Retrofitting digital video surveillance system

A system for monitoring secured areas comprising:

• a security system including a plurality of sensors, a plurality of video cameras each monitoring a particular zone of interest and computing means for detecting an alarm condition in zones monitored by said plurality of video cameras based on information monitored by said sensors or said plurality of video cameras:
• control means for connection with said computing means of said existing security system and providing functional control signals;
• a plurality of frame grabbing circuit means, each of said frame grabbing circuit means being connected to a predetermined number of said plurality of video cameras and including digitizing means for digitizing frames of video images from any one of the corresponding predetermined number of video cameras;
• a plurality of video monitors;
• a plurality of display circuit means, each of said display circuit means being connected to a respective one of said plurality of video monitors and including graphics controller means;
• a video link for providing at one time two way communication between any two of the control means, display circuit means and frame grabbing circuit means under control of said functional control signals of said control means under control of said functional control signals of said control means;
• and
• a control link connecting between said control means and said plurality of frame grabbing circuit means in a cascaded configuration, and between said control means and said plurality of display circuit means in a cascaded configuration.

A method for providing surveillance to secured areas by retrofitting to an existing security system, said existing security system including a plurality of sensors, a plurality of video cameras each monitoring a particular zone of interest and computing means for detecting an alarm condition in zones monitored by said plurality of video cameras based on information monitored by said sensors or said plurality of video cameras, the method comprising the steps of:

• connecting a control means with said computing means of said existing security system and providing functional control signals for said retrofitting system;
• connecting a plurality of frame grabbing circuit means, each to a predetermined number of said plurality of video cameras and including digitizing means for digitizing frames of video images from any one of the corresponding predetermined number of video cameras;
• providing a plurality of video monitors;
• connecting a plurality of display circuit means, each of said display circuit means being connected to a respective one of said plurality of video monitors and including graphics controller means;
• linking at one time for two way communication of image data between, any two of the control means, display circuit means and frame grabbing circuit means under control of said functional control signals of said control means;
• and
• linking said control means and said plurality of frame grabbing circuit means in a cascaded configuration, and said control means and said plurality of display circuit means in a cascaded configuration for communication of functional control signals of said control means.