Systems and methods for an automated cloud-based video surveillance system

• US 10,084,995 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2015
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Renkis, Martin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Aynalem, Nathnael B
• Application Number:
  US14/845,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20150381949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 348143, 348159, 348 47, 709219
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/41 Higher-level, semantic clustering, classification or understanding of video scenes, e.g. detection, labelling or Markovian modelling of sport events or news items segmenting video sequences G06V20/49
• 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 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Systems and methods for setting up a cloud-based video surveillance system with at least one computing device and at least one video camera in a local area network. The at least one computing device has an application program installed and is operable to find out the at least one video camera on the same local area network and connect the at least one video camera to a cloud platform. The video surveillance system is accessible via the at least one computing device locally or other computing device remotely. The video surveillance system is still at work when the at least one computing device is powered off.

Claims

1. A method for connecting an input capture device to a cloud platform, comprising:

communicatively connecting a local computing device and the input capture device to a local communication network via a network device, wherein the input capture device includes one or more environment sensors;

the local computing device querying the network device;

the local computing device identifying the input capture device;

the local computing device configuring the input capture device for communicating with the cloud platform, wherein the input capture device is configured to send, via a communication path, environmental data to the cloud platform, wherein the local computing device is not part of the communication path;

the input capture device communicating the environment data to the cloud platform, wherein the environmental data includes one or more of audio data, video data, motion data, or still images;

wherein the environment data on the cloud platform are accessible by the local computing device locally and/or other authorized computing devices; and

wherein the environment data on the cloud platform are accessible by the other authorized computing devices even when the local computing device is powered off.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the local computing device and the other authorized computing devices are selected from the group consisting of:

personal computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, game consoles, and smart TVs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the input capture device is selected from the group consisting of:

doorbells with embedded cameras, refrigerators with embedded cameras, ovens with embedded cameras, thermostats with embedded cameras, and cars with embedded cameras.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing and activating an application program associated with the cloud platform on the local computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the application program has a cloud-based account associated with the cloud platform.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising accessing the input capture device over the cloud platform with the cloud-based account.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the environment sensors of the input capture device has a unique identifier, and wherein each of at least one environment sensor is accessible under the cloud-based account associated with the cloud platform.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing cloud-based video analytics by the cloud platform.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing visual data from the input capture device on the cloud platform.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting a time period for data storage on the cloud platform.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the cloud platform includes one or more remote data storage devices.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the input capture device for communicating with the cloud platform includes sending instructions for establishing communication between the input capture device and the cloud platform from the local computing device to the input capture device via the local communication network.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental data includes audio data.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental data includes video data.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental data includes motion data.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental data includes still images.

11. A system for cloud-based surveillance, comprising:

an input capture device with at least one environment sensor and configured to communicate with a local computing device;

wherein the input capture device and the local computing device are communicatively connected to a local communication network via a network device;

wherein the local computing device is operable to;

query the network device;

identify the input capture device; and

configure the input capture device for communicating with a cloud platform,

wherein the input capture device is operable to communicate, via a communication path, environment data obtained by the input capture device to the cloud platform,

wherein the local computing device is not part of the communication path,

wherein the environment data includes one or more of visual data or audio data originated from the input capture device,

wherein the environment data on the cloud platform are accessible by the local computing device locally and/or by other authorized computing devices, and

wherein the environment data on the cloud platform are accessible by other authorized computing devices even when the local computing device is powered off.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the local computing device and the other authorized computing devices are selected from the group consisting of:

personal computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, game consoles, and smart TVs.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the input capture device is selected from the group consisting of:

doorbells with embedded cameras, refrigerators with embedded cameras, ovens with embedded cameras, thermostats with embedded cameras, and cars with embedded cameras.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein an application program associated with the cloud platform is installed and activated on the local computing device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the application program has a cloud-based account associated with the cloud platform.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the local computing device and other authorized devices access to the device over the cloud platform with the cloud-based account.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the at least one environment sensor on the input capture device has a unique identifier, and wherein each of the at least one environment sensor is accessible under the cloud-based account associated with the cloud platform.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the cloud platform provide analytics for the visual data.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the cloud platform provides storage for the visual data.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein a time period for data storage over the cloud platform is selectable.

27. The system of claim 11, wherein one or more applications unrelated to connecting the input capture device to the cloud platform are installed on the local computing device.