Integrated motion-image monitoring method and device

ES 2 576 456 T3

DESCRIPTION

Integrated Motion Picture Monitoring Device and Method

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a method and device for monitoring the interior of a facility or residence and, more specifically, to a method and device using an integrated motion detector and camera.

Background

A variety of applications benefit from the protection of residents, employees, personal property, and the like, using security monitoring systems within the premises, for example, to monitor and / or detect certain conditions such as a problem of operations of installation or presence of an unwanted intruder. Many such security systems are connected to a central control unit and monitored by an operator who can alert the appropriate emergency services in the event of an unwanted intruder. Often times, a home monitoring security system includes a combination of detection devices and alarm devices, and some also include cameras. To achieve maximum monitoring coverage, these devices are distributed throughout the entire interior of the facility.

Security systems that employ cameras are advantageous in that they can record any and all activity associated with a suspected facility breach. In some cases, however, cameras record the normal activities of facility residents and / or employees. The cameras also record activities that are falsely perceived to be security breaches such as behaviors of pets and authorized users that are accidentally blocked.

In specific situations, such as those that have the potential to violate the privacy of residents and / or authorized employees of the facility, such compressive recording by security cameras may be undesirable. Since unwanted intruders could breach the security of a facility while residents are present, the security monitoring system needs to be operational at all times. However, having cameras that are constantly activated to record the daily life and work routines of the inhabitants is a drastic invasion of the privacy of the inhabitants, especially considering the false activations. Plus, monitoring and recording guest activities can be just as invasive.

Although numerous cameras and motion detectors are generally necessary to provide proper security coverage of a residence or facility, the size and frequent placement of the devices are difficult to install and maintain and are aesthetically unpleasant. Each room or area in a facility typically requires both a motion detector and a camera, and large areas may require more combinations. The sizes of these devices make their presence evident in a facility. In addition, a fully installed security system typically requires the installation of various system components including wiring for communications and power between cooperative units in the system.

Implementing small detectors and cameras presents a multitude of problems. For reasons of security, ease of installation and flexibility of a system, it is a disadvantage to require that the detectors and cameras be electrically connected to other components. More specifically, detectors and cameras that operate using an external power source, such as an electrical outlet, can be avoided by removing the power source. This presents a number of security weaknesses in the overall system. Additionally, reliance on an external power source often complicates the installation process since the installation requires a connection to the external power source. This may require the routing of cables that carry power to the detectors and cameras. Small devices have the additional problem that they do not have space to accommodate large independent power supplies, such as batteries. Consequently, functionality and time between device charges are often sacrificed for size. For example, many wireless communication protocols drain batteries and other power sources quickly. Other portions of power hungry cameras and detectors include the camera, detector, image processing devices, and lighting. These and other problems have hampered the implementation of small, portable cameras and detectors used in security applications.

The issues discussed above have presented challenges in developing a facility and / or home security monitoring system that provides maximum coverage while minimizing one or more of the previously identified issues.

Documents EP 01575009 and WO 97/25696 disclose devices comprising both a camera and a motion detector.

ES 2 576 456 T3

Summary

The present invention relates to the above and related types of integrated security devices. These and other aspects of the present invention are exemplified in a number of illustrated implementations and applications, some of which are shown in the figures and characterized in the claims section that follows.

The present invention provides an integrated image capture device according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 12.

Various aspects of the present invention are applicable to a security device that uses both motion detection and image capture to detect a security breach.

The foregoing summary of the present invention is not intended to describe every illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The figures and detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention may be more fully understood in consideration of the detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a building security system, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a wall-mounted security device, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a side view of a moving image security device, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4A illustrates orientations of the LEDs, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4B is a bottom view of a moving image security device showing LED orientation, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an internal support piece of a moving image security device, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention; Y

Figure 6 is a graph of filter responses, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.

Although the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative forms, specific details thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not necessarily to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed description

The present invention is believed to be applicable to a variety of different approaches to, and arrangements used in, monitoring a target area. The invention has been found to be particularly advantageous for addressing security monitoring applications in a residential or office facility environment where one or more peripheral devices communicate with another device and are used to monitor one or more respective target areas. Although the present invention is not necessarily limited in this way, such a security monitoring application is used in the following discussion to exemplify certain embodiments of the present invention.

Consistent with such an application, Figure 1 depicts a security system in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, as may be useful for monitoring a building (such as a home or workplace). Figure 1 includes building 100, control panel 102, and peripheral devices 104-110. The security system is implemented in such a way to reduce the power consumption of one or more of the control panel 102 and peripheral devices 104-110 related to wireless communications between the devices. When wireless communications are implemented, the devices use multiple frequencies (channels) as well as communication intervals. Devices can reduce power consumption by using information regarding a specific frequency from the multiple frequencies used and the communication interval. For example, if transmitting devices modify their transmissions based on the information, a receiving device can reduce power consumption by reducing the time that the receiving device is listening for a transmission from another device. By reducing power consumption, the system enables itself to implement two-way communications between devices, which typically requires more power consumption than one-way communications.

Irregular lines and ellipses found between control panel 102 and peripheral devices 104-110

ES 2 576 456 T3 represent wireless communications between the control panel and peripheral devices. Wireless communications can be implemented using suitable frequencies. For example, wireless communications frequencies in the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands (900Mhz, 2.4Ghz, and 5.8Ghz) have been found to be suitable for security systems; however, alternative frequencies may be implemented according to the particular details of the system or its intended implementation. For example implementations related to communicative coupling and data transfer between the previously discussed devices according to appropriate protocols, reference may be made to US document 7835343 filed on March 24, 2006, entitled "Calculating Transmission Anticipation Time Using Dwell and Blank Time in Spread Spectrum Communications for Security Systems", and European Patent Application Publication No. EP 1 363 260 filed on May 6, 2003 , entitled "Procede De Communication Radiofrequence Entre Plusieurs Devices Et Systeme De Surveillance Mettant En Ouvre Un Tel Procede".

The various elements of the peripheral devices 104-110 and the control panel 102 are implemented using one or more arrangements of electrical circuits, processors, memory elements, software code, programmable logic devices, input / output interfaces, or combinations of the same. In alternative (more specific) embodiments, the embodiments disclosed herein are implemented in combination with the embodiments described in US 7463145, entitled "Security Monitoring Arrangement And Method Using A Common Field Of View".

Building 100 represents a facility for which the building security system is implemented. Common implementations of Building 100 include, but are not limited to, residential homes, retail stores, office buildings, government buildings, museums, and other facilities. Typically, the security system will monitor multiple locations in Building 100. Therefore, Figure 1 represents various peripheral devices throughout the entire building.

Peripheral communications devices 104-110 can take the form of a number of different devices, a few of which are depicted in Figure 1. For example, device 104 represents a window sensor that can detect, among other things, when the window has been opened or otherwise compromised; device 106 represents a camera for video capture; device 108 represents an alarm; and device 110 represents a mobile peripheral, such as a wireless controller for interfacing with control panel 102 or other peripheral. These peripheral devices 104-110 communicate with the control panel 102 using wireless communications.

Block 112 represents various elements that may be implemented in peripheral devices 104-110, including a transceiver block, a message protocol block, a sync block, and a transmission anticipation (Tx) block. Various embodiments of the present invention use one or more of these blocks. In such an embodiment, a peripheral device wirelessly transmits a signal using the transceiver block. The peripheral device uses information regarding a transmission period and the listening channel from the control panel in the transmission process.

In one embodiment, peripheral devices 104-110 transmit building security information to control panel 102. For example, device 106 can transmit video images or device status information to control panel 102, while device 104 can transmit information regarding the window sensor.

Figure 1 depicts the control panel 102 as including a transceiver block, a message protocol block, a sync block, and a transmission anticipation (Tx) block. Various embodiments of the present invention use one or more of these blocks. In one such embodiment, the transceiver block is used to receive signals from one of the peripheral devices 104-110 as a function of the communication intervals and frequency that the control panel 102 uses to listen to transmissions. The listening frequency is one of several potential frequencies available for communication between peripheral devices and the control panel. For example, the system can use a number of contiguous frequency slots (channels) in a suitable frequency band. An example of such a use includes 25 or more channels within the ISM frequency band from 902-928 MHz. Numerous other combinations of channels and frequency bands are possible using the present invention.

Typically, the control panel and peripherals are implemented using a similar set of elements as represented by blocks 102 and 112; however, various components can be implemented differently. For example, the timing block may be implemented differently on the control panel versus peripheral devices where the control panel provides timing information to each of the peripherals and the peripherals must use the timing information to maintain synchronization. using a local clock. In such an example, the peripherals would compare the timing information with the local clock to compensate for some difference between the peripheral time periods and the control panel time period.

Control panel 102 and peripheral blocks 104-110 are depicted as having a transceiver; without

However, the system can be implemented using variations of receivers and transmitters. In some cases, the control panel can be implemented with only one receiver and the peripherals with only one transmitter. In other cases, the control panel can be implemented with only one transmitter, while the peripherals are implemented with only one receiver. Other implementations allow one or more of the control panels and peripherals to have both a transmitter and a receiver (transceiver). Therefore, transceiver is used herein to describe a receiver, transmitter, or both a receiver and a transmitter.

Figure 2 illustrates a wall mounted security device, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention. The present invention involves a monitoring device that includes an integrated motion detector and an image capture device, although to more easily understand the preferred embodiment, the schematic diagram of Figure 2 does not show the components as being integrated. In certain implementations, the motion detector is designed with a passive infrared (PIR) detector 202. Although other motion detectors may be used, the remaining analysis of the motion detector will refer to a PIR-type detector. The security device is aimed at the PIR detector at an angle 212. In a preferred implementation, the detector 202 is positioned at an angle 212 of approximately five degrees to a horizontal axis (eg, parallel to the ground). The monitoring device also includes an image sensor 204. For certain implementations, the image sensor lens is a wide angle lens (eg, a Fresnel lens). In one example, the security device directs the image sensor to the image sensor 204 in a direction 210. The image sensor 204 can be oriented so that the upper limit 206 of the viewing area 208 is at or near the horizontal, being in an example parallel to the ground. While maintaining this common upper limit 206, the two components (ie, PIR detector 202 and image sensor 204) can be angled at different angles to form a common field of view. This can be helpful in increasing the effective coverage of the components. For example, the devices can be easily installed since the installer knows that the coverage (shown by the field of view 208) will extend horizontally from the height of the components that are mounted on the wall. Therefore, the installation height is easily set by determining the highest point for which coverage is desired (eg, head level). Furthermore, such an alignment between components can be beneficial since the components can have a common field of view. More specifically, an indication of movement by a PIR sensor will be directed to correspond to the image captured by a camera.

Figure 3 is a side view of a moving image security device, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention. In an implementation consistent with the example illustration shown in Figure 3, the monitoring device includes a housing 302 that contains a single circuit board 310 for both components (motion sensor 312 and image capture device 314). In a particular embodiment, circuit board 310 is one of a variety of commonly used solid printed circuit boards (PCBs). For example, circuit board 310 can be implemented using a common 2-layer (or more) FR4 circuit board having a rectangular shape as shown by Figure 3. Many conventional circuit components (e.g., image detectors and PIR devices) are designed to be mounted flush with a circuit board. Accordingly, conventional circuit components mounted on a common circuit board result in circuit components having a common alignment (eg, perpendicular to the circuit board), as shown by angle 306. Certain aspects of The present invention provides the use of a solid circuit board and conventional components of this type having different alignments. For example, an angle bracket 502 (shown in Figure 5) is used in conjunction with the single circuit board 310 to provide the PIR sensor angle shown at 316. The wired segments 320 and 322 of sensor 312 pass through and are used with "through holes" to package the PIR sensor 312 with the circuit board 310. The angle difference between the wired segments 320 and 322 and the circuit board 310 can be adapted using any number of techniques. A few example techniques include, without limitation, bending the wired segments 320 and 322, using holes in the circuit board 310 long enough to allow angled entry of the wired segments 320 and 322, using angled holes in the circuit board. circuit 310 and clamp the wired segments to one side of the circuit board using solder, screws, or similar clamping techniques. Each side of circuit board 310 includes areas 328 and 330 for mounting circuitry such as PIR signal manipulation circuitry and frequency (RF) transceiver circuits (discrete and / or integrated components) and antenna 331. Similarly , circuit board 310 includes areas for mounting an image capture related device (eg, lens) 332 and a video processor 334 programmed to process (manipulate) captured images.

In a more particular application, the RF and related circuitry mounted on the board can be designed and programmed to implement communication and related operations in a manner consistent with one or more embodiments disclosed in the aforementioned US patent document US 7835343, filed on March 24, 2006, and entitled “Spread Spectrum Communications for Building-Security”.

Figures 4A-4B and Figure 5 illustrate various views of an embodiment of the monitoring device shown in Figure 3. Figure 4A illustrates IR-type LEDs (infrared light-emitting diodes or IREDs) 410 and 412 that emit light as It is used by the monitoring device for night vision image capture. Figure 4B is a bottom view of such a device that orients LEDs 410 and 412 for safety purposes.

ES 2 576 456 T3 moving image. A sensor, such as the image capture 314 and PIR detector 312 captures the reflected IR. Figure 4A shows two possible illumination patterns 420 and 430 for IRED 410 and 412. 420 shows a first illumination pattern where the bases of the IREDs are parallel to each other. Such a pattern would result from conventional mounting on a common PCB. 430 displays a second illumination pattern that has less illumination overlap and provides a wider illumination angle. This is accomplished by angling the IREDs away from each other. Such an angled illumination pattern can be achieved using techniques similar to those discussed in connection with PIR sensor 312 and as further discussed herein.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an internal support member 500 of a moving image security device, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.

The PIR sensor bracket of Figure 5 is connected to the body of the main (structural) plastic part 516 using removable ribs 512. These ribs 512 can be cut to gain access to the circuit board 310, for example, to make repairs, without interfering with the 312 PIR sensor. The ribs 512 allow access to the circuitry without the need to desolder the PIR sensor or potentially disturb the PIR sensor angle as shown at 316 of Figure 3. The image capture device may be of the surface mounted device type. (SMD) and soldered using a reflow process. The circuit board (310 of Figure 3) is attached, for example, hooked, to the main plastic part 516 and the plate-holder combination is inserted into the housing 302 of the moving image security device with each sensing components at an angle to provide a common field of view. Housing 302 is shown generally in Figure 3, and for a more particular view of such a housing, reference may be made to US Design No. 555528, filed March 24, 2006, entitled "Mountable Security Detector".

In one embodiment of the present invention, parasitic reflection of light can be reduced by using a thin wall 510. In a preferred embodiment, this wall 510 has a cone shape that minimizes adverse effects to the viewing pattern of the PIR sensor.

Consistent with another embodiment of the present invention, the displacement of the various sensors and lighting devices can be incorporated into the housing 302. More specifically, the IRED supports 506 can include displacement portions 504 and the PIR support 502 can include the portion displacement 508. Various displacement solutions can be implemented depending on the component being used and the housing design.

Certain embodiments include a compact housing that involves miniaturizing the circuitry and components of the moving image security device. To obtain a compact overall device, electronic components are assembled on both sides of the circuit board. In certain implementations, the placement includes the image sensor located on an upper side of the video processor located on the opposite side. Therefore the length of the connections between the image sensor and the processor can be shortened to avoid signal noise. In addition, to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI), "noisy" components (eg, video components, image sensor, video processor, memory) are located near a portion of the board such as the bottom, while the RF and PIR conditioning circuits are located near another portion such as the upper end.

The image sensor is used in conjunction with two infrared light emitting diodes (IREDs) to provide night vision and image capture in light-deficient environments. In certain implementations, they are located close to the image sensor, in a symmetrical manner, to evenly distribute the infrared energy. In certain other implementations the IREDs are not positioned horizontally but instead have angled bases or brackets to provide an infrared distribution that reduces the overlap between the two IREDs on the central axis and increases the angle of illumination. IREDs can also draw a high level of current, which limits the use of small SMD types, which cannot dissipate high power. Instead, the through hole type is used. This is also advantageous to allow flexibility in the illumination angles provided by the IREDs.

Common through hole traces create difficulties when placing the video processor close to (but on the opposite side of) the image sensor. In certain implementations, a plastic support piece is used to overcome these difficulties. For example, IREDs are positioned by fitting IRED brackets into the plastic bracket to orient the desired angles of the IREDs, thus avoiding welding of the IRED through hole during initial placement. The IRED (through hole) segments can be bent and using a screw 404 to create pressure on the segments of each of the IREd thereby forming electrical contact with the circuit board. In one implementation, these two screws also serve to hold the image sensor lens holder 514 tightly to the circuit board to reduce stray light due to gaps between the circuit board and the lens holder.

The screws discussed above can be used to both tighten the mounting bracket to the circuit board, to position the optical camera between the image sensor and the lens, and to press the IRED segments to the

ES 2 576 456 T3 circuit board to obtain good contact. Welding is then optionally avoided for IRED attachment and the metallized holes normally required for a through hole trace are also not needed. This frees space on the opposite side of the circuit board to house the video processor (for example, a DSP).

According to another embodiment, the various components can be integrated independently of a single non-adjustable circuit board. For example, a flexible plate can be used to provide different angles for the IREDs, the camera, and the motion detector. These and other embodiments include the use of a power control circuit that is used in conjunction with a battery circuit. The power control circuit responds to various control signals by reducing the power consumption of the device. This is particularly useful for implementing a self-powered device that operates for extended periods of time without replacing, recharging, or otherwise supplementing power to the device.

In one example, the power control circuit receives control signals from the central controller. In response to the control signals the power control circuit may implement any one of a number of different power saving techniques. One such technique involves placing the device in a reduced power state by disabling or otherwise reducing power consumption by one more of the motion detector, the camera, and the IRED. Therefore, the power control circuit can maintain the reduced power state until a control signal is received requesting the device to leave the reduced power state. Such a control signal can come from the central controller or from other sources, such as a wireless controller or an intrusion sensor. The additional logic can additionally control the various power states. For example, the motion detector can be activated in response to a control signal, while keeping the camera deactivated until motion is detected. This can also reduce the intrusion capacity of the security system by minimizing the time that images are captured. In another power reduction state, the image captures may be reduced in frequency. For example, instead of capturing an image every second, the device could be configured to capture and / or transmit an image every minute. This can significantly reduce the average power consumption over a period of time.

In another example, the power control circuit controls the transmission of images from the camera to the central controller. Wireless transmission circuitry can require a significant amount of power to operate. Therefore, the transmission of large amounts of data may require extensive periods of transmission activity and corresponding power extraction. A technique used by the device is performed using compression logic that reduces the size of the image data to be transferred. Another technique involves logic to limit the transmitted data to necessary images. For example, the device can be activated to capture images when a door or window sensor is actuated; however, captured images do not need to be sent if a correct authorization code is provided by the person operating the sensor. Various other logic implementations can be used to reduce unnecessary transmissions of captured images. Yet another technique involves the use of effective hands-on protocols between the devices. Many communication protocols require that one or more of the devices have extended listening or sending periods to synchronize communications between devices. An efficient handshake protocol can be used to reduce sync times leading to significant power savings. For additional details of such a protocol, reference may be made to US document 7835343 filed March 24, 2006, entitled "Spread Spectrum Communications for Building-Security."

In other embodiments, the moving image security device can be used to capture images in both daylight and use night vision technology. In environments with sufficient light, the image sensor can capture color images. Furthermore, the image capture device includes a camera that can also take black and white snapshots in low light environments such as at night using an infrared illuminator. This can be achieved with a black and white image sensor since color image sensors integrate a filter, which rejects the IR wavelength to maintain color fidelity. In certain implementations, a color image sensor is used with specific color filters. Figure 6 shows a graph of filter responses (illustrated by the lines representing the colors green 604, red 602 and blue 606), in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention. The responses of the illustrated filters show that at the IR wavelength, the sensitivity of each color is balanced, and is close to the sensitivity in the visible spectrum. This allows night vision with IRED illuminators where the color signal is ignored, and only the luminescence signal is used to obtain black and white snapshots.

Another embodiment allows multiple image capture possibilities in daylight environments. If the IR light level is low (for example, indoor lighting with fluorescent lamps), the color fidelity will be good since the response to each color will not be excessively affected by IR light and the camera can capture images. color. If the IR level is high (for example, incandescent lamps or direct sunlight), the color fidelity of the image sensor can be adversely affected by IR light, and the camera can deliver black and white images. In still other embodiments, all image acquisition operates using the color signals while a remote monitoring station (eg, PC) determines whether the images will be displayed on

ES 2 576 456 T3 black and white or color.

In certain implementations, the image capture device is initialized with multiple modes of operation. For example, in an automatic mode, once the image capture device is armed, the device will begin acquiring the video image as soon as the motion detector detects motion. In another example, in a control panel mode the moving image security device sends an intrusion notification to the control panel and waits for a video acquisition command from the panel. Acquiring video and transferring video to the control panel are two independent actions. This allows the image capture device to obtain video images in a delayed area, before the system is disarmed. If disarming is done before the end of a delay, the video will be erased; otherwise the control panel will request the video data and send the video data to a remote monitoring station.

In certain cases, a video transfer requires several times more power than video acquisition. The image capture device can transfer video data on a request from the control panel through a radio channel. The control panel can also request erasure of video in memory since the transfer of video data can take more than two minutes, during the transfer time, a destruction of the image capture device will result in the loss of the remaining video stored in a RAM memory. Non-volatile memory (eg Flash type) can be used to duplicate video data immediately after or during acquisition. The small size of the Flash chip (eg SO8) makes it difficult to break, and thus increases the likelihood that video data will be recovered in case the device is being damaged by an intruder.

The various circuits and logic described herein can be implemented using a variety of devices including, but not limited to, discrete logic components, analog components, general-purpose processors configured to execute software instructions, programmable logic devices, and combinations of the themselves.

Although certain aspects of the present invention have been described with reference to several particular example embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. Aspects of the invention are set forth in the following claims.