Patents by Inventor Alan Matthew Finn

Alan Matthew Finn has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8020672
    Abstract: An elevator control system (24) provides elevator dispatch and door control based on passenger data received from a video monitoring system. The video monitoring system includes a video processor (16) connected to receive video input from at least one video camera (12). The video processor (16) tracks objects located within the field of view of the video camera, and calculates passenger data parameters associated with each tracked object. The elevator controller (24) provides elevator dispatch (26), door control (28), and security functions (30) based in part on passenger data provided by the video processor (16). The security functions may also be based in part on data from access control systems (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Lin Lin, Ziyou Xiong, Alan Matthew Finn, Pei-Yuan Peng, Pengju Kang, Mauro J. Atalla, Meghna Misra, Christian Maria Netter
  • Publication number: 20110103641
    Abstract: A video recognition system detects the presence of fire based on video data provided by one or more video detectors, but suppresses the triggering of an alarm in situations based on the selection of acceptable regions and application of rules associated with each acceptable region. A user defines acceptable regions within the field of view of the video detector and associates with each acceptable region a rule. During processing of video data associated with the field of view, video metrics are calculated and analyzed to detect the presence of fire (e.g., flame or smoke). Prior to triggering an alarm, regions identified as indicative of fire are compared with the user-defined acceptable regions. If there is overlap between the two regions, the rule associated with the acceptable region is applied to determine whether the alarm should be suppressed or triggered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: UTC FIRE AND SECURITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Pei-Yuan Peng, Rodrigo E. Caballero, Ziyou Xiong, Hongcheng Wang
  • Publication number: 20110064264
    Abstract: A video recognition system detects the presence of fire based on video data provided by one or more video detectors. The video recognition system divides each individual frame of video data into a plurality of frame elements and calculates with respect to each frame element a structural feature that the algorithm uses to identify a core region of potential fire. The video recognition system defines a region surrounding the core region and calculates with respect to each frame element within the surrounding region a temporal feature. Based on the calculated temporal feature, the video recognition system associates a representative temporal value with the core region. Based on the structural and temporal features associated with the core region, video recognition system determines whether the video data indicates the presence of fire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: UTC Fire & Security
    Inventors: Rodrigo E. Caballero, Hongcheng Wang, Ziyou Xiong, Pei-Yuan Peng, Alan Matthew Finn
  • Publication number: 20110058706
    Abstract: A video recognition system detects the presence of fire based on video data provided by one or more video detectors. The video recognition system is operable to calculate a first flicker feature with respect to a first set of frame data and a second flicker feature with respect to a second set of frame data. The video recognition system combines the first flicker feature and the second flicker feature to generate an accumulated flicker feature. The video recognition system defines, based on the accumulated flicker feature, a flicker mask that represents a dynamic region of the fire. Based on the defined flicker mask, the video recognition system determines whether the video data indicates the presence of fire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Ziyou Xiong, Hongcheng Wang, Rodrigo E. Caballero, Pei-Yuan Peng, Alan Matthew Finn
  • Publication number: 20110051993
    Abstract: A video-based fire detection system receives video data comprised of a plurality of individual frames, and determines based on the video data the ability of the system to detect the presence of fire. The system includes a video recognition system connectable to receive the video data and to calculate one or more background features associated with the video data. Based on the calculated background features, the video recognitions system assesses the ability of the video-based fire detection system to detect the presence of fire. The system includes one or more outputs operably connectable to communicate the results of the assessment made by the video recognitions system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: UTF Fire & Security
    Inventors: Rodrigo E. Caballero, Alan Matthew Finn, Pei-Yuan Peng, Ziyou Xiong, Hongcheng Wang
  • Publication number: 20100216398
    Abstract: A communication system includes a first communication module within a rotating frame of reference and a second communication module within a fixed frame of reference. The first communication module and the second communication module in wireless communication at least partially through a hollow shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Joseph Zacchio, Michael G. O'Callaghan, Jimmy Lih-Min Yeh
  • Publication number: 20100073477
    Abstract: A method for detecting flame and smoke using spatial analysis of video input (40) provided by a video detector. The video input (40) consists of a number of individual frames, wherein analysis is performed on each individual frame to detect and outline regions that may contain smoke or flame (42). Based on the defined outline or boundary of each detected region, spatial features associated with the region are extracted (52), such as perimeter/area and surface area/volume. The extracted spatial features are related to one another (54) to determine the likelihood that the region contains smoke or flame. Extracted spatial features may be related to one another using a power law relationship that provides an indication of the turbulence associated with a bounded region, wherein turbulence is a characteristic of both flame and smoke.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2007
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: UTC Fire & Security Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Pei-Yuan Peng, Ziyou Xiong
  • Publication number: 20100034420
    Abstract: A method for recognizing fire using block-wise processing of video input provided by a video detector. Video input is divided into a plurality of frames (42), and each frame is divided into a plurality of blocks (44). Video metrics are calculated with respect to each of the plurality of blocks (46), and blocks containing the presence of fire are identified based on the calculated video metrics (74). The detection of a fire is then communicated to an alarm system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2007
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: UTC Fire & Security Corporation
    Inventors: Ziyou Xiong, Pei-Yuan Peng, Alan Matthew Finn, Muhidin A. Lelic
  • Publication number: 20100002142
    Abstract: A method for improving a video-processing algorithm (36) identifies Video data (48) that may have been misinterpreted by the video-processing algorithm (36). The identified video data (48) is provided to a monitoring center (38) that uses the identified video data (48) to modify and improve upon the video-processing algorithm (36). An improved video-processing algorithm (49) is able to correctly analyze the identified video data (48).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2007
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Inventors: Alan Matthew Finn, Pei-Yuan Peng, Steven Barnett Rakoff, Pengju Kang, Ziyou Xiong, Lin Lin, Christian M. Netter, James C. Moran, Ankit Tiwari
  • Publication number: 20090057068
    Abstract: An elevator control system (24) provides elevator dispatch and door control based on passenger data received from a video monitoring system. The video monitoring system includes a video processor (16) connected to receive video input from ut least one video camera (12). The video processor (16) tracks objects located within the field of view of the video camera, and calculates passenger data parameters associated with each tracked object. The elevator controller (24) provides elevator dispatch (26), door control (28), and security functions (30) based in part on passenger data provided by the video processor (16). The security functions may also be based in part on data from access control systems (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2006
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Lin Lin, Ziyou Xiong, Alan Matthew Finn, Pei-Yuan Peng, Pengju Kang, Mauro Atalla, Meghna Misra, Christian Maria Netter