METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SECURITY SYSTEM TAMPERING DETECTION

• US 20110261195A1
• Filed: 04/26/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• 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: MARTIN, Walter Andrew, DONAGHY, Martin Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,558,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/04 Monitoring of the detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/046 prevention of tampering with detection circuits

Abstract

A method and system for detecting tampering of a security system component is provided. An analytic alarm indicative of potential tampering with a security system component is received. Data from at least one sensor is received. A computing device is used to analyze the analytic alarm and the data from the at least one sensor to determine whether tampering of the security system component has occurred. A qualified alarm signal is generated when the analysis of the analytic alarm and the data from the at least one sensor is indicative of tampering.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an analytic alarm indicative of potential tampering with a security system component;

receiving data from at least one sensor;

using a computing device to analyze the analytic alarm and the data from the at least one sensor to determine whether tampering of the security system component has occurred; and

generating a qualified alarm signal when the analysis of the analytic alarm and the data from the at least one sensor is indicative of tampering.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the qualified alarm signal to a security system monitoring facility.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes an accelerometer affixed to the security system component.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the analytic alarm indicates potential repositioning of the security system component, and wherein the analysis of the data from the accelerometer includes determining whether a predetermined acceleration threshold has been met.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein tampering is indicated when the predetermined acceleration threshold has been met.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor further includes a light sensor, and wherein the analysis of the data from the accelerometer and light sensor includes determining whether the predetermined acceleration threshold has been met at approximately a same time as a change in lighting.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes a light sensor.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the analytic alarm indicates a potential lighting based alarm and wherein the analysis of the data from the light sensor includes determining whether an unnatural change in illumination has occurred.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes an accelerometer affixed to the security system component and a light sensor, wherein the security system component includes a camera lens, wherein the analytic alarm indicates a potential covering of the camera lens, and wherein the analysis of the data from the accelerometer and light sensor includes determining whether a predetermined acceleration threshold has been met at approximately a same time as:

a change in lighting of a scene monitored by the camera lens; and

the potential covering of the camera lens.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes an accelerometer affixed to the security system component and a light sensor, wherein the security system component includes a camera lens, wherein the analytic alarm indicates a defocusing of the camera lens, and wherein the analysis of the data from the accelerometer and light sensor includes determining whether a predetermined acceleration threshold has been met at approximately a same time as:

a change in lighting of a scene monitored by the camera lens; and

the defocusing of the camera lens.

11. A system for detecting tampering of a security system component, the system comprising:

at least one sensor;

a video analytic module, the video analytic module generating an analytic alarm indicating potential tampering with the security system component; and

a tampering monitor in communication with the at least one sensor and the video analytic module, the tampering monitor;

receiving data from the at least one sensor;

analyze the analytic alarm and the data from the at least one sensor to determine whether tampering of the security system component has occurred; and

generating a qualified alarm signal when the analysis of the analytic alarm and the data from the at least one sensor is indicative of tampering.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor includes an accelerometer affixed to the security system component and wherein the analytic alarm indicates potential repositioning of the security system component, and wherein the analysis of the data from the accelerometer includes determining whether a predetermined acceleration threshold has been met.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one sensor further includes a light sensor, and wherein the analysis of the data from the accelerometer and light sensor includes determining whether the predetermined acceleration threshold has been met at approximately a same time as a change in lighting.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor includes a light sensor and wherein the analytic alarm indicates a potential lighting based alarm and wherein the analysis of the data from the light sensor includes determining whether an unnatural change in illumination has occurred.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor includes an accelerometer affixed to the security system component and a light sensor, wherein the security system component includes a camera lens, wherein the analytic alarm indicates a potential covering of the camera lens, and wherein the analysis of the data from the accelerometer and light sensor includes determining whether a predetermined acceleration threshold has been met at approximately a same time as:

a change in lighting of a scene monitored by the camera lens; and

the potential covering of the camera lens.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor includes an accelerometer affixed to the security system component and a light sensor, wherein the security system component includes a camera lens, wherein the analytic alarm indicates a defocusing of the camera lens, and wherein the analysis of the data from the accelerometer and light sensor includes determining whether a predetermined acceleration threshold has been met at approximately a same time as:

a change in lighting of a scene monitored by the camera lens; and

the defocusing of the camera lens.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor is an accelerometer affixed to the security system component, and wherein the tampering monitor is configured to null data received from the accelerometer to account for normal movement of the security system component.

18. A security system video de-noising method, the method comprising:

determining noise reduction motion vectors;

receiving data from at least one sensor;

using a computing device to correlate the noise reduction motion vectors with the data received from at least one of the at least one sensor to determine noise pixels within the video;

de-noising the video by removing the noise pixels from the video.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one of the at least one sensor is an accelerometer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one sensor further comprises a light sensor, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving scaled light intensity data from the light sensor; and

forming a histogram of light intensity,

the computing device further using the histogram to determine noise pixels within the video.