Surveillance system and method with adaptive frame rate

• US 20030107648A1
• Filed: 12/12/2001
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Stewart, Richard, Casey, Sean, Rome, Michael, Trahan, Keith, Chesavage, David, Kokinakes, Chris
• Application Number:
  US10/017,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20030107648A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• 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 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A surveillance system includes video surveillance cameras that are in various locations sought to be monitored. Each camera is associated with a variable frame rate that is faster when motion is detected in the location and slower when little or no motion is detected, to improve resolution when needed. A system hub receives video feeds from the cameras and sends them on to wireless clients upon client request.

Claims

1. A method for surveillance, comprising:

generating at least one video of at least one surveilled location using at least one camera; and

dynamically establishing a frame rate of the video at least partially based on motion in the surveilled location.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising identifying the motion based on changes between frames of the video.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising identifying the motion using a motion detector at the location.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting the video to at least one mobile wireless receiver for display of the video on a mobile terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising transmitting the video to plural mobile wireless receivers.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising transmitting the video to at least one mobile wireless receiver in real time.

7. The method of claim 4, comprising generating at least one electronic or paper billing document based on the transmitting act.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the transmitting act is undertaken in response to a successful authentication.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising compressing the video.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising generating plural videos of respective surveillance locations and routing the videos to respective wireless receivers in response to user requests for videos.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame rate is a rate of processing and/or compressing entire frames.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame rate is a rate of processing and/or compressing only portions of an entire frames.

13. The method of claim 4, comprising providing at least one conditional access module in a link between the location and receiver to secure the link.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the link is secured by authenticating at least one of:

a source of the video, and the receiver.

15. A surveillance system, comprising:

at least one source transmitting surveillance video using wireless data transmission principles;

at least one system hub receiving the video from the source; and

at least one wireless receiver in communication with the hub for receiving video from the hub.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the wireless data transmission principles are CDMA principles.

17. The system of claim 15, comprising plural sources and plural receivers.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the source includes:

at least one frame rate establishing module including logical structure to establish a video frame rate based at least in part on motion in a surveilled location.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the frame rate is established based on changes between frames of the video.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising a mobile terminal associated with the receiver and displaying video thereon.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the frame rate is a rate of processing and/or compressing an entire video frame.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the frame rate is a rate of processing and/or compressing only a portion of a video frame.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the hub secures a link between the source and receiver.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the link is secured by authenticating at least one of:

the source, and the receiver.

25. A surveillance method, comprising:

installing at least one surveillance camera in at least one location to be surveilled;

using the surveillance camera to generate a video feed by generating video frames;

varying a frame rate associated with the frames based at least in part on motion of at least one object at the location; and

transmitting the video feed in real time to at least one monitoring receiver over a wireless link.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the frame rate is a rate of processing and/or compressing an entire video frame.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the frame rate is a rate of processing and/or compressing only a portion of a video frame.

28. The method of claim 25, comprising generating at least one billing document based at least in part on the transmitting act.

29. The method of claim 25, comprising identifying the motion based on changes between frames of the video.

30. The method of claim 25, comprising transmitting the video feed to at least one mobile wireless receiver for display of the video on a mobile terminal.

31. The method of claim 30, comprising transmitting the video to plural mobile wireless receivers.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the transmitting act is undertaken in response to a successful authentication.

33. The method of claim 25, comprising compressing the video feed.

34. The method of claim 25, comprising generating plural video feeds of respective surveillance locations and routing the videos to respective wireless receivers in response to user requests for video feeds.

35. A system, comprising:

plural video surveillance cameras disposed in plural locations sought to be monitored, at least one of the cameras generating video being associated with a variable frame rate bearing a relationship to motion in the respective location;

at least one system hub communicating with the cameras and receiving signals therefrom; and

plural client receivers in wireless communication with the hub for receiving video streams therefrom.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the hub is in wireless communication with the cameras.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the wireless data transmission principles are CDMA principles.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the frame rate is established based on changes between frames of a video.

39. The system of claim 35, further comprising a respective mobile terminal associated with each receiver and displaying video thereon.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein the frame rate is a rate of processing and/or compressing an entire video frame.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the frame rate is a rate of processing and/or compressing only a portion of a video frame.

42. The system of claim 35, wherein the hub secures a link between at least one camera and at least one receiver.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the link is secured by authenticating at least one of:

the camera, and the receiver.