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Introduction

AdvanceGuard® can control many individual Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) cameras. In order to manage potentially large numbers of devices, each individual camera is made to be a member of a camera group.

Camera Groups determine how cameras react to multiple tracked objects, according to how the group is globally configured:

  • Closest mode causes all cameras within the group to follow only the objects that are in their immediate vicinity.

  • Timeshare mode causes all cameras within the group to spread themselves between tracks, spending an adjustable amount of time on each, before moving to the next tracked object.

  • Static  mode is designed for use only with static cameras. Although static cameras can never be moved, they can participate in automatic control groups to display targets in their field of view (FOV). However, once a camera is placed in a static group it will never be tasked for automatic tracking. This does not have any impact for any camera enabled for latching, they will still operate as expected. Like automatic control, a static camera can latch in order to display targets in their FOV.

Although cameras are usually controlled automatically, you can also take direct control.

Contents

Camera Control

In the example below, the camera is in the Timeshare Group, as displayed in the Configuration Tree. It is circled in pink on the PPI Map has been selected by left-clicking on it. This will open the Camera Mini Control on the right-hand side:

To focus a camera on a particular area, simply right-click the area you wish to target and the camera will move to dwell there:

Camera Mini Control

The Camera Mini Control offers you the following options:

Viewer: This opens the Viewer. Please see the section below on Using a Viewer.

Camera Home Position: This returns the camera to focus on its default home position.

Locate: This option locates the camera on the PPI Map.

Help: To open the Help Screen if enabled.

Automatic: This is a toggle between Automatic and Manual camera control. This is covered in the Camera Mode section below.

Height Map: Height Maps are very useful where a single camera needs to cover a region that has differing ground heights within it. For further information please visit to the Height Map page.

Using the Selection Menu

There is a quick way of selecting the camera - this then displays the mini control:

  1. The Selection Menu is accessed by a long left-click on the PPI Map on the camera you wish to access.

  2. The The Selection Menu will open and allow you to access to the Camera Mini Control:

Accessing the Height Map

Within installations there can sometimes be situations where there is a need to adjust how cameras view the surrounding environment. Height Maps are very useful where a single camera needs to cover a region that has differing ground heights within it. Each Height Map is made up of grids, and each grid has a Height Offset option which allows you to inform the camera that when it is viewing that grid it should make tilt adjustments to account for the height difference.

  1. You can view/hide the height map by toggling it on and off via the Camera Mini Control:

Camera Modes

Automatic: The camera will be controlled automatically by AdvanceGuard® based on the camera and camera group configuration. The automatic following of targets is controlled through the use of rules.

Manual: The camera can only be controlled and moved by an operator.

If the camera has been set to Mirror Mode then the Camera Modes will not be available.

Camera Mode Change

The camera mode change in the Camera Mini Control is an operators feature:

It allows you to switch between Automatic and Manual camera mode. This option means that you can quickly take manual control of a camera to follow a target and then, once you have finished the task, you can return the camera to the Automatic setting.

Camera Latching

Typically, the software uses the cameras to automatically follow targets. However, you can take control of a camera by latching it to another target.

When a target has been selected for latching, a free camera capable of latching will follow the target.

There are two ways to latch:

  1. Select the Follow / Latch Target icon, which is outlined in pink in the image below, on the Selected Track Mini Control:

  2. Alternatively, right-click the target.

In the example below, the selected track 2159 (in pink) had been automatically followed by the camera, however, the operator latched a camera to track 2-1197 (in red), by right-clicking the track.

When using latching you will most likely STOP automatic camera following until the latched target is out of range.

For further information about cameras, please navigate to the Cameras page.

Using a Viewer

Video viewers allow video inputs from cameras to be displayed when required. Most usually, video viewers are used in conjunction with optical or thermal imaging cameras that can be called upon when an incident occurs in the areas that they cover.

Camera Viewer Screen: This is the camera viewer display screen.

Viewer & Camera Name: This labels the viewer and the camera the viewer is streaming from.

Direction & Magnification Controls: The direction keys are used to direct the view of the camera up-down and left-right, whilst the + and - icons are used to zoom in and out.

Magnification Level: This is the current magnification level of the camera display.

Close Viewer: This will close the Viewer screen.

Commands: Commands will vary for each camera model, but many use a wiper, for example.

Track ID: This is the track ID which is only displayed if the Camera is following a track.

In the example below, the camera has been automatically tasked by the system to follow the Track. The operator has selected the viewer (circled in orange) from the Camera Mini Control which has opened the viewer on the top left of the PPI Map, and also the Viewer Mini Control, highlighted on the top right. The track and camera have been highlighted in the middle of the PPI Map:

Docking/Undocking Viewers

If your system has multiple cameras you can dock the viewers together by using your mouse to drag + drop them into position. When you align one viewer with another, you can select if you wish to put the viewer, the right, left, above or below the other by using your mouse and hovering over the selector below:

For example, if you wish to place your second viewer below the first then you will need to select the bottom option by dragging and dropping the viewer into it:

This gives you the ability to create a rich user interface with a mixture of video views:

Using Popup Viewers

Popup Viewers are a quick way to view the camera’s output, when you don’t have your viewers open. You can click on a camera on the PPI Map to bring up a small viewer:

You can CTRL + drag to move the popup viewer around, change it’s size and pin it to the PPI map. When it is pinned to the PPI, then the Pin icon is removed as in the example below:

This example has the larger viewer screen selected. There is also another option when the Viewer is pinned:

Clicking this will minimise the screen to show just the Viewer bar:

It will appear in translucent form, turning solid when your mouse hovers over it. Clicking the down arrow again will maximise the viewer as it was before.

Please navigate to Viewers for more information.

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