Digital image recording system

• US 6,807,360 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2001
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Optex Company Limited (OPTEX GROUP Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Optex Company Limited (OPTEX GROUP Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Imai, Akihiko, Sakamoto, Kazutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/806,233
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.591, H04/N.5781, H04/N.718, 386/46, 386/38, 386/40, 386/52, 386/55, 386/107, 386/117, 386/124, 386/125, 386/126, 386/1, 386/4, 348/143, 348/144, 348/159, 348/207.99, 348/222.1
• US Class Current: 386/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

The digital image recording system of the present invention comprises event storage unit for storing, on occurrence of an event, the order of such occurrence, importance level storage unit for storing the importance level of the event, and image acquisition unit for sequentially importing the image information from a plurality of image taking unit connection with each event and recording it in accordance with the information stored in these storage unit. On generation of an alarm, the image acquisition unit also stores, by multiprocessing, alarm image information provided from corresponding image taking unit. On occurrence of an event, the event storage unit stores the channel number for the corresponding image taking unit in the order of event occurrence, but does not additionally store such channel if the event storage unit already contains the same channel number as the one for the image taking unit in connection with the event occurrence.

Claims

1. A digital image recording system which comprises:

a plurality of image taking means;

recording means capable of recording image information taken by the image taking means;

event storage means for storing, on occurrence of an event, an order of each occurrence; and

image acquisition means for sequentially importing the image information from the image taking means in connection with the event, in accordance with the order of event occurrence stored in the event storage means, and for recording the imported image information on the recording means.

2. A digital image recording system according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition means performs multiprocessing of intermittent image information which is intermittently imported from the image taking means and alarm image information which is provided, on generation of an alarm, from the image taking means in connection with the alarm generation.

3. A digital image recording system according to claim 1, which further comprises importance level storage means for recognizing and storing a level of importance of the event when the event storage means stores the order of event occurrence,

wherein the importance level of the event stored on the importance level storage means is added to the image information when the image information on each event is recorded on the recording means.

4. A digital image recording system according to claim 3, wherein the event storage means stores, on occurrence of an event and in the order of event occurrence, a channel number which corresponds to the image taking means in connection with the event, and, if the channel number of the image taking means in connection with the event is the same as the one already existing in the event storage means at the time of such event occurrence, the channel number which corresponds to the image taking means in connection with the event is excluded from additional storage;

and

wherein the importance level storage means compares importance levels of both events related by the same channel number, and, only when the event to be stored shows a higher level of importance, the importance level storage means stores the importance level of the event to be stored, in replacement of the importance level of the existing event.

5. A digital image recording system according to claim 2, which further comprises importance level storage means for recognizing and storing a level of importance of the event when the event storage means stores the order of event occurrence,

wherein the importance level of the event stored on the importance level storage means is added to the image information when the image information on each event is recorded on the recording means.

6. A digital image recording system according to claim 5, wherein the event storage means stores, on occurrence of an event and in the order of event occurrence, a channel number which corresponds to the image taking means in connection with the event, and, if the channel number of the image taking means in connection with the event is the same as the one already existing in the event storage means at the time of such event occurrence, the channel number which corresponds to the image taking means in connection with the event is excluded from additional storage;

and

wherein the importance level storage means compares importance levels of both events related by the same channel number, and, only when the event to be stored shows a higher level of importance, the importance level storage means stores the importance level of the event to be stored, in replacement of the importance level of the existing event.