System and method of post event/alarm analysis in CCTV and integrated security systems

• US 9,472,072 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: M, Deepak Sundar, Chathukutty, Silky
• Primary Examiner(s): Topgyal, Gelek W
• Application Number:
  US13/464,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20130293718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• Field of Search: 348152-156
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19669 Event triggers storage or change of storage policy
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19671 Addition of non-video data, i.e. metadata, to video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19691 Signalling events for better perception by user, e.g. indicating alarms by making display brighter, adding text, creating a sound
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• 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

A method and apparatus are provided. The method includes the steps of detecting a plurality of events within a secured area detected by respective sensors that have been activated within a predetermined time period of one another, wherein at least one of the plurality of events is an alarm event, ordering the plurality of events based upon a reporting time of each of the plurality of events, and displaying a map showing the respective sensors that have been activated within a predetermined time period of one another within the secured area along with a potential route of an intruder traveling among locations of the respective sensors that have been activated within a predetermined time period of one another in accordance with the reporting time of each of the plurality of events.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a plurality of sensors including at least one door switch that detect threats within a secured area;

detecting a plurality of at least three events within the secured area detected by respective sensors of the plurality of sensors that have been activated within a predetermined time period of one another, wherein at least one of the plurality of at least three events is an alarm event;

ordering the plurality of at least three events based upon a reporting time of each of the plurality of at least three events;

correlating the ordered plurality of at least three events based upon time, location, and distance between the ordered plurality of at least three events, wherein the distance is a variable distance value calculated by a corresponding processor, wherein the variable distance value between the ordered plurality of at least three events increases with the time based upon a normal walking speed of an intruder measured from a time of activation of a first of any two of the ordered plurality of at least three events, and wherein the variable distance value is correlated to an actual distance between the ordered plurality of at least three events because the intruder could have traveled from the location of one of the ordered plurality of at least three events to a next of the ordered plurality of at least three events;

displaying the correlated, ordered plurality of at least three events automatically in response to detecting the alarm event; and

displaying a map showing the respective sensors of the plurality of sensors that have been activated within the predetermined time period of one another within the secured area along with a potential route of the intruder traveling among the location of the respective sensors of the plurality of sensors that have been activated within the predetermined time of one another in accordance with the distance and the reporting time of each of the plurality of at least three events.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the predetermined time period further comprises a walking time of the intruder between the location of the respective sensors of the plurality of sensors that have been activated within the predetermined time period of one another.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors further comprises at least one camera.

4. The method as in claim 3 wherein the alarm event further comprises the at least one camera detecting motion in a field of view of the at least one camera.

5. The method as in claim 4 further comprising an operator selecting an icon of the at least one camera on the map and viewing a sequence of images from the at least one camera captured at the reporting time of one of the plurality of at least three events from the at least one camera.

6. The method as in claim 1 further comprising depicting an icon of a nearby camera on the map, wherein a field of view of the nearby camera encompasses one of the respective sensors of the plurality of sensors that have been activated within the predetermined time period of one another.

7. The method as in claim 6 further comprising an operator selecting the icon of the nearby camera and viewing a sequence of images from the nearby camera at the reporting time of one of the plurality of at least three events detected by the one of the respective sensors of the plurality of sensors that have been activated within the predetermined time period of one another.

8. The method as in claim 6 further comprising an operator selecting the icon of the nearby camera and viewing a sequence of images from the nearby camera for a predetermined time before or after the reporting time of one of the plurality of at least three events detected by the one of the respective sensors of the pluratlity of sensors that have been activated within the predetermined time period of one another.

9. The method as in claim 1 wherein the plurality of at least three events further comprises granting access by an authorized person to the secured area and detecting simultaneous entry into the secured area through a same entry portal by another person in addition to the authorized person.

10. The method as in claim 1 further comprising depicting a list of selectable icons on the map, wherein each of the selectable icons corresponds to one of the respective sensors of the plurality of sensors that have been activated within the predetermined time period of one another.

11. The method as in claim 1 further comprising at least some of the plurality of at least three events occurring before the alarm event.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of devices including at least one door switch that detects a plurality of at least three respective events within a secured area;

a processor that detects respective ones of the plurality of devices activated within a predetermined time period of one another, wherein at least one of the plurality of at least three respective events is an alarm event;

a processor that orders the plurality of at least three respective events based upon a reporting time of each of the plurality of at least three respective events;

a processor that correlates the ordered plurality of at least three respective events based upon time, location, and distance between the ordered plurality of at least three respective events, wherein the distance is a variable distance value calculated by a corresponding processor, wherein the variable distance value between the ordered plurality of at least three respective events increases with the time based upon a normal walking speed of an intruder measured from a time of activation of a first of any two of the ordered plurality of at least three respective events, and wherein the variable distance value is correlated to an actual distance between the ordered plurality of at least three respective events because the intruder could have traveled from the location of one of the ordered plurality of at least three respective events to a next of the ordered plurality of at least three respective events;

a processor that displays the correlated, ordered plurality of at least three respective events automatically in response to detecting the alarm event; and

a processor that displays a map showing the respective ones of the plurality of devices activated within the predetermined time period of one another within the secured area along with a potential route of the intruder traveling among the location of the respective ones of the plurality of devices activated within the predetermined time period of one another in accordance with the distance and the reporting time of each of the plurality of at least three respective events.

13. The apparatus as in claim 12 further comprising a processor calculating the predetermined time period based upon the distance between the location of the respective ones of the plurality of devices activated within the predetermined time period of one another and an average walking speed of the intruder.

14. The apparatus as in claim 12 wherein the plurality of devices further comprises at least one camera.

15. The apparatus as in claim 14 further comprising a processor associated with the at least one camera that detects motion in a field of view of the at least one camera.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15 further comprising a panel view of detected ones of the plurality of at least three respective events selectable from the map.

17. The apparatus as in claim 16 further comprising an icon of another camera displayed on the panel view, wherein a field of view of the another camera encompasses one of the respective ones of the plurality of devices activated within the predetermined time period of one another.

18. The apparatus as in claim 17 further comprising an operator selecting the icon of the another camera and a processor that displays a sequence of images from the another camera for viewing at the reporting time of one of the plurality of at least three respective events detected by the one of the respective ones of the plurality of devices activated within the predetermined time period of one another.

19. The apparatus as in claim 12 further comprising a processor that detects granting of access to an authorized person into the secured area and that detects simultaneous entry into the secured area through a same entry portal by another person in addition to the authorized person.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of sensors including at least one door switch that detects threats within a secured area;

a plurality of at least three event records embodied as files saved in a non-transitory computer readable medium, each of the plurality of event records containing a record of activation of one of the plurality of sensors that detected respective ones of a plurality of events within the secured area, wherein respective ones of the plurality of sensors of the plurality of at least three event records have been activated within a predetermined time period of one another, and wherein at least one of the plurality of events is an alarm event;

a processor that orders the plurality of events based upon a reporting time of each of the plurality of events;

a processor that correlates the ordered plurality of events based upon time, location, and distance between the ordered plurality of events, wherein the distance is a variable distance value calculated by a corresponding processor, wherein the variable distance value between the ordered plurality of events increases with the time based upon a normal walking speed of an intruder measured from a time of activation of a first of any two of the ordered plurality of events, and wherein the variable distance value is correlated to an actual distance between the ordered plurality of events because the intruder could have traveled from the location of one of the ordered plurality of events to a next of the ordered plurality of events;

a processor that displays the correlated, ordered plurality of events automatically in response to detecting the alarm event; and

a processor that displays a map showing the respective ones of the plurality of sensors of the plurality of at least three event records that have been activated within the predetermined time period of one another within the secured area along with a potential route of the intruder traveling among the location of the respective ones of the plurality of sensors of the plurality of at least three event records that have been activated within the predetermined time period of one another in accordance with the distance and the reporting time of each of the plurality of events.