Video monitoring and conferencing system
DCFirst Claim
1. A video storage and display system, comprising:
- a plurality ofone or more video cameras, each outputting a signal representative of a video image;
means to receive the signals from each camera and digitally compress the images;
two forms of high-capacity storage media, one being randomly searchable while the other continues to store the digitally compressed image; and
a computer configured to receive the digitally compressed images, the computer being interfaced to the following devices;
a display screen,means to receive externally derived operator commands, andthe high-capacity storage media, and wherein the computer is programmed to perform the following functions;
display the digitally compressed images from the cameras in different windows on the display screen, each window being associated with an update rate and dimensions in pixels,vary the dimensions and the rate spatial parameters and temporal parameters at which a particular image is updated in its window in accordance with one of the externally derived commands,store the digitally compressed images in the high-capacity storage medium media, andvary the dimensions and the rate spatial parameters and temporal parameters at which a particular image is stored in accordance with one of the externally derived commands.
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Abstract
A PC-based system for monitoring and storing representative images from video cameras may be utilized for security or other monitoring applications. Camera inputs from digital or analog sources are individually and independently digitized and displayed at a first set of image sizes, sampling rates, and frame rates, and may be stored in digital form on various recording media at a second set of image sizes, sampling rates, and frame rates, and these two sets of sizes and rates may or may not be identical. Provisions are included for adding detection or alarm systems which will automatically alter image size, sampling rate and/or frame rate of an individual input source, or activate other physical responses. In addition to security system monitoring, further applications of the invention are disclosed for process monitoring in manufacturing environments and also for applications in videoconferencing.
160 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A video storage and display system, comprising:
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a plurality ofone or more video cameras, each outputting a signal representative of a video image; means to receive the signals from each camera and digitally compress the images; two forms of high-capacity storage media, one being randomly searchable while the other continues to store the digitally compressed image; and a computer configured to receive the digitally compressed images, the computer being interfaced to the following devices; a display screen, means to receive externally derived operator commands, and the high-capacity storage media, and wherein the computer is programmed to perform the following functions; display the digitally compressed images from the cameras in different windows on the display screen, each window being associated with an update rate and dimensions in pixels, vary the dimensions and the rate spatial parameters and temporal parameters at which a particular image is updated in its window in accordance with one of the externally derived commands, store the digitally compressed images in the high-capacity storage medium media, and vary the dimensions and the rate spatial parameters and temporal parameters at which a particular image is stored in accordance with one of the externally derived commands. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 16, 17, 18)
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8. The method of simultaneously displaying and storing multiple video images, comprising the steps of:
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receiving video images from a plurality of sources; digitizing one or more of the images if not already in digital form; displaying at least certain of the digitized images in separate windows on a display device, using a first, predetermined frame rate and resolution associated with each window; and simultaneously storing the displayed images using a second, predetermined frame rate and resolution associated with each image.
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12. The method of simultaneously displaying and storing multiple video images, comprising the steps of:
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receiving video images at a personal computer based system from a plurality of one or more sources; digitizing one or more any of the images if not already in digital form using an analog-to-digital converter; displaying at least certain of the digitized images in separate windows on a personal computer based display device, using a first set of temporal and spatial parameters associated with each image in each window; simultaneously storing the displayed imagesconverting one or more of the video source images into a data storage format using a second set of temporal and spatial parameters associated with each image; and simultaneously storing the converted images in a storage device. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21)
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15. A video storage and display system, comprising:
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a plurality ofone or more video cameras, each outputting a signal representative of a video image; means to receive the signals from each camera and digitally compress the images; and a computer configured to receive the digitally compressed images, the computer being interfaced to the following devices; a display screen, means to receive externally derived operator commands including means for sensing a deviation from the normal-state image scene associated with at least one of the video cameras, the existence of the deviation being used as the basis for generating an externally derived command, and a high-capacity storage medium, and programmed to perform the following functions; display the digitally compressed images from the cameras in different windows on the display screen, each window being associated with an update rate and dimensions in pixels, vary the dimensions and the rate spatial parameters and temporal parameters at which a particular image is updated in its window in accordance with one of the externally derived commands, store the digitally compressed images in the high-capacity storage medium, and vary the dimensions and the rate spatial parameters and temporal parameters at which a particular image is stored in accordance with one of the externally derived commands. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A video storage system, comprising:
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one or more video sources, each outputting a signal representative of a video image; means to receive the signals from each source and digitally compress the images; two forms of a high-capacity video storage media; and a computer interfaced to the following devices; an input to receive externally derived operator commands, and the high-capacity storage media, and wherein the computer is programmed to perform the following functions; store the digitally compressed images in the high-capacity storage media, and vary the spatial parameters and temporal parameters at which a particular image is stored in accordance with one of the externally derived commands. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A digital video recording and monitoring system configured for use with a display device, comprising:
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one or more inputs for receiving video material characterized by having spatial parameters and temporal parameters; circuitry for digitally compressing the video material; a first video storage medium which is randomly addressable; a second video storage medium which is serially addressable; an output for delivering the video material to the display device; a user control; and processing hardware or software operative to perform the following functions under user control; a) store the digitally compressed video material in one or both of the first and second video storage media, and b) output the video material for monitoring to the display device. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification