Video and audio content analysis system

• US 20020110264A1
• Filed: 01/28/2002
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qognify Ltd. (PSBU Midco SARL)
• Original Assignee: Nice Systems Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Girmonski, Doron, Katzman, Yehuda, Sharoni, David, Katz, Hagai
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves

Abstract

The present invention is directed to various methods and systems for analysis and processing of video and audio signals from a plurality of sources in real-time or off-line. According to some embodiments of the present invention, analysis and processing applications are dynamically installed ill the processing units.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processing units, each coupled to a video sensor or an audio sensor to receive video or audio data from said sensor;

an application bank coupled to said processing units, said application bank comprising content-analysis applications; and

a control unit coupled to said processing units and to said application bank, said control unit able to instruct said application bank to install at least one of said applications into at least one of said processing units,

wherein each of said processing units is able to process said video or audio data according to said at least one application installed therein.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said content-analysis application is a video movement-detecting application, a video based people counting application, a face detection and recognition application, a voice detection and, recognition application, an object detection application or a recognition and surveillance application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said application bank further comprising at least a conversion of speech to text application or a video compression application.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one additional processing unit coupled to a sensor, which is a smoke sensor, a fire sensor, a motion detector, a sound detector, a presence sensor, a movement sensor, a volume sensor or a glass breakage sensor.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a database to store indexing data associated with said video or audio data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said application bank, said control unit and said processing units are all coupled via a local area or a wide area network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said processing unit is able to notify said control unit when one of said applications installed in said processing unit detects a predefined condition associated with at least a portion of said audio or video data.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processing units, each coupled to a video sensor or an audio sensor to receive video or audio data from said sensor;

an application bank coupled to said processing units, said application bank comprising one or more content analysis applications; and

a control unit coupled to said processing units and to said application bank, said control unit able to instruct said application bank to install at least one of said applications into at least one of said processing units,

wherein each of said processing units is able to process said video or audio data according to said at least one application installed therein and to notify said control unit when one of said applications installed in said processing unit detects a predefined condition associated with at least a portion of said audio or video data.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processing means, each coupled to a video sensor or an audio sensor for receiving video or audio data from said sensor;

an application bank coupled to said processing units, said application bank comprising one or more content analysis applications; and

controlling means coupled to said processing means and to said application bank for instructing said application bank to install at least one of said applications into at least one of said processing units,

wherein each of said processing means is able to process said video or audio data according to said at least one application installed therein.

10. A method comprising:

installing one or more content-analysis applications from an application bank into one or more video or audio processing units, said application selected according to predetermined criteria; and

processing input received from one or more video or audio sensors each coupled to a respective video or audio processing unit according to at least one of said applications.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

recording at least a portion of said input.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

detecting a predefined condition associated with at least one portion of said input; and

sending a notification associated with said condition to a control unit.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

providing to a client computer a real-time stream of video data, audio data or a combination thereof upon receiving a request from said client computer.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing to a client computer a real-time stream of video data, audio data or a combination thereof according to a predetermined time-based schedule.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein providing said real-time data comprises providing synchronized video data received from at least two sensors.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein providing said real-time data comprises providing synchronized video data received from at least two sensors.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

down-loading at least one content-analysis application from said application bank to a client computer;

providing to said client computer recorded data upon receiving a request from said client computer; and

processing said recorded data according to at least one of said installed applications.

18. A method comprising:

installing one or more content-analysis applications from an application bank into one or more video or audio processing units, said application selected according to predetermined criteria;

processing input received from one or more video or audio sensors each coupled to a respective video or audio processing unit according to at least one of said applications;

detecting a predefined condition associated with at least one portion of said input; and

sending a notification associated with said condition to a control unit.