Home security cameras electronic image-splitting displays

There are many video devices and features that can significantly enhance the effectiveness of a Wireless Security Camera System. These include: electronic image-splitting and compression, data annotation, picture-in-a-picture, and video scan-reversal. An electronic image-splitting device is interposed in between the camera and the monitor, VCR, DVR, or video printer. It combines parts of the scenes of two or more cameras and displays them on one monitor. The use of the image splitter increases security in several ways.

(1) decreases the number of monitors
(2) permits the guard to view a monitor with two or three scenes on it rather than one
(3) reduces the number of recorders required by combining several scenes onto one video signal.

Image splitters do not display the entire video scene from the cameras on the screen. They only display part of each camera scene: 1/2 of the scene if it is a 2-way split, 1/3 if 3-way split, and 1/4 if 4-way split. It is often advantageous to display a compressed image of a second scene into another camera scene. The picturein-a picture can insert this second image anywhere and in any size into the first camera display. Video annotation equipment and software can display alphanumeric characters and graphics on a video monitor. Text annotation includes: time, date, camera number, camera scene identifier (hallway, front lobby, etc.), alarm source, and other information for the guard. There is also the ability to display specialized text messages as a requirement occurs. The text and graphics input from access control, emergency, or other systems can be displayed.

The scan-reversal unit reverses the video picture horizontal orientation as required in some mirror optics applications as when a mirror is used with a fixed-focal-length (FFL) lens to redirect the Home Security Camera viewing angle. Video signal synchronization generators are used to synchronize the video signal from multiple cameras so that a smooth transition from one camera to another can be made during camera switching.

Several image-splitting optics that image two or three independent scenes from two or three different lenses and superimpose the scenes onto the same Wireless Home Cameras and monitor. When two lenses are used, only one-half of each of the original scenes is displayed. For three lenses, only one-third of each is displayed. The combined split-image can be viewed on a standard monitor,recorded on standard VCR or DVR, or printed on a standard video printer. Image-splitting lenses display only a portion or fraction of each individual original scene. Likewise, the electronic splitting devices described below display only a portion or fraction of each scene.

Electronic image-splitting can accomplish the same result using multiple cameras and a video signal combinersplitter module. Optical and electronic image splitting is different from image-compression used in multiplexers that combine the full video signals from 4, 9, 16, or 32 individual cameras and display them side by side or one above the other on a single monitor. The multiplexing and compression equipment displays the full camera scene from each camera on the monitor but at a loss in resolution. The quad (4 scenes) loses half the horizontal resolution and half the vertical resolution from each camera. The 9, 16, and 32 cameras lose proportionally more.

Electronic image-splitting (combining) devices take two video monochrome or color camera signals and display a part of each picture on one monitor. The vertical split example shows two camera scenes: 1/2 picture from camera 1 and 1/2 picture from camera 2, each displayed side by side. In the horizontal split case, the same two camera scenes are shown on a single monitor with the image splitter displaying 1/2 of scene A on top and 1/2 of scene B on the bottom. The electronic splitters can locate the split anywhere along the horizontal or vertical axis. They can be adjusted to make a full horizontal or vertical split, make an insert in any corner, or make a “floating” insert anywhere in the image. The split boundary between the individual cameras can be displayed by a gray, black, white, or semi-transparent border.

More information at http://www.jimilab.com/blog/ .