Video camera and sensor integration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9948902-B1
Application number	US-201514642341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 9, 2015
Priority date	Mar 7, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

Video camera and sensor integration, in which an event is detected at a property based on sensor data and, based on the detected event, multiple cameras are controlled to operate in a tracking mode. One or more moving objects are detected in images captured by the cameras and metadata related to capture of the one or more moving objects is determined. Tracking operations of the cameras is coordinated based on the metadata.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for monitoring a property, the system comprising:
one or more sensors that are installed at a property and that are configured to sense attributes of the property;
a first camera that is installed at the property, that is configured to pan and tilt, and that is configured to image a first area of the property;
a second camera that is installed at the property, that is configured to pan and tilt, and that is configured to image a second area of the property, the second area of the property being different than the first area; and
at least one controller configured to perform operations comprising:
detecting an event at the property based on sensor data from the one or more sensors that are installed at the property and that are configured to sense attributes of the property;
based on the detected event:
controlling the first camera to enter a tracking mode in which the first camera scans for a moving object by panning and tilting over the first area of the property imaged by the first camera, and
controlling the second camera to enter the tracking mode in which the second camera scans for a moving object by panning and tilting over the second area of the property imaged by the second camera;

detecting a first moving object imaged by the first camera in the tracking mode;
based on detection of the first moving object imaged by the first camera in the tracking mode:
tracking the first moving object by panning and tilting in a manner that follows movements of the first moving object throughout the first area of the property imaged by the first camera, and
determining first metadata related to capture of images of the first moving object tracked by the first camera;

detecting a second moving object imaged by the second camera in the tracking mode;
based on detection of the second moving object imaged by the second camera in the tracking mode:
tracking the second moving object by panning and tilting in a manner that follows movements of the second moving object throughout the second area of the property imaged by the second camera, and
determining second metadata related to capture of images of the second moving object tracked by the second camera; and

coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first metadata and the second metadata,

wherein the at least one controller is configured to perform operations further comprising determining first power available to the first camera and determining second power available to the second camera,
wherein coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first metadata and the second metadata comprises coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first metadata, the second metadata, the first power available to the first camera, and the second power available to the second camera,
wherein determining first power available to the first camera comprises determining that the first camera is operating on battery power,
wherein determining second power available to the second camera comprises determining that the second camera is operating on a primary power source provided at the property, and
wherein coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first metadata, the second metadata, the first power available to the first camera, and the second power available to the second camera comprises determining that the first moving object and the second moving object are the same based on the first metadata and the second metadata, determining to track the first moving object using the first camera based on a first rating for quality of images of the first moving object captured by the first camera and a second rating for quality of images of the second moving object captured by the second camera, overriding the determination to track the first moving object using the first camera based on the determination that the first camera is operating on battery power and the second camera is operating on the primary power source provided at the property, and controlling the first camera to stop tracking and the second camera to continue tracking based on overriding the determination to track the first moving object using the first camera.

2. The system of claim 1 :
wherein determining first metadata related to capture of images of the first moving object tracked by the first camera comprises determining a first rating for quality of images of the first moving object captured by the first camera;
wherein determining second metadata related to capture of images of the second moving object tracked by the second camera comprises determining a second rating for quality of images of the second moving object captured by the second camera; and
wherein coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first metadata and the second metadata comprises coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first rating for quality of images of the first moving object captured by the first camera and the second rating for quality of images of the second moving object captured by the second camera.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first rating for quality of images of the first moving object captured by the first camera and the second rating for quality of images of the second moving object captured by the second camera comprises ceasing tracking of the first moving object by the first camera based on the first rating for quality being below a quality threshold.

4. The system of claim 1 :
wherein determining first metadata related to capture of images of the first moving object tracked by the first camera comprises determining first descriptive information of the first moving object captured by the first camera;
wherein determining second metadata related to capture of images of the second moving object tracked by the second camera comprises determining second descriptive information of the second moving object captured by the second camera; and
wherein coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first metadata and the second metadata comprises coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first descriptive information and the second descriptive information.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein coordinating tracking operation of the first camera and the second camera based on the first descriptive information and the second descriptive information comprises determining that the first moving object is the same as the second moving object based on the first descriptive information and the second descriptive information, based on the determination that the first moving object is the same as the second moving object, determining that the first camera is closer to the first moving object than the second camera is to the second moving object, and, based on the determination that the first camera is closer to the first moving object than the second camera is to the second moving object, controlling the first camera to continue tracking the first moving object and the second camera to scan for other objects.

6. The system of claim 4 :
wherein determining first metadata related to capture of images of the first moving object tracked by the first camera comprises determining a first rating for quality of images of the first moving object captured by the first camera;
wherein determining second metadata related to capture of images of the second moving object tracked by the second camera comprises determining a second rating for quality of images of the

Assignees

• Alarm Com Inc

Inventors

• Trundle Stephen Scott

Classifications

• G06K9/00771

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04N7/183 Primary

  for receiving images from a single remote source · CPC title

• G06V20/52 Primary

  Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) · CPC title

• H04N7/188

  Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position (signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253) · CPC title

• G06V2201/10

  Recognition assisted with metadata · CPC title