U.S. patent application number 15/540296 was filed with the patent office on 2018-01-18 for body-worn video surveillance system.
The applicant listed for this patent is KUSTOM SIGNALS, INC.. Invention is credited to David Nicholl, Warren Page, Michael Paulson, Dave Teeter.
Application Number | 20180020147 15/540296 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56092347 |
Filed Date | 2018-01-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180020147 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Page; Warren ; et
al. |
January 18, 2018 |
BODY-WORN VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM
Abstract
A body-worn surveillance system is associated with the ICV
system via a docking mechanism that is connected to the ICV system
via a cable, or other means. The ICV system recognizes the specific
bodyworn system(s). In order to reduce power draw on the mobile
battery powered BWV device and thus extend record time(s), the BWV
wireless radio is left in a suspended or sleep state and the lower
power draw Bluetooth radio is enabled. When the body-worn system is
within a specified proximity (RSSI) of the ICV system's wireless
Bluetooth transceiver and there are recorded files available for
transfer, the BWV device's wireless Ethernet connection will be
enabled to transfer AV files to the ICV system, which will then
store those files on the ICV system's internal media.
Inventors: |
Page; Warren; (Lenexa,
KS) ; Paulson; Michael; (Lawrence, KS) ;
Teeter; Dave; (Lenexa, KS) ; Nicholl; David;
(Lenexa, KS) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KUSTOM SIGNALS, INC. |
Lenexa |
KS |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56092347 |
Appl. No.: |
15/540296 |
Filed: |
December 1, 2015 |
PCT Filed: |
December 1, 2015 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US15/63259 |
371 Date: |
June 28, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62085977 |
Dec 1, 2014 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 7/185 20130101;
H04N 21/43637 20130101; G06F 1/1632 20130101; H04N 21/42203
20130101; H04N 5/23203 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 5/232 20060101
H04N005/232; H04N 7/18 20060101 H04N007/18; H04N 21/4363 20110101
H04N021/4363; H04N 21/422 20110101 H04N021/422 |
Claims
1. In combination with an in-car video system, a body-worn video
surveillance comprising: a body-worn audio/video device having a
video camera, a microphone, a microprocessor, a memory, a power
supply, and a connector and a communication interface; a docking
station having a power source, said docking station for receiving
said connector and coupled to said in-car video system; wherein an
audio/video file stored in said memory of said body-worn
audio/video device is transferred to said in-car video device to
said in-car video system.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said docking station provides
power to said body-worn audio/video device when said connector of
said body-worn audio/video device is coupled to said docking
station.
3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said communication interface
includes a Bluetooth interface.
4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said communication interface
includes a WiFi interface.
5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said communication interface
includes an Ethernet interface
6. A digital surveillance system comprising: a video system having
a video capture system, an audio capture system, a microprocessor,
a memory, a digital storage media, an Ethernet interface and a WiFi
interface; an access point having a Bluetooth interface, a WiFi
interface coupled to said video system WiFi interface, and an
Ethernet interface coupled to said video system Ethernet interface;
and a portable video system having a video camera, a microphone, a
microprocessor, a memory, a Bluetooth interface coupled to said
access point Bluetooth interface, a WiFi interface coupled to said
access point WiFi interface and an Ethernet interface selectively
coupled to said docking station Ethernet interface.
7. The digital surveillance system of claim 6 further comprising a
docking station having an Ethernet interface coupled to said
Ethernet interface of said access point.
8. The digital surveillance system of claim 6 wherein said portable
video system transfers an audio/video file stored in said memory of
said portable video system to said video system for storage in said
digital storage media when said portable video system is coupled to
said Ethernet interface of said docking station.
9. The digital surveillance system of claim 6 wherein said portable
video system transfers an audio/video file stored in said memory of
said portable video system to said video system for storage in said
digital storage media when said WiFi interface of said portable
video system is coupled to said WiFi interface of said video
system.
10. The digital surveillance system of claim 6 wherein said
portable video system transfers an audio/video file stored in said
memory of said portable video system to said video system for
storage in said digital storage media when said Bluetooth interface
of said portable video system is coupled to said Bluetooth
interface of said access point.
11. The digital surveillance system of claim 10 wherein said
audio/video file is transferred via WiFi.
12. The digital surveillance system of claim 6 wherein said video
system sends a record signal to said portable video system when
said Bluetooth interface of said access point is coupled to said
Bluetooth interface of said portable video system.
13. The digital surveillance system of claim 6 wherein said
portable video system sends a record signal to said video system
when said WiFi interface of said portable video system is coupled
to said WiFi interface of said access point.
14. The digital surveillance system of claim 6 wherein said
portable video system sends a record signal to said video system
when said WiFi interface of said portable video system is coupled
to said WiFi interface of said video system.
15. A digital surveillance system comprising: a video system having
a video capture system, an audio capture system, a microprocessor,
a memory, a digital storage media, an Ethernet interface and a WiFi
interface; a docking station having an Ethernet interface coupled
to said Ethernet interface of said access point; an access point
having a Bluetooth interface, a WiFi interface coupled to said
video system WiFi interface, and an Ethernet interface coupled to
said video system Ethernet interface; and a portable video system
having a video camera, a microphone, a microprocessor, a memory, a
Bluetooth interface coupled to said access point Bluetooth
interface, a WiFi interface coupled to said access point WiFi
interface and an Ethernet interface selectively coupled to said
docking station Ethernet interface.
16. The digital surveillance system of claim 15 wherein said
portable video system transfers an audio/video file stored in said
memory of said portable video system to said video system for
storage in said digital storage media when said portable video
system is coupled to said Ethernet interface of said docking
station.
17. The digital surveillance system of claim 15 wherein said
portable video system transfers an audio/video file stored in said
memory of said portable video system to said video system for
storage in said digital storage media when said WiFi interface of
said portable video system is coupled to said WiFi interface of
said video system.
18. The digital surveillance system of claim 15 wherein said
portable video system transfers an audio/video file stored in said
memory of said portable video system to said video system for
storage in said digital storage media when said Bluetooth interface
of said portable video system is coupled to said Bluetooth
interface of said access point.
19. The digital surveillance system of claim 18 wherein said
audio/video file is transferred via WiFi.
20. The digital surveillance system of claim 15 wherein said video
system sends a record signal to said portable video system when
said Bluetooth interface of said access point is coupled to said
Bluetooth interface of said portable video system.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of co-pending
provisional application Ser. No. 62/085,977, filed on Dec. 1, 2014,
entitled BODY-WORN VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM.
FIELD
[0002] This invention is directed to a video surveillance system,
and in particular to a video surveillance system that is body-worn
or officer-worn for producing a permanent digital evidentiary
record, on a multi-media disk, working in concert with an In-Car
Video System (ICV), of a traffic stop or other event and incidents
related to that event.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In law enforcement, a reliable witness that is incapable of
perjury is needed to substantiate the actions taken by the law
enforcement officer and to protect the officer against false
allegations by the persons involved in the incident. An excellent
witness of this type is a video recording of the incident, now
widely used in traffic stops and criminal interdictions, which can
be reviewed after the incident and archived. By recording the
incident firsthand as it actually happened, video recordings
eliminate conflicting individual interpretations of the incident
and facilitate effective and efficient law enforcement.
[0004] Body-Worn Video (BWV) cameras that make video records of an
incident or scene are well known in the art. However, there has not
been an effective method for the body-worn video to be associated
with the ICV system, and other items of data associated with the
traffic stop. Additionally, retrieving the In-Car video and
associating it with the body-worn video of the same incident have
been problematic for back-office applications.
SUMMARY
[0005] The digital video surveillance system of the present
invention includes a body-worn video server which allows recording
to various digital media including SD cards, SSDs, Compact Flash
disks, mSATA devices or the like. This system includes a memory
buffer that is recording at all times. When the recorder is
activated, the memory buffer contents, including video and audio,
will be recorded onto the media before the system starts recording
directly from the video camera and/or microphone. This ensures that
the activity occurring just prior to the activation of the system
is recorded as well. The system incorporates a Bluetooth
transceiver and a wireless Ethernet device that work in conjunction
with the ICV system.
[0006] The body-worn device is associated with the ICV system--via
a docking mechanism that is connected to the ICV system via a
cable. This docking procedure transfers information to the body
worn device that allows association to the specific ICV system that
the bodyworn unit has been docked with. The docking procedure also
sends beacon information to the Bluetooth transceiver connected to
the ICV system. A specific identification, such as a secure
Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) may be used to associate that
BWV device with the ICV system. The ICV system may now recognize
the specific body-worn system, or multiple body-worn systems (for
multi-officer vehicles), and no others unless the device is paired
again. In order to reduce power draw on the mobile battery powered
BWV device and thus extend record time(s), the BWV wireless radio
may be left in a suspended or sleep state and the lower power draw
Bluetooth radio may be enabled. When the body-worn system is within
close enough proximity (via a specified Received signal Strength
Indication--RSSI) of the ICV system's Bluetooth transceiver to
detect it via the wireless Bluetooth connection and there are
recorded files available for transfer, the BWV device's wireless
Ethernet connection (an IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac or other radio) will
be enabled to transfer AV files to the ICV system, which will then
be stored on the ICV system's internal media. The advantage of this
approach is that the battery life of the body-worn system is
extended and the faster 802.11 (or other) wireless radio is used as
the data transfer mechanism, as Bluetooth activity consumes much
less power than wireless (or other) Ethernet devices, but transmits
data much slower. Once any files are transferred, the BWV wireless
radio may be disabled to conserve power whether the device is
within Bluetooth range of the ICV system or not.
[0007] An alternate method of transferring files from the body-worn
device would be to leave the device in its docking station. Once
the device has been docked for a pre-determined amount of time or
user initiated, any recorded files may be transferred via a cable
to the ICV system's storage.
[0008] The Bluetooth connectivity with the ICV may also be used as
a triggering method for record on the body-worn device. If
configured accordingly, once the body-worn device is out of range
(as per a specified RSSI), the body-worn device may be activated
into record mode thereby recording events that may be "unseen" by
the ICV system. This recording session may be manually terminated
by the user.
[0009] Additionally, when the ICV has entered a record state, the
ICV's Bluetooth beacon reflects this change in state, causing the
body-worn video system to also enter a record state. Alternatively,
if the body worn video system is placed into a record state, and
the ICV is not in a record state, the body worn video unit may send
commands wirelessly to the ICV system to place it into a record
state.
[0010] File names for the recorded events, on both the ICV and
bodyworn unit, when triggered by the other, may include event
timestamps, and other identifiers allowing the ICV video files and
body worn video files to be associated with the same event.
[0011] The advantage of this invention will become apparent from
the following description taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example,
a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] An association of the BWV and ICV files may be added to the
metadata, before the files are transferred to the file management
system. When the BWV and ICV systems are paired or synced the BWV's
metadata files may be modified with a car-specific identifier. That
then makes is much easier to fine the right BWV that was recorded
by that particular officer--and that can appropriately be
associated with an ICV file recorded at the same time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the basic components
of the body-worn digital video surveillance system, and the
components of interaction between the body-worn device and the
in-car video system;
[0014] FIG. 2 is functional block diagram of the body-worn device
of FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a software flow diagram of the methodology
utilized to associate the body-worn device to the ICV system;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a software flow diagram of the methodology for
proximity detection, used for transferring files from the body-worn
device to the ICV system;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a software flow diagram of a methodology for file
transfer from the body-worn device to the ICV system;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a software flow diagram for a requester remote
record activation; and
[0019] FIG. 7 is a software flow diagram for a responder remote
record activation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention
are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the
disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which
may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural
and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted
as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a
representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to
variously employ the present invention in virtually any
appropriately detailed structure. The drawings constitute a part of
this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present
invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
[0021] The digital video surveillance system of the present
invention includes a body-worn video surveillance system which
allows recording to various digital media. The system incorporates
a Bluetooth transceiver and a wireless Ethernet device that work in
conjunction with ICV systems such as the G3 Vision, G3 Vision
Extreme, Eyewitness HD, and Eyewitness Data Vault, available from
Kustom Signals, Inc.
[0022] The body-worn device (or multiples) is associated with the
ICV system via a docking mechanism that is connected to the ICV
system via a cable, or other means. The ICV system will now
recognize the specific body-worn system(s), and no others. In order
to reduce power draw on the mobile battery powered BWV device and
thus extend record time(s), the BWV wireless radio is left in a
suspended or sleep state and the lower power draw Bluetooth radio
is enabled. When the body-worn system is within a specified
proximity (RSSI) of the ICV system's wireless Bluetooth transceiver
and there are recorded files available for transfer, the BWV
device's wireless Ethernet connection (an IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac or
similar radio) will be enabled to transfer AV files to the ICV
system, which will then store those files on the ICV system's
internal media. The advantage of this approach is that the battery
life of the body-worn system is extended and the faster 802.11 (or
similar) wireless radio is used as the data transfer mechanism, as
Bluetooth activity consumes much less power than wireless (or
other) Ethernet devices, but transmits data much slower. Once any
files are transferred, the BWV wireless radio is disabled to
conserve power whether the device is within Bluetooth range of the
ICV system or not.
[0023] An alternate method of transferring files from the body-worn
device would be to return the device to its docking station. Once
the device has been docked for a pre-determined amount of time, any
recorded files can be transferred via a cable to the ICV system's
storage.
[0024] The Bluetooth connectivity with the ICV may also be used as
a triggering method for record on the body-worn device. If
configured accordingly, once the body-worn device is outside of a
specified range (determined via RSSI), of the ICV system, the
bodyworn device may be activated into Record thereby recording
events that may be "unseen" by the ICV system. This recording
session may be manually terminated by the user.
[0025] The Bluetooth connectivity with the ICV may also be used to
place the bodyworn device into record. If configured accordingly,
when the ICV is placed into record, the Bluetooth beacon that is
broadcasted will reflect this, causing the bodyworn system to be
placed into record as well.
[0026] The bodyworn system may have the same effect on the ICV. If
configured accordingly, the bodyworn system will send a command via
a wireless signal (802.11 b, g, n, AC, or others) to the ICV,
causing it to be placed into record.
[0027] Any of these triggering events from one system that causes
the other to be placed into record will also pass data to the
recipient device in the form of filename data, recorded file
embedded metadata, and other means to associate the body worn
system's video file and the ICV system's video file with each other
for a particular recording event. This allows these files to be
easily searched per events that took place to cause the
recordings.
[0028] Referring to the FIGS. 1 and 2, an integrated system of the
present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10,
which includes an ICV system 12 and BWV system 14. The ICV system
12 includes a video capture system 16, coupled to an audio capture
system 18. The ICV system 12 is a powerful digital video management
solution that automatically and securely manages in-car and other
digital assets locally or across a network. The ICV system 12 is
highly configurable and scalable to fit virtually any environment.
The ICV system 12 supports simple and advanced searches,
multi-camera synchronous playback, easy file duplication and
provides database access to authorized users across the
network.
[0029] The ICV system 12 utilizes an audio video codec 20, which
encodes and decodes the video stream from the video capture system
14 and audio data stream from the audio capture system 18 under
control of a microprocessor 21 temporary storage in a memory 23,
and storage on the media storage 22 and for playback. The ICV
system 12 also includes a wireless Ethernet interface 24, which may
be configured to utilize an IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac or similar RF
protocol, and a physical Ethernet port 26, which may be a power
over Ethernet (PoE) port.
[0030] The BWV system 14 includes a body-worn audio/video device 28
and may include a docking station 30 for the body-worn audio/video
device 28. The body-worn audio/video device 28 includes a video
camera 32 and microphone 34 with an integrated AV codec 36, which
encodes and decodes the video data stream from the video camera 32
and audio data stream from the microphone 34 under control of a
microprocessor 37 for storage on the media storage 38 and playback.
The storage media 38 may include RAM, SD cards, SSDs, Compact Flash
disks, mSATA devices or the like, for example.
[0031] The body-worn audio/video device 28 may also include a
Bluetooth transceiver 40 for communication with an access point 41,
and a wireless Ethernet transceiver 42 for communication with the
ICV system 12 wireless Ethernet interface 24 and an Ethernet port
43.
[0032] The docking station 30 is a simple Ethernet pass through
device, with power for charging the body-worn system as well. The
access point 41 includes a Bluetooth transceiver 44 for
communication with the body-worn audio/video device 28, a WiFi
transceiver 45 and a physical Ethernet port 46, which may be a PoE
port. When the body-worn audio/video device 28 is seated in the
docking station 30, the body-worn audio/video device 28 is charged
via the PoE port 43 through connector 47 connected to Ethernet port
46 and is capable of transferring files via Ethernet cable to the
ICV system 12 Ethernet port 26.
[0033] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the system association methodology
is generally indicated by reference numeral 100. The system
association methodology 100 begins by inserting the body-worn
audio/video device 28 in the docking station 30, block 102. The MAC
address of the body-worn audio/video device 28 is read by the ICV
system 12 through the Ethernet ports 46 and 26 and identified,
block 104. The ICV system 12 determines if the body-worn
audio/video device 28 is on the acceptance list, block 106. If the
body-worn audio/video device 28 has not been previously paired 108,
then it is added to the acceptance list, block 110. Otherwise 112,
the identification process procedure for the body-worn audio/video
device 28 is completed, block 114. Next, the body-worn audio/video
device 28 is paired with the ICV system 12, block 116. If the
body-worn audio/video device 28 had previously been excluded from
syncing or pairing with the ICV system 12, it is rejected for
pairing. Optionally, the quality of the Bluetooth connection is
checked, block 118, as well as the wireless transfer connection,
block 120.
[0034] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the body-worn video/ICV
system wireless connection protocol is generally indicated by
reference numeral 200. Initially the body-worn audio/video device
28 wireless Ethernet connection 42 is powered down 202. The
body-worn audio/video device 28 checks for recorded media files on
the media storage 38, block 204. If no media files are on the media
storage 38, decision 206, then an interim timer is started to check
for stored files on the media storage 38, block 208, and processing
returns to the beginning state 202.
[0035] If media files are located 210, then a check is made as to
whether the body-worn audio/video device 28 is in an idle state or
recording state, block 212. If in a recording state 214, then an
interim timer is started to check for stored files on the media
storage 38, block 208, and processing returns to the beginning
state 202. If in the idle state 216, the Bluetooth transceiver 40
proximity seek is activated 218 to attempt to pair with the docking
station 30 or access point 41, block 220. If the pairing is not
successful 222, the device seek is delayed for a predetermined
period of time 224, and pairing is retried 226. The pairing process
may repeat several times before an interim timer is started to
check for stored files on the media storage 38, block 208, and
processing returns to the beginning state 202.
[0036] If pairing of the body-worn audio/video device 28 and the
docking station 30 or access point 41 is successful, 227, the
wireless Ethernet transceiver 42 is activated 228 and the stored
files are transferred 230 to through the ICV wireless Ethernet
connection 24 to the media storage 22.
[0037] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, a file transfer protocol is
generally indicated by reference numeral 300. After the body-worn
audio/video device 28 wirelessly connects to the ICV system 12,
block 302, a check is made as to the recording status of the ICV
system 12, block 304. If the ICV system 12 is not idle, i.e. in the
record mode, 306, the wireless connection with the body-worn
audio/video device 28 is disconnected 308. If the ICV system 12 is
idle 310, then the AV file and metadata pair are transferred 312
from the body-worn audio/video device 28 media storage 38 to the
ICV system 12 media storage 22.
[0038] A check is made using a CRC, or other hash function to
ensure that the files were accurately transferred 314. If the
accuracy check fails 316, a counter is incremented 318 and the
transfer is retried. If the counter exceeds a predetermined retry
count, the pair of files is skipped 320. If the pair of files is
successfully transferred 322, the system checks for additional
files to be transferred 324. If the transferred pair of files was
not the last pair 326, processing returns to block 304 to retrieve
additional pairs of files. If the transferred pair of files was the
last pair 328, then the wireless connection between the ICV system
12 and the body-worn audio/video device 28 is disconnected 330.
[0039] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a requester remote record
activation diagram is generally indicated by reference numeral 400,
and a responder remote record activation diagram is general
indicated by reference numeral 500. The requester can be either the
ICV or the BWC. If the requester is the ICV, then the BWC may be
within Bluetooth range for activation. If the requester is the BWC,
then the ICV may be within WiFi range for activation.
[0040] When a record is initiated 402, a remote record activation
is sent 404 via Bluetooth or WiFi. Acknowledgement of the remote
activation signal is checked 406. If an acknowledgement signal is
not received 408, the system waits for a predetermined period of
time 410, and then another remote record activation is resent 404.
If the acknowledgement signal is received 412, then the remote
record procedure is completed 414.
[0041] When a remote record activation is received 502, the ICV or
BWC determines if record can be activated 504. If record cannot be
activated 506, activation is set to NO 508. If record can be
activated 510, activation is set to YES 512 and recording is
activated 514. The ICV or BWC then sends a negative or positive
activation response 516.
[0042] It is to be understood that while certain now preferred
forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is
not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included
in the following claims.
* * * * *