Method for increasing reliability in monitoring systems

• US 8,977,889 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Angelsmark, Ola, Nyberg, Fredrik, Rosengren, Bjarne
• Primary Examiner(s): Lottich, Joshua P
• Application Number:
  US13/529,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20130007540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 714/6.1, 714/48, 714/55, 714/56, 714/57, 709/224
• US Class Current: 714/6.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method for decreasing the risk of monitoring data failing to be stored includes periodically sending a test message from the monitoring device to a Networked Storage Device, NSD, generating an NSD fail signal in the monitoring device if events following the sending of the test message indicates that the NSD is not operating properly, and sending, in response to the NSD fail signal, a fail message from the monitoring device for detection outside housing of monitoring device.

Claims

1. A method for decreasing the risk of monitoring data failing to be stored, the method comprising:

periodically sending via a network connection a test message from a networked video camera to a Networked Storage Device (NSD), wherein the test message is configured to determine storage operability;

generating an NSD fail signal in the networked video camera if events following the sending of the test message indicates that the NSD is not operating properly; and

sending, in response to the NSD fail signal, a fail message from the networked video camera for detection outside a housing of the networked video camera.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending of a fail message includes sending an electronic message to a predetermined address over a network in order to enable remotely alerting of a person maintaining a system including the networked video camera and the NSD.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sending of a fail message includes generating a signal perceivable by a human and emitting the signal outside the housing.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the signal perceivable by a human is light.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the signal perceivable by a human is sound.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test message is a status check message including a status request.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test message is sent to the application layer of the NSD.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test message is a message including a write instruction for writing data for test purpose only and if the write instruction fails the NSD is deemed not to operate properly.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

setting a timer in the networked video camera when the test message is sent from the networked video camera; and

if the timer expires and no response has been received from the NSD, then the networked video camera treats the NSD as if the NSD is not operating properly and the NSD fail signal is generated.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the periodicity of the sending of test messages is having a period of substantially an hour.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the periodicity of the sending of test messages is having a period of substantially a minute.

12. A method for decreasing the risk of monitoring data failing to be stored, the method comprising:

periodically sending via a network connection a test message from a networked video camera to a Networked Storage Device, NSD, wherein the test message is a status check message including a status request,

generating an NSD fail signal in the networked video camera if events following the sending of the test message indicates that the NSD is not operating properly, and

sending, in response to the NSD fail signal, a fail message from the networked video camera for detection outside a housing of the networked video camera.

13. A method for decreasing the risk of monitoring data failing to be stored, the method comprising:

periodically sending via a network connection a test message from a networked video camera to a Networked Storage Device, NSD, wherein the test message is sent to the application layer of the NSD,

generating an NSD fail signal in the networked video camera if events following the sending of the test message indicates that the NSD is not operating properly, and

sending, in response to the NSD fail signal, a fail message from the networked video camera for detection outside a housing of the networked video camera.

14. A method for decreasing the risk of monitoring data failing to be stored, the method comprising:

periodically sending via a network connection a test message from a networked video camera to a Networked Storage Device, NSD, wherein the test message is a message including a write instruction for writing data for test purpose only and if the write instruction fails the NSD is deemed not to operate properly,

generating an NSD fail signal in the networked video camera if events following the sending of the test message indicates that the NSD is not operating properly, and

sending, in response to the NSD fail signal, a fail message from the networked video camera for detection outside a housing of the networked video camera.