DCM-14

The Digital Camera Module 14 (DCM-14) is a complete autonomous surveillance system for safeguards applications. By combining a CCD camera with the DCM-14, Dr. Neumann GmbH has designed a surveillance device with triggers for scene change detection and VACOSS-S seals, in addition to built-in authentication and encryption. The DCM-14 is a powerful but compact tool that combines the capabilities of digitizing, image compression, authentication, a flexible trigger engine, and power management all into a design that will fit into a standard surveillance camera housing. Full system and factory support is available worldwide through CANBERRA Albuquerque, Inc. for cameras, network servers, and application specific software.

Images are taken with a CCD camera and then collected by the DCM-14. The trigger engine can be set by the user during installation for a variety of trigger configurations. Triggers can come from sources outside the camera or the camera itself can be set to reduce the number of unnecessary images so that manual review can be focused on critical images.

IMAGE COMPRESSION AND PC-CARD

Every image collected by the heartbeat trigger of the camera is compressed and stored in the ring-buffer memory. The compression algorithm, a modified JPEG algorithm, is implemented in the software. Three qualifications for the algorithm can be selected which result in a low, medium, and high resolution image. Generally, sixty compressed images in a medium resolution fit on a 1 MB memory block of the PC-Card. The DCM-14 is always equipped with an exchangeable PC-Card for local storage of compressed images. The PC-Card can be reviewed and analyzed using a notebook PC with a PC-Card slot. The module is also prepared for remote applications and operates as a server for images.

SCENE CHANGE DETECTION

Every image can be compared with the previous image to detect a scene change. The scene change algorithm corrects for global lighting changes and allows for adjustments to the trigger level. The algorithm either operates on the whole image without setting regions of interest or by setting a maximum of twenty regions of interest in one image.

AUTHENTICATION AND ENCRYPTION

The authentication algorithm is a complex formula based on the triple DES algorithm with a changing key every twenty-four hours. A key set can be generated inside the module using a real random number generator. The DCM-14 will reuse a key only once every five years. The encryption algorithm is based on an implementation of the DES cipher and on a key set generated and changed by the DCM-14 module.

REMOTE SURVEILLANCE REVIEW

Through implementation of a communications server and enhanced GARS software, users can perform a complete safeguards review of DCM-14 surveillance images from a remote location. Images from one or multiple cameras will be downloaded from the PC-Card of each DCM-14 to the communications server using one of two available RS-232 communication ports. Users will call into the server to download the data to a computer with GARS software. The same capabilities, such as backend motion detection and authentication verification available for the GARS software, can also be performed with DCM-14 surveillance data.