Systems and methods for multi-stream image processing

• US 20110292287A1
• Filed: 07/18/2011
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Washington, Richard G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,681,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/571
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0125 one of the standards being a high definition standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0152 using spatial or temporal subsampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/12 Systems in which the television signal is transmitted via one channel or a plurality of parallel channels, the bandwidth of each channel being less than the bandwidth of the television signal H04N7/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Systems and methods for the processing of images over bandwidth-limited transmission interfaces, such as processing of high resolution video images over standard analog video interfaces, using multi-stream and/or multi-resolution analog methodology. The disclosed systems and methods may also be implemented to provide video resolutions across standard analog video interfaces in a manner that supports digital capture and imaging techniques to obtain useful information from digitally zoomed and enhanced video.

Claims

1. A method of processing images, comprising:

segmenting at least a part of an original digital image into multiple tile segments; and

providing said multiple tile segments together across said interface.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving said multiple tile segments together from across said interface; and

reassembling said received multiple tile segments to form at least a part of said original digital image.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying said reassembled part of said original image.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising at least one of storing said received multiple tile segments;

or storing said reassembled part of said original digital image, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said interface comprises an analog interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said original digital image comprises an original high resolution image;

wherein said analog interface has insufficient bandwidth capacity to transmit said original high resolution image; and

wherein said multiple tile segments are provided together across said analog interface within the bandwidth capacity of said analog interface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least a part of said original digital image comprises substantially all of said original high resolution image.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said multiple tile segments comprise four tile segments, each of said four tile segments being a respective different quadrant of said original digital image.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein said interface comprises an analog interface having a transmission frame rate and image resolution limit;

wherein the resolution of each of said multiple tile segments does not exceed the image resolution limit of said analog interface; and

wherein a combined frame rate of said multiple tile segments when transmitted together does not exceed the transmission frame rate of said analog interface.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said interface comprises a digital transmission interface.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of segmenting further comprises providing at least one of alignment identification information or tile segment identification information for each of said tile segments;

and wherein said step of reassembling comprises using at least one of said alignment identification information or said tile segment identifier information to reassemble said tile segments to form at least a part of said original digital image.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said at least a part of said original digital image comprises substantially all of said original high resolution image;

wherein said method further comprises displaying said reassembled original digital image; and

wherein said method further comprises;

extracting at least one window area from said original high resolution digital image;

providing said window area together with said multiple tile segments across said interface;

receiving said window area and said multiple tile segments together from across said interface; and

displaying said window area simultaneously with said reassembled original digital image;

said window area being displayed at a second frame rate that is lower than said first frame rate;

wherein said window area and said multiple tile segments are provided together across said analog interface within the bandwidth capacity of said analog interface; and

wherein said window area and said multiple tile segments are provided together across said analog interface at respective image frame rates to allow display of said reassembled original digital image at a first frame rate, and to allow display of said window area at a second frame rate, said second frame rate being greater than said first frame rate.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising varying a portion of said original high resolution digital image that is extracted for said window area based on a command received in real time.

14. A method of providing multiple images for transmission across an analog interface, comprising:

providing at least two digital video frames, each of said digital video frames containing a respective digital image;

converting said at least two digital video frames into at least two respective separate analog, video frames; and

providing said analog video frames for transmission together across said analog interface.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein one of said digital video frames comprises a digital video image having a first resolution and being provided at a first frame rate for transmission across said analog interface;

wherein another of said digital video frames comprises a digital video image having a second resolution and being provided at a second frame rate for transmission across said analog interface; and

wherein said first and second resolutions are different, or said first and second frame rates are different, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising creating said at least two digital video frames from a digital image received as part of a digital video signal from a digital video source;

and providing each of said separate analog video frames as part of an analog video signal for transmission across said analog interface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said analog interface comprises a standard NTSC, PAL or SECAM interface.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving said analog video signal from across said analog interface;

converting each of said at least two separate analog video frames into said at least two separate digital video frames; and

at least one of displaying or storing said respective digital images of said at least two separate digital video frames, or a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said first and second frame rates are different and wherein said method further comprises displaying said one of said digital video images at said first frame rate while simultaneously displaying said another of said digital video images at said second frame rate.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said first and second resolutions are different and wherein said method further comprises said one of said digital video images at said first resolution while simultaneously displaying said another of said digital video images at said second resolution.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said method further comprises using scaling to create one of said digital video images as a zoomed digital video image prior to said step of converting said digital video frames into said analog video frames;

and displaying said one of said digital video images as a zoomed digital image while simultaneously displaying said another of said digital video images as an unzoomed image.

22. A method of processing images, comprising:

segmenting at least one original digital video image into at least one digital image tile segment, said digital image tile segment comprising a portion of said at least one original digital video image;

formatting said at least one digital image tile segment into a digital video frame that contains said digital image tile segment; and

converting said digital video frame into an analog video frame.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving said digital video signal from a digital video source, said digital video signal containing said at least one original digital video image;

wherein said segmenting comprises segmenting said at least one original digital video image of said digital video signal into two or more digital image tile segments, each of said digital image tile segments containing a portion of said at least one original digital video image;

wherein said formatting comprises formatting each of said two or more digital image tile segments into a separate digital video frame that contains said respective digital image tile segment;

wherein said converting comprises convening each of said separate digital video frames into separate analog video frames; and

wherein said method further comprises inserting at least one of alignment identification information or tile segment identification information into each of said separate digital video frames of said digital video signal prior to converting each of said separate digital video frames into separate analog video frames.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing each of said separate analog video frames to an analog interface as part of an analog video signal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said analog interface comprises a standard NTSC, PAL or SECAM interface.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising receiving said analog video signal from said analog interface;

converting each of said separate analog video frames into a separate digital video frame containing a digital image segment of said original digital video image; and

assembling said separate digital video frames using at least one of said alignment identification information or said tile segment identifier information so that said digital tile image segments together reconstruct said original digital video image or together reconstruct a portion of said original digital video image.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said formatting comprises formatting each of said two or more digital image tile segments into a separate digital video frame that contains said respective digital image tile segment with at least one overlap and identification area provided at an edge of said video frame adjacent a border of said digital image tile segment, said overlap area of each of two of said digital image tile segments containing the same portion of said original video image for overlapping purposes;

wherein said inserting further comprises inserting said at least one of alignment identification information or tile segment identification information into a portion of said overlap and identification area; and

wherein said assembling further comprises overlapping said separate digital video frames at respective overlap areas of said digital frames.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising at least one of displaying or storing said reconstructed original digital video image or said reconstructed portion of said original digital video image.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein said reconstructed original digital video image has the same resolution as said at least one original digital video image.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein said at least one original digital video image has a first image resolution and a first image frame rate;

wherein said reconstructed image has a second image resolution that is the same as said first image resolution and has a second frame rate that is less than said first image frame rate;

wherein said segmenting further comprises segmenting said at least one original digital video image of said digital video signal into at least one selected digital image tile segment containing a selected portion of said at least one original digital video image and having a third resolution that is the same as said first image resolution and having a frame rate that is less than said first image frame rate but that is greater than said second image frame rate; and

wherein said method further comprises simultaneously displaying said reconstructed video image and said selected portion of said original video image from said selected digital image tile segment after said step of converting each of said separate analog video frames into a separate digital video frame.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising varying the identity of said selected portion of said at least one original digital video image in real time in response to a command or control signal.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising varying the identity of said selected portion of said at least one original digital video image in real time in response to a command or control signal.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein said at least one original digital video image has a first image resolution and a first image frame rate;

wherein said reconstructed image has a second image resolution that is the same as said first image resolution and has a second frame rate that is less than said first image frame rate;

wherein said method further comprises segmenting said at least one original digital video image of said digital video signal into at least one selected digital image tile segment containing a selected portion of said at least one original digital video image and having a third resolution that is the same as said first image resolution and having a frame rate that is less than said first image frame rate but that is greater than said second image frame rate;

wherein said method further comprises scaling said at least one selected digital image tile segment to create a zoomed selected portion of said original digital video image prior to said step of converting said digital video frame into an analog video frame; and

wherein said method further comprises simultaneously displaying said reconstructed video image and said selected zoomed portion of said original video image from said selected digital image tile segment after said step of converting each of said separate analog video frames into a separate digital video frame.

34. The method of claim 22, wherein said method further comprises receiving said digital video signal from a digital video source, said digital video signal containing said at least one original digital video image;

and wherein said method further comprises providing said analog video frame to an analog interface as part of an analog video signal.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said analog interface comprises a standard NTSC, PAL or SECAM interface.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising receiving said analog video signal from said analog interface;

converting said analog video frame into a separate digital video frame containing said digital image tile segment of said original digital video image; and

at least one of displaying or storing said portion of said at least one original digital video image contained in said digital image tile segment, or a combination thereof.

37. The method of claim 24, wherein said at least one original digital video image has a first image resolution and a first image frame rate;

wherein said segmenting comprises segmenting said at least one digital video image into two or more digital image tile segments, at least one of said two or more digital image tile segments having an image resolution that is different than said first image resolution; and

wherein said method further comprises simultaneously displaying video images from said two or more digital image tile segments after said step of converting said analog video frame into a separate digital video frame.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said at least one original digital video image has a first image resolution and a first image frame rate;

and wherein said segmenting comprises segmenting said at least one digital video image into two or more digital image tile segments, at least one of said two or more digital image tile segments having an image resolution that is equal to said first image resolution and being provided to said analog interface at a frame rate that is less than said first image frame rate.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein said at least one original digital video image has a first image resolution and a first image frame rate;

wherein said segmenting comprises segmenting said at least one digital video image into two or more digital image tile segments, at least one of said two or more digital image tile segments having an image resolution that is equal to said first image resolution and being provided to said analog interface at a frame rate that is less than said first image frame rate; and

wherein said method further comprises scaling said at least one of said two or more digital image tile segments to create a zoomed portion of said original digital video image prior to said step of converting said digital video frame into an analog video frame.