SECURITY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MASS TRANSIT VEHICLES

• US 20070115109A1
• Filed: 09/01/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digital Recorders Inc. (Clever Devices, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Recorders Inc. (Clever Devices, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kennedy, James, Simpson, Johnny, Diaz, Floyd, Taylor, Rob, Turney, David
• Application Number:
  US11/469,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115109A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/506
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19647 Systems specially adapted for intrusion detection in or around a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 31/00 Predictive alarm systems characterised by extrapolation or other computation using updated historic data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A system and method for providing security to at least one mass transit vehicle is disclosed wherein a memory at the at least one mass transit vehicle is used for storing a plurality of digital images that are provided from at least one camera. Upon detection of an alarm signal at the at least one mass transit vehicle at least a portion of the plurality of digital images are transmitted from the mass transit vehicle to a remote monitoring site responsive to the alarm signal.

Claims

1. A method for providing security to at least one mass transit vehicle, comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of digital images provided from at least one camera on the at least one mass transit vehicle;

detecting generation of an alarm signal at the at least one mass transit vehicle; and

transmitting at least a portion of the plurality of digital images to a remote monitoring site responsive to the alarm signal

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step receiving control signals at the mass transit vehicle from the remote monitoring site to remotely control operation of the mass transit vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the step of increasing a rate at which the plurality of digital images are provided from the at least one camera.

4. The method of claim 2, further including the step of shutting down the throttle control of the mass transit vehicle responsive to the control signals.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of overriding the control signals shutting down the throttle control of the mass transit vehicle responsive to a predetermined input sequence by an operator of the mass transit vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing further comprises the step of storing the plurality of digital images locally at the mass transit vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of capturing digital images of the plurality of digital images at a programmably adjustable period of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting further comprises the step of generating the alarm signal locally at the mass transit vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting further comprises the step of generating the alarm signal remotely at the remote monitoring site.

10. The method of claim 1, further including the step of displaying selected digital images of the plurality of digital images at the remote monitoring site responsive to user inputs provided at the remote monitoring site.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting further comprises the step establishing a wireless connection for transmitting the portion of the plurality of digital images.

12. A security system for use with a mass transit vehicle, comprising:

at least one camera for generating digital images located at the mass transit vehicle;

a digital image recorder for storing the digital images;

an actuator for generating an alarm signal responsive to an input;

a logic unit within the mass transit vehicle for retrieving digital images from the digital image recorder and transmitting the retrieved digital images to a remote monitoring site responsive to the alarm signal.

13. The security system of claim 12, wherein the input for the actuator is provided by an operator of the mass transit vehicle.

14. The security system of claim 12, wherein the input for the actuator is provided by an operator at the remote monitoring site.

15. The security system of claim 12, wherein the logic unit further receives control signals from the remote monitoring site to remotely control operation of the mass transit vehicle.

16. The security system of claim 15, wherein the control signal shuts down the throttle control of the mass transit vehicle.

17. The security system of claim 16 wherein the logic unit overrides the control signals shutting down the throttle control of the mass transit system responsive to a predetermined input sequence by an operator of the mass transit vehicle.

18. The security system of claim 15, wherein the logic unit increases a rate at which the plurality of digital images are provided from the at least one camera responsive to the control signal.

19. The security system of claim 12, wherein the logic unit further establishes a wireless connection for transmitting the portion of the plurality of digital images.

20. The security system of claim 12, further including a monitoring system located at the remote monitoring site for displaying selected digital images of the plurality of digital images at the remote monitoring site responsive to user inputs provided at the remote monitoring site.

21. The security system of claim 20, wherein the monitoring system analyses the digital images to determine if it is necessary to generate the alarm signal.

22. A security system for use with a mass transit vehicle, comprising:

at least one camera for generating digital images located at the mass transit vehicle;

a memory for storing the digital images at the mass transit vehicle;

an actuator for generating an alarm signal responsive to an input;

a logic unit within the mass transit vehicle for retrieving digital images from the memory, transmitting the retrieved digital images to a remote monitoring site responsive to the alarm signal using a wireless connection, and receiving control signals from the remote monitoring site to remotely control operation of the mass transit vehicle.

23. The security system of claim 22, further including a monitoring system located at the remote monitoring site for displaying selected digital images of the plurality of digital images at the remote monitoring site responsive to user inputs provided at the remote monitoring site.

24. The security system of claim 23, wherein the monitoring system analyses the digital images to determine if it is necessary to generate the alarm signal.

25. The security system of claim 22, wherein the logic unit increases a rate at which the plurality of digital images are provided from the at least one camera responsive to the control signal.