System and method for image monitoring
First Claim
1. An image monitoring system comprising:
- a central controller; and
a plurality of digital still camera units operatively connected to the central controller, wherein at least one of the camera units comprisesan image sensor;
a motion detector operatively connected to the image sensor that causes the image sensor to receive digital still image data when motion is detected;
a micro controller operatively connected to the image sensor and to the motion detector;
a first nonvolatile memory operatively connected to or included in the micro controller; and
computer readable program code stored on the first memory for causing the micro controller to determine whether the digital still image data should be transmitted to the central controller, wherein the central controller then determines whether the digital still image data should be transmitted to a monitoring station;
wherein at least one of the camera units includes a pre-trigger feature that, following a detection of motion by the motion detector, transmits to the central controller a series of buffered digital still images captured before the detection of motion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An image monitoring system uses wireless communications to transmit images for security monitoring. The system includes a central controller (105) and a plurality of digital still camera units (110) operatively connected to the central controller (105). At least one of the camera units (110) includes an image sensor (215), a motion detector (220) that causes the image sensor (215) to receive image data when motion is detected, a micro controller (205), and a first nonvolatile memory operatively connected to or included in the micro controller (205). The micro controller (205) determines whether received image data should be transmitted to the central controller (105), and the central controller (105) determines whether received image data should be transmitted to a monitoring station (115). The camera units (110) may further be used as standalone units as replacements for motion detectors in existing security systems.
50 Citations
11 Claims
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1. An image monitoring system comprising:
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a central controller; and a plurality of digital still camera units operatively connected to the central controller, wherein at least one of the camera units comprises an image sensor; a motion detector operatively connected to the image sensor that causes the image sensor to receive digital still image data when motion is detected; a micro controller operatively connected to the image sensor and to the motion detector; a first nonvolatile memory operatively connected to or included in the micro controller; and computer readable program code stored on the first memory for causing the micro controller to determine whether the digital still image data should be transmitted to the central controller, wherein the central controller then determines whether the digital still image data should be transmitted to a monitoring station; wherein at least one of the camera units includes a pre-trigger feature that, following a detection of motion by the motion detector, transmits to the central controller a series of buffered digital still images captured before the detection of motion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for image monitoring using a plurality of digital still camera units operatively connected to each other and to a central controller using wireless communications, the method comprising the steps of:
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detecting motion of a moving object using a motion detector included in at least one of the camera units; triggering the transmission of a series of digital still images from the memory buffer to a central controller following the detection of motion of the moving object, the series of digital still images including digital still images received before the detection of motion; determining whether the series of digital still images should be transmitted wirelessly to the central controller by analyzing the series of digital still images using a micro controller included in at least one of the camera units and operatively connected to the image sensor; determining whether a digital still image received at the central controller from said at least one of the camera units should be transmitted to a monitoring station; wherein at least one of the camera units includes a pre-trigger feature including the steps of continuously receiving digital still images from the image sensor, storing the digital still images in a memory buffer of at least one camera units, and following a detection of motion by the motion detector, transmitting to the central controller a series of the digital still images received before the detection of motion. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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Specification