Abstract:
Monitor cameras are connected to a network and a user uses a browser to read in the images on these cameras via a network. Images captured by the cameras are displayed on the display area of the browser, and the user is allowed to add or delete any assigned video displays via an interface provided by a web page in the browser. While the user adds or deletes the video displays, the allocation of the display area of the browser is dynamically adjusted, so that the user can monitor a plurality of sites dynamically at the same time conveniently and flexibly.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a dynamic monitor system, and more particularly to the remote monitor system that can access multiple images via a network.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     In order to control the situation of a bigger area under limited manpower, various monitor systems have been developed. These monitor systems are used in factories, parking lots, multi-story buildings and communities, etc. for performing the job of real time or taped security monitoring.  
         [0003]     Referring to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 1  is an allocation diagram of a conventional monitor system  10 . The monitor system  10  has a plurality of cameras  1011 ,  1013 ,  1015  and  1017  used for capturing images on different monitored areas. After the cameras  1011 ,  1013 ,  1015  and  1017  are connected to a signal-processing apparatus  103  via a special line  107 , the monitored images are displayed on several areas of a monitor  105 , such as the monitored areas a, b, c and d shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0004]     The conventional monitor system  10  uses a special signal-processing apparatus  103  that is not easy to be adjusted. For example, although a watcher can monitor four areas a, b, c and d at the same time as shown in  FIG. 1 , yet each of the monitored areas a, b, c and d merely occupies one fourth of the total display area of the monitor  105 . In order to enlarge some specific areas or temporarily monitor the areas a and c, some complicated settings generally have to be made. Besides, due to the feature of the special line  107 , the addition or removal of another camera usually has to be involved in rearranging the wirings, and the wiring rearrangement is a very tedious job for the watcher.  
         [0005]     Further, due to the feature of the special line  107 , with the use of the conventional monitor system  10 , the watcher usually has to go to the site at which the signal-processing apparatus  103  is located for watching the monitor  105 . If there are several watchers desiring to watch the monitored images at various places, the wiring rearrangement has to be involved, which is not only tedious but also expensive in cost.  
         [0006]     Another type of monitor system is developed on the top of the Internet technology. In this type of monitor system, the monitored images captured by the cameras are transmitted to a watcher&#39;s computer, and the watcher reads in the monitored images via a special client program or a common web browser.  
         [0007]     The special client program can provide various flexible functions, but the watcher has to install the special client program for reading in the monitored images, i.e. the watcher is restricted by his computer, and cannot freely move to other places.  
         [0008]     The advantage of using the web browser mainly resides in that the watcher does not need to install any special client program in advance, and still can read in the monitored images at any time via any computer connected to a network, i.e. the watcher does not need to rely on the computer having the special client program, and is able to read in the monitored images via a computer having a web browser.  
         [0009]     However, among the current applications of using the web browser to read in the monitored images, most of them can only display one single, image, and does not support the display of multiple images and the function of dynamically adding images. If having to monitor multiple images, a user has to bring up multiple browsers simultaneously on a screen. However, the user has to adjust the display of each browser respectively, and quite a lot of inconvenience is caused.  
         [0010]     Overall, the conventional monitor systems mainly can monitor a fixed number of images, and are not allowed to display an arbitrary number of images. Meanwhile, the resolutions of the monitored image displays are all the same. However, those restrictions have restricted a watcher&#39;s actions with respect to various points of view, thus resulting in inconvenience of different levels of degree.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a dynamic monitor system, thereby providing a flexible and convenient tool for a user to monitor a plurality of areas at the same time.  
         [0012]     According to an embodiment of the present invention, a dynamic monitor system reads in a plurality of images from a plurality of image-capturing tools, wherein the image-capturing tools are connected to a network. The dynamic monitor system performs the following actions via instruction codes.  
         [0013]     At first, an input interface is shown on a browser, and a user enters a website address via the input interface, wherein the website address is directed to one of the image-capturing tools. In accordance with the website address, a monitored image is retrieved from the corresponding image-capturing tool. Meanwhile, the monitored image is displayed on a display area of the browser. If the display area has already shown another monitored image captured by another image-capturing tool, then the display arrangement of the display area is dynamically adjusted for the monitored images, thereby allowing a user to read in the monitored images to the display area.  
         [0014]     Further, the user also can remove several monitored images; or adjust the resolution or the compression quality etc. for each of the monitored images. The instruction codes provided for performing the aforementioned functions can be stored in one or more web pages. The user first establishes a connection to the web page(s) via a browser to obtain the instruction codes for further performing the aforementioned functions. Once the user obtains the instruction codes, no more browsers need to be activated, and the user can perform various settings and operations onto the monitored images with one single browser. The instruction codes can be implemented via JavaScript combined with the components such as ActiveX, etc.  
         [0015]     Since the tool adopted in the present invention is a browser, the user may perform the multiple-areas monitoring job with any computer that is connected to the network and has a browser. Since the multiple-areas monitoring job can be done by activating one single browser, a lot of border space occupied by activating multiple browsers can be saved. Further, since the display areas opened for showing multiple images are managed by a unified interface, the entire monitoring job can be executed more effectively, thus avoiding missing important images while the display areas are adjusted in size or switched to one another. Further, the entire monitor system can be dynamically adjusted, and thus the user is allowed to open different monitored display areas in accordance with different time requirements. For example, the critical areas to be monitored are different for office hours and after-hours, and yet the monitored areas can be easily adjusted for the system of the present invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is an allocation diagram of a conventional monitor system;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a diagram showing the environmental allocation of an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a schematic block diagram showing the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the display allocation of the browser used in the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing the flow chart of the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6 ( a ) is a schematic diagram showing an operation condition of the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 6 ( b ) is a schematic diagram showing another operation condition of the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 6 ( c ) is a schematic diagram showing another operation condition of the embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 6 ( d ) is a schematic diagram showing another operation condition of the embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]     Referring to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 2  is a diagram showing the environmental allocation suitable for use in an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0027]     A plurality of image-capturing tools  202  are connected to a network  204 , and the image-capturing tools  202  can be webcams having the function of web server, or any computers or electronic apparatus equipped with cameras. The image-capturing tools  202  are installed on each of the areas to be monitored. The network  204  herein can be any kind of local area networks, such as Ethernet, telecommunication network or Internet.  
         [0028]     Meanwhile, what is also connected to the network  204  can be a browser  206  belonging to a user. The user may use any kind of computer or electronic apparatus that can execute the browser to establish a connection to the network and can retrieve network data via the browser. Besides, the network  204  is also connected to one or more web servers  208  for providing the contents of web page or web page programs. Under this architecture, theoretically, any arbitrary number of user browsers  206  and image-capturing tools  202  can be dynamically implemented.  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 3  is a schematic block diagram showing how the user read in the monitored images captured by the image-capturing tools  202  by using the embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0030]     At first, the user downloads a web page with a browser (step  302 ), and the web page contains a plurality of instruction codes. The instruction codes are the programs of HTML mixed with JavaScript and VBScript, etc., and also can contain program codes used for calling Microsoft DCOM objects so as to perform the following functions. After downloading the instruction codes, the browser  206  presents to the user an operation interface and a display area for monitoring use in accordance with the instruction codes.  
         [0031]     The web page can be installed on the web server  208 , and the user may assign a website address (such as domain name or IP address) of the web server  208  via the network  204 , so as to retrieve the web page. Certainly, the web page also can be stored in the user&#39;s computer or electronic apparatus, and alternatively the web page can be stored in the image-capturing tool  202 , such as a webcam. For example, when the image-capturing tool  202  is the combination of a webcam and a server, the web page can be stored in the server. On the other hand, if the image-capturing tool  202  itself has the function of web server, the web page can be certainly stored in the memory device of the image-capturing tool  202 , such RAM, flash memory, hard disk, or floppy disk. Besides, the substantial contents of the web page also can be stored in a web server other than the image-capturing tool  202 , so that the service is redirected to the web server for the user&#39;s browser  206  to retrieve the contents of the web page while the user is connected to the image-capturing tool  202 .  
         [0032]     Thereafter, the user&#39;s browser  206  starts receiving the monitored image captured by the image-capturing tool via the instruction codes in the aforementioned web page (step  304 ), and the instruction codes comprising a protocol such as DCOM objects, JAVAapplet implemented for image transmission.  
         [0033]     When being downloaded, the monitored image is shown on the display area of the user&#39;s browser  206 . Further, the browser  206  also provides the user an input interface in accordance with the instruction codes in the aforementioned web page for entering the website address (such as domain name or IP address) of another image-capturing tool  202 .  
         [0034]     When the user enters a website address of a certain image-capturing tool  202  in the interface (step  306 ), the browser  206  starts searching for the image-capturing tool  202  in the network in accordance with the website address entered, and reads in another monitored image from the image-capturing tool  202  (step  308 ). The (another) monitored image is automatically added to the original display area after being read (step  310 ).  
         [0035]     The step of adding a new monitored image to the original display area is performed via the instruction codes in the web page, and thus, while the new monitored image is added, the screen allocation can be adjusted to make a proper size of the display area for showing these monitored images.  
         [0036]     Besides being able to dynamically add new monitored images, the system of the present invention also can dynamically delete the designated monitored image. Similarly, the user also can first select a monitored image in accordance with the interface provided by the instruction codes in the web page via the browser (step  312 ). Thereafter, the browser deletes the selected monitored image from the display area in accordance with the instruction codes in the web page (step  314 ), and if necessary, adjusts the screen allocation of the display area automatically and dynamically.  
         [0037]     With reference to the embodiment, the user also can adjust the settings of the resolution and compression quality for respective images (step  316 ). When the respective images are added to the display area in the form of object, the respective images are processed with different objects, such as ActiveX or DCOM objects, so that the respective images can have different parameter values. Therefore, as long as one interface is provided to the user, those parameter values can be adjusted and set respectively.  
         [0038]     In order to explain the features of the present invention more clearly, an embodiment is used in the below for further explanation.  
         [0039]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the display allocation of the browser used in this embodiment. Besides a website address bar  40  provided for inputting a website address, a browser window  42  is mainly divided into three window portions w 1 , w 2 , and w 3  via the instruction codes in a browser. The window portion w 1  is provided for the user to perform normal settings, and the window portion w 2  is provided for displaying one or more monitored images, and the window portion w 3  is provided for the user to enter the website address of a new image-capturing tool.  
         [0040]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart of this embodiment. The flow chart can be implemented with JavaScript or VBScript combined with the object Active X. Certainly, the methods of JAVA-applet or others executed in a browser are all applicable to the scope of the present invention.  
         [0041]     At first, a user enters a website address of an image-capturing tool in the window portion w 3  (step  502 ). The window portions w 2  and w 3  both are attached to a parent window of upper level, and thus the window portion w 3  informs the window portion w 2  of the website address (such as domain name or IP address) entered by the user (step  504 ). Then, the instruction code in the window portion w 2  determines if the website address is valid and is corresponding to an image-capturing tool in operation (step  506 ). If the website address is invalid, then the user is notified about this situation (step  507 ).  
         [0042]     If the website address is valid, the instruction codes of the window portion w 2  determines if the number of monitored images shown in the display area thereof exceeds a predetermined value (step  508 ). If the number of monitored images exceeds the predetermined value, then the user is notified about this situation (step  509 ).  
         [0043]     If no problems occur, then the window portion w 2  establishes and adds a new ActiveX or DCOM object to the display area thereof so as to receive and monitor the monitored images (step  510 ). For example, the window portion w 2  executes the following instruction code:  
                                                   &lt;OBJECT ID=oCamCtl                CODEBASE=“WinWebPush.cab#version=1,0,0,9”           CLASSID=“CLSID:7876E4A5-7BB7-4002-B08F-C960A1ED4231”&gt;            &lt;/OBJECT&gt;                  
 
         [0044]     As to this ActiveX object, it is written to communication with the image-capturing tool so as to receive and illustrate the monitored image on the predetermined area. Those who are skilled in the art can understand the fabrication of this ActiveX object with reference to ordinary computer programming books, so that the fabrication of this ActiveX object will not be described herein.  
         [0045]     Thereafter, referring to  FIG. 6 ( a ) to  FIG. 6 ( d ), the practical application of the aforementioned embodiment can be explained with these four figures.  
         [0046]     At first, such as shown in  FIG. 6 ( a ), a basic operation menu presented to a user through a browser can be seen in accordance with the instruction codes in the aforementioned web page. On the left side of the operation menu, i.e. the window portion w 1 , is provided for a user to set the resolution and compression quality of a certain selected image monitored; and the number of areas into which the entire display area is divided into such as  1 ,  4 ,  9  and  16  areas for respectively displaying  1 ,  4 ,  9  and  16  monitored images. This window portion also provides a “delete” button for the user to delete the designated monitored image.  
         [0047]     The monitored image is shown on the window portion w 2 , and the window portion w 3  provides the user an interface of entering a website address.  
         [0048]      FIG. 6 ( b ) shows the situation when a user enters a website address (168.93.1.2) in the interface of the window portion w 3 .  FIG. 6 ( c ) shows the situation after a monitored image is read in and shown on the display area. At this time, the user selects the monitored image  1  and presses the delete button so as to delete the monitored image  1 , and thus the display shown in  FIG. 6 ( d ) is obtained.  
         [0049]     While a monitored image is added or deleted, the window portion w 2  automatically rearranges the display allocation, so that the user does not have to move a mouse to allocate the location and size of each monitored image.  
         [0050]     Hence, the present invention actually provides the user an efficient and flexible system that can dynamically monitor multiple image-capturing tools.  
         [0051]     As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the foregoing preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated of the present invention rather than limiting of the present invention. It is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structure.