Abstract: There is described a multi-headed camera comprising a camera base, multiple camera heads coupled to the camera base, each camera head comprising a camera lens defining an observation angle, each camera head being configured to pivot such that the observation angle may vary between a minimum observation angle and a maximum observation angle, and a protective shield attached to the camera base, extending over the camera heads and shaped such that for each camera head a distance between the shield and the camera head varies as a function of the observation angle. Attached to each camera head is a resiliently deformable and flared gasket positioned around the camera lens and extending toward the shield. The gasket is configured such that, for any observation angle between the minimum and maximum observation angles, the gasket contacts the shield about a closed light seal path for preventing light from passing between the shield and the gasket, and reaching the camera lens.

Abstract: A camera device has a dome bubble member and an imaging unit housed within the camera chamber. A heat-emitting element, such as a film, may be arranged about the lens unit and is adapted to radiate heat for heating the dome bubble member. The camera device may include a sealing member adapted to sealingly engage a portion of the dome bubble member, whereby the heat radiated from the heat-emitting element is substantially contained within the sealed sub-chamber. The imaging unit may be rotatable about a first axis and a second axis in which the second axis is offset from the center of the dome bubble member and is displaceable in at least one direction transverse to itself. The camera device may have a shroud member that is pivotal about a third axis. The camera device may also have a shroud member that is transmissive to infra-red light.

Abstract: A surveillance drone is disclosed. The surveillance drone includes a gas-filled container and propellers for aerial mobility. The surveillance drone also includes an electronic surveillance sensing device positioned below the gas-filled container. The gas-filled container may be filled with a lighter than air gas such as, for example, helium.

Abstract: An n-lane automatic license plate recognition system (where n is an integer greater than one) and a method for dropping video frames in this system is disclosed. The method includes receiving, at an input of a first stage of a two-stage restrictor, a plurality of video frames. In the first stage of the two-stage restrictor, a subset of the plurality of video frames is dropped. An output of the first stage is coupled to an input of a second stage of the two-stage restrictor such that receiving and non-receiving of individual ones the plurality of video frames by the second stage is controlled by the first stage. In the second stage after the first stage, a further subset of the plurality of video frames is dropped to effect controlled frame input into a processor that performs at least one recognition analytic on remaining video frames of the plurality of video frames. The dropping of the further subset is based on at least one drop condition including a lane-specific drop condition.

Abstract: A physical security system that includes multiple server nodes may be upgraded by receiving an upgrade installation package from a client and propagating the installation package between at least two of the server nodes. One of the server nodes (“source server”) receives the installation package from the client and another of the server nodes (“requesting server”) requests and receives the installation package from the source server. To transfer the installation package from the source to the requesting server, the source server notifies the requesting server that the installation package is present at the source server, the requesting server then sends the source server a request for the installation package, and the source server then sends the installation package to the requesting server in response to the request. The requesting server may then be upgraded by running the installation package.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for tagless tracking of an object-of-interest are disclosed. Image and non-image data are generated across a plurality of camera-specific regions, and the object-of-interest is tracked over a global map formed as a composite of these regions.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for monitoring an object-of-interest within a region involve receiving at least data from two sources monitoring a region and correlating that data to determine that an object-of-interest depicted or represented in data from one of the sources is the same object-of-interest depicted or represented in data from the other source. Metadata identifying that the object-of-interest from the two sources is the same object-of-interest is then stored for later use in, for example, object tracking.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for detecting a person in a room using a sensor, such as a radar sensor or depth cameras is provided. The method can be used to detect sleeping persons in a publically accessible location to prevent loitering. Furthermore, the method can be used to identify which rooms amongst a plurality of rooms are occupied, for example changing rooms.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed at methods, systems, and techniques for sharing data in a physical security system that includes multiple server nodes. One of the server nodes (a “first node”) accesses a node identifier identifying another of the server nodes (a “second node”), following which the first node sends the data to the second node. Both the first and second nodes are part of a server cluster that includes multiple server nodes, and each of the server nodes in the server cluster has access to cluster membership information. The cluster membership information identifies all of the server nodes in the server cluster, and the node identifier is part of the cluster membership information.

Abstract: A camera device has a dome bubble member and an imaging unit housed within the camera chamber. A heat-emitting element, such as a film, may be arranged about the lens unit and is adapted to radiate heat for heating the dome bubble member. The camera device may include a sealing member adapted to sealingly engage a portion of the dome bubble member, whereby the heat radiated from the heat-emitting element is substantially contained within the sealed sub-chamber. The imaging unit may be rotatable about a first axis and a second axis in which the second axis is offset from the center of the dome bubble member and is displaceable in at least one direction transverse to itself. The camera device may have a shroud member that is pivotal about a third axis. The camera device may also have a shroud member that is transmissive to infra-red light.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for performing a facet search include receiving facet search commencement user input indicating that a search for a facet is to commence; in response to the facet search commencement user input, searching one or more video recordings for the facet; and displaying, on a display, facet image search results depicting the facet, wherein the facet image search results are selected from the one or more video recordings. An artificial neural network may be used for the facet search, and that network may be trained by generating a facet image training set that comprises training images, with the training images depicting a type of facet common to the training images; and training, by using the facet image training set, that neural network to classify the type of facet when a sample image comprising the type of facet is input to that network.

Abstract: A camera device includes a camera module that captures a scene corresponding to a field of view of the camera module. A wireless power transmitter of the camera devices transmits wireless power to a battery-powered external sensing device. A transceiver is further operable for receiving from the external sensing device sensed data. A network module transmits the image and sensed data to an external networked device. A power supply receives power over a wired connection and supplies power to the camera module, transceiver, networking module and wireless transmitter. The external sensing device may be an access control device that includes a sensor for sensing the presence of a machine readable toke and reading an identifier of the physical token. The access control device further includes a lock controller for selectively locking and unlocking a physical lock.

Abstract: A security camera with an adjustable lens aiming mechanism comprises a base with a camera seat, an eyeball camera, a cover, and a fastener for fastening the cover to the base. The eyeball camera comprises a lens and is movably seated on the camera seat. The cover covers the eyeball camera and comprises a bottom opening for engaging the base, a circular contact ring with a diameter smaller than the camera diameter and defining an opening through which the lens and a portion of the camera protrudes; and a fastener removably fastening the cover to the base such that when fully fastened, the contact ring makes contact with the camera and applies a sufficient pressure to fix the camera in place, and when partially or completely unfastened, the pressure is reduced such that the camera is movable and the lens is movable within the contact ring.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for classifying and/or detecting objects using visible and invisible light images. A visible light image and an invisible light image are received at a convolutional neural network (CNN). The visible light image depicts a region-of-interest imaged using visible light. The invisible light image depicts at least a portion of the region-of-interest imaged using invisible light, and at least one of the images depicts an object-of-interest within the portion of the region-of-interest shared between the images. The CNN then classifies and/or detects the object-of-interest using the images. The CNN may be trained to perform this classification and/or detection using pairs of visible and invisible light training images.

Abstract: A method for generating an infrared (IR) beam for illuminating a scene to be imaged comprises providing at least two IR emitters, including a first IR emitter operable to emit a wide beam component of the IR beam, and a second IR emitter operable to emit a narrow beam component of the IR beam, wherein the wide beam component has a linear profile that has a lower standard deviation than a linear profile of the narrow beam component. The method also comprises selecting a desired linear profile for the IR beam, and selecting a power ratio of power directed to the first IR emitter and power directed to the second IR emitter that produces the IR beam with the desired linear profile when the narrow beam component and wide beam component are combined.

Abstract: A camera that supports removable storage divided into multiple partitions is configured to write files to removable storage that is formatted into journaled and non-journaled partitions. The journaled partition uses a journaling file system and the non-journaled partition uses a non-journaling file system that is supported natively by an operating system, such as the operating system of a desktop computer. The non-journaled partition has stored on it computer program code executable by a processor to use the operating system to access files stored on the journaled partition. The camera may also be configured to partition the removable storage into the journaled and non-journaled partitions. The camera writes data to the journaled partition. This permits the processor to access the files stored on the journaled partition by the camera even if the operating system does not natively support the journaled partition.

Abstract: A spherical camera is disclosed. The camera includes an imaging unit. A base of the camera includes a track. A spherical housing includes a first housing part for containing the imaging unit. A second housing part includes a dove tail shaped to be slidably received within the track of the base. A loop is positionable around a periphery surface of the base, the loop being tightenable from a first position wherein the spherical housing is tiltable along the track to a second position wherein the spherical housing is locked in position.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for classifying an object-of-interest using an artificial neural network, such as a convolutional neural network. An artificial neural network receives a sample image including the object-of-interest overlaying a background and a sample background image excluding the object-of-interest and corresponding to the background overlaid by the object-of-interest. The object-of-interest is classified using the artificial neural network. The artificial neural network classifies the object-of-interest using the sample background and sample images. Prior to receiving the sample background and sample images the artificial neural network has been trained to classify the object-of-interest using training image pairs. Each of at least some of the training image pairs includes a first training image that includes a training object-of-interest overlaying a training background and a training background image excluding the training object-of-interest and corresponding to the training background.

Abstract: Generating signatures within a network that includes a plurality of computing devices of varying processing capabilities is disclosed. Chips may be transmitted, from a network video recorder and over the network, to an analytics appliance having a GPU processing power that is higher than a GPU processing power possessed by the network video recorder. The GPU processing power possessed by the analytics appliance may be employed to process the chips therein and generate respective signatures.