Image collection apparatus and method

• US 6,987,528 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagahisa, Hiroto, Wakimoto, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Shawn S.
• Application Number:
  US09/579,891
• Time in Patent Office: 2,062 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/135, 348/156, 348/161, 348/155, 348/152, 348/154, 348/149, 348/701, 348/207, 382/173, 382/104, 382/107, 340/937, 340/529, 340/541, 340/506, 340/825, 345/168
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19673 Addition of time stamp, i.e. time metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19676 Temporary storage, e.g. cyclic memory, buffer storage on pre-alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

In an image collection apparatus an image acquisition unit acquires an image, an event detection unit detects an event, an event data creation unit creates event data indicative of at least a generation time and contents of the event detected by the event detection unit, a macro event definition unit defines a macro event including a related event group and having a time width by using the generation time and contents of the event, a macro event data creation unit creates macro event data by structurizing a plurality of event data based on definition contents of the macro event, an image recording unit records an image of a macro event corresponding to the macro event data, a retrieval unit retrieves a desirable macro event based on the macro event data, and a display unit displays the image of the macro event.

Claims

1. An image collection apparatus comprising:

a control unit that controls the operation of a plurality of units comprising the image collection apparatus, the plurality of units including;

an image acquisition unit which acquires an image;

an event detection unit which detects an event based on the image;

an operation unit by which inputted instructions are implemented;

an event data creation unit which creates event data indicative of at least a generation time and contents of the event detected by said event detection unit;

a macro event definition unit which defines a macro event, including at least a first event and a last event related to each other, and having a time width, equivalent to an entire range of events between a beginning of the at least first event to an end of the last event, by using the generation time and contents of the event;

wherein the macro event definition unit carries out definition including repetition of a predetermined event in a series of events constituting the macro event;

a macro event data creation unit for creating macro event data by structuring the at least first event and the last event from a plurality of event data generated by said event data creation unit based on definition contents of the macro event defined by said macro event definition unit allowing dependent storage and retrieval of the at least first event and the last event;

an image recording unit which records an image of a macro event corresponding to the macro event data;

a retrieval unit which retrieves a desirable macro event based on the macro event data; and

a display unit which acquires at least an image of the macro event retrieved by the retrieval unit from the image recording unit and displays the image;

an image summary unit which selects an image in a predetermined portion of the image of the macro event and summarizes the image of the macro event;

wherein said image recording unit records the image of the macro event summarized by said image summary unit;

a measurement unit which measures data related to the image; and

a measured data storage unit which stores the measured data acquired by said measurement unit in relation to the macro event,

wherein said display unit displays the image of the macro event and displays the measured data related to the macro event.

2. The image collection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a temporary storage unit which temporarily stores the image acquired by said image acquisition unit,

wherein said image recording unit extracts and records an image related to an event detected by said event detection unit from the image temporarily stored by said temporary storage unit.

3. The image collection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image summary unit which selects an image in a predetermined portion of the image of the macro event, periodically acquires a static image from a non-selected image of the macro event and connects the selected image with the static image on a time basis, thereby summarizing the image of the macro event, said image recording unit recording the image of the macro event summarized by said image summary unit.

4. The image collection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of image acquisition devices,

wherein said image recording unit selects one of said image acquisition units corresponding to the image of the macro event from a plurality of images input from said image acquisition units and records, as the image of the macro event, the image input from said selected image acquisition unit.

5. The image collection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an analysis unit which carries out a predetermined analysis processing based on at least the image of the macro event.

6. An image collection method comprising:

controlling a plurality of operations, including

acquiring an image and detecting an event;

implementing inputted instructions;

creating event data indicative of at least a generation time and contents of the event detected by said acquiring;

creating macro event data by structuring at least a first event and a last event related to each other from a plurality of event data generated by said event data generation unit and having a time width, equivalent to an entire range of events between a beginning of the at least first event to an end of the last event, allowing dependent storage and retrieval of the at least first event and the last event;

wherein said creating includes creating macro event data based on the macro event definition contents defined including repetition of a predetermined event in a series of event constituting the macro event'"'"'

recording an image of a macro event corresponding to the macro event data;

retrieving a desirable macro event based on the macro event data;

acquiring and displaying at least the image of the macro event retrieved at the retrieving;

selecting an image in a predetermined portion of the image of the macro event and summarizing the image of the macro event, said image recording including recording the image of the macro event summarized at said image summarizing;

measuring data related to the image;

storing the measured data acquired at said measuring step in relation to the macro event; and

said displaying including displaying the image of the macro event and displaying the measured data related to the macro event.

7. The image collection method according to claim 6, further comprising temporarily storing the image acquired at said acquiring,

wherein in said image recording an image related to an event detected at said acquiring is extracted from the image temporarily stored at said temporary storing and recorded.

8. The image collection method according to claim 6, further comprising selecting an image in a predetermined portion of the image of the macro event, periodically acquiring a static image from a non-selected image of the macro event and connecting the selected image with the static image on a time basis, to summarize the image of the macro event, said image recording including recording the image of the macro event summarized at said image summarizing.

9. The image collection method according to claim 6, wherein said image recording selects one of the images corresponding to the image of the macro event from a plurality of input images and records the selected image as the image of the macro event.

10. The image collection method according to claim 6, further comprising carrying out a predetermined analysis processing based on at least the image of the macro event.