System for automated screening of security cameras

• US 7,643,653 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CheckVideo, LLC (Kastle Systems International LLC)
• Original Assignee: Cernium Corporation (Kastle Systems International LLC)
• Inventors: Garoutte, Maurice V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang; Duy M
• Application Number:
  US11/159,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20050259848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/107, 382/115, 382/165, 382/269, 348/143, 348/154, 348/169, 340/541, 345/582, 345/587
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• 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 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

The present invention involves a system for automatically screening closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras for large and small scale security systems, as used for example in parking garages. The system includes six primary software elements, each of which performs a unique function within the operation of the security system to provide intelligent camera selection for operators, resulting in a marked decrease of operator fatigue in a CCTV system. Real-time image analysis of video data is performed wherein a single pass of a video frame produces a terrain map which contains parameters indicating the content of the video. Based on the parameters of the terrain map, the system is able to make decisions about which camera an operator should view based on the presence and activity of vehicles and pedestrians, furthermore, discriminating vehicle traffic from pedestrian traffic. The system is compatible with existing CCTV (closed circuit television) systems and is comprised of modular elements to facilitate integration and upgrades.

Claims

1. A computer system for automated screening of a plurality of video cameras, said computer system being in communication with the plurality of video cameras, the computer system comprising:

a memory; and

a plurality of real-time image analysis components, wherein video image data from said video cameras is analyzed by said real-time image analysis components and said video image data is then selectively presented to an operator for monitoring, at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of real-time image analysis components is stored in at least a portion of the memory, the plurality of real-time image analysis components including;

at least one video worker, said video worker capturing video image data from said video cameras;

at least one analysis worker, said analysis worker receiving said video image data from said video worker and performing image analysis on said video image data to provide data about activities in the video image data;

at least one video supervisor, said video supervisor controlling said reception of video image data of said analysis worker from said video worker;

at least one node manager, said node manager receiving said data about activities from said video worker;

a set rules graphical user interface (GUI), said GUI providing an interface to said computer system for required configuration data for said computer system; and

a system arbitrator, said system arbitrator receiving said data about activities from said node manager and in communication with said set rules GUI;

wherein said arbitrator selectively sends said video image data to an operator for further use.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein said analysis worker includes a library of functions, wherein said functions manipulate said video image data.

3. The computer system according to claim 2 wherein said functions further comprise:

color space calculations, said color space calculations comprising;

a color degree parameter which measures how far a color is from gray scale; and

a color direction parameter which measures color based on a two-dimensional color analysis.

4. The computer system according to claim 1, said computer system further comprising:

a pan-tilt-zoom control for movement control of the plurality of video cameras by said operator.

5. The computer system according to claim 1, said computer system further comprising:

an operator console, said operator console comprising a plurality of video monitors;

a central switch which receives input from said video cameras; and

at least one quad splitter, said quad splitter receiving said video image data from said central switch and sending multiple video scenes to one of said video monitors.

6. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the computer system is a security system, the video cameras are security cameras, and wherein said arbitrator selectively sends said video image data to an operator for security monitoring purposes.

7. A computer system for automated screening of a plurality of video cameras, said computer system being in communication with the plurality of video cameras, the computer system comprising:

a memory; and

a plurality of real-time image analysis components, wherein video image data from said video cameras is analyzed by said real-time image analysis components and said video image data is then selectively presented to an operator for monitoring, at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of real-time image analysis components is stored in at least a portion of the memory, the plurality of real-time image analysis components including;

at least one video worker, said video worker capturing video image data from said video cameras;

at least one analysis worker, said analysis worker receiving said video image data from said video worker and performing image analysis on said video image data to provide data about activities in the video image data;

at least one video supervisor, said video supervisor controlling said reception of video image data of said analysis worker from said video worker;

at least one node manager, said node manager receiving said data about activities from said video worker;

a set rules graphical user interface (GUI), said GUI providing an interface to said computer system for required configuration data for said computer system; and

a system arbitrator, said system arbitrator receiving said data about activities from said node manager and in communication with said set rules GUI;

wherein said arbitrator selectively sends said video image data to an operator for further purposes;

wherein said analysis worker includes;

(a) a provision for performing at least one pass through such a frame of said video image data; and

(b) a provision for generating a terrain map from said pass through said frame of said video image data, said terrain map including a plurality of parameters that indicate the content of said video image data;

said terrain map containing in said plurality of parameters characteristic information regarding the content of the video image data, the characteristic information being based on each of kernels of pixels in an input buffer, the characteristic information including at least a number of bytes of data describing the relationship of each of a plurality of pixels in a larger kernel surrounding the first-said kernel.

8. The computer system according to claim 7, wherein said further purposes are security monitoring purposes.

9. A computer system for automated screening of a plurality of video cameras, said computer system being in communication with the plurality of video cameras, the computer system comprising:

a memory; and

a plurality of real-time image analysis components, wherein video image data from said video cameras is analyzed by said real-time image analysis components and said video image data is then selectively presented to an operator for monitoring, at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of real-time image analysis components is stored in at least a portion of the memory, the plurality of real-time image analysis components including;

at least one video worker, said video worker capturing video image data from said video cameras;

at least one analysis worker, said analysis worker receiving said video image data from said video worker and performing image analysis on said video image data to provide data about activities in the video image data;

at least one video supervisor, said video supervisor controlling said reception of video image data of said analysis worker from said video worker;

at least one node manager, said node manager receiving said data about activities from said video worker;

a set rules graphical user interface (GUI), said GUI providing an interface to said computer system for required configuration data for said computer system; and

a system arbitrator, said system arbitrator receiving said data about activities from said node manager and in communication with said set rules GUI;

wherein said arbitrator selectively sends said video image data to an operator for further purposes;

wherein said analysis worker includes;

(a) a provision for performing at least one pass through such a frame of said video image data; and

(b) a provision for generating a terrain map from said pass through said frame of said video image data, said terrain map including a plurality of parameters that indicate the content of said video image data,

said parameters including;

an average altitude parameter;

a degree of slope parameter;

a direction of slope parameter;

a horizontal smoothness parameter;

a vertical smoothness parameter; and

a jaggyness parameter.

10. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein said parameters are generated by color space calculations, said color space calculations comprising a color degree parameter which measures how far a color is from gray scale, and a color direction parameter which measures color based on a two-dimensional color analysis.

11. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein said further purposes are security monitoring purposes.