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 method of processing a video signal, said method comprising: 
 receiving a video signal;    encoding said video signal to produce a compressed encoded signal;    generating a hash code;    recording said encoded video data along with said hash code; and    authenticating said recorded video signal using said hash code.    
   
   
       47 . A method as in  claim 46  wherein said receiving, encoding, and recording are performed in a mobile vehicle and further comprising recording a vehicle ID and a time.  
   
   
       48 . A method as in  claim 46  wherein said encoding comprises MPEG compression.  
   
   
       49 . A method as in  claim 46 , and further comprising playing back said recording while displaying the date and time of said recording.  
   
   
       50 . A method as in  claim 46 , 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.    
   
   
       51 . A method as in  claim 46  wherein said recording comprises recording said encoded video signal on a digital tape together with said hash value.  
   
   
       52 . The method as in  claim 46  wherein recording comprises changing the speed of said recording to correspond to the rate of streaming of said video data.  
   
   
       53 . The method as in  claim 46  and further including packetizing said encoded video signal, 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.  
   
   
       54 - 77 . (canceled)