FR2904746A1 - Trailer type video surveillance device for e.g. office, has tower comprising upper part with vertical axis wind turbine placed inside part, and supply system with electrical generator generating specific maximum power - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a tower (10) comprising an upper part with a vertical axis wind turbine (4) e.g. darrius type turbine, placed inside the part. The turbine has vanes with a diameter that is chosen to be less than inner dimensions of the tower. A dynamo part of the turbine is integrated with the tower. An electrical supply system comprises an automated electrical generator generating a maximum power of 2500 watts and autonomy of 2 days by using 2 bottles with 75 kilogram of hydrogen. The system has a regulator receiving electric current generated by the turbine via a load controller.

Description

 MOBILE DEVICE FOR AUTONOMOUS ENERGY VIDEOSURVEILLANCE

The present invention relates to the field of monitoring equipment.

More particularly, the invention relates to a self-contained portable video surveillance device that can be moved to a specific site for monitoring.

Sites such as storage areas or offices during closed hours are exposed to the action of malicious people and burglars. A large number of sites are now equipped with a video camera and a security center allowing a dedicated agent to constantly monitor the premises. However, infrastructures of this type are cumbersome to set up and, moreover, expensive. Thus, these infrastructures are not suitable for temporary storage areas or spot monitoring. There is a great need for mobile solutions that can be brought from site to site and deployed quickly.

Such a solution is particularly known from US-6585428 and international patent application WO-2005/072303 which describe a mobile platform towable by a motorized vehicle, a mast hinged relative to said platform between a storage position in which the mast is substantially horizontal and a position of use in which the mast is substantially vertical, at least one video camera equipment disposed at the upper end of the mast in the position of use, a a processing system connected to said video camera equipment arranged to acquire video data from said camera, and autonomous power supply means adapted to supply electrical power to said video camera equipment and the processing system,

Such devices are very mobile and quick configuration thanks to a mast simply articulated. The position of the camera at the top of the mast protects it from vandalism and gives it a better view of the area to be protected. A limitation of the solutions of the prior art lies in the limited autonomy of the electrical energy resources present in these devices.

A first object of the invention is to extend the autonomy in electric energy of mobile video surveillance devices.

The solution of US-6585428 can also be powered by an external power line (identified at number 59, Figure 1). This alternative has the disadvantage of making highly vulnerable the power supply of the device because everyone can deteriorate the power supply line and make the operation of the device dependent on external factors (case of a power failure in the line d 'food).

Another object of the invention is to provide a safe and independent (independent) long-term power supply.

One of these objects is achieved by the present invention which provides that the autonomous power supply means comprise at least one means generating electrical energy from renewable natural energies. Renewable energies are definition of long-term energy sources, including wind and sun.

Such a generator makes it possible to convert a type of renewable energy into electrical energy, for example by using a system of blades and dynamo for converting wind energy, photovoltaic cells for the conversion of light energy. .

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a video surveillance device of a geographical zone comprising: a mobile platform towable by a motorized vehicle;

a mast articulated with respect to said platform between a storage position in which the mast is substantially horizontal and a position of use in which the mast is substantially vertical; at least one video camera equipment disposed at the upper end of the mast; mast in position of use,

a processing system connected to said video camera equipment arranged to acquire video data from the camera,

- Independent power supply means capable of supplying electrical power to said video camera equipment and the processing system, wherein said autonomous power supply means comprise at least one means for generating electrical energy from renewable natural energies.

An optimization on wind energy conversion consists in using wind turbine equipment disposed substantially at the upper end of said mast in the use position. Indeed, the wind is more regular at the end of the mast and allows the generation of a regular electric current. Mobile video surveillance devices are generally left alone on a site to be monitored. Thus, the equipment they overflow can be subject to vandalism or theft attempts. In order to increase the safety of the system against such acts, it is provided that said wind turbine equipment is a vertical axis wind turbine disposed vertically inside said mast in the position of use, said mast having openings at the level of blades of the wind turbine.

The use of a vertical axis wind turbine (for example, Darrieus type or Savonius type) in place of a horizontal axis propeller wind turbine is advantageous for use with a vertical mast because it integrates easily inside the latter (in view of compactness of the assembly) and the mast structure, generally four vertical hollow metal tubes and horizontal bars, provides a rigid protection against the jet of objects. The bar structure of the mast allows to leave openings vis-à-vis the wind turbine blades to allow the wind to activate it. The electric wind turbine part sends the generated electrical energy to a distributor for powering the electrical and electronic components of the monitoring device.

In order to increase the performance of the wind turbine and the vision of the camera, it is provided that said mast is a telescopic mast comprising at least two arms sliding relative to each other, said arms being folded when the mast is storage position and being unfolded in use position. In the storage position, the assembly is thus compact, while in use position, the wind turbine is high perched to overcome the wind disturbances generated by the equipment located near the platform. In order to protect the cables connecting the wind turbine and the camera located at the top of the mast with the treatment system which are integral with the platform, they are passed through the hollow tubes constituting the mast. As a result, the cables emerge at the lower part of the mast. A disadvantage of this structure is that this lower part is a zone of fragility easily alterable by a third party. In order to alleviate this problem, it is expected that the treatment system is enclosed in a trunk secured to said mobile platform, the axis of articulation of said mast being integral with said trunk, and said trunk having a housing under the axis of articulation, said housing being arranged to receive the lower part of the mast by tilting said mast in the use position. The output of the mast cables is protected in access. It is also possible to add a panel on the lower part of the mast, said panel coming to close said housing when the mast is placed in use position.

Natural conditions (wind, sun, ...) may vary from one site to another and from one day to another. In order for the long-term operation of the device to be as independent of these variations as possible, it is possible to split the wind turbine system by a solar system. It is thus provided that said generating means comprises a plurality of solar panels disposed on the upper part of said box. In order to protect the solar panels against vandalism, said solar panels are embedded in said upper part of the box, said outer surface of said solar panels being level with the outer surface of the upper part of said box. The solar panels are also fixed by screws inside the trunk. The independence of the system from natural conditions is also increased by providing that said autonomous power supply means comprise a plurality of electric batteries recharged by said generator means, and an electric current regulator able to regulate said current between the generator means and said batteries. . The regulator thus makes it possible to transform, if necessary, the alternating current (generated by the wind turbine) into a direct current stored in the batteries.

The invention will be better understood using the detailed description below and the appended figures in which:

FIG. 1 represents a mobile and autonomous video surveillance device implementing the invention in its storage position; FIG. 2 shows the device of FIG. 1 in operating position;

FIG. 3 illustrates the mast structure of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2 ;

FIG. 4 represents an example of a vertical axis wind turbine adapted to the present invention; FIG. 5 illustrates the architecture in which the video surveillance equipment embodying the present invention is inscribed;

FIG. 6 illustrates the pooling of resources and the creation of a mesh network by FIG devices. 1 and 2 ; and FIG. 7 is a block diagram of video management according to various monitoring modes.

With reference to FIG. 1, the system embodying the invention is an autonomous mobile video surveillance device of the type trailer 26 with metal mast 9, 1 0, tilting and telescopic with two structures 9 and 10 sliding one into the other. In a storage mode illustrated in Figure 1, the mast is in the horizontal position in the longitudinal direction of the trailer supported by a stop 30 located on the front of the trailer (in the usual direction of travel). FIG. 2 illustrates the device in operating mode in which the mast is in a vertical position, the two telescopic structures deployed, the lower part of the mast then being substantially level with the trailer. The tilting of the mast and the deployment of the two telescopic structures are simply achieved by means of winches activated by cranks 7 and 8. The trailer is stabilized vis-à-vis the ground by stabilizers 23 and 15 commonly used.

The trailer comprises a trunk 17 secured to the trailer and supporting the mast by two rivets 29 on both sides of the mast or a pivoting pivot shaft. The mast switches between its two positions of storage and use by rotation around these rivets. The chest has, under the rivets, an outer recess similar to an outer housing (not shown). When the mast is in the upright position, the base of the latter (that is to say the portion of the mast below the rivets) is then positioned in this housing. A panel secured to the mast on the side opposite the introduction thereof into the housing can close the housing in a vertical position Possibly, the housing can extend towards the rear of the trailer to accommodate the mast base mode storage, or even protect the base of the mast on its entire race between its two extreme positions. This housing protects the base of the mast, which usually includes the output of equipment cables placed on the mast against possible damage. The mast is composed of two hollow metal structures of square section (FIG 3a, 3b) sliding relative to each other by a previously evoked winch system. The secondary structure 10 constitutes the upper part of the mast in deployed mode. Each structure is composed of four hollow metal tubes 90, 100, in the length of the structure (and the mast) secured by transverse bars 91, 01. Each of the four faces of the mast is thus a ladder (FIG 3c).

A moving camera 2 is positioned at the upper end of the deployed mast. This camera is motorized to allow a rotation of 360 ° along the vertical axis of the mast and 180 ° upwards and downwards. It is weathertight and also equipped with zooming means to optimize the monitoring of specific objects (optical zoom and digital zoom). The rotation motors equipping it allow rapid movements between 1 00 and 1 80 ° per second, which allows, as we will see later, in 10 seconds to automatically monitor several geographical areas. Infrared light-emitting diode illumination also equips the camera to increase its nocturnal performance.

The mast also includes a siren 3, a flash 6 and a speaker 5 which are remotely activatable and used when detecting an anomaly to deter an intruder. The upper part of the secondary structure 1 0 comprises in its interior a wind turbine 4 with a vertical axis. The use of a vertical axis is advantageous since it follows the direction of the mast and allows the use of wind turbine blades of roughly equivalent section (slightly lower) to the inner section of the structure. Mast deployed, the wind turbine is located at the highest point of the mast, under the camera 2 and thus benefits from a stable wind. The wind turbine is of the type shown in FIG. 4 with small but elongated blades (diameter 41 less than one-third of their length). The diameter 41 of the blades 40 is chosen smaller than the internal dimensions of the mast 10. The dynamo portion 42 of the wind turbine is secured to the mast below the blades. The structure of the mast is a physical protection of the wind turbine, against for example cables that sway in the wind. The use of a mast structure with bars makes it possible to use the wind turbine efficiently since the wind circulates freely. Optionally, no bar January 01 is placed on the structure 1 0 at the height of the blades of the wind turbine so as not to disturb the regularity of the wind.

A satellite antenna 1 also equips the mast to allow the transmission of data by satellite. All these devices are connected by cables to a power supply system, a treatment system and / or protected communication means in the trunk 1 7. The cables are protected inside the tubes 90 and / or 100 of the mast structure and spring at the base of the mast towards the trunk.

The top of the trunk 1 7 is equipped with solar panels connected to the power supply system located inside the trunk. These solar panels are preferably chosen non-directional to allow efficiency regardless of the orientation of the trailer relative to the light source (sun). These panels are fixed in the trunk structure so that the outer surface thereof is at the outer surface of the trunk. Thus, they do not present a catch and are protected from malicious actions aiming at extracting them. The power supply system includes: o rechargeable batteries, o an autonomous hydrogen fuel generator with a maximum power of 2500W and an autonomy of 2 days with 2 bottles of 75kg of hydrogen and 4 days with a hydrogen generator, thanks to a tank of 5 liters of deionized water, o a regulator that receives the electric current generated by the wind turbine (via a charge controller to convert the AC current of the wind turbine into a current continuous), the solar panels and / or the hydrogen generator to convert it to the charging current of the batteries when the consumption of the monitoring device is low (for example, when it is not in active monitoring mode) and to pass part of the generated energy to a power supply circuit of the equipment of the device (communication interfaces, camera, siren, antennas, ...). The regulator also makes it possible to switch the batteries to the power supply circuit if necessary (consumption greater than the current produced by wind turbine, solar panels, ...).

In operation, the dome camera mounted on the motor makes it possible to observe different positions around the device. This dome camera is connected to a computer capable of communicating remotely over a wireless or satellite network. The system enables image-based surveillance (intrusion detection and theft of objects within the scope covered by the camera) within a radius of 360. Intelligent video surveillance software allows remote management by a remote third party operator remote monitoring, alarms and video streams (via GSM phone, satellite, or other not

type of link). The device is transportable on a construction site or public works, and dedicated to the monitoring of the building site. The system is dedicated to site monitoring, with the aim of preventing the theft of tools and supplies from the site, as well as damage and malice.

FIG 5 shows the system in which the monitoring device 50 fits. The device is connected to several communication networks 51. The transmissions are based on two-way communication systems, encrypted, wireless, hierarchical and redundant by group (roaming). They use satellite-based technologies (51A - allowing access in many parts of the world), UMTS / EDGE, 4G, 3G / 3G +, 3G, GPRS, GSM data (51b - cheap because multi-operators ) and WiFi (51 c).

A storage server 52 is connected to these networks. Users 53 of the device are connected to these networks and / or server 52 to access the video surveillance data.

In practice, there are several devices 50 on a more or less extensive site, as shown in FIG 6.

The control and processing system 54 of the devices 50 is a redundant personal computer and has two operating modes that can be activated locally by an input keyboard or remotely by one of the users: automatic active surveillance and passive surveillance.

In passive surveillance mode, the monitoring device uses its rest time to recharge its accumulators with solar panels, wind turbine and fuel cell. In Extremely energy-saving mode, it remains geolocated and available for a customer or a remote surveillance operator who would like to perform a specific scanning session.

Illustrated by FIG 7b, a remote operator or client 53 can request and connect to the device, authenticate and start the video dome control video server 2. The client transmits command instructions through one networks 51 to the control system of the camera, to move it, zoom. Remote camera control means are already known from the prior art. The video data captured by the camera is compressed, stored locally (buffer capable of storing a week of compressed video data, for example) and transmitted to the server 52 by one of the networks 51. The server 52 stores these video contents. The client 53, via a specific interface, Web type, connects to the storage server and visualizes the video data. A slight delay between the live and the visualization is present due to the transmission between the embedded PC and the server (transmission dependent on the capacities of the available networks). The use of the storage server as a central point of data consultation is advantageous because the network resources for accessing the server are much greater than the network resources for accessing the monitoring device (sometimes a simple GPRS connection). Thus, when several stakeholders want to access the videos, they do not clutter the connection to the monitoring device.

The selection of a network to transmit the video data to the server is an important issue to minimize the delay of data transmission to the server but also from a financial point of view since the wireless network connections to the server device or fleet of devices are managed by subscription from various operators. It should not exceed the subscriptions (monthly bandwidth allocated).

To do this, the means of communication 55 to the networks are equipped with intelligent software (router) for selecting a network.

A first step is to periodically scan the state of each network to determine which ones are available (on which data can be transmitted):

- checking (period 1 s) of the OSI low layers (transport layer) of each of the networks: for example sync of the satellite uplink;

cyclic link control (known as picking) of the connection every minute;

- cyclic data link check every hour to check the transmission capacity of the network.

Then, every hour, the means 55 connect either to a centralized server or to the servers of the telephony and satellite operators to recover the consumption status of the current subscription on each network. By this action, the intelligent router has available bandwidth capabilities. The router updates a local table of counters for these subscriptions in memory.

When a data transmission must be performed, the router then selects one of the networks by choosing, from a pre-established table prioritizing the different networks in an order of preference (for example according to the transmission speed on each medium) , the network that is both available and whose bandwidth capabilities still available are sufficient to transmit the data. When the subscription is consumed or a network becomes faulty (no longer available), the smart router is able to switch quickly on another network. This avoids transmission out of the package. This selection is made by comparing the value of the operator counters with the estimated size of the data to be transmitted. As the data transmission is continuous for an indefinite period, it may be envisaged to estimate the volume of data to be transmitted for a given period (for example ten minutes) and to make a new selection at the end of this period, allowing a new network assignment if the previously used network plan is running out.

It is possible to pool network resources by transmitting data in parallel to two or more networks. Thus, these data are more quickly accessible on the server 52. Optionally, the compression of the video data can be arranged according to the networks used and their transmission performance.

Figure 7c shows the delayed access to the video data on the server, for example for the archive consultation. A web interface makes it possible to connect and authenticate with the storage server and to consult the video files stored on it.

In the management of a fleet of monitoring devices, the network resources of the various devices are pooled and the same subscriptions for them are used. Management is thus more flexible because we only have the number of subscriptions equal to the number of networks used and we manage only a fixed number of consumption meters of packages. The pooling of network resources makes it possible to cope with a total loss of capacity for direct transmission of video data by a device to the storage server. This is the case, for example, when a device is in an area in which it is not possible to connect to the wireless communication networks (bad reception, obstacle preventing direct vision with the satellite, faulty networks, zone not covered, summer). This mutualization is illustrated by FIG. 6: the means of communication 55 of the devices are provided with Wifi interfaces for establishing ad hoc connections 61 with other devices located in the same zone (the WiFi range may be a few kilometers). Ad-Hoc mode is a mode of operation that allows you to directly connect embedded computers equipped with a Wi-Fi network card, without using third-party hardware such as an Access Point [AP]. . With the addition of a simple dynamic routing software in the communication means 55, it creates autonomous mesh networks in which the scope is not limited to its neighbors (all participants play the role of router). If the device can not transmit the data directly on the networks linking it to the storage server (unavailable networks, no longer available for those that are available), the intelligent router requests the Wifi Ad Hoc connection to another device and transmits the data for it to transmit to the storage server. Each device 50 may behave as a router if its direct transmission capabilities to the server are zero. At each retransmission, a counter may be incremented in the header of the data so that transmission out of the package is still performed by the first device that has a connection to an available network if the counter reaches a limit value (for example ten retransmissions). We This prevents the data from being lost by retransmissions without ever being sent to the server (if all current packages are exhausted).

The discontinuous plot 60 of FIG. 6 illustrates the relay transmission (via wireless link 61) of the video data by different devices 50 until reaching a device that has a connection to the communication networks and sends the data to the storage server 52. In this example, then none of the SITE 2 devices to be monitored has transmission capacity on the communication networks, these links 61 are used to reach a second remote site SITE 1 and the network resources of the latter are used.

The roaming function is provided by embedded WiFi routers and the Routing Information Protocol (RIP). Indeed, the router constantly tests all the communication resources available to each device present on the zone.

Thus, a single device on a site has its own embedded backup means (satellite, 3G +, 3G, GPRS, GSM data) that allow it to remain reachable.

And, in the case of a site that has several devices, they are able to pool their communications resources.

The GSM type of communication means are also used by the processing system to have geolocation data (by triangulation) and transmit them on demand by SMS. In active monitoring mode, as shown in Figure 7a, the video surveillance system with automatic detection is activated. The operator can activate this mode by using an activation code. An automatic activation (time function, for example) can be provided.

The control system of the video dome 2 has software controlling the camera for the analysis of four geographical areas, for example located at 90 ° from each other. Upon initialization by the operator, the control system captures images of the four zones, these images constituting reference images for the automatic detection of intrusion or theft. These images are stored by the data processing system and are associated with the angular position of the camera for the corresponding areas. The video images acquired are stored locally on a video server 54 and then transmitted instantly to the storage server 52 as specified in the passive monitoring mode.

An analysis of the video data by the processing system is performed on the flight before storage on the local video server. When a detection is positive, the processing system sends a first alarm in the form of SMS or MMS directly transmitted to the monitoring operator 53, and including a picture of the area at the instant of detection. The system also generates an alarm message associated with the video sequence generating the detection (for example 3 to 5 seconds preceding and ending the detection) and the reference image is added thereto. The set (message, generating video sequence, reference image) is transmitted to the storage server 52, which on receipt of the alarm message retransmits it to the terminal of the operator 53. To do this, the storage server contains a database of the destination addresses of the alarm messages it receives. This database can associate with a device, several devices or a geographical area (the alarm messages then contain the geolocation data of the video surveillance device transmitting the alarm message) a telephone number (transmission of the message by MMS, SMS, ...), an email address, an IP address (connection and pushing message data) or any other identification of a recipient (a remote host 53) on a transmission network. Thus, the existing connection (between the video surveillance device and the storage server) is used without requiring the establishment of a new connection to an end user while the wireless communication networks to the video surveillance device are expensive and valuable. This data is also archived on the server 52. The system is capable of generating continuous alerts according to the trigger frequency of the latter. The remote monitoring station must acknowledge the alert by manual action to reset the system after the doubt has been resolved. On receipt of the alarm, the operator 52 displays the video sequence for 3 to 5 seconds and the reference image in order to dispel the doubt as to the validity of the alarm.

The operator can then take control of the monitoring device by a mechanism similar to the passive monitoring mode presented above. The operator actuates and moves the camera to check the state of the area where the detection has occurred and reads the video data from the storage server 52.

In the event of confirmed detection, the operator can act directly on deterrents equipping the surveillance device: activation of a siren, a flash, start-up of means of intercom to transmit a message even to converse with a vigil on the spot.

There is also a GSM alarm control unit with protocols for the management of video dome prepositions, door opening contacts, contact on the parking brake, shock contacts on the chests, the keyboard for switching on and off the orange flash, the flash siren, the self-protection of the cables, the presence of the solar panels and the wind turbine. This central makes it possible to quickly inform the operator of an attempt of vandalism.

The detection of a movement of the trailer (contact sensor on the brake, contact shock, summer) is important because the satellite antenna does not suffer any change of orientation.

The video surveillance device is intended to be installed on sites requiring continuous monitoring that does not alter an activity present within the site. Its autonomy and mobility allow it to adapt to any type of site to monitor. Once the device is installed, it is self-protected and therefore requires no supervision or intention of a third party. In case of attempted vandalism or other, an alert is triggered. The device makes it possible to monitor a site in several ways: 1 ° / The day, the system is in direct mode: The dome carries out a continuous 360 ° round to view a very large area. The operator can at any time connect remotely and view on his computer the live video sequence (light deferred due to the transmission delay). He can also, if he wants to take control of the dome and film where he wants. Once the control is over, the dome resumes its round. 2 ° / At night, the system is in alarm mode:

The dome is no longer round, but covers predefined areas. Through image analysis, the CCTV detects any intrusion or theft of merchandise. In this case, it triggers an alert to the remote monitoring station.

All the alerts as well as the video sequences are transmitted via the various connections put in place on the device (GPRS, 3G, Satellite, Wifi and other types of connections). The diversity of the selected transmission means guarantees optimal connectivity without interruption.

Claims (3)

1. CCTV device for a geographical area comprising: - a mobile platform towable by a motorized vehicle, a mast articulated with respect to said platform between a storage position in which the mast is substantially horizontal and a position of use in which the mast is substantially vertical; at least one video camera equipment disposed at the upper end of the mast; mast in position of use, a processing system connected to said video camera equipment arranged to acquire video data from said camera, - Independent power supply means capable of supplying electrical power to said video camera equipment and the processing system, characterized in that said autonomous power supply means comprise at least one means for generating electrical energy from energies renewable natural resources. 2. CCTV device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said means for generating electrical energy is a wind turbine equipment disposed substantially at the upper end of said mast. 3. CCTV device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said wind turbine equipment is a vertical axis wind turbine disposed vertically inside said mast in the use position, said mast having openings at the blades of the wind turbine. 4. CCTV device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said mast is a telescopic mast comprising at least two arms sliding relative to each other, said arms being folded when the mast is in position storage and being unfolded in the use position. 5. CCTV device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processing system is enclosed in a box integral with said movable platform, the axis of articulation of said mast being secured to said box, and said box having a housing under the axis of articulation, said housing being arranged to receive the lower part of the mast by tilting said mast in the use position. 6. CCTV device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said generating means comprises a plurality of solar panels d isposés on the upper part of said trunk. 7. CCTV device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that q said solar panels are embedded in said upper part of the trunk, said outer surface of said solar panels being flush with the outer surface of the upper part of said trunk. 8. CCTV device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said autonomous power supply means comprise a plurality of electric batteries recharged by said generator means, and an electric current regulator adapted to regulate said current between the medium generator and said batteries.