Patent Publication Number: US-2007097212-A1

Title: 360 Degree surveillance system and method

Description:
PRIORITY DATA  
      This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/719,348, filed Sep. 22, 2005, entitled 360 Degree Surveillance Light Bar, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/232,498, entitled Mobile Video Surveillance System, filed on Sep. 22, 2005 and are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic surveillance equipment, and more particularly to a 360 degree surveillance system with automated data protection features.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Video cameras have been used for many years to monitor private property and business interests. The main focus of such systems is to prevent theft, damage or other losses in building and other permanent structures. Mobile systems were unheard of due to their bulky size, power requirements and limited duration of the film or videotape within the machine. Modern advances have lead to the development of a camera that is significantly smaller than its predecessors and that has much lower power requirements. However, such cameras are still limited in their storage capacity to some extent. Further, replacing the storage media is a time-consuming task that a police officer, bus driver or other person can ill afford at times.  
      Thus what is desired is a 360-degree surveillance system that fits unobtrusively into existing stationary and automotive systems and that incorporates automated features that eliminate the need to directly handle the storage media to change it.  
      Additionally, video security systems are well known. Such devices include closed-circuit television systems (CCTV), simple motion-picture video cameras with recording media within the camera or remotely located, and cameras that record a series of still images in response to a stimulus. These systems all have several drawbacks. The foremost of these is that the camera systems need to be permanently mounted or fixed into a vehicle, building or other structure. These systems require both power and transmission cables to feed power to the camera and to transmit images and information to a user. Simply setting up such a camera with its power supply and communications cables can take many hours to several days, depending upon the location of the camera and its surroundings. Currently, there is no ability to quickly deploy a camera that is entirely self-contained.  
      Therefore, there has been and continues to be a need for a surveillance camera system that is completely self-contained, so that it requires no external cabling. Such a camera system requires no permanent mounting location or dedicated supports, enabling it to operate properly from nearly any location, environment and position.  
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE  
      The device is a mobile and portable video surveillance system that is integrated into automobiles, such as police vehicles, school buses, city transit buses, aircraft, trains and other mass transit systems. The device is permanently affixed within or around such vehicles, but can also be a self-contained portable unit that can be set up in any location very quickly. A portable unit can be set up and operational within a few minutes or less.  
      The 360 degree surveillance system includes a 360-degree field of view digital camera, a power source attached to the digital camera, a camera control system attached to the digital camera, a portable digital storage medium attached to the digital camera and the power source, a wireless communications system linked to the digital storage medium and the digital camera, and an archive digital storage medium wirelessly linked to the wireless communications system. The digital camera can have a fixed lens unit with a simultaneous 360-degree panoramic view, or a movable lens unit that is remotely controllable for pan, tilt and zoom. A camera control system is hardwired or wirelessly linked to the wireless communications system. The wireless communications system sends the images to a computer network for viewing with a standard web browser, PDA, or dedicated monitoring system. An acoustic sensor may be attached adjacent to the digital camera, and a motion sensing system may be incorporated into the portable digital storage medium.  
      The 360 degree surveillance system monitors an area with a digital camera, directs the digital camera with a camera control system, collects a plurality of images, stores the plurality of images on the portable digital storage medium, automatically uploads the plurality of images to an archive digital storage medium, and then creates a plurality of archived images on the archive digital storage medium.  
      A vehicle-oriented system permits the camera operator, driver, conductor or pilot to observe live images from the interior or exterior of the vehicle. For example, a pilot can view into the passenger section of an airliner to observe and report any trouble. The wireless communications system permits observers on the ground to see these images as well. In another example, a SWAT team could place a portable camera unit in front of a building in a minute or less and monitor the building from a concealed position immediately.  
      Such a device is operable from a considerable distance, depending on terrain and the type of wireless communication system used. Such a device saves labor costs and is not an obvious, intrusive observational presence. A number of mobile video surveillance systems can be placed around a building so that one man can do the surveillance and monitoring of six men or more. The information from the mobile video surveillance system is all viewable from a standard web browser or dedicated monitor.  
      As another example, the mobile video surveillance system can be set up on building tops in a matter of minutes to unobtrusively observe events in a city environment.  
      It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.  
      It is an object of the present invention to accomplish the foregoing objectives in a simple and cost effective manner.  
      These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an environmental view of the 360 degree surveillance system in a police car, in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is an environmental view of the 360 degree surveillance system in a school bus, in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the 360 degree surveillance system in a self-contained package, in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of the steps in the 360 surveillance system, in accordance with the present invention; and  
       FIGS. 5A-5D  are environmental views of the 360 degree surveillance system, in accordance with the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention.  
      The present invention provides a 360 degree video surveillance system and method that provide security and flexibility to the users.  
       FIG. 1  shows an environmental view of the 360 degree surveillance system  100  in a police car. The surveillance system  100  includes a digital camera  102  with a 360 degree field of view. In this embodiment, the camera  102  is mounted atop the police car&#39;s light bar  104  for maximum exterior visibility with a single camera  102 . In another embodiment, multiple cameras could be in a lower position so that the cameras provide a total 360 degree view. An interior camera  106  also provides a 360 degree view, but is inside the police car. This arrangement provides maximum visibility both inside and outside the police car. Each camera  102 ,  106  is attached to a power source, such as battery power from the police car, and can also include a backup battery for each camera in case of power failure. Each camera  102 ,  106  is linked to a camera control system so that a camera operator can selectively direct the motion or each camera  102 ,  106 . Current police cars are equipped with computers that are accessible by the police officer. The camera control system is a small software addition to the computer.  
      A portable digital storage medium  108  is attached to the digital camera  102 ,  106 , the power source, and the camera control system. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the portable storage medium  108  could be located in the vehicle&#39;s trunk. Shielded cables can be run between all the separated components. The portable storage medium  108  may be a dedicated digital video recorder, or simply an external hard drive with sufficient capacity to record many hours of digital images. A wireless communications system  110  is linked to the portable storage medium  108  and the digital camera  102 ,  106 . Many police cars are already equipped with wireless communications systems  110  to provide real time information to the police officer through the onboard computer.  
      An archive digital storage medium  112  is located remotely, such as police headquarters, and is wirelessly linked to the wireless communications system  112  onboard the police car.  
      Many options are available for the 360 degree surveillance system. In one embodiment, the digital camera  102 ,  106  has a fixed lens unit. This means that the lens cannot be slewed in any direction. In one embodiment, the camera  102 ,  106  is looking in one direction all the time and cannot be moved via the camera control system. In another embodiment, the digital camera  102 ,  106  has a simultaneous 360-degree panoramic view. Thus, the camera  102 ,  106  does not need to slewed to view a different scene. Instead, the camera control system is used to select the part of the panoramic view that is at the center of the viewed image.  
      In one embodiment, the digital camera  102 ,  106  has a movable lens unit. A movable lens unit means that the lens unit within the camera housing can be slewed to a desired position by the user. In another embodiment, the movable lens unit is remotely controllable.  
      In one embodiment, a camera control system is wirelessly linked to the wireless communications system. Alternatively, the camera control system can be hardwired into the wireless communications system.  
      To provide more information than simple digital images, the 360 degree surveillance system  100  may also include at least one acoustic sensor attached adjacent to the digital camera. The acoustic sensor may be a directional microphone or a omni-directional microphone to provide audio information to supplement the digital images. The omni-directional microphone is capable of picking up audio information from all directions equally well, while the directional microphone would have superior performance in only one direction. Thus, the directional microphone would need to be slewed for optimal performance. In one embodiment the directional microphone is slewed to the strongest audio source by a microphone control system, or to correspond to the desired images selected via the camera control system. Thus, the directional microphone could be slewed to match the orientation of the camera  102 ,  106 .  
      To supplement the camera control system, the 360 degree surveillance system  100  may further include a motion sensing system incorporated into the portable digital storage medium  108 . Such a system would be quite useful with the panoramic camera  102 ,  106  so that the portion of the image that includes motion is centered for display. Motion sensing software can compare consecutive images to determine where any differences are, if any.  
      The user has numerous hardware options for the 360 Degree Surveillance System  100 . For example, the camera  102 ,  106  may be one of several currently on the market, such as the AXIS 232d Network Dome Camera. Such a camera has day and night capability, variable frame rate and resolution, 360-degree pan and 90-degree tilt, both optical and digital zoom capability, and supports encrypted communications. Of course, other cameras with similar or greater capabilities may be used depending upon the application, such as the Sony RPU-C2512 or RPU-C3522. The Sony product operates on only 6-8 volts, but at a lower resolution. Thus, the user has several options from which to create the optimal device for his application. If properly equipped, the device can also transmit audio information to the user.  
      In one embodiment, the wireless communications system includes an industrial high-speed secure Ethernet radio. For example, with a LOCUS OS2400-HSE Industrial High Speed Ethernet Radio, the range is up to about five miles in rough terrain or urban environments, and up to 25 miles for line-of sight operation. Communications to and from the radio may be encrypted so that unauthorized persons cannot access the transmitted images or affect camera operation. The radio is secure and fast.  
      Virtually any device that can receive and display the images can be a part of the wireless communications system. The wireless communications system may provide images and information to a server for distribution to the Internet. From the Internet, authorized users can access the images from virtually anywhere in the world.  
      The wireless communications system processes the radio signals for distribution to a broadcast antenna or an Internet server. Alternatively, radio signals can be sent and received at a viewing monitor directly, without the middle parts of a wireless communications system. The viewing monitor may be a PDA, personal computer or other device capable of receiving and displaying the image data from the camera  102 ,  106  and the wireless communication system  110 .  
      The user who is controlling the camera  102 ,  106  may be located nearby or virtually anywhere in the world when the signals are sent through the Internet.  
       FIG. 2  is an environmental view of the 360 degree surveillance system  100  in a school bus  114 . The camera  106  is shown mounted on the ceiling inside the bus  114 . A single camera  106  can be mounted at the front or rear of the bus  114 , or multiple cameras can be used simultaneously for maximum coverage. As with the police car example, the camera  106  is attached to a power source from the bus  114 , and is linked to a portable digital storage medium  108  somewhere on the bus  114 . It may not be necessary to have a camera control system aboard the bus  114 , because the driver typically operates alone and does not have time to drive and operate a camera  106  simultaneously. However, as with the police car, a wireless communications system is linked to the portable digital storage medium  108  and the digital camera  106  so that the camera  106  can be accessed and directed remotely. This option can be very helpful where there is trouble aboard the bus  114 . The remote observers can become eyewitnesses to the actual conditions aboard the bus  114 . This applies to the police car example as well. Alternatively, the bus  114  could be a train, aircraft or other form of public transportation.  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the 360 degree surveillance system  100  in a self-contained package. The camera  102  is housed within a waterproof and shock-resistant housing  116  having a lid and a base. For example, a Pelican® brand case, could be used to house the entire device. The camera  102  protrudes through an aperture  118  in the housing  116  and is protected by a transparent dome. A gasket or seal may be provided at the interface between the dome and the lid to guard against moisture and dirt. An antenna  120  is shown attached to the side of the housing base. The antenna cable is routed through a watertight grommet on the side of the housing  116  base where it attaches to an internal wireless communications system. The power supply and the portable digital storage medium  108  are found within the housing  116 . In another embodiment, the antenna  120  is completely inside the housing  116 , providing a less conspicuous package.  
      Operation of the 360 Degree Surveillance System  
      The 360 degree surveillance system is quite simple to use and powerful in operation.  FIG. 4  shows a flowchart for a method of operating a 360 degree surveillance system  100 . The process starts, step  200  as the system monitors an area with a digital camera, step  202 . Next, step  204 , an operator directs the digital camera  102 ,  106  with a camera control system. The operator&#39;s options may be limited, depending on the type of camera  102 ,  106  that is used. First, if there is more than one camera  102 ,  106  in the system, the operator must select the camera  102 ,  106  to be viewed. Multiple cameras  102 ,  106  can be viewed simultaneously. If the cameras  102 ,  106  are on a secure network, selection of a particular camera  102 ,  106  may require that the operator enter the IP address, username or a password for the desired camera  102 ,  106 . A common graphical user interface provides places to enter the appropriate information required to gain access. If the wireless system is integrated into a network that is accessible through the Internet, then users can log in to view images from a desired camera  102 ,  106  anywhere there is Internet access. The user can also select the type of viewing method to use, such as server-push stream, which works well for most applications. The user can also select the image viewing size. 320×240 is best for a slower Internet connection, while 640×480 is a larger size that should be reserved for faster Internet connections.  
      The operator can select whether the camera control system should automatically slew the camera  102 ,  106  to track motion or sound, or the camera control system can be used to manually slew the camera  102 ,  106  or digital image. As described above for  FIG. 1 , the operator will slew the camera  102 ,  106  if it is a movable lens unit, and will slew the image for fixed lens, panoramic cameras. The operator may also select the image viewing size or definition of the digital images. If manually slewing a camera  102 ,  106 , the operator will want to activate a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) control. The PTZ control can be an array of buttons for incremental left, right, up and down, and zoom in or out. Alternatively, the PTZ control can be a joystick with a zoom wheel. The joystick option provides more seamless inputs to the camera.  
      Next, step  206 , the system collects a plurality of images. The images may be video images, still images, or sequential still images. The digital images may be collected at a variety of rates, depending on the capabilities of the camera and the camera control system.  
      Next, step  208 , the system stores the plurality of images on the portable digital storage medium  108 . The system stores the digital images as quickly as they are produced. If the system has a microphone, the audio information is stored with the corresponding digital images. The system assigns a unique identification code to each of the plurality of images. The identification code can be customized to identify images by the particular camera  102 ,  106  that made them, subject, location, time of day, a sequential numbering system, and many other factors and combinations.  
      Next, step  210 , the system automatically uploads the plurality of images to an archive digital storage medium  112 , ending the process, step  212 . This archive medium  112  is not located with the portable medium  108 . The archive is a more permanent repository of digital images for one or more cameras  102 ,  106 . The archive medium  112  can be at a police headquarters, school district administration, bus garage, airport terminal, or can be in a mobile archive unit.  
      First, the camera operating system detects a wireless link to the archive digital storage medium  112 . The camera operating system may automatically log in to the archive system and will then detect a secure wireless link. Once a secure wireless link is established, the archive storage system  112  will identify which of the plurality of images on the portable medium  108  have not been uploaded to the archive medium  112 . Those identified images are then uploaded to the archive medium  112 . When the upload is complete and confirmed, the uploaded images are erased from the portable digital storage medium  108 . Thus, a plurality of archived images is created on the archive digital storage medium  112 , without any manual handling or transfer of the portable storage media  108 . The upload or transfer of the digital images to the archive storage medium  112  can be completely automated. It can be scheduled to occur anytime the portable storage medium  108  is within a predetermined range of the archive storage medium, or at a particular time of day, or can be manually prompted by an operator.  
      Images stored on the archive storage medium  112  can be accessed immediately or at a future time using any of the tags or unique identifiers attached earlier. To search the archives, the user opens the archive access system, selects a date and clicks the “Search” button. The user can select a particular camera and time to execute a more specific search. After the search is completed, another box on the web page lists all of the archived video that meets the search parameters. The user can select one or more videos to play back. A user can also save comments in the video file. If he sees something important in a video, he can label the file and leave a comment.  
      The mobile archive unit is a traveling archive medium  112  that pays scheduled visits to banks, retail establishments and other permanently fixed surveillance sites. As with the other variations, the users and operators do not need to directly handle any storage media  108 ,  112 . The mobile archive unit positions itself in close proximity to the retail establishment or bank and initiates the uploading process. Once uploaded to the mobile archive unit, the stored images are taken to a designated facility for final storage and possible review at a later time.  
       FIGS. 5A-5D  are environmental views of the 360 degree surveillance system in operation.  
       FIG. 5A  shows a police car  122  in proximity with a police headquarters  124 . The police car  122  could also be a the self-contained camera shown in  FIG. 3 , an aircraft, or a school bus, city bus, subway, train or other form of public transportation or mass transit. Image files are automatically uploaded via a secure wireless link from the portable storage medium  108  to the archive storage medium  112  inside police headquarters  124 .  
       FIG. 5B  shows how live images from a camera  102 ,  106  can be viewed remotely. An operator at headquarters  124  enters the IP address, username or password for the desired camera  102 ,  106  and thereby achieves access to the camera  102 ,  106 . The operator can then direct that camera  102 ,  106  via the camera control system. This feature is particularly helpful where trouble is reported on a bus or other public transportation, or just to monitor conditions aboard the transportation. In the case of a police car  122 , the remote control of the camera  102 ,  106  enables police commanders, SWAT, FBI and others to see what the officers on the scene are seeing. When the self-contained camera (see  FIG. 3 ) is used, it can be placed surreptitiously so that local events can be monitored remotely by authorized individuals.  
       FIG. 5C  shows how numerous parties can view live images from a single camera  102 ,  106 . Here, police car  122  is on the scene of an incident. Remote police cars  128  enter the IP address of the desired camera  102 ,  106  and a valid username or password. In cases like this, it is not practicable for each remote viewer to control the camera  102 ,  106  remotely. In such cases control is limited to the operator who is with the camera  102 ,  106 , or to a supervisor some other party with an overriding username or password.  
       FIG. 5D  shows that many wireless devices can be used to monitor live images from the camera  102 ,  106 . Here, a wireless handheld device  130 , such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), cell phone, or other wireless device having Internet access can be used to receive live images from the desired camera  102 ,  106 .  
      While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.