System and method for controllably viewing digital video streams captured by surveillance cameras

• US 9,179,103 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wengrovitz, Michael S., Kumar, Senthil
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Application Number:
  US12/892,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20120075465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• Field of Search: 37524001-24029
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A digital video management device enables controllably viewing digital video streams captured by remote surveillance cameras on a display device, such as a mobile display device. The device is coupled to a packet-switched network to receive a digital video stream captured by a remote surveillance camera. The device buffers packets of the digital video stream and then controls a packet output flow rate of the buffer between a zero output rate and a faster-than-real-time output rate. For example, the packet output flow rate can be set to the zero output rate at a first time and the faster-than-real-time output rate at a second time subsequent to the first time.

Claims

1. A digital video management device for controllably viewing digital video streams, comprising:

an input interface coupled to a packet-switched network to receive a digital video stream captured by a remote surveillance camera;

a buffer for receiving and storing packets of the digital video stream;

a processor configured to set a packet output flow rate of the buffer to a variable output rate that is variable between a zero output rate and a faster than real-time output rate, the variable output rate being determined, at least in part, using video analytics; and

an output interface configured to provide the digital video stream to a display device for display thereon at the variable output rate such that all received packets, exclusive of any packets removed from the buffer due to a buffer overflow condition and without regard to the format of individual received packets, are output in the digital video stream provided to the display device, wherein the variable output rate includes a rate other than a real-time output rate.

2. The digital video management device of claim 1, wherein the processor further uses a current depth of the buffer to determine the variable output rate.

3. The digital video management device of claim 1, wherein the input interface is further coupled to receive at least one additional digital video stream captured by at least one additional remote video surveillance system, and further comprising:

at least one additional buffer for receiving and storing packets of the at least one additional digital video stream, the processor further configured to set the packet output flow rate of the at least one additional buffer to a second variable output rate to enable selected digital video streams of the digital video stream and the at least one additional digital video stream to be concurrently rendered on the display device.

4. The digital video management device of claim 3, wherein the processor further pauses non-selected digital video streams of the digital video stream and the at least one additional digital video stream by setting the packet output flow rate of the non-selected digital video streams to the zero output rate.

5. The digital video management device of claim 3, wherein the processor uses one or more of a predetermined policy, video analytics or user input of a user of the display device to determine each of the selected digital video streams and the respective packet output flow rates of the selected digital video streams.

6. The digital video management device of claim 5, wherein the processor further adjusts a spatial resolution of the selected digital video streams to display one or more regions of interest within the selected digital video streams on the display device.

7. The digital video management device of claim 6, wherein the processor adjusts the spatial resolution by zooming in on the one or more regions of interest, increasing the resolution of the one or more regions of interest using a super-resolution technique or resizing the one or more regions of interest.

8. The digital video management device of claim 6, wherein the processor further adds a textual video overlay to the one or more regions of interest.

9. The digital video management device of claim 1, wherein the digital video management device includes one or more of a server within the packet-switched network or a mobile device having the display device thereon.

15. The digital video management device of claim 1, wherein the processor sets the variable output rate to a slower than real-time rate when the video analytics determines that one or more packets in the buffer contain motion content.

10. A method for controllably viewing digital video streams, comprising:

receiving a digital video stream captured by a remote surveillance camera;

buffering packets of the digital video stream within a buffer;

setting a packet output flow rate of the buffer to a variable output rate that is variable between a zero output rate and a faster than real-time output rate;

applying video analytics to determine, at least in part, the variable output rate; and

providing the digital video stream to a display device for display thereon at the variable output rate such that all received packets, exclusive of any packets removed from the buffer due to a buffer overflow condition, are provided in the digital video stream, wherein the variable output rate includes a rate other than a real-time output rate.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving at least one additional digital video stream captured by at least one additional remote video surveillance system;

buffering packets of the at least one additional digital video stream within at least one additional buffer; and

controlling the packet output flow rate of the at least one additional buffer to enable selected digital video streams of the digital video stream and the at least one additional digital video stream to be concurrently rendered on the display device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

pausing non-selected digital video streams of the digital video stream and the at least one additional digital video stream by setting the packet output flow rate of the non-selected digital video streams to the zero output rate.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining the selected digital video streams and the respective packet output flow rates of the selected digital video streams using one or more of a predetermined policy, video analytics or user input of a user of the display device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

adjusting a spatial resolution of the selected digital video streams to display one or more regions of interest within the selected digital video streams on the display device.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the variable output rate is set to a slower than real-time rate when the video analytics determines that one or more packets in the buffer contain motion content.