System and method for controlling surveillance cameras
A system and method for controlling surveillance cameras is enclosed. In the system, a surveillance camera system includes surveillance cameras configured as VoIP server endpoints. The surveillance cameras receive messages from client devices such as mobile user devices and computer workstations functioning as VoIP client endpoints. The client devices establish a voice communications channel with the surveillance cameras for receiving and controlling one or more streams of image data sent by the surveillance camera over the voice communications channel to the client device. In a preferred embodiment, the voice communications channel includes a control session based on Session Information Protocol (SIP) and a data channel that is based on Real time transfer protocol (RTP) The data channel preferably operates in half duplex mode, which limits the potential for collisions on the data channel when the surveillance cameras are transmitting their image data to the client devices.
1. A system delivering image data, comprising:
a surveillance camera; and
a client device configured to establish a communications channel for receiving one or more streams of image data generated by the surveillance camera;
wherein the surveillance camera includes:
a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) layer configured to implement SIP for establishing a control session of the communications channel, wherein the SIP layer is configured to automatically answer a call from the client device based on the client device being authenticated and the control session is configured to control the one or more streams of image data sent by the surveillance camera to the client device in response to the call.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the client device is configured to control the one or more streams of image data via the control session.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control session is configured to authenticate the client device.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control session is configured to be terminated in response to a SIP request.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the client device is configured to transmit, via the control session, a control message that configures receiving of the one or more streams of image data.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the surveillance camera comprises a data storage system configured to store the image data of the one or more streams of image data.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the surveillance camera includes another layer configured to utilize a communication protocol for establishing a data channel for the communications channel for sending the one or more streams of image data to the client device.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the data channel is a half-duplex channel.
9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the another layer is a Real-Time Protocol (RTP) layer configured to utilize RTP for sending the one or more streams of the image data to the client device.
10. A method of operating a client device for receiving image data from a surveillance camera, the method comprising:
establishing, with the surveillance camera, a communications channel for receiving one or more streams of image data generated by the surveillance camera;
establishing, by the client device via a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) layer of the surveillance camera, a control session of the communications channel based on a call automatically answered by the SIP layer, wherein the control session controls the one or more streams of image data received from the surveillance camera; and
receiving the one or more streams of image data originating from the surveillance camera over the communications channel using the SIP layer.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising controlling the one or more streams of image data via the control session.
12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising authenticating via the control session.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising transmitting a SIP request to terminate the control session.
14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising transmitting, to the surveillance camera via the control session, a control message for configuring the one or more streams of image data.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the image data are stored within the surveillance camera.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein receiving the one or more streams of image data comprises receiving, via a half duplex data channel of the communications channel, the one or more streams of image data originating from the surveillance camera.
17. A non-transitory computer-readable device having instructions thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:
establishing, by a client device with a surveillance camera, a communications channel for receiving one or more streams of image data generated by the surveillance camera;
establishing, by the client device via a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) layer of the surveillance camera, a control session of the communications channel based on a call automatically answered by the SIP layer, wherein the control session controls the one or more streams of image data received from the surveillance camera; and
receiving the one or more streams of image data originating from the surveillance camera over the communications channel using the SIP layer.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a SIP request to terminate the control session.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, to the surveillance camera via the control session, a control message for configuring the one or more streams of image data.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 17 , wherein receiving the one or more streams of image data comprises receiving, via a half-duplex data channel of the communications channel, the one or more streams of image data originating from the surveillance camera.