DETECTING AND MONITORING EVENT OCCURENCES USING FIBER OPTIC SENSORS

• US 20120176496A1
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: CARBONELL, LEE A., MARIADOSS, PANDIAN, EDGINGTON, JEFFREY L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,743,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

An event within a surveilled area, a physically bounded region, can be detected in real-time. The event can be outside the field of view of a camera associated with the surveilled area. The event can be detected by a fiber optic sensor within the surveilled area which can measure an event metrics. Event information associated with the event can be received which can include a timing information, a sensor measurement, and a location information. An adjustment operation associated with the camera can be determined utilizing a mapping and the event location. The adjustment operation can be associated with a camera functionality and an adjustment value. The mapping can include a camera identification value, a camera location, and a field of view dimension. The field of view of the camera can be adjusted dynamically which can result in the location of the event being within the field of view.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically adjusting a camera in response to detecting an event comprising:

detecting in real-time an event within a surveilled area, wherein the event is outside the field of view of a camera associated with the surveilled area, wherein the event is detected by a fiber optic sensor associated with the surveilled area, wherein the fiber optic sensor measures a metric associated with the event, wherein the surveilled area is a physically bounded region;

receiving event information associated with the event, wherein the event information is at least one of a timing information, a sensor measurement, and a location information;

determining an adjustment operation associated with the camera, wherein the adjustment operation is determined utilizing a mapping and the event information, wherein the adjustment operation is associated with a camera functionality and an adjustment value, wherein the mapping comprises a camera identification value, a camera location, and a field of view dimension; and

dynamically adjusting the field of view of the camera, wherein the adjusting results in the location of the event is within the field of view, wherein the adjusting is at least one of a pan, tilt, and zoom functionality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric is at least one of pressure, strain, and temperature.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location coordinate value is at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinate, and a Cartesian coordinate value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic sensor is embedded within a surface associated with the surveilled area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method actively tracks an object moving within the surveilled area.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a real-time video stream from the camera responsive to the adjusting; and

performing at least one video analytic on the video stream, wherein the video analytic is at least one of an object identification, motion detection, and face detection.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

conveying a user notification to an interface associated with a computing device utilized by a user responsive to the performing.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating at least one security action responsive to the event, wherein the security action is at least one of a communicating a notification to an external entity, wherein the external entity is at least one of a security agency, a law enforcement organization, and a medical institution.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the camera is an Internet Protocol camera.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic sensor is a Bragg grating.

11. A system for dynamically adjusting a camera in response to detecting an event comprising:

a processor;

a volatile memory;

a bus connecting said processor, non-volatile memory, and volatile memory to each other, wherein the volatile memory comprises computer usable program code execute-able by said processor, said computer usable program code comprising;

a surveilled area comprising of a physically bounded region and a fiber optic sensor within the surveilled area able to detect an event, wherein the fiber optic sensor can receive a measurement associated with the event, wherein the measurement is at least one of a pressure, strain, and temperature;

a surveillance engine able to identify a camera proximate to the event and communicate a camera adjustment operation to the proximate camera resulting in the modifying of the proximate camera state;

a proximate camera with a field of view configured to convey a video stream within the surveilled area to a video management system, wherein the video stream is video information associated with the field of view, wherein the proximate camera is a capable of at least one adjustment operation, wherein the adjustment operation is a pan, tilt, and zoom functionality modifying the field of view; and

a mapping capable of tracking the proximate camera state, wherein the proximate camera state is at least one of a camera identification, camera location, and a camera field of view dimension.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a trigger able to initiate a security action in response to the event, wherein the trigger is associated with at least one of a proximate camera state and a threshold value.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a camera driver able to identify at least one of a camera type, a camera functionality, and a camera state.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the camera is an Internet Protocol camera.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the surveillance engine is a component of an IBM MIDDLEWARE FOR LARGE SCALE SURVEILLANCE entity.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the surveillance engine is an IBM SMART SURVEILLANCE ENGINE.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium, when said computer usable program code is handled by a processor it is operable to detect in real-time an event within a surveilled area, wherein the event is outside the field of view of a camera associated with the surveilled area, wherein the event is detected by an fiber optic sensor associated with the surveilled area, wherein the fiber optic sensor measures a metric associated with the event, wherein the surveilled area is a physically bounded region;

computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium, when said computer usable program code is handled by a processor it is operable to receive event information associated with the event, wherein the event information is at least one of a timing information, a sensor measurement, and a location information;

computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium, when said computer usable program code is handled by a processor it is operable to determine an adjustment operation associated with the camera, wherein the adjustment operation is determined utilizing a mapping, wherein the adjustment operation is associated with a camera functionality and an adjustment value, wherein the mapping comprises a camera identification value, a camera location, and a field of view dimension; and

computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium, when said computer usable program code is handled by a processor it is operable to dynamically adjust the field of view of the camera, wherein the adjusting results in the location of the event is within the field of view, wherein the adjusting is at least one of a pan, tilt, and zoom functionality.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer program product is a component of an IBM SMART SURVEILLANCE SERVER.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer program product is associated with a user interface, wherein the user interface permits modification of at least one of a surveilled area, a mapping, and a trigger.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium, when said computer usable program code is handled by a processor it is operable to receive a real-time video stream from the camera responsive to the adjusting; and

computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium, when said computer usable program code is handled by a processor it is operable to perform at least one video analytic on the video stream, wherein the video analytic is at least one of an object identification, motion detection, and face detection.