Claims:
1. A system comprising: one or more data generating devices, each for generating a continuous data stream; flag generation means for generating a flag signal; a recording device for recording said continuous data stream(s) and instances of said flag signal; and a playback device for playing back segments of said continuous data stream(s) associated in time with at least one of said instances of said flag signal.
2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said one or more data generating devices include one or more digital video cameras.
3. A system according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said one or more data generating devices include one or more microphones.
4. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said one or more data generating devices include a global positioning system receiver.
5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said segments played back by said playback device commence at each instance of said flag signal.
6. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said segments played back by said playback device commence a predetermined period before each instance of said flag signal and continues until a predetermined period after that instance of said flag signal.
7. A method comprising the steps of: receiving at least one continuous data stream; receiving a flag signal; recording said continuous data stream(s) and instances of said flag signal; and playing back segments of said continuous data stream(s) associated in time with at least one of said instances of said flag signal.
8. A method according to claim 7 wherein said playing back step comprises the step of playing back segments which commence a predetermined period before each instance of said flag signal and continues until a predetermined period after that instance of said flag signal.
9. A computer program product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program, said computer program comprising: code for receiving at least one continuous data stream; code for receiving a flag signal; code for recording said continuous data stream(s) and instances of said flag signal; and code for playing back segments of said continuous data stream(s) associated in time with at least one of said instances of said flag signal.
10. A system substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
11. A method substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. |
INCIDENT MONITORING SYSTEM
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data gathering and, in particular, to an improved system and method for gathering data and playing back such data.
Background
Vast amounts of data are gathered on a daily basis. Such data include video data to record incidents. The video data are then later analysed to gather more information regarding each incident.
Prior art surveillance systems exist which record video footage captured by one or more strategically placed cameras. An operator typically monitors a number of displays showing the video footage in real time in order to detect possible incidents. Such a solution is very labour intensive. Alternatively, an operator reviews the video footage afterwards to gather information regarding a known incident that occurred. In most instances the operator has little information as to when the incident occurred, and therefore has to review large amounts of video footage to identify the occurrence of the incident, and the events leading up to and following the incident. Accordingly, the solution offered by such prior art surveillance systems are undesirable.
Other systems exist which only start recording video footage after an alarm or the like is triggered, typically by an operator or an automatic event monitor. The disadvantage of such a system is that the system only records the aftermath of the incident, and footage of the events leading up to the incident is not available.
A need therefore exists for an improved incident monitoring system.
Summary
It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more disadvantages of existing arrangements.
Disclosed are arrangements which seek to address the above problems by recording continuous data streams from one or more data generating devices, and instances of a flag signal. This allows segments of the continuous data streams associated in time with the instances of the flag signal to be played back later.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an incident monitoring system. The system comprises one or more data generating devices, each for generating a continuous data stream, flag generation means for generating a flag signal, a recording device for recording the continuous data stream(s) and instances of the flag signal, and a playback device for playing back segments of the continuous data stream(s) associated in time with at least one of the instances of the flag signal.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising the steps of: receiving at least one continuous data stream; receiving a flag signal; recording the continuous data stream(s) and instances of the flag signal; and playing back segments of the continuous data stream(s) associated in time with at least one of the instances of the flag signal.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a computer program product including a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a computer program for implementing the method described above.
Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.
Brief Description of the Drawings
One or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an incident monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method performed by the system shown in Fig. 1 ; and
Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a general purpose computer upon which arrangements described can be practiced.
Detailed Description
Fig. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an incident monitoring system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 includes one or more data generating devices 110. Each data generating device 110 generates a continuous data stream. In one implementation the data generating devices 110 include digital video cameras, each generating a continuous video data stream. In another implementation the data generating devices 110 include microphones and analogue to digital converters, each generating a continuous audio data stream, hi yet another implementation the data generating devices 110 include a Global Positioning System receiver for generating a data stream of location data. The system 100 further includes a flag generation means 130 for generating a flag signal, hi one implementation the flag generation means 130 is a biased switch, such as a push-to-make switch, operated by a user of the system 100. The flag generation means 130 may also be a switch operated automatically upon some event. For example, the switch may be connected to a door, and the switch changes state when the door is opened
or closed. The flag generation means 130 may also include a detection means which generates a flag signal when a predefined condition is met.
A recording device 120 is also provided in the system 100. The recording device 120 records the continuous data streams from the data generating devices 110, as well as instances of the flag signal generated by the flag generation means 130 in a manner such that the instances of the flag signal are associated in time with the continuous data streams. For example, the time each flag signal is received may be recorded, and the continuous data streams may be time stamped.
Finally, the system 100 includes a playback device 140 for playing back the continuous data streams recorded by the recording device 120. In one implementation the playback device 140 and the recording device 120 are the same device. In another implementation the recording device 120 has a removable storage device, such as a removable hard disk drive or a recordable digital video disk, which is removed from the recording device 120 and inserted into the playback device 140 for playing back the continuous data streams.
The operator of the playback device 140 is provided with a user interface (not illustrated) allowing the operator to play back only segments of the continuous data streams. More particularly, only segments associated in time with the instances of the flag signal are played back to the operator. Typically the segment associated with a particular instance of the flag signal commences at, or a predetermined period before, the occurrence of the flag signal instance, and continues until a predetermined period after the occurrence of that flag signal instance.
The operator may also use the playback device 140 to record extracts from the continuous data stream, typically for later review or evidence of the incident. The operator
does so by specifying start and end points in the continuous data stream. The segment or segments between the specified start and end points are then recorded onto a storage medium, such as a Digital Video Disk (DVD).
Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 200 performed by the recording device 120 and the playback device 140 shown in Fig. 1. The method 200 starts in step 210 where the recording device 120 receives and records at least one continuous data stream. In step 220 a flag signal is received, and the instance of the flag signal is recorded.
The playback device 140 then in step 230 plays back segments of the continuous data streams which are associated in time with at least one of the instances of the flag signal.
The system 100 may be implemented using a general purpose computer system 300, such as that shown in Fig. 3 wherein the method 200 of Fig. 2 is implemented as software executing within the computer system 300. The software may be stored in a computer readable medium. The software is loaded into the computer system 300 from the computer readable medium, and then executed by the computer system 300. A computer readable medium having such software or computer program recorded on it is a computer program product.
As seen in Fig. 3, the computer system 300 is formed by a computer module 301, input devices, a display device 314 and loudspeakers 317. The input devices include a keyboard 302 and one or more data generating devices 110 (Fig. 1), which may include one or more of a microphone 320, a digital video camera 321 and a GPS receiver 322. The flag generation means 130 may be implemented using the keyboard 302, or another external switch (not illustrated).
The computer module 301 typically includes at least one processor unit 305, and a memory unit 306. The module 301 also includes an number of input/output (I/O) interfaces including an audio-video interface 307 that couples to the video display 314 and loudspeakers 317, an I/O interface 313 for the keyboard 302, and a data interface 308 for the GPS receiver 322, digital video camera 321 and microphone 320. Storage device 309 is provided and typically includes one or more hard disk drives (HDD).
The components 305 to 313 of the computer module 301 typically communicate via an interconnected bus 304 and in a manner which results in a conventional mode of operation of the computer system 300 known to those in the relevant art. Typically, the software discussed above is resident on the storage device 309 and read and controlled in execution by the processor 305.
As described above, the playback device 140 and the recording device 120 maybe separate devices, in which case the playback device 140 will not include components 320 to 322, and the recording device 120 may not include components 114 and 117. The recorded data may be transferred from the recording device 120 to the playback device 140 by means of a removable HDD, or through a Modulator-Demodulator (Modem) transceiver device (not illustrated).
The playback device 140 and the recording device 120 may alternatively be implemented in dedicated hardware, which may include one or more integrated circuits performing the functions described.
In one embodiment the incident monitoring system 100 is implemented on a public bus. The data generating devices 110 include a number of digital video cameras for capturing video data of scenes both inside and outside the bus, and a GPS receiver. Whenever an incident occurs, the driver of the bus presses a switch to generate a flag
signal, the instance of which is recorded by the recording device 120. Such incidents may include misbehaviour of a passenger inside the bus, an accident, or a car blocking the bus lane or parked in a bus stop. Later, an operator may review the video data captured to analyse the incident. However, instead of having to review all the video data captured for the full day, the playback device plays back segments associated with each occurrence of the flag signal. The segment played back would typically commence a minute or so before the flag signal instance, and continue until a couple of minutes after the flag signal instance. However, since the recording device 120 has recorded all the data from the cameras and the GPS, the operator is free to view video and GPS data well before the flag signal instance to analyse the events leading up to the incident. Prior art systems would typically only start recording after a user sets an alarm or the like.
The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and modifications and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive. In the context of this specification, the word "comprising" means "including principally but not necessarily solely" or "having" or "including", and not "consisting only of. Variations of the word "comprising", such as "comprise" and "comprises" have correspondingly varied meanings.
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