Patent Application
20130014058
The present invention relates to a security system.
Security systems are becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated in terms of the information obtained and monitored by the devices forming that system such as cameras, access controllers, scanners, and so on.
Numerous Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) systems are available for the management of such systems. These PSIM systems receive and process feeds from the various elements making up the security system in order to provide operators with information as to the operation of these devices, and alert them to alarms being issued.
Each security system user has different priorities in terms of the importance of certain areas, or types of alarms being issued.
While PSIM systems are advertised as being customisable to individual requirements, in the experience of the applicants this necessitates hard coding of the software in order to do so. This can be a time consuming and thus expensive process.
Further, if modifications to the security system are subsequently desired, or experience demands a change in functionality of the management software, these changes must be performed by the provider—adding to the expense. The associated time delays in contacting the provider, explaining the desired changes and subsequently making those changes can present a security issue in the meantime. At the very least the procedure is an inconvenience to the user.
It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.
Throughout this specification, the word “comprise”, or variations thereof such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a security system, comprising:
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of configuring a security system comprising a plurality of security devices configured to output at least one signal relating to operation of those devices, a processor configured to process the output signals to obtain information relating to operation of the devices, a display device, a graphical user interface configured to instruct the display device to display a number of tiles, wherein the tiles contain content derived from the information relating to the operation of the devices, the method comprising:
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of operating a security system comprising:
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a graphical user interface configured to display a number of tiles via a display device,
Preferably, the input by the user forms part of initialisation of the security system. Reference to initialisation should be understood to mean the process of preparing the system prior to its implementation. In other words, the input to determine the tiles and/or content thereof to be displayed is provided before the security system is activated to monitor and protect the site.
It should be appreciated that initialisation is not limited to only one point in time, but that the system may be effectively re-initialised as the needs or preferences of the owners/users of the system change.
It should be appreciated that the security devices used by the system of the present invention may be any known within the security industry—for example Digital or Network Video Recorder (DVR or NVR) cameras, card readers, perimeter (fence) systems, biometric access control systems, intercoms, intrusion detectors such as Passive infrared (PIR) sensors, window switches or glass breakage sensors, and so on.
Reference to a tile should be understood to mean a distinct object on a graphical display. It is envisaged that the tiles will be displayed within a panel on the graphical user interface, the bounds and positioning of which when displayed by the display device may be defined by the user.
It is also envisaged that the content of the tiles may be provided by third party applications such as a DVR camera feed. In providing this functionality, the view presented to an operator may integrate all desired security monitoring functions into a single package—avoiding the need to navigate through separate application windows.
It should be appreciated that the various components of the graphical user display may be configured to be displayed across multiple display devices if so desired.
In a preferred embodiment the graphical user display is configured to present selectable options to the user to define conditions under which the tiles and/or content thereof are displayed on the display device.
It should be appreciated that the mechanism by which the selectable options are presented may be achieved by any suitable means known to a person skilled in the art of using a graphical user interface. By way of example, the selectable options may be presented in a drop down menu, checkboxes, buttons, and so on.
Similarly, the means by which the user selects those options may be achieved by any suitable means known in the art—for example wherein the display device is a touchscreen, or an input device such as a mouse is used.
Reference to a condition should be understood to mean a factor determining the performance or outcome of a process. A condition in the context of the present invention might also be understood as a rule—if particular factors are present, a predefined action is taken.
It should be appreciated that a condition need not be limited to an event which occurs at a particular place and time. For example, the condition may be the absence of a signal from one of the security devices, whether instantaneously or over a predetermined amount of time.
A specific example of this may be a door being left open for too long. The event of the door being opened may not be sufficient to be considered a condition, however that door being left opened beyond a set time threshold may be a condition.
It is envisaged that in some instances the conditions define a set of rules which when met result in the automatic display or refreshing of tiles and/or content therein.
Alternatively, in a preferred embodiment the graphical user interface is configured to:
In this case the condition is the manual selection of a heading, causing tiles associated with that heading to be displayed.
Preferably the selectable options comprise options for designation of the tiles and/or content to be displayed in response to determination of an alarm condition within the information relating to operation of the devices.
An alarm condition should be understood to mean any set of predefined conditions which have been determined to be of interest to the security of the area or location that the security system is intended to monitor and maintain. For example, an alarm condition may be:
It should be appreciated that the present invention may also implement the techniques or configurations discussed with reference to alarm conditions to other events within the operation of the security system which are not directly associated with the security devices.
Preferably the selectable options comprise options for selecting a priority of a type of alarm condition.
Each alarm may be assigned an alarm type, categorising that alarm according to any set of criteria deemed relevant by the user. For example, an alarm notifying that an authorized user has gained access to an area and an alarm that access has been manually authorised by an operator may both be considered ‘Door Access Granted’ types. It should be appreciated that an alarm type may also be described as an event type within the specification—where an event may occur and be recorded by the security system while not necessarily raising an alarm.
A collection of conditions, alarms, or alarm types may be defined as an event or alarm group sharing the same characteristics or dealing with related subject matter. For example, an ‘expired credentials’ alarm may be grouped with a ‘restricted access’ alarm into an ‘access denied’ group.
Other examples include:
It is envisaged that in some embodiments of the present invention at least one tile may be defined as an alarm viewer by the user. This alarm viewer may be configured to be positioned outside of the panel discussed above, in effect forming a distinct object or panel in its own right. It is envisaged that alarms may be presented in the alarm viewer as a list, together with columns of data or information associated with the alarm. Preferably the columns to be presented are selected by the user. The list of alarms may be sorted according to each column—whether priority, occurrence time etc.
Selection of an alarm from the alarm viewer may cause a selected grouping of tiles, or panel as discussed further below, to be presented. Alternatively, the issuance of a higher priority alarm may cause that panel to be displayed automatically.
Preferably the selectable options comprise an option as to whether to display only escalated alarm conditions. Reference to an escalated alarm condition should be understood to mean an alarm condition for which the severity has increased. This may be the result on an alarm going unaddressed or unacknowledged for a preset period of time, additional activity occurring in relation to elements associated with the alarm, or any other factor considered relevant to an alarm's severity.
In a preferred embodiment, a specific collection of tiles may be selected by the user to be associated with an alarm group and type combination. This collection of tiles may be referred to as a panel throughout the specification.
Each tile within the panel may be manipulated in terms of size and location within the panel. It is envisaged that this may be achieved by any suitable means known within the art, such as selecting and dragging. While this technique is known in graphical user interfaces generally, in the context of security management this is particularly useful in order to ensure that the display is optimised for the security system being monitored, and the operators thereof.
In enabling this, the time and cost associated with a third party coming to perform these tasks may be saved, and enable the security system manager to respond quickly to their own changing requirements.
The type of content of the individual tiles may be selected by the user according to the requirements of the specific security system or division. For example, a ‘Door Open too Long’ panel for a first organisation may be configured to comprise an ‘Alarm Details’ tile describing various details about the alarm, a ‘Cardholder Details’ tile having details about the cardholder who last accessed the door, and a ‘DVR camera’ tile displaying a view of the door. A second organisation may also create a ‘Door Open too Long’ panel comprising an ‘Alarm Details’ tile and a ‘Cardholder Details’ tile—but without the camera tile, and a more limited number of details in the other tiles.
In a preferred embodiment the content of at least one tile comprises instructions for responding to an alarm condition.
Preferably the selectable options comprise options for designation of operators of the system for whom the tiles and/or content associated with a particular condition are displayed.
Designation of the operator may utilise a unique ID such as a login and/or password to identify an operator on accessing the system, and tailor their graphical user interface according to the conditions set. Alternatively, the designation may relate to a particular workstation.
Preferably the selectable options comprise an option for selecting at least one area of a site in which the security devices are located to associate with a particular condition.
For example, a security division or operator may be allocated responsibility for a particular area of a site—such as an administration building or warehouse, or a perimeter fence. Specifying that area or areas as a condition means that the operator or division only receives alarms relevant to their area of responsibility.
Similarly, tiles presenting a site plan may then be configured to display plans focusing on those areas, enabling more accurate monitoring and decision making.
For a firmware and/or software (also known as a computer program) implementation, the techniques of the present invention may be implemented as instructions (for example, procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described. It should be appreciated that the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming languages, and that a variety of programming languages could be used to implement the present invention. The firmware and/or software codes may be stored in a memory, or embodied in any other processor readable medium, and executed by a processor or processors. The memory may be implemented within the processor or external to the processor.
A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. The processors may function in conjunction with servers and network connections as known in the art.
The steps of a method, process, or algorithm described in connection with the present invention may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The various steps or acts in a method or process may be performed in the order shown, or may be performed in another order. Additionally, one or more process or method steps may be omitted or one or more process or method steps may be added to the methods and processes. An additional step, block, or action may be added in the beginning, end, or intervening existing elements of the methods and processes.
The present invention provides a number of advantages over the prior art, including:
Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
a, 9b illustrate graphical user interfaces in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention.
The security system (1) comprises a plurality of security devices—for example DVR cameras (2), fence tampering sensors (3), disturbance sensors (4), swipe card readers (5) and proximity readers (6)—each configured to output at least one signal relating to operation of those devices.
The signal is sent over a network (7) to a server (8) comprising a processor configured to process the output signals to obtain information relating to operation of the devices. In particular, the information relates to whether alarm conditions or events have been detected by the security devices.
Security operator stations (9) are configured to display an operator graphical user interface having a number of tiles conveying relevant information relating to operation of the security devices to security operators.
A security manager workstation (10) is also provided, configured to display a command graphical user interface enabling external input to the system (1) by a security manager to determine the tiles to be displayed on the security operator stations (9) and/or content thereof.
Configuration and operation of the graphical user interfaces will be discussed further below.
The menu (20) enables the security manager to select which operators, or division of operators can view the alarm viewer via a division selection tab (21). The security manager may also select the location of the viewer on the operator's display via a docking selection tab (22), and resolution (23).
Once the general configuration of an alarm viewer is established, the security manager may define the conditions or rules for what information is to be displayed to the operators.
The menu (30) enables the security manager to select, by way of example:
The menu (40) enables the security manager to select, by way of example:
The command graphical user interface (50) comprises an alarm list (51), and a panel (52). The panel (52) comprises a number of tiles (53a, 53b, 53c, 53d) to display content relating to operation of the security devices in accordance with the rules previously established by the security manager.
Each tile (53a, 53b, 53c, 53d) may be repositioned within the panel (52) by selecting and dragging it to its desired position. Each tile (53a, 53b, 53c, 53d) may also be resized by selecting an edge and dragging it accordingly.
Each tile (53a, 53b, 53c, 53d) may be selected in order to provide options for configuring its content.
Returning to
Other panels to be modified may be selected from a panel selection dropdown menu (55).
The command graphical user interface (50) also comprises a heading menu (56) containing a number of selectable headings—comprising ‘All Alarms’ (57), ‘Cardholder Admin’ (58), and ‘Challenge’ (59). Each heading may have a separate set of functions associated with management of the security system (1) to be configured by the security manager.
In
The panel (72) displays tiles comprising:
For an installation where a site plan was not available, the tiles containing DVR camera and cardholder images (74, 76) may have been rearranged to be larger in order to maximize the space available. Alternatively, the security manager may have positioned the tiles containing DVR camera and cardholder images (74, 76) directly adjacent to each other in order to facilitate comparison between them.
In
The tiles selected by the security manager to be displayed in relation to ‘Gate 1’ comprise:
In
A searching field (91) enables the operator to search for a cardholder—whether by name, card number, or personal data (company, department, employee ID etc).
A list of suggested results (92) are displayed for selection by the operator. The panel (93a) associated with the ‘Cardholder Management’ heading has been configured by the security manager to display tiles comprising:
b, illustrates an alternative configuration of a operator graphical user interface (90b) in comparison to that of
The panel (93b) associated with the ‘Cardholder Management’ heading has been configured by the security manager to display tiles comprising:
Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.
