Event management system

• US 7,236,690 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2002
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Security Video Camera Systems Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsukawa, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shibru; Helen
• Application Number:
  US10/227,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20030044168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 348/153, 348/143, 348/135, 348/207.99, 386/107, 386/117
• US Class Current: 386/223
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19652 Systems using zones in a single scene defined for different treatment, e.g. outer zone gives pre-alarm, inner zone gives alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19676 Temporary storage, e.g. cyclic memory, buffer storage on pre-alarm
• 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 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Cameras that are related to an alarm and a time period of an image that each camera records are defined in advance, and at a time of alarm occurrence, management data is made with reference to the definition contents. A surveillance object'"'"'s transfer path is presumed, and on the basis of this presumption, with each of cameras installed along the pathway, the time periods of the images that are to be associated with an event are each delayed and defined. By this, it is possible to record the suspicious behavior that the surveillance object demonstrates at the time of alarm occurrence and the suspicious behavior that the surveillance object demonstrates on its transfer path to a surveillance area as an event image. Furthermore, it is possible to narrow the time periods of images in which the surveillance object may be caught.

Claims

1. An event management system, comprising:

a local recorder apparatus that continuously records images from a plurality of cameras;

an event definer that defines, for each camera, a period of time relative to an event occurrence time, for an image to be associated with an event;

an alarm receiver that receives an alarm upon occurrence of the event;

an event maker that, when the alarm receiver receives the alarm, calculates, for each camera, a start time and an end time for the image to be associated with the event, based on the period of time defined in the event definer; and

a local event maker that extracts, from the images recorded in the local recorder apparatus, the image to be associated with the event, as a local event image, based on the start time and the end time calculated in the event maker,

wherein the event definer defines the period of time relative to the event occurrence time for the image to be associated with the event, such that the relative period of time is varied for at least one camera.

2. The event management system according to claim 1, wherein the event definer defines the period of time relative to the event occurrence time for the image to be associated with the event, such that the relative period of time varies for each event type.

3. The event management system according to claim 2, wherein the event definer defines the relative period of time, such that the event type varies in accordance with the event occurrence time.

4. The event system according to claim 1, further comprising an image analysis processor that detects a movement of an object recorded by the cameras and holds information related to the movement as attributive information of the images,

wherein the local event maker extracts only images that contain the movement, based on the attribute information.

5. The event management system according to claim 1, wherein:

the local event maker manages the local event image in association with a local event ID that identifies a local event; and

the event maker manages a correspondence of the local event ID for the local event image associated with the event occurrence.

6. The event management system according to claim 5, wherein:

the event definer adds a significance to the period of time relative to the event occurrence time for the image to be associated with an event and defines the relative period of time,

the event maker assigns the significance to the local event image and manages the local event image.

7. The event management system according to claim 1, wherein the relative period of time for each camara is variably settable with respect to the event occurrence time.