Content aware storage of video data

• US 8,872,940 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VideoIQ, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marman, Douglas H., Saptharishi, Mahesh
• Primary Examiner(s): HOGUE, DENNIS A
• Application Number:
  US12/105,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20090219411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,384 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/231.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

Video analytics and a mass storage unit are contained in a camera housing of a video camera. The video analytics analyzes video data produced by the video camera and detects whether there is an occurrence of a defined event of interest. The video data representing the field of view of the scene observed by the video camera are stored in the mass storage unit. The stored video data include video data of first and second qualities. The first quality represents the occurrence in a field of view of the video camera of the defined event of interest detected by the video analytics. The second quality represents the nonoccurrence in the field of view of the defined event of interest detected by the video analytics. Storing video data of first and second qualities reduces system storage capacity demands.

Claims

1. A network camera, comprising:

an imaging system configured to capture a field of view and generate video of the field of view, the field of view having a plurality of regions and the imaging system being further configured to capture different regions in the field of view with at least two different quality levels;

video analytics connected to the imaging system to receive the video, the video analytics configured to analyze the video to detect objects or events of interest in the video and locations of the objects or the events of interest in the field of view and to generate metadata corresponding to the objects or the events of interest and the locations of the objects or the events of interest;

a data storage system connected to the imaging system to receive and store the video from the imaging system and connected to the video analytics to receive and store the metadata from the video analytics;

a rules based engine connected to the video analytics to receive the metadata, the rules based engine configured to analyze the metadata and to determine actions to be taken based on rules that associate the metadata with the actions; and

a storage management system connected to the rules based engine, the storage management system configured to control the imaging system to set the different quality levels for regions in the field of view in the video at the locations where the objects or events of interest are detected based on the actions determined by the rules based engine,

wherein the rules based engine is further configured to determine priorities for the video according to the rules, and the storage management system is further configured to control the data storage system to retain the video for periods of time determined according to the priorities.

2. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the objects or events of interest include a motion detected within the field of view.

3. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the objects or events of interest include a blob detected within the field of view.

4. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the objects or events of interest includes a predefined object and a tracked movement of the predefined object.

5. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the video analytics is configured to use geometric parameters to recognize an object among the objects or events of interest as the object moves to different locations.

6. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the metadata further describes the video.

7. The network camera as recited in claim 1, further comprising an access control system connected to the data storage system, the access control system configured to, in response to a request associated with specific metadata, provide access to a specific portion of the video to which the specific metadata corresponds.

8. The network camera as recited in claim 1, further comprising an access control system connected to the data storage system, the access control system configured to, in response to a request associated with content-specific metadata, provide access to a specific portion of the video to which the content-specific metadata corresponds.

9. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the actions to be taken based on the rules include setting a high quality level for a first region in the field of view in the video and setting a low quality level for a second region in the field of view in the video.

10. The network camera as recited in claim 9, wherein the first region corresponds to one or more locations of detected objects or events of interest in the field of view and the second region corresponds to a remainder of the field of view where no objects or events of interest are in the field of view.

11. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the actions to be taken based on the rules include generating and sending a short video clip file of the objects or events of interest to a central monitoring station.

12. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the actions to be taken based on the rules include generating and sending a short video clip file of the objects or events of interest to a remote user.

13. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the actions to be taken based on the rules include generating and sending an alert to a central monitoring station.

14. The network camera as recited in claim 13, wherein the alert is sent upon detection of objects or events of interest.

15. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the actions to be taken based on the rules include generating and sending an alert to a remote user.

16. The network camera as recited in claim 15, wherein the alert is sent upon detection of objects or events of interest.

17. The network camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the quality levels correspond to one or more of a resolution, a frame rate, a bit rate, a compression quality, and an encryption level.