Patent ID: 6741977
Filing Date: 2004-05-25
Classification: H04N,Y10S

Abstract:
An image recording/playback apparatus for a monitoring system, comprising:a first processing unit for converting a monitoring image signal as inputted into a plurality of time-serial digitized monitoring image frames to store said digitized monitoring image frames in a first storage area; a second processing unit for extracting from said plurality of digitized monitoring image frames stored in said first storage area a plurality of monitoring image frames relevant to at least one event to be monitored, said second processing unit defining a period for said at least one event to be monitored, based on contents of said plurality of digitized image frames stored in a first storage area, and extracting monitoring image frames from said plurality of digitized monitoring image frames within said period at predetermined fixed sampling intervals to thereby store said extracted monitoring image frames in a second storage area, the at least one event to be monitored being related to positional changes of at least one of persons and equipment; a third processing unit for generating a monitored event database having a data structure of separately managing information as to storage addresses of the monitoring image frames stored in said second storage area and information as to said at least one event to which the monitoring image frames belong; a fourth processing unit responsive to a user's perusal request designating an element of the data structure of said monitored even database, for searching said database, acquiring storage addresses of monitoring image frames stored in said second storage area and belonging to an event-to-be-monitored corresponding to the user's request, and selecting the image frames belonging to the event-to-be-monitored from said second storage area based on said storage addresses thus acquired; and a fifth processing unit for generating an output signal for displaying said selected monitoring image frames belonging to the event-to-be-monitored on a display device in a two-dimensional array or in the form of time-serial animation.