Method and device for avoiding false alarms in monitoring systems
AssigneeWincor Nixdorf International GmbH
InventorsSteffen Priesterjahn, Alexander Drichel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for avoiding false alarms on a self-service terminal, in particular an ATM. The ATM has at least one camera and at least one alarm unit that generates alarms when the ATM is attacked, and a network connection to a network to pass on the alarms to a customer. The method includes generating an alarm by the alarm unit and storing alarm images from the camera from which the alarm was derived; before passing on the alarm to an operator via a digital network, comparing the digital alarm images with templates stored on the ATM and that characterize a false alarm, and if a correlation with the templates is established, the alarm is ignored; otherwise the alarm is passed on to the consumer by the network.
Claims22
A self-service ATM, comprising a camera, an alarm unit that generates alarms when the ATM is attacked, a network connection to a network for passing on the alarms to a customer, with a device for avoiding false alarms that is configured to compare alarm images, generated in the case of an alarm, from the camera from which the alarm was derived, with templates stored on the ATM and that characterise a false alarm, and if a correlation with the templates can be established, to ignore the alarm;
- otherwise to pass on the alarm to a customer via the network connection and the network, wherein the template consists of image data and metadata, wherein the metadata comprise one or more of the following items of information:
- a) information from the preprocessed images
- aperture
- b) camera information
- serial number
- calibration at the area of interest
- camera measurements
- c) system information of the ATM
- serial number
- model description,
- and wherein the metadata and image data are stored in a file and a template is defined, and wherein the device for avoiding false alarms is configured to use the metadata to influence the comparison.
A method for avoiding false alarms, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a self-service terminal enabling a user to conduct at least one self-service operation;
- enabling the self-service terminal to communicate with an operator device via a network;
- capturing at least one image in the vicinity of the self-service terminal;
- comparing the at least one captured image with one or more image templates stored in memory, each of the one or more image templates representing a non-alarm or false alarm condition;
- if it is determined that the at least one captured image substantially correlates with one of the image templates, then ignoring the at least one captured image;
- otherwise, if it is determined that the at least one captured image does not substantially correlate with one of the image templates, then transmitting the at least one captured image to the operator device via the network to signal a possible alarm condition;
- upon receiving the at least one captured image by the operator device, enabling an operator of the operator device to determine if the at least one captured image is a false alarm;
- and
- if the at least one captured image is determined to be a false alarm, then transmitting instructions from the operator device to the self-service terminal to store the at least one captured image in the memory as at least one additional image template representing at least one additional non-alarm or false alarm condition.
A self-service device configured to enable a user to conduct at least one self-service operation, the self-service device comprising:
- at least one camera configured to capture at least one image in the vicinity of the self-service terminal;
- an alarm unit;
- a network interface configured to enable communication with a remote device via a network;
- a memory device configured to store a plurality of image templates representing non-alarm or false alarm conditions;
- wherein the alarm unit is configured to compare the at least one captured image with the image templates;
- wherein if the alarm unit determines that the at least one captured image substantially correlates with at least one of the image templates, then the alarm unit is configured to ignore the at least one captured image;
- otherwise, if the alarm unit determines that the at least one captured image does not substantially correlate with at least one of the image templates, then the alarm unit is configured to transmit the at least one captured image to the remote device via the network to signal a possible alarm condition;
- wherein, if the network interface receives an indication from the remote device that the at least one captured image is a false alarm, then the memory device is configured to store the at least one captured image as at least one additional image template representing at least one additional non-alarm or false alarm condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.