Method and apparatus for controlling video streams

• US 8,199,196 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Livescu, Dorel, Lertola, John F., Klein, Thierry Etienne
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOU, ALAN S
• Application Number:
  US11/862,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20090085740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/455, 348/588
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• 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

The invention includes a method and apparatus for controlling video streams. A method includes monitoring for an event associated with one of a plurality of video camera controllers providing a plurality of video streams where each of the video streams has a first quality level, and, in response to detecting an event associated with one of the plurality of video camera controllers, propagating a control message toward the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected, where a control message adapted for requesting the one of the video camera controllers to switch from providing the video stream using the first quality level to providing the video stream using a second quality level. The first quality level may be a low level of quality and the second quality level may be a high level of quality.

Claims

1. A method for controlling video stream quality levels for video streams provided by video camera controllers, comprising:

monitoring for an event associated with one of a plurality of video camera controllers providing a plurality of video streams, each of the video streams being provided at least at a first quality level, at least one of the video streams being provided at a second quality level greater than the first quality level;

when an event associated with one of the plurality of video camera controllers is detected, determining whether an additional video stream at the second quality level can be supported;

in response to a determination that an additional video stream at the second quality level cannot be supported, determining whether to request that the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected switch from providing the video stream at the first quality level to providing the video stream at the second quality level;

in response to a determination to request that the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected switch from providing the video stream at the first quality level to providing the video stream at the second quality level;

propagating, toward the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected, a control message configured to request the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected to switch from providing the video stream at the first quality level to providing the video stream at the second quality level; and

selecting one of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level, and propagating, toward the selected one of the video camera controllers, a control message configured to request the selected one of the video camera controllers to switch from providing the video stream at the second quality level to providing the video stream at the first quality level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the event comprises at least one of:

detecting a request by a user to receive the video stream at the second quality level; and

processing the video stream from the one of the video camera controllers to determine content of the video stream, and detecting at least one condition associated with the content of the processed video stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the event comprises:

receiving data from a monitoring device; and

processing the received data to detect the event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the event comprises at least one of a start of audio, a change of temperature, a motion, a presence of a biological agent, a presence of a chemical agent, and a presence of radiation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before detecting the event, presenting at least a portion of the received video streams having the first quality level, wherein each of the presented video streams is presented as a video thumbnail.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after detecting the event, continuing to present at least a portion of the video streams having the first quality level, wherein each of the video streams having the first quality level is presented as a video thumbnail.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first quality level comprises a first video rate and a first video resolution and the second quality level comprises a second video rate and a second video resolution.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether an additional video stream at the second quality level can be supported comprises at least one of:

determining whether there is sufficient network capacity to support an additional video stream at the second quality level; and

determining whether a video control system receiving the video streams is capable of supporting an additional video stream at the second quality level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to request that the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected switch from providing the video stream at the first quality level to providing the video stream at the second quality level comprises:

for each of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level, comparing at least one parameter associated with the video camera controller providing the video stream at the second quality level with at least one corresponding parameter associated with the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of an order in which events are detected, a priority of detected events, an indication as to whether or not the detected event was triggered by a user, priorities associated to video camera controllers, and characteristics of content of the video streams.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level comprises:

for each of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level, determining at least one parameter associated with the video camera controller providing the video stream at the second quality level; and

selecting one of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level based at least in part on a comparison of the determined parameters.

12. An apparatus for controlling video stream quality levels for video streams provided by video camera controllers, comprising:

a processor and a memory, the processor configured to;

monitor for an event associated with one of a plurality of video camera controllers providing a plurality of video streams, each of the video streams being provided at least at a first quality level, at least one of the video streams being provided at a second quality level greater than the first quality level;

when an event associated with one of the plurality of video camera controllers is detected, determine whether an additional video stream at the second quality level can be supported;

in response to a determination that an additional video stream at the second quality level cannot be supported, determine whether to request that the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected switch from providing the video stream at the first quality level to providing the video stream at the second quality level;

in response to a determination to request that the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected switch from providing the video stream at the first quality level to providing the video stream at the second quality level;

propagate, toward the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected, a control message configured to request the one of the video camera controllers to switch from providing the video stream at the first quality level to providing the video stream at the second quality level; and

select one of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level, and propagate, toward the selected one of the video camera controllers, a control message configured to request the selected one of the video camera controllers to switch from providing the video stream at the second quality level to providing the video stream at the first quality level.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to detect the event using at least one of:

detecting a request by a user to receive the video stream at the second quality level; and

processing the video stream from the one of the video camera controllers to determine content of the video stream, and detecting at least one condition associated with the content of the processed video stream.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to detect the event by:

receiving data from a monitoring device; and

processing the received data to detect the event.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the event comprises at least one of a start of audio, a change of temperature, a temperature satisfying a threshold, a motion, a presence of a biological agent, a presence of a chemical agent, and a presence of radiation.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to:

before detecting the event, present at least a portion of the received video streams having the first quality level, wherein each of the presented video streams is presented as a video thumbnail.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to:

after detecting the event, continue to present at least a portion of the video streams having the first quality level, wherein each of the video streams having the first quality level is presented as a video thumbnail.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first quality level comprises a first video rate and a first video resolution and the second quality level comprises a second video rate and a second video resolution.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, to determine whether an additional video stream at the second quality level can be supported, the processor is configured to perform at least one of:

determine whether there is sufficient network capacity to support an additional video stream at the second quality level; and

determine whether a video control system receiving the video streams is capable of supporting an additional video stream at the second quality level.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, to determine whether to request that the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected switch from providing the video stream at the first quality level to providing the video stream at the second quality level, the processor is configured to:

for each of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level, compare at least one parameter associated with the video camera controller providing the video stream at the second quality level with at least one corresponding parameter associated with the one of the video camera controllers for which the event is detected.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of an order in which events are detected, a priority of detected events, an indication as to whether or not the detected event was triggered by a user, priorities associated to video camera controllers, and characteristics of content of the video streams.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, to select one of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level, the processor is configured to:

for each of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level, determine at least one parameter associated with the video camera controller providing the video stream at the second quality level; and

select one of the video camera controllers providing a video stream at the second quality level based at least in part on a comparison of the determined parameters.