Camera with wireless power transmitter

• US 10,089,844 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2016
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Avigilon Corporation (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hu, Yanyan, Russo, Pietro, Saptharishi, Mahesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Teitelbaum, Michael E
• Application Number:
  US15/178,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20170358185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/30 using light, e.g. lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A camera device includes a camera module that captures a scene corresponding to a field of view of the camera module. A wireless power transmitter of the camera devices transmits wireless power to a battery-powered external sensing device. A transceiver is further operable for receiving from the external sensing device sensed data. A network module transmits the image and sensed data to an external networked device. A power supply receives power over a wired connection and supplies power to the camera module, transceiver, networking module and wireless transmitter. The external sensing device may be an access control device that includes a sensor for sensing the presence of a machine readable toke and reading an identifier of the physical token. The access control device further includes a lock controller for selectively locking and unlocking a physical lock.

Claims

1. A combined video surveillance and access control system comprising:

an access control device comprising;

a lock controller for selectively controlling actuation of a physical lock between a locked state and an unlocked state;

a sensor operable for sensing an occurrence of a presence of a machine readable physical token and for reading an identifier of the physical token;

a transceiver for wirelessly transmitting access data generated based on the presence of the physical token and the identifier read by the sensor;

at least one battery for supplying power to the lock controller, the sensor and the transceiver; and

a wireless power receiver operable for receiving wirelessly transmitted power and to charge the at least one battery using the received power; and

a camera device comprising;

at least one camera module operable for capturing a scene corresponding to a field of view of the camera and for generating image data of the captured scene;

a transceiver operable for receiving the access data transmitted from the battery-powered physical access control device;

a networking module operable for transmitting the image data and access data to an external networked device;

a wireless power transmitter operable for transmitting power wirelessly to the wireless power receiver of the access control device; and

at least one power supply operable for receiving power over a wired connection and supplying power to the camera, the transceiver, the network module and the wireless power transmitter.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the access control device further comprises a lock actuator being controlled by the lock controller, said actuator being powered by the at least one battery and being operable for selectively actuating the physical lock between the locked state and the unlocked state.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the networking module transmits the image data and the access data to the external networked device over the wired connection.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the external networked device comprises an access control management system and wherein the access control device is in communication with the control management system only via the camera device.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the access control device is free of a wired network connection with another network device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein image data generated at a given time is logically associated to the access data generated at the same time by the access control device when transmitting the image data and the access data to the external networked device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera device further comprises a video analytics module operable for performing video analytics on the image data and determining an occurrence of a video analytics event based on a combination of one or more results of the performed video analytics and access data received from the access control device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver of the camera device is further operable for receiving information pertaining to a battery status of the at least one battery of the access control device;

and

wherein the wireless power transmitter is operable for adjusting the transmission of wireless power to the access control device based on the received information pertaining to the battery status.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein an effective powered space of the wireless power transmitter of the camera device substantially overlaps with the field of view of the camera module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the camera module is pivotable and wherein the wireless power transmitter pivots with the camera module to maintain overlap of the power coverage cone with the field of view.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein an asset to which access is being controlled by the access control device is viewable within the field of view of the camera module.

12. A camera device comprising:

at least one camera module operable for capturing a scene corresponding to a field of view of the camera module and for generating image data of the captured scene;

at least one wireless power transmitter operable for transmitting wireless power to a battery-powered external sensing device;

a transceiver operable for receiving from the external sensing device sensed data pertaining to at least one condition sensed by the external sensing device;

a networking module operable for transmitting the image data and data pertaining to the at least one sensed condition to an external networked device; and

at least one power supply operable for receiving power over a wired connection and supplying power to the camera module, the transceiver, the networking module and the wireless power transmitter,

wherein an effective powered space of the wireless power transmitter of the camera device substantially overlaps with the field of view of the camera module.

13. The camera device of claim 12, wherein the networking module transmits the data to the external networked device over the wired connection.

14. The camera device of claim 12, wherein the image data generated at a given time is logically associated to sensed data generated at the same time by the external sensing device when transmitting the image data and sensed data to the external networked device.

15. The camera device of claim 12, further comprising a video analytics module operable for performing video analytics on the image data and determining an occurrence of a video analytics event based on a combination of one or more results of the performed video analytics and the sensed data.

16. The camera device of claim 12, wherein the transceiver is further operable for receiving information pertaining to a battery status of the external sensing device and wherein the wireless power transmitter is operable for adjusting the transmission of wireless power to the external sensing device based on the received information pertaining to the battery status.

17. The camera device of claim 12, wherein the camera module is pivotable and wherein the wireless power transmitter pivots with the camera module to maintain overlap of the power coverage cone with the field of view.

18. A camera device comprising:

at least one camera module operable for capturing a scene corresponding to a field of view of the camera module and for generating image data of the captured scene;

at least one wireless power transmitter operable for transmitting wireless power to a battery-powered external sensing device;

a transceiver operable for receiving from the external sensing device sensed data pertaining to at least one condition sensed by the external sensing device;

a networking module operable for transmitting the image data and data pertaining to the at least one sensed condition to an external networked device;

at least one power supply operable for receiving power over a wired connection and supplying power to the camera module, the transceiver, the networking module and the wireless power transmitter,

wherein the camera device comprises a plurality of wireless power transmitters, each transmitter being operable for directionally transmitting wireless power,

wherein at least one of the plurality of wireless power transmitters is pivotable to change the space occupied by its power coverage cone.