monitoring place is selected from said monitoring history data, wherein

said monitoring place is included in said monitored pictures.