Networked digital security system and methods

• US 7,952,609 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Axcess International, Inc. (Amphion Innovations PLC)
• Original Assignee: Axcess International, Inc. (Amphion Innovations PLC)
• Inventors: Kay, Alan, Pledger, Philip K., Szo-Ho Tang, Thomas, Breton, Keith D., Simerly, Tim W., Dutt, Amer M.
• Primary Examiner(s): AN, SHAWN S
• Application Number:
  US11/248,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,058 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348151-156, 348158-159, 348/14.02, 725/95, 725/96, 725/98, 725/114, 725/118, 725/117, 725/148
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19604 involving reference image or background adaptation with time to compensate for changing conditions, e.g. reference image update on detection of light level change
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19606 Discriminating between target movement or movement in an area of interest and other non-signicative movements, e.g. target movements induced by camera shake or movements of pets, falling leaves, rotating fan
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19673 Addition of time stamp, i.e. time metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1968 Interfaces for setting up or customising the system
• 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: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1108 Web based protocols, e.g. webRTC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44245 Monitoring the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. its availability, bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A networked digital security system is disclosed that preferably includes a centralized administrator web server coupled via a communication network such as the Internet to a plurality of customer servers and-a plurality of customer work stations. The centralized web server advantageously provides a point of control and management of the networked digital security system. The customer servers and customer work stations are preferably located at the customer'"'"'s monitored sites. The customer servers are coupled to one or more intelligent camera units, which are preferably fully integrated intelligent units that gather, analyze, and transmit video, audio, and associated detected alarm event information to their associated customer server and the administrator web server. The camera units also include an intelligent automatic gain controller, an encoder buffer controller, and a network bandwidth priority controller. The system supports several compression algorithm standards.

Claims

1. A digital security system comprising:

at least one camera unit, wherein said camera unit includes a network bandwidth controller that adjusts the signal transmission delay of the camera unit as a function of a of a network collision rate and priority of the camera unit; and

at least one customer work station in communication with the at least one camera unit via a communications network,

wherein the at least one camera unit captures frames of video after detecting a predefined event, and wherein the at least one camera unit transmits the captured frames of video over the communications network to the at least one customer work station.

2. The digital security system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera unit transmits the captured frames of video over the communications network to the at least one customer work station after the at least one customer work station is authenticated to receive the captured frames of video.

3. The digital security system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera unit captures audio after detecting the predefined event, and wherein the at least one camera unit transmits the captured audio over the communications network to the at least one customer work station.

4. The digital security system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera unit may be remotely configured by the at least one customer work station to detect the predefined event.

5. The digital security system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera unit includes at least one detector for detecting the predefined event.

6. The digital security system of claim 1, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

7. The digital security system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera unit stores the captured frames of video in a buffer before transmitting the captured frames of video over the communications network to the at least on customer work station.

8. A method for remotely viewing of a predefined event, comprising:

detecting at least one predefined event using at least one detector;

capturing frames of video corresponding to the at least one predefined event,

wherein the frames of video are captured by at least one camera unit, and wherein the at least one camera unit is in communication with the at least one detector and said camera unit includes a network bandwidth controller that adjusts the signal transmission delay of the camera unit as a function of a network collision rate and priority of the camera unit;

transmitting the captured frames of video to at least one customer work station in communication with at least one camera unit via a communications network; and

viewing the captured frames of video using the at least one customer work station.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising configuring the at least one camera unit to detect at least two different predefined events.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one camera unit comprises the at least one detector.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing the captured frames of video in the at least one camera unit prior to transmitting the captured frames of video to the at least one customer work station.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising authenticating the at least one customer work station prior to transmitting the captured frames of video to the at least one customer work station.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising;

capturing audio corresponding to the at least one predefined event, wherein the audio is captured by at least one camera unit; and

transmitting the captured audio to the at least one customer work station.