Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing – Local trick play processing – With randomly accessible medium
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-17
2003-11-11
Chevalier, Robert (Department: 2615)
Motion video signal processing for recording or reproducing
Local trick play processing
With randomly accessible medium
C386S349000, C386S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06647200
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital recorder, monitoring system, remote monitoring system, monitor image retrieval method, remote image reproduction method, recording medium and computer data signal, for accurately retrieving a desired image which is recorded on a magnetic disk or the like and which is captured by a monitoring camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
A monitoring system is widely known as a system which records an image captured by a monitoring camera. The monitoring system which allows surveillance of such remote images is utilized in a financial institution, for example, a bank branch, or in a store, for example, a convenience store. The monitoring camera which is arranged in a given position of the store captures an image. The monitoring system then allows the captured image to be displayed on a monitoring monitor and concurrently recorded. The recorded image is a useful evidence matter in a case of a criminal investigation and is useful for the sake of security.
The monitoring system uses a time lapse video tape recorder capable of recording an image including several frames per second. The monitoring system makes a thinned version of the image captured by the monitoring camera, and thus runs for a long period of time. The monitoring system can always record the image in chronological order, however, it takes much time to retrieve a desired image from the time lapse video tape. The thinned version of the image is recorded after it is made from the format of thirty frames/sec to two frames/sec. In such a case, there is arose various problems such that a to-be-captured-object in motion at high speeds is not accurately recognized when the image is reproduced.
The recent monitoring system is capable of detecting an undesired event based on the motion of the image (any changes in the image) which the monitoring camera captures. The monitoring system starts storing the image contemporaneous with the detection. The monitoring system compares back and forth the captured image with reference to preceding/following image in chronological order so as to determine whether the image is in motion or not (the presence of motion in the image). In a case where the monitoring system determines that the image is in motion, the monitoring system stores the captured image on the time lapse video tape recorder. Accordingly, the monitoring system which stores merely the motion image(s) can record the image captured by the monitoring camera as it is, or can record the thinned version of the image to be recorded for a long period of time.
Recently, more particularly, a monitoring system which compresses an image and store the image on a magnet disk is widely known, instead of the system recording the image on the video tape. In such a monitoring system, the magnet disk is randomly accessed in that the image can be reproduced even while still recording the image. In other words, the recorded image can be reproduced without pausing the recording.
In the monitoring system arranged inside and/or outside of the store, a plurality of monitoring cameras are generally arranged so that each of the cameras captures an image. The monitoring system determines whether there is motion in the image captured by the cameras, and if there is any, the motion image is recorded on the magnetic disk or the like. A user can specify the date or the monitoring camera's number(s) so as to retrieve a desired image from the magnet disk recording the large number of images. While reproducing the retrieved image, the user can search a particular image (scene) to be displayed.
However, in a case where the user can not specify the date, he/she has to retrieve a desired image by checking the images all way through, while reproducing the large number of the images stored on the magnet disk or the like. In following this process, it is usually time consuming to retrieve the desired image, and the user may somehow miss the desired image without noticing.
A remote monitoring system which centrally monitors a plurality of stores or institutions is also well known. Such a remote monitoring system in a time sharing manner transmits an image captured by the monitoring camera arranged inside and/or outside of the stores or institutions to the central monitoring center via an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). The remote monitoring system monitors in the monitoring center the image captured inside and/or outside of the stores or institutions, and concurrently records the image on the time lapse video tape recorder.
The conventional remote monitoring system transmits all those image data captured by the monitoring camera to the central monitoring center. However, a recent remote monitoring system begins to transmit the image to the central monitoring center, as soon as an undesired event or a change is detected in the captured image. This type of remote monitoring system compares the images back and forth captured in chronological order so as to determine whether the image is in motion or not. If the remote monitoring system determines that the image is in motion, it transmits the captured image to the central monitoring center via the ISDN. According to this system, the amount of communication data and the time takes for data communication can be reduced, therefore, there is required merely a smaller number of communication circuits for monitoring a plurality of stores or institutions, resulting in the communication cost to be reduced.
However, though the recent remote monitoring system is employed, a large number of communication circuits are required for receiving the image data transmitted from all of those stores or institutions. This is because that the image data from all of the stores is transmitted to the central monitoring center at the same moment, since the customers of all over the places particularly tend to go to stores or institutions at the same time a day.
The remote monitoring system temporarily records the image data transmitted from the stores or institutions on the video tape recorder, such as a time lapse video tape recorder or the like. Except for some cases of event, accident or emergency, generally, the video tape is stored only for a week or so and is reused afterwards.
Thus, the remote monitoring system performs unnecessary tasks, since it transmits the images to the central monitoring center via the communication circuit even no undesired event occurs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above and an object thereof is to provide a digital recorder, monitoring system, remote monitoring system, monitor image retrieval method, remote image reproduction method, recording medium and computer data signal, for accurately retrieving a desired image referring from the images which are captured by a monitoring camera and which are recorded on a magnetic disk or the like.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital recorder comprising:
an image input device which inputs a monitor image captured by a camera arranged in a predetermined position;
a recorder which records the monitor image input by the image input device;
a reading device which sequentially reads out the monitor image recorded on the recorder;
an area specifying device which specifies at least an area of the monitor image which is read out by the reading device;
a retrieving device which retrieves an image in motion in the area specified by the area specifying device, referring from the image sequentially read out by the reading device; and
an image output device which outputs the monitor image retrieved by the retrieving device.
According to the digital recorder of the present invention, the input device inputs the monitor image which is captured by, for example, a plurality of the cameras each arranged the predetermined position. The recorder records the monitor image input from the input device. In such a case, the recorder determines whether the image is in motion or not, and
Chevalier Robert
Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps LLP
Securion 24 Co., Ltd.
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