Method and apparatus for hosting a network camera including a heartbeat mechanism

• US 7,076,085 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2001
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: IPIX Corporation
• Inventors: Sah, Adam D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choobin, Barry
• Application Number:
  US09/834,719
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 382/107, 382/236, 382/232, 734/88, 734/95, 737/90, 725/105, 370/254, 370/335, 348/207.1, 348/211.99, 348/211.2, 348/154, 348/155, 348/169, 348/208.1, 348/208.16, 348/352, 348/220.1, 348/700, 348/159, 356/27, 356/29, 714/23
• US Class Current: 382/107
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing an improved Internet camera is described. The method comprises capturing an image and determining if the image has changed. If the image has changed, sending the image to a server, and if the image has not changed with a period, sending a heartbeat to indicate continued functionality of the camera.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining images and a status of a camera, the method comprising:

sending a new image, if the new image is different from an old image; and

sending a heartbeat to indicate that the camera is working, if the new image is not different from the old image, wherein the new image is sent periodically at a first rate, and the heartbeat is sent periodically at a second rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the heartbeat is sent only if a series of new images were the same as the old images.

3. A method of obtaining images and a status of a camera, the method comprising:

sending a new image, if the new image is different from an old image;

sending a heartbeat to indicate that the camera is working, if the new image is not different from the old image;

using a first timer to periodically send the new images; and

using a second timer, to send the heartbeat, if no new images were sent within a period.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising resetting the second timer when the new image is sent.

5. A method of confirming the working status of a camera system, the method comprising:

capturing a first image with the camera system;

capturing a second image with the camera system;

determining whether the second image is different from the first image; and

indicating that the camera system is working by communicating a heartbeat from the camera system to an image server in response to a determination that the second image is not different from the first image.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising communicating the second image to the image server in response to a determination that the second image is different from the first image.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising processing the second image to produce a processed second image.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of processing the second image is performed before the step of communicating the second image to the image server, wherein the second image communicated to the image server is the processed second image.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the second image is communicated in response to a determination that the second image is different from the first image after a first period of time has elapsed from the step of determining whether the second image is different from the first image, and

wherein the heartbeat is communicated in response to a determination that the second image is not different from the first image after a second period of time has elapsed from the step of determining whether the second image is different from the first image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said first period of time is approximately equal to said second period of time.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said second period of time is greater than said first period of time.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the steps of capturing a first image and capturing a second image are performed periodically at a first rate.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of indicating that the camera system is working is performed less frequently than the first rate.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

capturing a succession of images subsequent to the step of capturing a second image, the succession comprising successive images, wherein each image of said succession is determined to be not different from the prior image of said succession; and

counting the number of successive images as each is determined to be not different from the respective prior image;

wherein the step of indicating that the camera is working is performed when said number of successive images reaches a predetermined value.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining whether the second image is different from the first image comprises determining whether the difference between the second image and the first image exceeds a threshold.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the first image and the second image each provide a view of an environment, wherein the step of determining whether the second image is different from the first image comprises detecting motion in the environment, said motion occurring between the steps of capturing the first image and capturing the second image.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the size of the heartbeat is substantially less than the size of the second image.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein the heartbeat comprises one of a compressed version of the first image or a compressed version of the second image.

19. The method of claim 5, wherein the heartbeat comprises a time stamp.

20. The method of claim 5, wherein the heartbeat is a single bit.

21. A computer readable medium comprising instructions capable of claim 5.

22. A computer system programmed to perform the method of claim 5.