Robust surveillance system with partitioned media

Abstract

A surveillance system having a plurality of MPEG compressed data streams each originating from a separate video/audio source. The data is stored on hard disk and streamed to tape in real time. The data is partitioned on the tape into about ten partitions, each partition including a plurality of data blocks, each data block including synchronized frames from each stream, a stream map, telemetry information, roster information, and tape positioning data. Each partition includes a duplicate stream map and a duplicate partition directory, and each block within the partition includes duplicate telemetry information. Set marks readable in fast forward or rewind mode are placed every second on the tape in a position just before the duplicate telemetry, and a file mark is placed just before the duplication partition directory. The tape cassette includes an EEPROM which holds a duplicate partition directory. The originating disk also includes a duplicate partition directory. In case of tape error, the tape automatically restores itself when inserted into the tape deck

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the location of the audio, visual, and satellite sources and wireless transmissions associated with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the electronics enclosure of FIG. 1 and the airflow through the enclosure;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the synchronization of MPEG audio/video according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a data packet according to one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the relationships between the software and hardware components of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the details of the file system and caching scheme of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a surveillance network in accordance with the principles of the present invention is utilized;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of how the system of FIG. 8 captures a variety of video/audio streams and multiplexes them into a sliding window storage system;

FIG. 10 is a high-level schematic diagram showing a more detailed internal structure of the video/audio capture system according to the invention

FIGS. 11A and 11B together show a diagram illustrating the flow of video/audio data, surveillance data, and control data in an exemplary system according to the invention;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary partition directory and the information stored in the directory;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating the partition of the data as it is recorded on digital tape or other media in another preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating the index redundancy feature of an exemplary surveillance system according to the invention;

FIG. 15 is a diagram of an exemplary system for capturing and writing data onto digital tape;

FIG. 16 is a diagram of an exemplary digital tape optionally utilized in accordance with the principles of the present invention to store content in a fault-tolerant manner and for fast retrieval of directory information;

FIG. 17 is a flow chart describing an exemplary process for capturing and writing surveillance data onto a digital tape in a fault-tolerant manner,

FIG. 18 illustrates one embodiment of how the system checks itself for errors and corrects them upon insertion of the tape cassette into the tape deck,

FIG. 19 illustrates one embodiment of how the tape self-corrects during the write function; and

FIG. 20 illustrates one embodiment of how the tape self-corrects during a read function.

Claims

1. A video surveillance method comprising: generating a video signal containing surveillance images;electronically compressing said video signal into a compressed video signal; andrecording said compressed video signal into a plurality of partitions on a digital medium, each of said partitions including a portion of said compressed video signal.

2. A video surveillance method as in claim 1 and further comprising: generating directory information associated with the content of said partitions; andstoring said directory information in a plurality of locations on one or more digital media.

3. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 wherein said storing comprises storing said directory information at a plurality of locations on said digital medium.

4. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 wherein said directory information is stored in a separate directory partition.

5. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 wherein said directory information is stored in each of said partitions.

6. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 wherein said digital medium comprises a tape cassette having a semiconductor memory incorporated into said cassette, and said storing comprises storing said directory information in said semiconductor memory.

7. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 wherein said storing comprises storing said directory information on at least two of a digital tape, a hard disk a semiconductor memory, a CD ROM, a DVD, and an optical disk

8. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 and further comprising collecting non-video/audio telemetry data and storing said telemetry data in said partitions, and said generating further comprises generating directory information regarding said telemetry data.

9. A video surveillance method as in claim 9 wherein said video source is in a mobile vehicle and said telemetry data is selected from the group consisting of: an event list, vehicle latitude and longitude information, vehicle speed information, vehicle direction information, vehicle elevation information, time information, date information, and camera/vehicle ID information.

10. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 and further comprising collecting non-video/audio roster data and storing said roster data in said partitions, and said generating further comprises generating directory information regarding said roster data.

11. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 wherein said roster data is selected from the group consisting of: comments of a person associated with said video, and the time when said comments were entered.

12. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 wherein said recording comprises recording to a digital tape and further comprising collecting tape position data and storing said tape positioning data in said partitions, and said generating further comprises generating directory information regarding said tape positioning data.

13. A video surveillance method as in claim 2 wherein: said generating comprises generating a first said video signal from a first video source and a second said video signal from a second video source different than said first video source;said electronically compressing comprises compressing said first video signal into a first compressed video signal and compressing said second video signal into a second compressed video signal;said recording comprises writing said first and second compressed video signals into a plurality of partitions on a digital medium, each of said partitions including a portion of said first compressed video signal and said second compressed video signal; andsaid generating directory information comprises generating a stream map associated with the locations of said first and second video signals on said digital medium

14. A video surveillance method as in claim 13 wherein said generating a stream map includes generating information regarding the start time and end time for each of said video signals.

15. A video surveillance method as in claim 1 wherein said recording comprises writing said compressed video signal to a digital tape.

16. A video surveillance method as in claim 1 wherein said recording comprises recording said compressed video signal on a hard disk.

17. A video surveillance method as in claim 1 wherein said video compression is MPEG compression.

18. A video surveillance method as in claim 17 wherein said video compression is selected from the group consisting of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and H.264.

19. A video surveillance method as in claim 1 wherein said video signals are high density (FID) video signals.

20. A video surveillance system, comprising: a source of a video signal;a video signal compression system electrically connected to said source and providing a compressed video signal;a plurality of digital storage media selected from a digital tape, a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, a CVD, a DVD, and an optical disk; anda digital recording system communicating with said compression system for writing said compressed video signal to a first one of said digital storage media, with said digital storage medium divided into a plurality of partitions, each said partition containing a portion of said compressed video signal; and writing into an electronic directory into at least two of said storage media, said electronic directory storing directory information associated with said partitioned compressed video signals.

21. A video surveillance system as in claim 20 wherein said electronic directory is written into said first one of said digital storage media and one other of said plurality of storage media.

22. A video surveillance system as in claim 20 wherein said first one of said digital storage media is a digital tape.

23. A video surveillance system as in claim 22 wherein said digital tape is in a tape cassette, said tape cassette has a solid state memory incorporated into it, and said electronic directory is contained in said solid state memory.

24. A video surveillance system as in claim 23 wherein said electronic directory is also written to a hard disk.

25. A video surveillance system as in claim 20 wherein said first one of said digital storage media is a hard disk.

26. A video surveillance system as in claim 20 wherein said system is mounted in a mobile vehicle.

27. A video surveillance system as in claim 20 wherein said compression system is an MPEG compression system.

28. A video surveillance system as in claim 20 wherein said video compression is selected from the group consisting of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and H.264.

29. A video surveillance system as in claim 20 wherein said video signals are high density (FID) video signals.

30. A digital medium storing compressed surveillance video, said compressed surveillance video stored in a plurality of partitions on said medium, each of said partitions including a portion of said surveillance video.

31. A digital medium as in claim 30 wherein each of said partitions contain directory information associated with the distribution of said compressed surveillance video within said partitions.

32. A digital medium as in claim 30 wherein said digital medium is in a tape cassette, an electronic memory is incorporated into said tape cassette, and said directory information is also stored in said electronic memory.

33. A digital medium as in claim 30 wherein said medium is selected from a hard disk a solid state memory, a CD ROM a DVD, an optical disk and a digital tape.

34. A digital medium as in claim 30 wherein said compressed surveillance video signal comprises a first video signal stream and a second video signal stream, and wherein each of said partitions includes a portion of said first compressed video signal stream and said second compressed video signal stream.