Surveillance System

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to surveillance systems, and to a TV-type surveillance system particularly adapted to be employed in a retail store having a number of checkout stations, or in an industrial or public establishment having multiple discrete regions or continuous regions to be observed without notice.

2. General Description of the Prior Art

The business need of surveillance of retail and industrial sales establishments to prevent losses is well established. Thievery in such establishments is estimated to total at least $3 billion per year in the U.S. alone. This in turn results in greater costs of merchandise to everyone. In recognition of this problem, television cameras have been mounted at strategic locations within an establishment and have proved beneficial at reducing thievery. The difficulty with existing such systems is that they lack the versatility to fully effectively monitor store operations. At this point, it is well to note the expanded need for surveillance which goes beyond shoplifting and includes monitoring of employees entering and leaving; employee performance and efficiency; thefts through rear doors of an establishment by employees, delivery people, and others; and perhaps most urgently needed is surveillance of checkout operations to ascertain that proper amounts are registered for merchandise. For example, it is estimated that in a 12-register "front end" where each register has a weekly volume of $8,000 and a gross volume of $384,000 per year, there will occur a startling "shrink loss", as it is called, of $5,760 by virtue of failure to fully charge for merchandise. This is based upon a national average of 11/2 percent loss.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved closed circuit television surveillance system which provides for operation which goes far beyond that previously available from such systems, largely shoplifting, and to enable coverage of other vital areas of concern.

It is a further object of this invention to generally expand the capability and versatility of such surveillance systems.

In accordance with this invention, a TV camera is mounted on a transporter, and the transporter is in turn supported by a rail assembly extending over a selected path. The rail assembly is typically suspended from the ceiling of an establishment, typically being along a side of a series of stations and positions to be observed. A partially opaque cover surrounds at least a portion of the rail assembly, extending from end to end of the assembly. As one feature of the invention, the transporter is moved in accordance with a programmed sequence. As a further feature of this invention, as the camera nears a discrete station, transactional events such as data from a cash register at that station would be simultaneously detected, and where in alpha-numeric form, would be converted into video signals of this character. Then, these video signals from the camera are mixed to provide both a picture and alpha-numeric data in a single video frame. Recording means are provided to record discrete frames of the combined information at selected spaced periods to enable effective monitoring of relatively long periods of time with relatively short actual recording periods. For example, it has been found that by operating the recorder to record one frame per second, sufficient data may be recorded. In this manner, up to 48 continuous hours of business operations may be recorded on a conventional TV recorder and then reviewed in only one hour. An exception would be where the transactional data was in the form of speech, and in which case the recorder rate would be increased, typically by a factor of 4, which would decrease the frame rate to four frames per second and decrease the total time of coverage to 12 hours.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a physical arrangement of an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the principal mechanical components of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an overall arrangement of the system as contemplated by this invention.

FIG. 4 is a partially pictorial illustration of a monitored display as contemplated by this invention.

FIG. 5 is an electrical schematic illustration of a modified form of this invention in which certain automatic controls are effected.

FIG. 1 particularly illustrates the placement of surveillance unit 10 with respect to checkout stations 12 of a business establishment, and FIG. 2 illustrates the arrangement of components of the assembly, being actually a sectional portion of the overall assembly illustrated in FIG. 1. In practice, the system is made in sections, as illustrated by sections 14, 16, and 18 in FIG. 1, to enable ready construction of surveillance assemblies of any given length. As shown in FIG. 1, camera 20 is adapted to view a complete checkout area 12, including a view of a cash register 98a having a readout 24. Surveillance assembly 10 includes a monorail or a pair of oppositely positioned channel members 28 and 30 (as shown which are connected by supporting strips 32, and these members are adapted to be attached to a ceiling of an establishment (not shown). A pair of guide rails 34 and 36 (FIG. 2) are connected to the inboard sides of channels 28 and 30, extending the length of the surveillance assembly. These guide rails provide a track for casters 38 which support carriage 40, and thus enable it to be transported along the length of the surveillance assembly. Carriage 40 is driven by an endless cable 42, which in turn is connected through pulley 44 to reversible drive motor 46 supported by end plate 48. Cable 42 is supported at the opposite end 50 by idler pulley 52, in turn supported by end plate 53. Cable 42 is attached to carriage 40 upon rotation of motor 46.

Camera 20 is mounted on motor assembly 56, in turn supported by U-shaped bracket 58 on carriage 40. It is rotatable by means of a reversible rotor of motor assembly 56a (FIG. 3), causing rotation about its vertical axis (to pan), and camera 20 is tiltable by means of a reversible tilt motor 56b which produces rotation of arms 59 to which camera 20 is attached. Camera 20 is equipped with a zoom-type lens 60 and iris (not shown) which are remotely controlled.

The bottom region of surveillance assembly 10 is covered by a semi-circular, semi-opaque cover 68 which is connected by means of turned-out flanges 70 mating with turned-in flanges 72 attached to the ends of channels 28 and 30. As a feature of this invention, the cover is a tinted clear plastic material which enables essentially one-way viewing, that is, the cameras can look outward through the cover, but it is difficult for one to view the cameras from outside, and thus personnel cannot readily determine whether or not the cameras are positioned to view them. End covers 80 (FIG. 1) have a similar opacity to that of cover 68 and are secured over end plates 48 and 53.

As a further aid in masking the viewing of the cameras, camera 20 includes a semi-circular shield 74 covering the back and sides of the camera, and an opaque cloth curtain 19 is positionable from each side and around shield 74 to near end plates 48 and 53, being supported by cable 42 through rings 204 in the top of the curtain. Thus, the curtain would gather on one side while extending on the other side as carriage 40 is moved to effect a continuous opaque region, taking into account shield 74, from end plate to end plate. By the combination described wherein curtain 19 and shield 74 provide a basic opacity to the system, it then becomes unnecessary to restort to an expensive one-way viewing, half-silvered (or chrome) cover for cover 68. It has been found that this cover may be simply constructed of a tinted (but otherwise transparent) plastic material, typically tinted or darkened to a degree equal to one to two camera F stops with respect to light transmission. Where it is unnecessary that camera 20 view out both sides of cover 68, one side may be made completely opaque (as by simply painting an interior side with black paint), and this prevents effective viewing of the camera through the other, partially opaque, side.

A basic illustration of the system of the invention is shown in FIG. 3, and a more detailed illustration is shown in FIG. 5. THe operating controls illustrated in FIG. 5 are housed in control console 83, shown in FIG. 3, and these controls would be operated by an operator who would view TV monitor 84 and control desired surveillance.

Pan control 90 reversibly controls motor 56a to manually cause camera 20 to be trained to the left, to the right, or to the rear. Manual tilt control 92 operates motor 56b to reversibly vary the tilt of camera 20. Manual zoom control 94 controls motor 56c to vary the focal length control of camera 20 to vary the magnitude of the area or field to be viewed, carriage control 86 positions carriage 40 at a desired position, and control 95 controls iris control motor 56d to control the iris opening for lens 60. Additionally, control 83 includes an automatic-manual mode selector 190, position by-pass control 192, dwell time set 194, dwell time switch 196, and certain other controls which are particularly illustrated in FIG. 5. Accordingly, the camera is located, oriented, and adjusted to view a particular field of view, e.g., a particular checkout station 12, as shown in FIG. 4.

Open door sensor 180 (FIG. 3) is responsive to a door, typically a back door, being opened and provides a signal to control console 83 which automatically causes the pan and tilt signal to operate camera controls to train camera 20 on that door and to operate the zoom mechanism of camera 20 to adjust the focal length of camera 20 to a desired magnitude of field of view. This aspect of the system enables the observation, for example, of a rear door to keep track of merchandise being brought into or leaving an establishment.

As a feature of this invention, instead of using a separate camera to view and read out the digital outputs of cash registers at checkout stations, they are of the type in which computations are performed electronically and from which digital signals are generated, normally to effect a display 24 of a cash register 98a (FIG. 4). Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, these signals are taken from each of cash registers 89a, 89b, and 89c to register selector 206. This switch is operated from a switching output from carriage position detector 208 (which provides signals representative of carriage positions) to enable the display and recording of information from a cash register being viewed without the need for a separate camera to observe the visable display 24 on the cash register. Thus, the output from a particular cash register is fed to video character generator 209 which translates the digital signals to video signals and feeds them to video mixer 100a.

The output of camera 20 is conventionlly combined in video mixer 100a (FIG. 3) with data from a cash register (98a, 98b, or 98c) and from data-time generator 104, and the composite is fed to and displayed on monitor 84, as shown in FIG. 4, wherein the cash register output is shown as display 102. Video recorder 106a is fed the same information as monitor 84 and may be operated continuously to accumulate information or to be selectively turned on to record selected presentations. In order to provide effective monitoring over relatively long periods of time which may be presented on monitor 84 in a shorter time, means are provided to operate recorder 106a intermittently to thus, for example, record single frames at some selected relatively slow rate, say, one frame per second. Thus, for example, thus enables playback of these same frames in a much shorter time, enabling, for example, the monitoring of 48 hours of actual surveillance in approximately one hour.

As a further modification of the system, microphones 212a, 212b, and 212c are employed adjacent to each cash register, as shown, and the microphone outputs are switched by signal responsive mike selector switch 214 to enable listening at console 83 on loudspeaker 85 of conversations at selected registers. As illustrated, signal responsive mike selector switch 214 is automatically switched from the signal from carriage position detector 208 (FIG. 5) to automatically observe a viewed register. When the output of a microphone is to be recorded, an audio output is supplied to recorder 106a from selector switch 214, and the recording speed would be increased, typically by a factor of 4, which would also increase the video frame rate of recording to four frames per second.

FIG. 5 particularly illustrates an automated version of the system of this invention wherein carriage and camera positions are operated in a pre-programmed sequence. Thus, an automatic sequence programmer 216 provides command signals for positioning carriage 40 and adjustment of camera 20. It employs an address counter 218 which typically would provide, chronologically, numerical outputs, one each for the different locales to be viewed. Thus, for example, if there were 10 such locales (while three are shown, as represented by three cash registers), it is, of course, to be understood that the number of such locales may vary. To illustrate operation of the automated system, it will be assumed that mode selector switch 190 is set in an automatic position and that address counter 218 has been operated on to provide a first digital output, a "1", through mode selector switch 190 to memory 222. This count corresponds to address 1 of the memory. There would be stored at this memory address a command signal for each of the functions involved, and upon the receipt of the interrogating address count, memory 222 would read out command signals for each function (carriage position, pan, tilt, zoom, and iris) to comparators 224 (one for each function). There would also be applied to comparators 224 actual position or adjustment state signals from carriage position detector 208, pan detector 226, tilt detector 228, zoom detector 230, and iris detector 232. Like function signals would then be compared by the comparators and appropriate error output signals provided carriage motor 46, pan motor 56a, tilt motor 56b, zoom motor 56c, and iris motor 56d, whereby these motors drive the system elements to achieve a zero error and thus the commanded position, adjustment, or state.

At the same time that the address signal is supplied to memory 222, it is also supplied through on-off dwell switch 196 (when closed) to dwell memory 236 in which there is stored a dwell timing count for each address signal, representative of the dwell associated with each command stored in memory 222. Thus, with the count "1" to dwell memory 236, there would be stored a number indicative of the dwell time for the first carriage-camera state, and this number sould be applied to down counter-timer 238 which would count down from this applied count to zero at a selected rate, say, for example, one count per 10 seconds. When the count reaches zero, an output is provided to increment counter control 240 which feeds an appropriate signal to address counter 218 to step it to the next address in sequence, causing the procedure just described to be repeated for a second address and second set of camera command stored in memory 222. This procedure would continue through a full count of 10 addresses, and then the procedure would start over. A memory location or register of memory 236 may also be set manually to any selected dwell time by dwell time set 194, in which case dwell switch 196 would be turned off. In order to permit by-passing a particular viewing position, position bypass 192, connected to down counter 228 when operated, immediately resets down counter 238, causing it to provide an output to increment counter 240 to immediately reset address counter 218 and cause the system to proceed to the next control step. While there may be a new command for each parameter for each output of address counter 218, this is not necessarily the case. For example, with carriage 40 set at one position, the camera may be tilted or changed to view a second scene from the same carriage position, in which case memory command for a parameter which is not changed would simply be identical to the previous command for that parameter. In addition to memories 222 and 236 being interrogated from address counter 218, such may be effected manually by setting mode selector switch 190 to a manual mode and then providing a count from manual address control 244.

In instances where it is desired to record data from a cash register being viewed, and at the same time to observe at control console 83 amounts being rung up by another cash register, such may be effected by manual selector 207 which would then provide an output to a conventional digital display 246. Similarly, monitoring of a particular microphone may be effected by means of manual selector 211 which is connected between the microphone and loudspeaker 85.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention provides a new concept and system of surveillance of business establishments. Camera 20 may be moved, trained horizontally, tilted and zoomed and adjusted in iris to examine an extremely wide area of an establishment, performing these functions either manually or automatically. At the same time, cash register data and conversations at cash registers would be simultaneously available to enable detailed surveillance of checkout operations to thus very substantially reduce losses which presently occur by incorrect, often fraudulently, charges. The system further provides for effective monitoring of employee activity in general which enables effective analysis of such things as customer contact, personnel efficiency, stock replenishment, merchandise flow from storage to counter, and in general, the effectiveness of personnel on their jobs. These features thus clearly distinguish the present invention over previous ones wherein the primary task was to detect and hopefully frustrate shoplifting and employee pilferage in limited areas.