Monitor video accumulation system

• US 8,169,482 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kajita, Satoshi, Fuchigami, Ikuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elfervig, Taylor
• Application Number:
  US12/439,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 348/153, 348/159, 375/240.12
• US Class Current: 348/159
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19676 Temporary storage, e.g. cyclic memory, buffer storage on pre-alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/107 between spatial and temporal predictive coding, e.g. picture refresh
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/577 Motion compensation with bidirectional frame interpolation, i.e. using B-pictures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/268 Signal distribution or switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A surveillance video accumulation system pertaining to the present invention includes a plurality of surveillance camera units and a video accumulation unit that are connected with each other via a network. Among pieces of video data that have been encoded according to a prediction encoding method and transmitted from all the surveillance camera units, the video accumulation unit accumulates video data transmitted from a selected one of the surveillance camera units. Before the selection, if specified as a surveillance camera unit that is expected to shoot a subject, each of the surveillance camera units encodes video data of the subject based only on intra frame prediction and transmits the encoded video data to the accumulation unit.

Claims

1. A surveillance video accumulation system comprising a plurality of surveillance camera units and a video accumulation unit, the surveillance camera units and the video accumulation unit being capable of exchanging data with each other,

wherein the surveillance video accumulation system further comprises:

a selector operable to select one of the surveillance camera units that is currently shooting a subject;

a selection information transmitter operable to transmit, to the surveillance camera units, selection information containing information indicating the one of the surveillance camera units selected by the selector;

an accumulator operable to start receiving and accumulating video data from the one of the surveillance camera units when the selector selects the one of the surveillance camera units, the video data having been encoded according to a prediction encoding method; and

a specifier operable to (i) specify, based on the video data from the selected one of the surveillance camera units, one or more of the surveillance camera units that (a) are different from the selected one of the surveillance camera units and (b) are expected to shoot the subject subsequently to the selected one of the surveillance camera units, and (ii) transmit, to the one or more of the surveillance camera units, specification information showing that each of the one or more of the surveillance camera units has been specified by the specifier, and

wherein each of the surveillance camera units includes;

a specification information receiver operable to receive the specification information;

a selection information receiver operable to receive the selection information;

an encoder operable to encode video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method, the encoder (i) encoding the video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method that uses either intra frame prediction or inter frame prediction until the specification information receiver has received the specification information, (ii) encoding the video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method that uses only intra frame prediction when the specification information receiver receives the specification information, and (iii) encoding the video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method that uses intra frame prediction and inter frame prediction when the selector performs the selection after the encoder has started encoding the video data of the subject when the specification information receiver receives the specification information; and

a video data transmitter operable, when the surveillance camera unit is selected as the one of the surveillance camera units by the selector, to transmit the video data encoded by the encoder, in which at least a top frame has been encoded according to the prediction encoding method that uses only intra frame prediction, to the video accumulation unit.

2. The surveillance video accumulation system of claim 1,

wherein the specifier specifies the one or more of the surveillance camera units by using a moving direction of the subject based on a motion vector included in the video data from the selected one of the surveillance camera units.

3. A surveillance camera unit included in a surveillance video accumulation system, the surveillance video accumulation system including a plurality of surveillance camera units and a video accumulation unit, the surveillance camera units and the video accumulation unit being capable of exchanging data with each other, the surveillance camera comprising:

a specification information receiver operable to receive specification information, the specification information showing that the surveillance camera unit is specified as a surveillance camera that shoots a subject next;

a selection information receiver operable to receive selection information containing information indicating one of the surveillance camera units;

an encoder operable to encode video data of a subject of shooting according to a prediction encoding method, the encoder (i) encoding the video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method that uses either intra frame prediction or inter frame prediction until the specification information receiver has received the specification information, (ii) encoding the video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method that uses only intra frame prediction when the specification information receiver receives the specification information, and (iii) encoding the video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method that uses intra frame prediction and inter frame prediction when the selection information receiver receives the selection information after the encoder has started encoding the video data of the subject when the specification information receiver receives the specification information; and

a video data transmitter operable, when the selection information indicates that the surveillance camera unit is selected as the one of the surveillance camera units, to transmit the video data encoded by the encoder, in which at least a top frame has been encoded according to the prediction encoding method that uses only intra frame prediction, to the video accumulation unit.

4. The surveillance camera unit of claim 3, further comprising:

a specifier operable, when the selection information receiver receives the selection information, (i) to specify, based on the video data being transmitted, one or more other surveillance camera units expected to shoot the subject subsequently to the surveillance camera unit, and (ii) to transmit, to the other surveillance camera units, specification information showing that each of the other surveillance camera units has been specified by the specifier.

5. A surveillance video accumulation method for use in a surveillance video accumulation system that includes a plurality of surveillance camera units and a video accumulation unit, the surveillance camera units and the video accumulation unit being capable of exchanging data with each other, the surveillance video accumulation method comprising:

a selection step of selecting one of the surveillance camera units that is currently shooting a subject;

a selection information transmitting step of transmitting, to the surveillance camera units, selection information containing information indicating the one of the surveillance came units selected in the selection step;

a selection information receiving step, performed by each of the surveillance camera units, of receiving the selection information;

an accumulation step of receiving and accumulating video data from the one of the surveillance camera units when the selection step selects the one of the surveillance camera units, the video data having been encoded according to a prediction encoding method;

a specifying step of (i) specifying, based on the video data from the selected one of the surveillance camera units, one or more of the surveillance camera units that (a) are different from the selected one of the surveillance camera units and (b) are expected to shoot the subject subsequently to the selected one of the surveillance camera units, and (ii) transmitting, to the one or more of the surveillance camera units, specification information showing that each of the one or more of the surveillance camera units has been specified by the specifying step;

a specification information receiving step, performed by the one or more surveillance camera units, of receiving the specification information;

an encoding step, performed by each of the one or more surveillance camera units, of (i) encoding video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method that uses either intra frame prediction or inter frame prediction until the specification information has been received, (ii) encoding the video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method that uses only intra frame prediction when the specification information has been received, and (iii) encoding the video data of the subject according to a prediction encoding method that uses intra frame prediction and inter frame prediction when the selection information is received after encoding the video data of the subject when the specification information has been received; and

a video data transmission step, performed by a surveillance camera unit when the surveillance camera unit is selected as the one of the surveillance camera units in the selection step, of transmitting the video data encoded in the encoding step, in which at least a top frame has been encoded according to the prediction encoding method that uses only intra frame prediction, to the video accumulation unit.