Triggers and PTZ

[nickgosling]

I have been going round and round with this over a few days. All I would like to acheive is this. When a camera is triggered I would like the camera to move to preset 2. When the triggered state ends I would like it to move back to Preset 1. This works in a sense however, not very well. When I trigger the camera it moves to preset 2. However If I keep moving and keep triggering the camera it still returns to preset 1 after a while regardless of whether the camera is triggered or not. Any Ideas?

[MikeBwca]

Rather than enable the 'Move to preset' in the trigger tab....

I've done this on a few cameras. It works. And, gives you more options on what to do with the camera.

1. Disable the 'Move to preset' in the trigger tab.
2. Determine how long it takes to move the camera from preset 1 to preset 2.
3. In the 'PTZ/Control' tab, update the 'Max Travel Time/motion delay' field with the # from the previous step. Add a few seconds for a margin.
4. In the 'Alerts' tab, click the 'On Alert...' button. Add the following alerts, in this order. You may have to re-arrange them...
4.1. Move to preset 2.
4.2. Wait. Specify a time longer than the delay you entered in step 3. For example, if you entered 10 seconds on step 3, you'll need to enter a larger number for this wait command. Entering 15000 would wait 5 seconds. Entering 20000 would wait 10 seconds.
4.3. Move to preset 1.

Of course you could also add sounds, pop-ups, send SMS/Email, and move the camera around to different presets - like a cycle patrol. Lots more than the 'Move to Preset' and partrol cycle.

I think you'll still have the same issue, for additional movement.

[nickgosling]

Hey,

That's a really nice way to do it and it works nicer than the other way. Its still not my perfect solution but a better way to achieve what I want, Thank you.

However what I can't seem to work out is why there isn't a way to solve this. I have put the motion settings to their most sensitive and highlighted motion to test the settings. Even when there is constant motion detected the PTZ returns to preset 1 and I can't work out why. I have this as a schedule override (event schedule) with the search back check box selected. I wish I knew what caused the event schedule to trigger then I might be able to make it work better for me.

I think essentially what I am looking for is an event with logic like this:
If there is no motion detected for 30 seconds then set preset 1.

I have tried all sorts of settings in the PTZ presets tab including having commands run when a preset is selected but there is no option to simply wait until there has been no trigger for x Seconds.

[nickgosling]

Ok, After some thinking outside the box I have found a solution combining MikeBWCA's way of using alerts.

I have enabled the checkbox move to preset 2 in the trigger tab. No other selections are made to force the camera to return to preset 1.

I have then made a copy of this camera and set the motion detection to detect NON movement. I have made the make time 60 seconds for this. I have then set the move to PTZ preset 1 on this camera.

So, it works perfectly, however as BI sees them as 2 seperate cameras I am sometimes getting one to trigger the other as when the camera moves it is obviously detecting movement which isn't ideal. I have set the reset detector on major change to 50% which makes it work 80% of the time exactly as I wanted.

Seeing as I have been able to fudge this I think there must be a reasonable solution for the developers to incorporate this into the BI functionality.

[Thixotropic]

That's a great solution; thank you for sharing it.

Ok, After some thinking outside the box I have found a solution combining MikeBWCA's way of using alerts.

I have enabled the checkbox move to preset 2 in the trigger tab. No other selections are made to force the camera to return to preset 1.

I have then made a copy of this camera and set the motion detection to detect NON movement. I have made the make time 60 seconds for this. I have then set the move to PTZ preset 1 on this camera.

So, it works perfectly, however as BI sees them as 2 seperate cameras I am sometimes getting one to trigger the other as when the camera moves it is obviously detecting movement which isn't ideal. I have set the reset detector on major change to 50% which makes it work 80% of the time exactly as I wanted.

Seeing as I have been able to fudge this I think there must be a reasonable solution for the developers to incorporate this into the BI functionality.

[TimG]

This reminds me of a function that iSpy had, where it could automatically follow motion with a cheap ptz that didn't come with that functionality. At the time I managed to make that work with one of those Motorola Hubble Focus85 baby cams. It freaked out the window cleaner

BI5 has the new Edge vector trigger. Doesn't vector mean magnitude and direction ? Anybody thinking what I'm thinking

[MikeBwca]

...
So, it works perfectly, however as BI sees them as 2 seperate cameras I am sometimes getting one to trigger the other as when the camera moves it is obviously detecting movement which isn't ideal. I have set the reset detector on major change to 50% which makes it work 80% of the time exactly as I wanted.

Seeing as I have been able to fudge this I think there must be a reasonable solution for the developers to incorporate this into the BI functionality.

Wow, Awsome.
Have you set the 'Preset Positions' 'Max travel time/motion delay' to account for the time it takes to move the camera to the preset? Add a few seconds for a margin. Maybe this is why it doesn;t work all the time.



I think I may have a solution, since you cloned the camera. This is almost the exact scenario I had with a system I setup to monitor when my furnace turned on & off.

Basically, I had 1 camera and cloned it. Furnace-ON, Furnace-OFF.
When Furnace-ON triggered, it moved to preset #2 turning its motion detection off. It also moved Furnace-OFF to preset #1 turning its motion detection ON.
Could you do the same? It gets so confusing...

There is no Trigger or Alert command to turn motion detection On/Off. To get around this, I set preset 2 to the same position as preset 1 for both cameras, but override preset 2's motion detection in the 'PTZ/Control' tab 'Edit presets'. I select preset 2, check 'Override motion zones', click 'Edit' button, then clear the zone. Thereby rendering motion detection OFF for preset 2. I did this for both cameras preset 2.

Maybe you could do the same, and, add more trigger commands.... (Clone not needed)
- Move to preset 2 (stops motion detection).
- Wait a specific time 10, 20, 30 seconds.
- Move back to preset 1.

Hummm. But, if there's motion you don't want it to go back to preset 1.

Main camera:
(motion detected)
- move to ptz 2 (motion detection OFF)
- Set clone to preset 1 (motion detection ON)

Clone camera:
(Waits for no motion - just like you have it now).
- Set to preset 2 (motion detection OFF)
- set Main camera to ptz 1, it moved back with motion detection ON.


Ok, now I'm confusing myself. lol.
Does this make any sence?




Oh, by the way...

I made a furnace sensor out of...
- A Pringles potato chip can (BBQ works best).
- 5 oz Dixie cup.
- A few paper clips.
- Some Blue painters tape.
- A floor register.

It actually works very well. When triggered On/Off, it would run a script and log the date/time, temp, humidity, wind & weather description, On or Off, to a comma delimited log file that I could import into a spreadsheet pgm to determine elapsed time on/off for specific periods. I'd use this to determine how my furnace was operating based on different outside & inside temps. Also to measure gas(winter) and Summer(a/c) costs by cyclwe/day/week... Never got around to importing my Acurite wireless temp/humidy sensors.
- Small piece of cardboard.