초록 ▼

A coordinated surveillance system uses a larger number of fixed low resolution detection smart camera devices and a smaller number of pan/tilt/zoom controllable high resolution tracking smart camera devices. The set of detection cameras provide overall continuous coverage of the surveillance region,

A coordinated surveillance system uses a larger number of fixed low resolution detection smart camera devices and a smaller number of pan/tilt/zoom controllable high resolution tracking smart camera devices. The set of detection cameras provide overall continuous coverage of the surveillance region, while the tracking cameras provide localized high resolution on demand. Each monitor camera device performs initial detection and determines approximate GPS location of a moving target in its field of view. A control system coordinates detection and tracking camera operation. A selected tracking camera is controlled to focus in on, confirm detection, and track a target. Based on a verified detection, a guard station is alerted and compressed camera video is forwarded to the guard station from the camera(s). The guard station can direct a patrol guard to the target using GPS coordinates and a site map.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A security method comprising: operating a first camera device including a first lens, a first imager device, and a first processor to generate digital images of a first region;operating the first camera device to perform, within said first camera device, a target detection operation on at least o

1. A security method comprising: operating a first camera device including a first lens, a first imager device, and a first processor to generate digital images of a first region;operating the first camera device to perform, within said first camera device, a target detection operation on at least one image detected by said first camera device; andoperating the first camera device to transmit a first target signal relating to a detected target to a second camera device when said target detection analysis determines the presence of a target in an image detected by said first camera device, said first target signal providing target location information to the second camera device without said target location information traversing a centralized control system (CCS), said second camera device including a second lens, a second imager device and a second processor;operating the second camera device to monitor a portion of said first region in which the first camera device detected a target following generation of the first target detection signal by the first camera device;operating the centralized control system to control which one of a plurality of tracking cameras is associated with the first camera for purposes of confirming detection of a target detected by the first camera, one of the plurality of tracking cameras being said second camera;wherein said first camera device is a fixed mount camera device;wherein said second camera device is a movable mount camera device including a motor for adjusting the position of the camera device; andwherein the first camera device and the second camera device are part of a security system which includes more fixed mount camera devices than movable mount camera devices. 2. The security method of claim 1, further comprising: storing in said first camera device information designating the second camera device as being associated with said first camera deviceoperating, immediately prior to detection of said target, the first camera device in a first mode in which the first camera device does not output video; andoperating the first camera device, following detection of said target by the first camera device, to transition from said first mode of operation to a second mode of operation in which video signals including images of the detected target are transmitted by said first camera device. 3. The security method of claim 1, further comprising: operating the second camera device to perform a target detection analysis on at least one image corresponding to said portion of said first region detected by said second camera device; andin response to detection of a target by the second camera device in the portion of said first region, operating the second camera device to transmit a second target detection signal indicating detection of a target. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: operating both the first and second camera devices, following detection of a target by said second camera device, to output video signals including the detected target to a guard interface unit including at least one of a video display device and a video recording device. 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:operating the second camera device to adjust its portion to capture images of said portion of the first region in which said first camera device detected a target following generation of said first target detection signal by said first camera device. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the security system includes at least four times the number of fixed mount camera devices then it includes movable mount camera devices. 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the first camera device, second camera device, and centralized control system are separate physical devices that are coupled together by a network which supports IP communications. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said centralized control system selects the second camera device to monitor at least the portion of the first region. 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: operating the centralized control system to signal at least one of the first and second camera devices to transmit video to a guard interface unit in response to determining that the second camera device detected a target that in the same portion of the first region in which the first camera device detected a target. 10. The method of claim 3, further comprising: storing, in at least one of (i) the first camera device, or (ii) the second camera device, terrain map information which can be associated with the location of an image generated by one of said first and second camera devices. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: operating the centralized control system to triangulate the position of a target detected by multiple camera devices in said security system based on global position system coordinates provided by a plurality of camera devices which detected the target and camera device pointing angle information. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: operating the first camera device to use camera GPS location information and a 3D map model of a surveillance area stored in the first camera device to determine the GPS location of the detected target. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the first camera device to detect a target includes identifying moving objects in a field of view and distinguishing between detected moving objects that should not be classified as targets and moving detected targets which are considered legitimate targets. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first camera device generates an electrical representation of an image and detects said moving target; andwherein said second camera device captures video images of said moving target and confirms the detection of the target by the first camera device. 15. The security method of claim 1, wherein said first camera device includes a camera device housing in which said processor is located, said step of operating the first camera device to transmit said first target detection signal including transmitting said first target detection signal outside the camera device housing. 16. A security method comprising: operating a first camera device including a first lens, a first imager device, and a first processor to generate digital images of a first region;operating the first camera device to perform, within said first camera device, a target detection operation on at least one image detected by said first camera device;operating the first camera device to transmit a first target signal relating to a detected target to a second camera device when said target detection analysis determines the presence of a target in an image detected by said first camera device, said first target signal providing target location information to the second camera device without said target location information traversing a centralized control system (CCS), said second camera device including a second lens, a second imager device and a second processor;operating the second camera device to monitor a portion of said first region in which the first camera device detected a target following generation of the first target detection signal by the first camera device;wherein said target location information provided to the second camera device includes an estimated target fix in GPS coordinates of a target detected by the first camera device;wherein said first camera device is a fixed mount camera device;wherein said second camera device is a movable mount camera device including a motor for adjusting the position of the camera device; andwherein the first camera device and the second camera device are part of a security system which includes more fixed mount camera devices than it includes movable mount camera devices. 17. A security system comprising: a centralized control system for controlling camera devices in said security system;a second camera device;a first camera device including: a camera module for generating signals corresponding to a first region being monitored by said camera module;a processor coupled to said camera module for generating digital images of the first region from the signals generated by said camera module;a target detection module for receiving said digital images of the first region, the target detection module being enabled to perform a target detection operation on at least one digital image of the first region; anda first transmission module enabled to transmit a first target detection signal indicating detection of a target to the second camera device without traversing said centralized control system, when target detection analysis performed by said target detection module determines the presence of a target in an image detected by said first camera device;wherein, said second camera device is separate from said first camera device and said centralized control system and is configured to monitor a portion of said first region in which the first camera device detects a target in response to the first target detection signal from the first camera device;wherein the centralized control system is configured to control which one of a plurality of tracking cameras is associated with the first camera for purposes of confirming detection of a target detected by the first camera, one of the plurality of tracking cameras being said second camera device;wherein said first camera device is a fixed mount camera device;wherein said second camera device is a movable mount camera device including a motor for adjusting the position of the camera device; andwherein said security system, which includes the first camera device and the second camera device, includes more fixed mount camera devices than movable mount camera devices. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein said camera module, said processor, said target detection module, and said first transmission module are located in a first camera housing; and wherein the first camera device further includes:an overall control module for controlling said first camera device to operate in a plurality of different modes of operation at different points in time, said overall control module controlling the camera device to operate in a first mode in which the first camera device does not output video outside said first camera housing during a period of time during which the camera device does not detect a target; and to, following detection of a target by the first camera device, to transition from said first mode of operation to a second mode of operation in which video signals including images of the detected target are transmitted by said first camera device. 19. The system of claim 17, wherein the second camera device includes: a second camera housing and, mounted within said second camera housing:a mount control module for controlling the direction in which said second camera device points in response to a control signal received after the first camera device detects a target;a second target detection module enabled to perform a target detection analysis on at least one image corresponding to said portion of said first region detected by said second camera device; anda second transmission module enabled to transmit a second target detection signal indicating detection of a target in response to detection of a target by the second camera device in the portion of said first region. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein said first and second cameras are coupled together by a communications link thereby enabling target detection signals generated by the first camera device to be received by said second camera device. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first and second target detection signals includes global position coordinate information which provides target position information. 22. The system of claim 19, wherein said second camera includes a zoom lens to capture images of said portion of the first region in which said first camera device detects a target. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the system includes at least four times the number of fixed mount camera devices then it includes movable mount camera devices. 24. The system of claim 22, wherein a network which supports IP communications couples the first camera device and second camera device are coupled to the centralized control system; and wherein the centralized control system includes: a receiver for receiving target detection signals; anda transmitter for sending a signal to the second camera device to cause the second camera device to monitor at least the portion of the first region in which said first camera device detects a target as indicated by a target detection signal received from the first camera. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein said centralized control system further includes: a control module for selecting the second camera device to monitor at least the portion of the first region from a plurality of camera devices included in said system based on received target position information. 26. The system of claim 24, further comprising: a control module for controlling said transmitter to signal at least one of the first and second camera devices to transmit video to a guard interface unit in response to determining that the second camera device detected a target in the same portion of the first region in which the first camera device detected a target. 27. The system of claim 19, wherein the centralized control system includes: a data storage device which stores terrain map information which can be associated with the location of an image generated by one of said first and second camera devices. 28. The system of claim 27, wherein said centralized control system further comprises: a target position triangulation module enabled to triangulate the position of a target detected by multiple camera devices in said system based on global position system coordinates provided by a plurality of camera devices which detected the target and camera device pointing angle information. 29. The system of claim 17, wherein the first target detection signal includes global position coordinates indicative of the location of the detected target.