Uptime Clock Data Retention for Surveillance Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Video surveillance systems face data loss issues due to unintended deletion of surveillance data when powered back on after extended downtime, as they rely on conventional clock time for data retention policies, leading to immediate deletion of stored data.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an uptime clock that advances only when the system is powered on, allowing data retention to function normally while avoiding data loss during downtime, and providing an override status to prevent deletion regardless of retention settings, with options for user interface configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wall clock time is used for data retention, then data deletion follows calendar time, but data is unintentionally deleted after system downtime even though storage capacity remains available
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by freezing the data age counter during downtime periods before data deletion can occur. When the system is powered off or unavailable, the uptime clock pauses accumulation, preventing data from reaching the deletion threshold solely due to system unavailability. This preemptive measure ensures data survives downtime without requiring actual deletion to occur first.
Solution Approach 2:
The data retention system serves itself by automatically tracking system uptime and adjusting data age calculations without external intervention. The uptime clock continuously monitors system operational status and self-adjusts the effective age of stored data based on actual system availability, eliminating the need for manual data protection measures during downtime periods.
2Productivity
If data retention is set to a fixed period, then storage is optimized for that period, but data must be deleted even when storage capacity is sufficient for longer retention
Solution Approach 1:
The data retention system transitions from static calendar-based deletion to dynamic uptime-based deletion. Instead of deleting data based on fixed calendar intervals regardless of system status, the system dynamically adjusts data age accumulation based on actual system operational periods, allowing flexible retention that adapts to system availability while maintaining storage efficiency.
3Loss of energy
If the VMS is powered off for extended periods, then energy is conserved and hardware is protected, but all recorded surveillance data is considered older than the retention setting and is deleted immediately upon powering up
Solution Approach 1:
The system takes preliminary action by pausing the data age counter before downtime-induced deletion can occur. The uptime clock freezes during power-off periods, preemptively preventing data from reaching deletion thresholds that would otherwise be triggered solely by calendar time passage during system unavailability.
Data Source
AI summary
A surveillance camera and surveillance data management system includes a video management system with a data retention module for determining when surveillance data is deleted. Blocks of the surveillance data are deleted based on the ages of the blocks, which are calculated based on the difference between a recorded start date for each block and the current time and adjusted to subtract durations of periods of system downtime that occurred since the start date. The ages are also calculated using a counter, which is initialized to a predetermined value for each block and incremented or decremented only during uptime. In another embodiment, an override module determines an override status based on input from an interface, which can include a physical switch or a keyboard, mouse and display, and returns the override status. No surveillance data is deleted when the override status is true.