Security system with locatable portable electronic camera image transmission

[0002] This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/013,367 filed Jan. 26, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,373 which, in turn, is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/720,865 filed Sep. 11, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,679.

[0003] The present invention relates to a photographic security system.

[0004] In U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,143 there is disclosed a security system including a television camera for taking a scene of a trespass upon a predetermined region at a site to be monitored, a video recorder for recording the image of the scene taken by the television camera, and a sensor for sensing a trespass and outputting a signal for starting the television camera and the video recorder. The signal output from the sensor for sensing a trespass and the outputs of a plurality of other sensors sensing other conditions at the site to be monitored are transmitted to a monitoring site remote from the site to be monitored for display at the monitoring site.

[0005] In EP-A-0242099 there is disclosed an anti-theft and locating system in which a microprocessor monitors vehicle personal position by way of coordinates obtained from Navstar Global Positioning System. Upon activation, through sensing unauthorized access to a vehicle or a change in its position, the microprocessor identifies itself to a central dispatch office and alerts the same to the nature of the disturbance. The system periodically updates vehicle location by way of digital signals sent to the central dispatch station by way of a cellular mobile telephone system. The central dispatch office can interrogate the microprocessor via the telephone link by addressing its unique serial number in order to obtain its position should the vehicle be stolen without activation of the microprocessor. A plurality of logic inputs and outputs are provided for accommodating conventional anti-vandalism and anti-theft detectors which may be integrated into the total protection system.

[0006] In accordance with the present invention there is provided a security apparatus comprising in combination an electronic camera and a transmitter for transmitting the image received by the electronic camera to a remote receiver characterised in that the apparatus is portable and includes a position location apparatus and in that the transmitter also transmits the positional information received from the position location apparatus.

[0007] The present invention also provides the combination of the aforesaid portable security apparatus and a remote receiving apparatus adapted to receive the information transmitted by the transmitter of the portable security apparatus.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a security system that embodies principles of the invention in a preferred form.

[0009] The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings which show schematically a portable photographic security apparatus of the present invention, in which the portable photographic security system transmitter 1 is made up from a number of interconnected elements, each of which is known per se as a separate unit, namely an electronic camera module 2, with a lens 3, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module 4, and a combined memory and transmitter module 5. The memory and transmitter module 5 preferably have an activation button 6 and provision is made for any other preferable sensor 7, for example, a microphone. This may be convenient to allow transmission of what may be heard being said. Again such a microphone may preferably activate the system if a loud noise such as a gunshot or scream takes place.

[0010] Any activation of the system will immediately cause the following to happen. One—calculation of the exact position of the portable photographic security system transmitter via the GPS module. Two—activate as necessary the electronic camera module to photograph the immediate area. Three—store all this information electronically within the internal memory while at the same time transmitting the name and address of the user, date, time of day, exact location, a photograph of the immediate area plus preferably sound.

[0011] All this information may preferably be transmitted using existing radio transmission systems, for example, cellular radio, via an aerial 8 to a receiving aerial 9 connected to a distant receiver 10. The receiver 10 may be in turn preferably connected to a map display 11. Map display 11 may preferably be so constructed as to be able to move a crosswire 12 immediately to show the actual location of the portable photographic security system transmitter 1 upon the map. The receiver 10 may preferably be connected to a television display 14, thus giving direct display of any visual picture and sound transmission, along with the other location and user information. The receiver 10 may also preferably be connected to a facsimile receiver 15 giving a hard copy of the transmitted image and information.

[0012] At first glance this combination of modules would appear to need a substantial size external package to hold them all. A GPS system as proposed by Philip G. Mattos “Global Positioning by Satellite”, Electronics & Wireless World, February 1989 still needs a package volume of 80 mm by 125 mm by 25 mm. However, the capacity of the electronics within such a GPS system are known to be vastly under-utilised. It is therefore possible to utilise this spare capacity to permit a substantial reduction of the volume mass of electronics which are required in the other modules. For example, the IMS T222 transputer (a new type of electronic chip) has the capacity of a 10 MIP parallel processing computer. Thus we can place all of the signal processing functions for all of the other modules onto such a transputer by simply scheduling any convenient sequence of software events to suit the particular needs. The resulting small package of electronics creates a range of completely new products and markets. For example, a child or young girl on the way to or from school will be able to alert his or her parents to any potential danger en route. An attractive and vulnerable young woman walking home at night can alarm the police (or indeed any convenient person) of potential as well as actual danger.

[0013] Thus the proposed portable photographic security system will provide substantially enhanced security to any person travelling while at the same time simple adaptions will make possible the use of such a system in any vehicle or building.