Remote monitoring system

A remote monitoring system for monitoring properties of persons to be protected includes at least one video pickup device (C) positioned at the property (1) to be protected. The video pickup device can either be continuously operable or activated via a datalink by a central station. The person to be protected who is approaching the property (1) is informed about conditions at the property via a mobile telephone (MT) before arriving at the property being protected based on surveillance data provided to the central station by the video pickup device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a remote monitoring system for monitoring at 
least one property of at least one person to be protected. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
In the prior art, systems are already known which monitor properties, such 
as apartment buildings, so that they can be protected in a simple and 
effective way. One known example is the so-called "Teleneighbor" system. 
Using a commercially available sensor, for instance, an undesired event 
such as a break-in or fire within a house or apartment is recorded and as 
a result, a target key of a telephone is activated, which then dials a 
previously arranged number, such as the number of an authorized neighbor. 
The neighbor finds that an automatic call was initiated from the property 
being monitored and has the capability of switching on a special telephone 
microphone that picks up sound inside the property being monitored. 
Naturally, in the "Teleneighbor" system, the "authorized neighbor" may 
himself be the owner of the property being monitored, who has had a call 
forwarded to, for example, his office telephone number. 
It has also been noted in the prior art that to preclude false alarms it is 
desirable to more than merely listen in on the property; it would also be 
desirable to be able to "look in" on the property, too. This could be done 
by means of an ISDN video telephone, which is equipped with a surveillance 
camera with an integrated motion sensor. If the undesired event occurs, 
the motion sensor initiates the establishment of a video telephone 
connection with the authorized neighbor who can call the police as needed. 
However, according to the above-described system, the authorized neighbor 
is called only if the undesired event occurs. Permanent monitoring of the 
property or of a person to be protected is not possible with this prior 
art system. 
The systems described above may, for example, find broad application in 
in-home security systems that allow a user to perform active testing. In 
this case, the user initiates a call by video telephone into his own home 
for testing, to see whether everything is as it should be. This can be 
done if someone is on vacation, for example, or if one is keeping large 
amounts of money or valuables in his home as described in "Der 
TeleNachbar" The Teleneighbor!, advertising brochure published by Alcatel 
SEL, Stuttgart, Germany. 
From German Patent Disclosure DE-OS 38 27 928, a video telephone with a 
monitoring circuit is known. In this monitoring circuit, video images are 
stored in an image memory and are compared with a previously stored image. 
If the images differ, an alarm can be sent to a monitoring point by means 
of an automatic dialer or a wireless link. This system is used for 
in-house monitoring. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an apparatus that 
is used for remote monitoring of a property to be monitored, and/or of a 
person to be protected. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for monitoring a 
property and/or a person to be protected that allows the person to learn 
directly what condition the property is in. 
These objects are obtained according to the invention by a remote 
monitoring system for monitoring at least one remote property. wherein the 
at least one property (1) to be monitored is equipped with at least one 
video pick-up device (C); the property (1) to be monitored is connected to 
a telecommunications network (ISDN) and is connected by the 
telecommunications network to a central station (2) which is equipped with 
both a video telephone (BT) for monitoring the property (1) and with a 
mobile telephone (MT) for exchanging information with a person. 
In addition these objects are obtained by a method for monitoring a 
property of a person to be protected, having a monitoring system as 
described above in which a central station (2) monitors the property (1) 
to be monitored by video, and in which the person to be protected, before 
arriving at the property (1) reports his impending arrival at the property 
by use of a mobile telephone (MT) to the central station (2) and from the 
central station a video interrogation of the property to be monitored is 
made by remote control for control purposes, and after this video 
interrogation is evaluated, information about the condition of the 
property is provided to the person to be protected before the person to be 
protected arrives at the property. 
It proves to be advantageous that the property to be monitored can either 
be subject to permanent monitoring or be monitored only if a person to be 
protected is approaching the property, or in other words if the person 
wants monitoring to be done. The person to be protected can make a 
security check of the property shortly before arriving at or in the 
property, for instance by calling a central station by mobile telephone. 
This affords the person to be protected a convenient, safe and an 
inexpensive way of achieving protection without unduly endangering 
himself. 
Another advantage of the invention is that a person to be protected, for 
instance an important person in a corporation, can have his own private 
property monitored for personal protection purposes by the corporation's 
own security service. As a result, the high cost of a personal bodyguard 
need not be incurred, or at least can be reduced. Moreover, such 
protection can be provided via a direct connection to a police station or 
to a private security guard service. Such systems can enable every person 
to have a relatively favorable opportunity for personal protection. This 
type of protection can also be employed for large apartment-house 
complexes, where security problems repeatedly arise because of the 
anonymity that prevails there. 
Another advantageous feature of the remote monitoring system and method of 
the invention is that it can provide an acoustical and/or visual alarm for 
the property to be monitored that has been subjected to an undesired 
event. 
The monitoring system can also trigger an alarm at the central station 
which monitors the property when an undesired event occurs. 
The monitoring system can also include at least one video telephone (VT) 
for transmitting video data picked up by a video pick-up device (C). 
The monitoring system can be equipped with a door intercom system (TS) 
which has an integrated camera (K) which can be connected to the central 
station by telecommunications link (ISDN). The remote monitoring system of 
the invention can also permit the owner of the property to identify 
himself as an authorized person via the door intercom system. 
The monitoring system can also include a video telephone (RT) for 
displaying video images of the property and a mobile telephone (MT) for 
providing information about the condition of the property or of the person 
to be protected. 
The method of the invention permits the owner of the property to feel safe 
when arriving at the property by monitoring the property with a video 
camera before the owner arrives at the property and permits the owner to 
be protected while on the property by monitoring controlled from the 
central station (2).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The invention will be described in further detail below in conjunction with 
FIG. 1. 
A remote monitoring system for at least one property 1 to be monitored, for 
example belonging to a person to be protected, is equipped with at least 
one video pickup device C (FIG. 1 shows two video pickup devices C) which 
provides surveillance data. The property 1 to be protected, in this case 
can be a privately owned lot with a house on it. The monitoring system is 
also connected to a data link such as a telecommunications network ISDN. 
The telecommunications network is advantageously a digital ISDN network. A 
connection to the ISDN network can be made by way of the well-known 
S.sub.0 interface and a corresponding network terminal NT. 
The property 1 to be monitored is connected to a central station 2 via the 
telecommunications network ISDN. The central station 2 is equipped with a 
video telephone BT for monitoring the property. The video telephone BT may 
for instance be a commercially available video telephone, such as the 
Alcatel Model 2838. The central station 2 also has a connection for a 
mobile telephone MT, so that information can be exchanged with a person to 
be protected. Over the video telephone BT, a connection can be made with 
the property 1 to be monitored. The video data picked up there by the 
video pickup devices C, which, for example, are commercially available 
outdoor video cameras, is transmitted over the telecommunications network 
ISDN or by a wireless data link D to the central station 2, where the 
image is reproduced on the video telephone BT and can be monitored. 
Monitoring can then be performed by a human being, for instance, or can be 
automated, as has been explained above in connection with the prior art 
for an in-home system. 
An alarm system A on the premises of the property 1 to be monitored can be 
tripped (turned on) from the central station 2 or from inside the house on 
the property. This alarm system A may be an acoustical and/or visual alarm 
system. 
In another case, an alarm can be tripped directly in an emergency call 
center 3 from the central station 2. The emergency call center, for 
instance may be a police station emergency call center or a 911 number. 
The police or 911 can then be responsible for further actions, such as 
dispatching policemen or firemen. 
The above-described remote monitoring system of FIG. 1 offers two 
possibilities. The first possibility is that a permanent video monitoring 
of the property to be monitored can be provided. The second possibility is 
that an image connection with the property 1 to be monitored is made in 
response to an undesired event and a special interrogation of the property 
is then made; monitoring of the property to be monitored is thus performed 
in response to a special instruction or request. This can be done for 
instance if a person to be protected is approaching the property and wants 
to be sure that no unauthorized person is in the vicinity. 
One exemplary embodiment of equipping a property 1 to be monitored will be 
described below in conjunction with FIG. 2. 
In FIG. 2, the property 1 to be monitored is connected to a 
telecommunications network ISDN. This can be done for instance via a 
network terminal NT and an S.sub.0 interface S.sub.0. The property 1 to be 
monitored is equipped with a video telephone BT and at least one video 
pickup device C, such as an outdoor camera. The video pickup device C is 
used for outdoor monitoring of the property to be monitored and takes 
pictures of it from outside. The pictures are sent via the video telephone 
BT and the connection to the telecommunications network ISDN and are 
passed on to a central station 2. Alternatively, video data from pickup 
device C can be sent to the central station 2 by a wireless (radiowave, 
microwave, etc.) link. 
In the case under discussion here, where a video telephone BT is also 
provided inside the property 1 to be monitored, additional protection can 
be gained by also providing a system of the kind described in the 
"Teleneighbor" brochure of the prior art. A sensor is arranged such that 
on the occurrence of a special event, such as motion inside a room, a 
connection with a central station is automatically made. 
A second exemplary embodiment of equipping a property 1 to be monitored 
will now be described in detail in conjunction with FIG. 3. 
In FIG. 3 the property 1 to be monitored is again connected to a central 
station 2 via a telecommunications network ISDN. The connection of the 
property to the telecommunications network, in this case the ISDN network, 
again takes place via the usual means described above. 
The property 1 to be monitored is equipped with video pickup devices C. In 
the example of FIG. 3, two video cameras are shown. An alarm system A is 
also located on the property to be monitored. The alarm system A may issue 
a visual and/or an acoustical alarm. Inside the property 1 to be monitored 
there is also a video telephone BT. The property 1 to be monitored is also 
equipped with a door intercom system TS, which can be connected to the 
central station 2 via the telecommunications network ISDN or via a 
wireless link. The door intercom system TS, which is located at the entry 
door, for instance, is equipped with an integrated camera K. For instance, 
if someone approaches the entry door and rings the bell, and the owner of 
the property is not at home or does not want to open the door, then a 
connection with the central station can be made by the owner or upon the 
pressing of the door bell. By means of the integrated camera K, it can be 
learned who is at the door, and a picture of the person can be taken and 
stored in memory. Via an additional connection by speech transmission to 
the central station which may also be a wireless link, a person can state 
his business and optionally show identification to prove he is an 
authorized person. This feature has the additional effect that a person 
located at the door cannot find out whether anyone is at home. Instead, 
the impression is always given that the property has not been left 
unoccupied. 
Another feature of this door intercom system TS, however, is that in the 
event that the owner is not at home or does not want to open the door, the 
integrated camera K of the door intercom system TS is activated, and a 
picture of the person at the door is recorded and stored in memory. The 
person can thus leave a video message, for instance, to tell the property 
owner why he was at the door and what his business was. 
Both the video telephone BT and the door intercom system TS, as well as the 
alarm system A and the video pickup devices C, are all connectable to a 
control unit SE. The control unit SE is controllable via the digital 
telephone network ISDN, so that an alarm system A, or the video telephone 
BT, or the door intercom system TS, or the outdoor cameras C can each, or 
all, be controlled from the central station 2. 
A method for monitoring property of a person to be protected will now be 
described in further detail, in terms of one exemplary embodiment. In this 
case, if a person to be protected approaches a property 1 to be monitored, 
a connection with a central station 2 can be made by the person to be 
protected, for instance via a mobile telephone MT, in order to ask what 
condition the property 1 to be monitored is in. The central station 2 thus 
asked makes a video or picture connection with the property 1 to be 
monitored, over a telecommunications network ISDN. For instance, the 
property 1 to be monitored is monitored by video. To check the condition 
of the property to be monitored, a video interrogation of the video pickup 
devices C located on the property to be monitored is started. Then the 
video interrogation is evaluated, and information on the condition of the 
property is provided to the person to be protected. 
In the event that the central station 2 has provided the person to be 
protected with information that an unauthorized person is, or has been, in 
the vicinity of the house, then the person to be protected can decide 
whether or not to approach the property. 
If the information provided by the central station 2 is that the property 
being monitored is in acceptable condition, then the person can now calmly 
approach the property. 
A further feature that can be provided by the invention is that the person 
to be protected can continue to be monitored by video, until he or she is 
inside the house and no longer wishes further video monitoring to be done. 
This assures that a person to be protected is protected until he or she is 
inside the property being monitored. 
To assure that only authorized persons can learn the current condition of a 
property to be monitored, interrogation by password may be provided, for 
instance. Any other known access control for authorized persons may also 
be provided, such as speech recognition. 
By also equipping the interior of the property 1 to be monitored with a 
video telephone BT, one can assure that if an unauthorized person has 
nevertheless been able to gain access to the property 1 being monitored, 
additional monitoring will take place inside. This increases security 
still further. 
Such monitoring can also be employed when large properties are to be 
monitored, and where there are many persons to be protected, such as in an 
apartment-house complex. Here all the inhabitants count as a person to be 
protected and can be accompanied by video monitoring as far as their 
apartment door. Particularly in view of the great anonymity that prevails 
in large apartment complexes, with the attendant constantly increasing 
threat to life and limb, such a service can gain broad application in the 
future. 
Various changes and modifications may be made, and any features described 
herein in connection with any one embodiment may be used with any of the 
others, within the scope of the inventive concept.