Remote surveillance system

Abstract

An audio/visual surveillance system for use in mobile vehicles such as patrol cars includes two video cameras producing video signals and four audio sources producing audio signals. The signals are MPEG-2 compressed and streamed in real time with geographic and time data to a digital cartridge-type tape recorder located in the vehicle. A full patrol car shift is recorded on a single tape and, at the end of the shift, the tape is placed in a master sled bay. An MD5 hash authenticates the data for court use. Up to four videos can be synchronized frame-by-frame for simultaneous monitoring. An MPEG-1 stream is sent via wireless to headquarters in real time. One camera captures data external to the vehicle, while the other captures data internal to the vehicle. One audio source captures audio inside the vehicle and another captures dispatcher communications. The other two audio sources are carried by officers.

1 - 45 . (canceled)  
   
   
       46 . A surveillance system, said system comprising: 
 a source of a first video signal;    a compression system for electronically compressing said first video signal and producing a compressed digital signal;    a packetizer for packetizing said compressed signal into a plurality of independent data packets; and    a digital tape recorder for recording said compressed and packetized digital signal.    
   
   
       47 . A surveillance system as in  claim 46  wherein said digital tape recorder is a cartridge type tape recorder that records to a tape cartridge.  
   
   
       48 . A surveillance system as in  claim 46  wherein said compression system comprises an MPEG (motion picture expert group) compression system.  
   
   
       49 . A surveillance system as in  claim 48  wherein said compression system is selected from the group consisting of an MPEG-2 compression system and an MPEG-1 compression system.  
   
   
       50 . A surveillance system as in  claim 46  wherein said system further comprises a source of a second video signal, a source of a first audio signal, a source of a second audio signal, and said compression system compresses said first and second audio signals and said first and second video signals to produce said compressed digital signal.  
   
   
       51 . A surveillance system as in  claim 50  wherein said compression system and tape recorder are designed to record at least eight continuous hours of said video signals at an equivalent resolution of 720×480 lines of resolution at 24 frames per second or more on a single tape cartridge.  
   
   
       52 . A surveillance system as in  claim 46 , and further comprising an enclosure having a volume of three cubic feet or less, said enclosure enclosing said compression system, said packetizer, and said digital tape recorder.  
   
   
       53 . A method of processing a video signal, said method comprising: 
 receiving a video signal;    encoding said video signal to produce a compressed encoded signal;    packetizing said encoded signal into a plurality of independent video data packets; and    recording said encoded video data packets to a digital recording tape;    wherein said video signal is streamed through said encoding, packetizing, and recording processes in real time.    
   
   
       54 . A method as in  claim 53  wherein said receiving, encoding, packetizing, and recording are performed in a mobile vehicle and further comprising recording a vehicle ID and a time in said packets.  
   
   
       55 . A method as in  claim 53  wherein said encoding comprises MPEG compression.  
   
   
       56 . A method as in  claim 53 , and further comprising playing back said recording while displaying the date and time of said recording.  
   
   
       57 . A method as in  claim 53 , and further comprising: 
 inserting a digital tape cartridge in a tape recorder in a mobile vehicle;    removing said digital tape cartridge from said tape recorder; and    transferring said digital tape to tape drive at a central tape processing or storage location; and    wherein said recording comprises recording at least eight hours of full-motion DVD quality video on said digital tape.    
   
   
       58 . A method as in  claim 53 , and further comprising: 
 utilizing an algorithm to provide a hash value;    wherein said recording comprises recording said encoded and packetized video signal on a digital tape together with said hash value; and    authenticating said video by using said hash value.    
   
   
       59 . The method as in  claim 53  wherein recording comprises changing the speed of said recording to correspond to the rate of streaming of said video data.  
   
   
       60 . The method as in  claim 53  wherein said packetizing includes adding a data header to said packets, said data header comprising information that enables each packet to be intelligible independently of the other packets.  
   
   
       61 . A digital video surveillance system comprising: 
 a mobile video digital recorder including:    a source of a video signal;    an MPEG encoder for producing an MPEG encoded video data signal;    a storage device for storing said MPEG encoded video data signal, said storage device capable of recording eight continuous hours of said video signal at an equivalent resolution of 720×480 lines of resolution at 24 frames per second or more;    a digital command center system including:    a storage system for digitally storing a plurality of said recorded video signals from a plurality of said mobile video digital recorders along with non-audio/non-video tracking information associated with each of said plurality of recorded videos;    a video retrieval system for retrieving one or more of said recorded video signals based on said non-audio/non-video tracking information; and    a display for displaying said retrieved video signal;    said digital video surveillance system further including an electronic authentication system to insure that said encoded video data signal is not modified, thereby preserving the evidentiary quality of said recorded video signal.    
   
   
       62 . A digital video surveillance system as in  claim 61  wherein said non-audio/non-video tracking information comprises time information.  
   
   
       63 . A digital video surveillance system as in  claim 61  wherein said non-audio/non-video tracking information comprises geographic location information.  
   
   
       64 . A digital video surveillance system as in  claim 61  wherein said non-audio/non-video tracking information comprises patrol unit information.  
   
   
       65 . A digital video surveillance system as in  claim 61  wherein said resolution is at 30 frames per second.  
   
   
       66 . A digital video surveillance system as in  claim 61  wherein said authentication system comprises a private code stored in said encoded data.  
   
   
       67 . A digital video surveillance system as in  claim 61  wherein said authentication system comprises a hash function.  
   
   
       68 . A digital video surveillance system as in  claim 61  wherein said digital command center further includes a video recorder for recording said retrieved video signal.  
   
   
       69 . A digital video surveillance system as in  claim 68  wherein said video recorder comprises a DVD recorder.  
   
   
       70 . A digital video surveillance system as in  claim 61  wherein said MPEG encoder is an MPEG-2 encoder.  
   
   
       71 . A method for mobile digital video surveillance, said method comprising: 
 providing a video signal originating from a mobile vehicle, said video signal having an equivalent resolution of 720×480 lines of resolution at 24 frames per second or more;    MPEG encoding said video signal;    storing said MPEG encoded video data signal together with non-audio/non-video tracking information associated with said video signal;    retrieving said recorded video signal based on said non-audio/non-video tracking information, said retrieved signal having said equivalent resolution of 720×480 lines of resolution at 24 frames per second or more;    displaying said retrieved video signal; and    verifying that said retrieved video signal has not been modified.    
   
   
       72 . A method as in  claim 71  wherein said verifying comprises verifying a private code.  
   
   
       73 . A method as in  claim 71  wherein said verifying comprises comparing a private hash code to a hash code in said encoded data.  
   
   
       74 . A method as in  claim 71 , and further comprising recording said retrieved signal on a DVD recorder.  
   
   
       75 . A method as in  claim 71  wherein said storing comprises storing said encoded video signal on a recording medium in said mobile vehicle and transferring said encoded and stored video signal to a command center video signal storage unit.  
   
   
       76 . A method as in  claim 71  wherein said providing comprises providing two of said video signals having said resolution and two audio signals, and said MPEG encoding comprises MPEG encoding said two video signals and said two audio signals.  
   
   
       77 . A method as in  claim 71  wherein said MPEG encoding comprises MPEG-2 encoding.