System and method for monitoring an area

• US 7,355,508 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2004
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Electronic Machines Corp.
• Original Assignee: International Electronic Machines Corp.
• Inventors: Mian, Zahid F., Gamache, Ronald W., Spoor, Ryk E.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US11/003,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20050258943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 340/426.1, 340/425.5, 340/426.18, 340/426.24, 340/426.26, 340/438, 340/541, 340/565, 340/539.22
• US Class Current: 340/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/302 Airplanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/302 using recording means, e.g. black box
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/0053 using visual equipment, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1965 the vehicle being an aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1968 Interfaces for setting up or customising the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves

Abstract

An improved system for monitoring an area, and in particular a public area such as a passenger area of a vehicle. Various types of sensing devices and analysis solutions are incorporated and the results combined to enable the monitoring system to operate in an intelligent manner. To this extent, the monitoring system can monitor and confirm the identification of individuals as well as numerous events that may occur within the monitored area. Further, the invention can determine one or more actions to be taken in response to an event, and perform the action(s) automatically without intervention from a user. As a result, the invention provides a solution that can autonomously monitor an area, requiring minimal oversight from a user.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a vehicle, the system comprising:

means for obtaining a first type of raw data for a passenger area of the vehicle, wherein the means for obtaining a first type of raw data includes a sensing device selected from the group comprising a light sensing device, an array of sound sensing devices, and attribute sensing devices;

means for obtaining a second type of raw data for the passenger area, wherein the means for obtaining the second type of raw data includes a sensing device selected from the group comprising a light sensing device, an array of sound sensing devices, and attribute sensing devices;

means for detecting an event based on at least one of the first type of raw data or the second type of raw data, wherein the means for detecting includes means for generating adjusted data based on the first type of raw data and the second type of raw data, wherein the adjusted data comprises at least some of the first type of raw data and at least some of the second type of raw data; and

means for automatically determining an action based on the event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the light sensing device obtains light data, wherein the light data comprises sufficient resolution to recognize relevant objects in substantially all of the passenger area.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the light sensing device comprises a field of view that substantially conforms to the passenger area.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for mounting both the means for obtaining to the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for obtaining raw data for at least one of a control area, a storage area, or a second passenger area of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises an aircraft.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for obtaining a plurality of modes of operation for the system;

means for setting one of the plurality of modes of operation as a current mode of operation for the system; and

means for altering the current mode of operation based on the event.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for communicating the first type of raw data and the second type of raw data to at least one of a user at a location remote from the vehicle or a responder within the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising means for receiving a request to initiate the means for communicating.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the action comprises initiating the means for communicating based on the event.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for automatically performing the action.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting includes:

means for generating feature data based on the first type of raw data and the second type of raw data; and

means for generating object data based on the feature data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for detecting further includes means for automatically determining a source object for the event based on the object data.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for detecting further includes:

means for applying a first identification solution to object data for an individual to determine a first preliminary identification of the individual;

means for applying a second identification solution to the object data to determine a second preliminary identification of the individual; and

means for fusing the first and second preliminary identifications to identify the individual.

15. A system for monitoring an area, the system comprising:

means for obtaining a first type of raw data for the area;

means for obtaining a second type of raw data for the area;

means for generating adjusted data based on the first type of raw data and the second type of raw data, wherein the adjusted data includes at least some of the first type of raw data and at least some of the second type of raw data; and

means for detecting an event based on the adjusted data.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for automatically determining a source object for the event based on the adjusted data.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for automatically determining an action based on the event.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for automatically determining includes:

means for identifying a situation based on the event; and

means for determining the action based on the situation.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for obtaining a first type of raw data comprises at least one camera, and wherein the means for obtaining a second type of raw data comprises an array of sound sensing devices.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for detecting further includes:

means for applying a first identification solution to object data for an individual to determine a first preliminary identification of the individual;

means for applying a second identification solution to the object data to determine a second preliminary identification of the individual; and

means for fusing the first and second preliminary identifications to identify the individual.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for obtaining a plurality of modes of operation for the system;

means for setting one of the plurality of modes of operation as a current mode of operation for the system; and

means for altering the current mode of operation based on the event.

22. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for communicating the adjusted data to a remote system.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for generating adjusted data includes:

means for generating feature data based on the first type of raw data and the second type of raw data; and

means for generating object data based on the feature data.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the means for detecting an event includes:

means for detecting the event based on at least one of the first or second types of raw data;

means for detecting the event based on the feature data; and

means for detecting the event based on the object data.

25. A system for monitoring an area, the system comprising:

means for obtaining raw data for the area;

means for generating object data for an individual in the area based on the raw data;

means for applying a first identification solution to the object data to determine a first preliminary identification of the individual;

means for applying a second identification solution to the object data to determine a second preliminary identification of the individual; and

means for fusing the first and second preliminary identifications to identify the individual.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for detecting an event based on the identification.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for learning an identification of the individual based on the object data.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising means for selecting between the means for learning and the means for identifying.

29. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for determining an action based on the identification.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the means for obtaining area data includes:

means for obtaining a first type of raw data for the area, wherein the first preliminary identification is based on object data for the individual based on the first type of raw data; and

means for obtaining a second type of raw data for the area, wherein the second preliminary identification is based on object data for the individual based on the second type of raw data.

31. A system for monitoring an area, the system comprising:

means for obtaining a plurality of modes of operation for the system;

means for setting one of the plurality of modes of operation as a current mode of operation for the system;

means for obtaining raw data for the area;

means for automatically detecting an event based on the raw data and the current mode of operation; and

means for altering the current mode of operation based on the event.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the means for obtaining raw data comprises:

means for obtaining a first type of raw data for the area;

means for obtaining a second type of raw data for the area; and

means for generating adjusted data based on the first type of raw data and the second type of raw data, wherein the adjusted data comprises at least some of the first type of raw data and at least some of the second type of raw data.

33. The system of claim 31, further comprising means for determining an action based on the event.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising means for automatically performing the action.

35. A system for monitoring an area, the system comprising:

means for obtaining raw data for the area, wherein the raw data comprises a plurality of types of data;

means for generating feature data based on the raw data;

means for generating object data based on the feature data; and

means for detecting an event based on at least one of the raw data, the feature data, or the object data.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising means for adjusting at least one of the means for generating feature data, means for generating object data, or means for detecting an event.

37. The system of claim 35, further comprising means for determining an action based on the event.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising means for automatically performing the action.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the means for determining an action includes:

means for identifying a situation based on the event;

means for comparing the situation with a knowledge base of actions; and

means for selecting the action from the knowledge base of actions based on the situation.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein the means for generating feature data includes:

means for generating adjusted data; and

means for fusing the plurality of types of data.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the means for generating object data includes:

means for recognizing an object based on the object data; and

means for tracking the object within the object data.

42. The system of claim 35, wherein the means for detecting an event includes:

means for performing a threshold analysis on the object data to detect the event; and

means for using a neural network to detect the event.

43. The system of claim 35, wherein the means for detecting an event includes means for mining a set of previous events.