Virtual sensors

• US 9,665,778 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trundle, Stephen Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Tyler
• Application Number:
  US14/745,856
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/44 Event detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19663 Surveillance related processing done local to the camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19667 Details realated to data compression, encryption or encoding, e.g. resolution modes for reducing data volume to lower transmission bandwidth or memory requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• 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 17/125 by using a video camera to detect fire or smoke
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/046 prevention of tampering with detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• 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

Virtual sensor technology, in which a camera is controlled to capture at least one configuration image of an area monitored by a monitoring system and input is received that defines one or more characteristics of the at least one configuration image that enable sensing of an event in the area. Based on the received input, configuration data used in sensing the event is generated and stored. After storage of the configuration data, the camera is controlled to capture one or more images of the area, the one or more images are analyzed based on the configuration data, and occurrence of the event is detected based on the analysis of the one or more images. Based on detecting occurrence of the event, a transmitting device is controlled to send, to a controller of the monitoring system, a signal that indicates the detection of the occurrence of the event.

Claims

1. An electronic sensor comprising:

a camera configured to capture images of an area monitored by a monitoring system;

an electronic storage device configured to store data;

a transmitting device configured to send signals to a controller of the monitoring system; and

a processing device configured to perform operations comprising;

accessing, from the electronic storage device, a rule defining a capture pattern for when the camera is scheduled to monitor for events within captured images;

accessing data collected by the monitoring system that includes the camera;

comparing the accessed data collected by the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern;

based on the comparison, determining whether the accessed rule defining the capture pattern is satisfied;

based on a determination that the rule is satisfied, controlling the camera to capture one or more images of the area monitored by the monitoring system;

analyzing the one or more images based on configuration data;

detecting occurrence of the event based on the analysis of the one or more images; and

based on detecting occurrence of the event, controlling the transmitting device to send, to the controller of the monitoring system, a signal that indicates the detection of the occurrence of the event.

2. The electronic sensor of claim 1:

wherein accessing data collected by the monitoring system that includes the camera comprises accessing sensor data collected by other sensors included in the monitoring system; and

wherein comparing the accessed data collected by the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern comprises comparing the accessed sensor data collected by the other sensors included in the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern.

3. The electronic sensor of claim 1:

wherein accessing data collected by the monitoring system that includes the camera comprises accessing sensor data collected by other sensors included in the monitoring system and accessing time data collected by the monitoring system; and

wherein comparing the accessed data collected by the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern comprises comparing a combination of the accessed sensor data and the accessed time data with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern.

4. The electronic sensor of claim 1, wherein controlling the camera to capture one or more images of the area monitored by the monitoring system comprises increasing a frequency at which the camera captures images of the area monitored by the monitoring system from a first frequency to a second frequency, the second frequency being greater than the first frequency and the first frequency being greater than zero.

5. The electronic sensor of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to perform operations comprising:

controlling the camera to capture at least one configuration image of the area monitored by the monitoring system;

receiving input defining one or more characteristics of the at least one configuration image that enable sensing of an event in the area monitored by the monitoring system;

based on the received input defining the one or more characteristics of the at least one configuration image, generating configuration data used in sensing the event through image data captured by the camera; and

storing, in the electronic storage device, the configuration data used in sensing the event through image data captured by the camera.

6. The electronic sensor of claim 5, wherein generating configuration data used in sensing the event through image data captured by the camera comprises generating configuration data that includes attribute data used in identifying an attribute of an entity that caused the event, and

wherein the operations further comprise:

evaluating the one or more images based on the attribute data used in identifying the attribute of the entity that caused the event, and

identifying the attribute of the entity that caused the event based on the evaluation of the one or more images.

7. The electronic sensor of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to perform operations comprising:

monitoring images captured by the camera for an error condition that reduces an ability to detect the event through image data captured by the camera;

based on the monitoring of images captured by the camera, detecting a potential error condition that reduces an ability to detect the event through image data captured by the camera;

determining a degree of severity of the potential error condition; and

handling the potential error condition based on the degree of severity.

8. A monitoring system comprising:

a controller configured to control monitoring operations for a property monitored by the monitoring system; and

an electronic sensor comprising;

a camera configured to capture images of an area monitored by a monitoring system;

an electronic storage device configured to store data;

a transmitting device configured to send signals to the controller of the monitoring system; and

a processing device configured to perform operations comprising;

accessing, from the electronic storage device, a rule defining a capture pattern for when the camera is scheduled to monitor for events within captured images;

accessing data collected by the monitoring system that includes the camera;

comparing the accessed data collected by the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern;

based on the comparison, determining whether the accessed rule defining the capture pattern is satisfied;

based on a determination that the rule is satisfied, controlling the camera to capture one or more images of the area monitored by the monitoring system;

analyzing the one or more images based on configuration data;

detecting occurrence of the event based on the analysis of the one or more images; and

based on detecting occurrence of the event, controlling the transmitting device to send, to the controller of the monitoring system, a signal that indicates the detection of the occurrence of the event,

wherein the controller is configured to receive the signal that indicates the detection of the occurrence of the event and perform a monitoring operation based on the signal that indicates the detection of the occurrence of the event.

9. The monitoring system of claim 8:

wherein accessing data collected by the monitoring system that includes the camera comprises accessing sensor data collected by other sensors included in the monitoring system; and

wherein comparing the accessed data collected by the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern comprises comparing the accessed sensor data collected by the other sensors included in the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern.

10. The monitoring system of claim 8:

wherein accessing data collected by the monitoring system that includes the camera comprises accessing sensor data collected by other sensors included in the monitoring system and accessing time data collected by the monitoring system; and

wherein comparing the accessed data collected by the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern comprises comparing a combination of the accessed sensor data and the accessed time data with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern.

11. The monitoring system of claim 8, wherein controlling the camera to capture one or more images of the area monitored by the monitoring system comprises increasing a frequency at which the camera captures images of the area monitored by the monitoring system from a first frequency to a second frequency, the second frequency being greater than the first frequency and the first frequency being greater than zero.

12. The monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the processing device is further configured to perform operations comprising:

controlling the camera to capture at least one configuration image of the area monitored by the monitoring system;

receiving input defining one or more characteristics of the at least one configuration image that enable sensing of an event in the area monitored by the monitoring system;

based on the received input defining the one or more characteristics of the at least one configuration image, generating configuration data used in sensing the event through image data captured by the camera; and

storing, in the electronic storage device, the configuration data used in sensing the event through image data captured by the camera.

13. The monitoring system of claim 12, wherein generating configuration data used in sensing the event through image data captured by the camera comprises generating configuration data that includes attribute data used in identifying an attribute of an entity that caused the event, and

wherein the operations further comprise:

evaluating the one or more images based on the attribute data used in identifying the attribute of the entity that caused the event, and

identifying the attribute of the entity that caused the event based on the evaluation of the one or more images.

14. A method comprising:

accessing a rule defining a capture pattern for when a camera is scheduled to monitor for events within captured images, the camera being configured to capture images of an area monitored by a monitoring system;

accessing data collected by the monitoring system that includes the camera;

comparing the accessed data collected by the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern;

based on the comparison, determining whether the accessed rule defining the capture pattern is satisfied;

based on a determination that the rule is satisfied, controlling the camera to capture one or more images of the area monitored by the monitoring system;

analyzing the one or more images based on configuration data;

detecting occurrence of an event based on the analysis of the one or more images; and

based on detecting occurrence of the event, controlling a transmitting device to send, to a controller of the monitoring system, a signal that indicates the detection of the occurrence of the event.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

monitoring images captured by the camera for an error condition that reduces an ability to detect the event through image data captured by the camera;

based on the monitoring of images captured by the camera, detecting a potential error condition that reduces an ability to detect the event through image data captured by the camera;

determining a degree of severity of the potential error condition; and

handling the potential error condition based on the degree of severity.

16. The method of claim 14:

wherein accessing data collected by the monitoring system that includes the camera comprises accessing sensor data collected by other sensors included in the monitoring system; and

wherein comparing the accessed data collected by the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern comprises comparing the accessed sensor data collected by the other sensors included in the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern.

17. The method of claim 14:

wherein accessing data collected by the monitoring system that includes the camera comprises accessing sensor data collected by other sensors included in the monitoring system and accessing time data collected by the monitoring system; and

wherein comparing the accessed data collected by the monitoring system with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern comprises comparing a combination of the accessed sensor data and the accessed time data with the accessed rule defining the capture pattern.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein controlling the camera to capture one or more images of the area monitored by the monitoring system comprises increasing a frequency at which the camera captures images of the area monitored by the monitoring system from a first frequency to a second frequency, the second frequency being greater than the first frequency and the first frequency being greater than zero.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

controlling the camera to capture at least one configuration image of the area monitored by the monitoring system;

receiving input defining one or more characteristics of the at least one configuration image that enable sensing of an event in the area monitored by the monitoring system;

based on the received input defining the one or more characteristics of the at least one configuration image, generating configuration data used in sensing the event through image data captured by the camera; and

storing, in an electronic storage device, the configuration data used in sensing the event through image data captured by the camera.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein generating configuration data used in sensing the event through image data captured by the camera comprises generating configuration data that includes attribute data used in identifying an attribute of an entity that caused the event, further comprising:

evaluating the one or more images based on the attribute data used in identifying the attribute of the entity that caused the event, and

identifying the attribute of the entity that caused the event based on the evaluation of the one or more images.