Security system for notification of an undesired condition at a monitored area with minimized false alarms

• US RE38,908 E1
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Biscom Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Biscom Incorporated
• Inventors: Ho, Shu-Kuang, Zhao, Xiu-Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bugg, George A
• Application Number:
  US10/839,120
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 348/152, 348/155, 348/171, 348/172, 348/154, 382/103, 382/288, 358/438, 358/440
• US Class Current: 348/154
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1961 Movement detection not involving frame subtraction, e.g. motion detection on the basis of luminance changes in the image
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19658 Telephone systems used to communicate with a camera, e.g. PSTN, GSM, POTS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19693 using multiple video sources viewed on a single or compound screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00283 with a television apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00299 with a television transmission apparatus, e.g. a videophone, a teletext system or a digital television system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00323 with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

The present invention is a security monitoring system which effectively monitors a large number of areas in a cost effective manner using already existing communications infrastructure. More specifically, the method and apparatus of the present invention warns at least one security post of an undesired condition at a monitored area by sending a fax of an image of the monitored area via a phone line and/or by sending an E-mail of a color image via a global telecommunications network such as the Internet. Generally, the present invention includes a camera for creating a first image of the monitored area at a first time point and for creating a second image of the monitored area at a second time point. In addition, a data storage device stores the first image and the second image, and an image processor, coupled to the data storage device, compares the first image with the second image. A modem, coupled to the image processor, sends a fax of the second image to the at least one security post if the second image is substantially different from the first image. The present invention may further send via the modem a JPEG color image of the second image as an electronic mail to a predetermined security post if the second image is substantially different from the first image.

Claims

1. A method for notifying at least one security post of an undesired condition at a monitored area, the method including the steps of comprising:

A. creating a first image of said monitored area at a first time point, said first image divided into a plurality of first image blocks using a predefined predetermined grid;

B. creating a second image of said monitored area at a second time point, said second image divided into a plurality of second image blocks using said predetermined grid so that each of the second image blocks corresponds to a respective one of the first image blocks;

C. comparing a said performing a comparison of each of at least one of said plurality of first image block blocks with a the corresponding said second image block by performing the steps of

calculating a first average pixel value of said that first image block;

calculating a second average pixel value of said corresponding second image block;

calculating a first standard deviation pixel value of said that first image block;

calculating a second standard deviation pixel value of said corresponding second image block;

calculating a first x-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block;

calculating a second x-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block;

calculating a first y-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block;

and

calculating a second y-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block;

and

D. sending a fax of said second image to said at least one security post making a determination in response to the comparison that the first image is sufficiently different from the second image if, for each first image block of at least a predetermined number thereof thereby compared, said corresponding second image block is substantially different from said first image block, wherein said first image block is substantially different from said corresponding second image block if said the first average pixel value calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second average pixel value or if said the first standard deviation pixel value calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second standard deviation pixel value or if said the first x-coordinate pixel massive center calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second x-coordinate pixel massive center or if said the first y-coordinate pixel massive center calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second ycoordinate y-coordinate pixel massive center; and

E. sending signals representing the second image to the at least one security post in response to the comparison if the first image is thereby determined to be sufficiently different from the second image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of :

sending a JPEG color image of said second image as an electronic mail to a predetermined security post if the determination is that said corresponding second image block is substantially sufficiently different from said first image block .

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of :

detecting a remote request for a requested fax of an image of said monitored area;

accepting a fax number remote address to which said requested fax is signals representing that image are to be sent; and

sending a fax of said image of said monitored area the signals representing that image to said accepted fax number remote address.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of :

repeating steps operations A, B, C, and D every predetermined time period.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of :

selecting one of a plurality of cameras for comparing said first image block and with said corresponding second image block from said selected one of said plurality of cameras to detect said undesired condition at a respective monitored area of said selected one of said plurality of cameras.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said signals representing the second image are sent to a fax machine.

18. The method of claim 3, wherein said remote address is a fax number that represents a fax machine to which the signals representing that image are sent.

6. A method for notifying at least one security post of an undesired condition at a monitored area, the method including the steps of comprising:

A. creating a first image of said monitored area at a first time point, said first image divided into a plurality of first image blocks using a predefined predetermined grid;

B. creating a second image of said monitored area at a second time point, said second image divided into a plurality of second image blocks using said predetermined grid so that each of the second image blocks corresponds to a respective one of the first image blocks;

C. comparing a said performing a comparison of each of at least one of said plurality of first image block blocks with a the corresponding said second image block, said step of comparing further including the steps of by;

calculating a first average pixel value of said that first image block;

calculating a second average pixel value of said corresponding second image block;

calculating a first standard deviation pixel value of said that first image block;

calculating a second standard deviation pixel value of said corresponding second image block;

calculating a first x-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block;

calculating a second x-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block;

calculating a first y-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block; and

calculating a second y-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block;

wherein saidD. making a determination in response to the comparison that the first image is substantiallysufficiently different from said second image if said, for each first image block of at least a predetermined number thereof thereby compared, the first average pixel value calculated therefor is substantiallysufficiently different from saidthe corresponding second average pixel value or if saidthe first standard deviation pixel value calculated therefor is substantiallysufficiently different from saidthe corresponding second standard deviation pixel value or if saidthe first x-coordinate pixel massive center calculated therefor is substantiallysufficiently different from saidthe corresponding second x-coordinate pixel massive center or if saidthe first y-coordinate pixel massive center calculated therefor is substantiallysufficiently different from saidthe corresponding second y-coordinate pixel massive center;

D.E. sending a fax ofsignals representing said second image to said at least one security post in response to the determination if said second image is substantiallysufficiently different from said first image;

E. sending a JPEG color image of said second image as an electronic mail to a predetermined security post if said second image is substantially different from said first image;

F. detecting a remote request for a requested fax of an image of said monitored area;

G. accepting a fax number remote address to which said requested fax is signals representing that image are to be sent;

H. sending a fax of said image of said monitored area the signals representing that image to said accepted fax number remote address; and

I. repeating steps operations A, B, C, D, and E, F, G, and H every predetermined time period.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein said signals representing said second image are sent to a fax machine.

20. The method of claim 6, wherein said signals representing said second image are JPEG signals.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said JPEG signals are sent to said at least one security post as an electronic mail.

22. The method of claim 6, wherein said remote address is a fax machine number, and the signals representing that image are sent to a fax machine identified by that fax machine number.

7. An apparatus for notifying at least one security post of an undesired condition at a monitored area, the apparatus comprising:

a camera for creating a first image of said monitored area at a first time point and for creating a second image of said monitored area at a second time point, said first image divided into a plurality of first image blocks using a predefined grid and said second image divided into a plurality of second image blocks using said predefined grid so that each of the plurality of second image blocks corresponds to a respective one of the plurality first image blocks;

a data storage device for storing said first image blocks and said second image blocks;

an image processor, coupled to said data storage device, for comparing a said determining whether the first image is sufficiently different from the second image by performing a comparison of each of at least one of said plurality of first image block blocks with a the corresponding said second image block, wherein said image processor, when comparing said performing the comparison of that first image block with said the corresponding second image block, calculates the following parameters,

a first average pixel value of said that first image block;

a second average pixel value of said corresponding second image block;

a first standard deviation pixel value of said that first image block;

a second standard deviation pixel value of said corresponding second image block;

a first x-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block;

a second x-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block;

a first y-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block; and

a second y-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block; and

a modem, coupled to said image processor, for sending a fax of said second image to said at least one security post if the image processor determining that said corresponding second image block is substantially sufficiently different from said first image block, wherein said first image is substantially different from said second image if said , for each image block of at least a predetermined number thereof thereby compared, the first average pixel value calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second average pixel value or if said the first standard deviation pixel value calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second standard deviation pixel value or if said the first x-coordinate pixel massive center calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second x-coordinate pixel massive center or if said the first y-coordinate pixel massive center calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second y-coordinate pixel massive center; and

a transmitter, coupled to said image processor, for sending signals representing said second image to said at least one security post in response to the comparison if the image processor has thereby determined that the second image is sufficiently different from the first image.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said modem transmitter sends a JPEG color image of said second image as an electronic mail to a predetermined security post if said corresponding second image block is substantially determined by the image processor to be sufficiently different from said first image block .

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a dual tone multi-frequency detector for detecting a remote request via a phone communications line for a requested fax of an image of said monitored area and for accepting a fax number remote address entered via a phone said communications line to which said requested fax is signals representing that image are to be sent, and wherein said image processor sends a fax of said image of said monitored area the signals representing that image to said accepted fax number remote address.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said image processor repeats comprising another first image to another second image every predetermined time period.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a plurality of cameras, each camera generating a respective first image at said first time point and a respective second image at said second time point to be compared for detecting said undesired condition at a respective monitored area; and

an I/O controller for selecting one of said plurality of cameras for analyzing the respective first image and the respective second image from said selected one of the plurality of cameras for detecting said undesired condition at said respective monitored area.

23. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said signals representing said second image are readable by a fax machine located at the at least one security post.

24. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said transmitter is a modem.

25. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said detector is a dual-tone multi-frequency detector, said communications line is a phone line, said remote address is a fax machine number, and the signals representing that image are readable by a fax machine located at the at least one security post.

12. An apparatus for notifying at least one security post of an undesired condition at a monitored area, the method including the steps of the apparatus comprising:

a camera for creating a first image of said monitored area at a first time point and for creating a second image of said monitored area at a second time point, said first image divided into a plurality of firs first image blocks using a predefined grid and said second image divided into a plurality of second image blocks using said predefined grid so that each of the plurality of second image blocks corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of first image blocks;

a data storage device for storing said first image blocks and said second image blocks;

an image processor, coupled to said data storage device, for determining whether the first image is sufficiently different from the second image by comparing a said at least one of said plurality of first image block blocks with a the corresponding said second image block;

a modem transmitter, coupled to said image processor, for sending a fax of signals representing said second image to said at least one security post if said corresponding second image block is substantially determined by the image processor to be sufficiently different from said first image block ;

wherein said modem sends a JPEG color image of said second image as an electronic mail to a predetermined security post if said corresponding second image block is substantially different from said first image block;

a dual tone multi-frequency detector for detecting a remote request via a phone communications line for a requested fax of an image of said monitored area and for accepting a fax number remote address entered via a phone said communications line to which said requested fax is signals representing that image are to be sent, and wherein said image processor sends a fax of said image of said monitored area the signals representing that image to said accepted fax number remote address;

and wherein said image processor repeats comparing another first image to another second image every predetermined time period;

and wherein said image processor when comparing said one of the first image block with said the corresponding second image block calculates the following parameters;

a first average pixel value of said that first image block;

a second average pixel value of said corresponding second image block;

a first standard deviation pixel value of said that first image block;

a second standard deviation pixel value of said corresponding second image block;

a first x-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block;

a second x-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block;

a first y-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block; and

a second y-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block;

and wherein the image processor determines that said first image is substantially sufficiently different from said second image if said , for each first image block of at least a predetermined number thereof thereby compared, the first average pixel value calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second average pixel value or if said the first standard deviation pixel value calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second standard deviation pixel value or if said the first x-coordinate pixel massive center calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second x-coordinate pixel massive center or if said the first y-coordinate pixel massive center calculated therefor is substantially sufficiently different from said the corresponding second y-coordinate pixel massive center.

26. The Apparatus of claim 12, wherein said transmitter is a modem.

27. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said signals representing said second image are readable by a fax machine.

28. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said signals representing said second image are JPEG signals.

29. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said transmitter sends the JPEG signals to said at least one security post as an electronic mail.

30. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said detector is a dual-tone multi-frequency detector, said communications line is a phone line, said remote address is a fax machine number, and the signals representing that image are readable by a fax machine identified by said fax machine number.

13. An apparatus for notifying at least one security post of an undesired condition at a monitored area, the apparatus comprising:

means for creating a first image of said monitor area at a first time point and for creating a second image of said monitored area at a second time point, said first image divided into a plurality of first image blocks using a predefined grid and said second image divided into a plurality of second image blocks using said predefined grid;

means for storing said first image blocks and said second image blocks;

means for determining whether the first image is sufficiently different from the second image by comparing a said each of at least one of said plurality of first image block blocks with a the corresponding said second image block, wherein said means for comparing, when comparing said first image block with said corresponding second image block, calculates by calculating the following parameters,

a first average pixel value of said that first image block;

a second average pixel value of said corresponding second image block;

a first standard deviation pixel value of said that first image block;

a second standard deviation pixel value of said corresponding a second image block;

a first x-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block;

a second xcoordinate x-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block;

a first y-coordinate pixel massive center of said that first image block; and

a second y-coordinate pixel massive center of said corresponding second image block; and

means for sending a fax of said second image to said at least one security post said corresponding second image block is substantially different from said first image block, wherein said first image is substantially different from said second image if saiddetermining that the first image is sufficiently different from the second image if, for each first image block of at least a predetermined number thereof thereby compared, the first average pixel value calculated therefor is substantiallysufficiently different from saidthe corresponding second average pixel value or if saidthe first standard deviation pixel value calculated therefor is substantiallysufficiently different from saidthe corresponding second standard deviation pixel value or if saidthe first x-coordinate pixel massive center calculated therefor is substantiallysufficiently different from saidthe corresponding second x-coordinate pixel massive center or if saidthe first y-coordinate massive center calculated therefor is substantiallysufficiently different from saidthe corresponding second y-coordinate pixel massive center; and

means for sending signals representative of said second image to said at least one security post if the second image is thereby determined to be sufficiently different from the first image.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for sending a JPEG color image of said second image as an electronic mail to a predetermined security post if said corresponding the means for determining whether the first image is sufficiently different from the second image determines that second image block is substantially sufficiently different from said first image block .

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for detecting a remote request via a phone communications line for a requested fax of an image of said monitored area and for accepting a fax number remote address entered via a phone said communications line to which said requested fax is signals representing that image are to be sent, and wherein said image processor means for sending signals representative of said second image sends a fax of said image of said monitored area the signals representing that image to said accepted fax number remote address.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for selecting one of a plurality of cameras for comparing a respective first image and a respective second image from said selected one of said plurality of cameras to detect said undesired condition at a respective monitored area of said selected one of said plurality of cameras.

31. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said signals representing said second image are readable by a fax machine.

32. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said communications line is a phone line, said remote address is a fax machine number, and the signals representing that image are readable by a fax machine identified by said fax machine number.