Video surveillance system with pilot and slave cameras

• US 6,724,421 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1995
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Glatt, Terry Laurence
• Primary Examiner(s): RAO, ANAND SHASHIKANT
• Application Number:
  US08/568,402
• Time in Patent Office: 3,049 Days
• Field of Search: 348/169, 348/143, 348/154, 348/170, 348/171, 348/155, 348/156
• US Class Current: 348/154
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19628 of wide angled cameras and camera groups, e.g. omni-directional cameras, fish eye, single units having multiple cameras achieving a wide angle view
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19643 wherein the cameras play different roles, e.g. different resolution, different camera type, master-slave camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A video surveillance system for monitoring an area is made up of a stationary pilot camera for monitoring the area and one or more moveable slave cameras for monitoring at least part of the area. Each slave camera is allocated to part of the area being monitored. The pilot camera produces a signal representative of the area. The location of a moving object in the area monitored by the pilot camera is determined. A signal is produced representing the location of the object. The slave cameras track the object based on the signal representing the location of the object. The pilot camera is provided with a fisheye lens and thus has a field of view wider than that of the slave cameras. The area being monitored is divided into cartesian, polar or spherical coordinates thereby enabling a microcomputer to instruct the slave camera to follow the object. The signal representative of the area is compressed and transmitted over a communications channel for remote monitoring.

Claims

1. A video surveillance system for monitoring an area comprising:

a pilot camera for monitoring the area and producing an image of the area;

a slave camera for monitoring at least part of the area;

means for automatically determining a location of an object in the area monitored by the pilot camera from the image of the area and for producing a signal representing the location of the object;

means for causing the slave camera to track the object based on the signal representing the location of the object.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the pilot camera has a field of view wider than the field of view of the slave camera.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the pilot camera is stationary and the slave camera is movable.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the means for causing the slave camera to track the object comprises means for panning or tilting the slave camera.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the pilot camera has a fisheye lens.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the object is a moving object and the means for determining the location of the object comprises means for detecting the motion of the object.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the pilot camera produces a plurality of images of the area and wherein the means for detecting the location of the object comprise means for subtracting successive images of the area from each other.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining the location of the object comprises means for detecting specific frequencies of radiation emitted by the object.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for compressing the image of the area to produce a compressed image and means for transmitting the compressed image over a communications channel.

10. For use in a video surveillance system, a method of monitoring an area comprising the steps of:

monitoring the area by means of a pilot camera thereby producing an image of the area;

processing the image of the area to automatically determine a location of an object in the area and producing a signal representative of the location of the object;

controlling a slave camera such that the slave camera tracks the object based on the signal representative of the location of the object.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the pilot camera has a wider field of view than the slave camera.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the pilot camera is stationary and the slave camera is movable.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of controlling comprises panning or tilting the slave camera.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of processing comprises a step of detecting motion in the object.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the pilot camera produces a plurality of images of the area and wherein the step of processing comprises a step of subtracting successive images of the area from each other.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of processing comprises a step of detecting specific frequencies of radiation emitted by the object.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of compressing the image to form a compressed image and transmitting the compressed image over a communications channel.

18. A video surveillance system for monitoring an area comprising:

a pilot camera for monitoring the area and producing an image of the area;

a slave camera for monitoring at least part of the area;

means for automatically determining a location of an object in the area monitored by the pilot camera from the image of the area and for producing a signal representing the location of the object;

means for causing the slave camera to track the object based on the signal representing the location of the object by panning or tilting the slave camera.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the pilot camera is stationary and the slave camera is movable.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the means for determining the location of the object comprises means for detecting motion of the object.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the pilot camera produces a plurality of images of the area and wherein the means for detecting the location of the object comprise means for subtracting successive images of the area from each other.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the means for determining the location of the object comprises means for detecting specific frequencies of radiation emitted by the object.

23. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for compressing the image of the area to produce a compressed image and means for transmitting the compressed image over a communications channel.

24. A video surveillance system for monitoring an area, comprising:

a pilot camera, comprising a fisheye lens, for producing an image of the area;

means for analyzing the image of the area to automatically determine a location of an object in the area and for generating a signal representing the location of the object in the area;

a slave camera;

means for causing the slave camera to track the object based on the signal representing the location of the object in the area;

means for compressing the image of the area to produce a compressed image;

means for transmitting the compressed image to a remote monitoring station.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the pilot camera is stationary and the slave camera is movable.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the means for causing the slave camera to track the object comprises means for panning or tilting the slave camera.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the object is a moving object and the means for analyzing comprises means for detecting motion of the object.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the pilot camera produces a plurality of images of the area and wherein the means for detecting the location of the object comprise means for subtracting successive images of the area from each other.

29. For use in electronic surveillance system, a method of monitoring an area comprising the steps of:

monitoring the area by means of a pilot camera comprising a fisheye lens, thereby producing an image of the area;

processing the image of the area to automatically determine the location of an object in the area and producing a signal representative of a location of the object;

controlling a slave camera such that the slave camera tracks the object based on the signal representative of the location of the object;

compressing the image of the area;

transmitting the compressed image to a remote monitoring station.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

processing the signal representative of the area to determine the location of an object in the area and producing a signal representative of the location of the object;

controlling a slave camera such that the slave camera tracks the object based on the signal representative of the location of the object.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the pilot camera is stationary and the slave camera is movable.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the step of controlling comprises panning or tilting the slave camera.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein the object is a moving object and the step of determining the location of the object comprises detecting the motion of the object.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein the pilot camera produces a plurality of images of the area and wherein the step of detecting the location of the object comprises subtracting successive images of the area from each other.

35. The system of claim 29 wherein the step of determining the location of the object comprises the step of detecting specific frequencies of radiation emitted by the object.