Detachable mini-camera device

• US 10,530,982 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2018
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian Anthony Daulton
• Original Assignee: Brian Anthony Daulton
• Inventors: Daulton, Brian Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Camargo, Marly S
• Application Number:
  US16/194,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20190199907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 348211, 3482111, 34821199, 34821112, 3482241, 348158, 348376, 348 1402, 3482317, 34833306, 34833307, 455 411- 412, 4555751
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/00 Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received position-fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/65 Control of camera operation in relation to power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 : Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 : Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 : Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

Integrated but detachable mini-camera for a mobile device. The mobile device comprises a main body and a detachable mini-camera configured to attach to and detach from a socket in the main body. The detachable mini-camera may comprise at least one camera and a rechargeable battery configured to, while the detached mini-camera is attached to the main body, charge from a battery in the main body via the socket. While the detachable mini-camera is detached from the main body, a wireless transceiver in the detachable mini-camera wirelessly communicates with a wireless transceiver in the main body, and a mobile application, executed by a processor in the main body, controls the detachable mini-camera and receives image data from the detachable mini-camera via the wireless communication.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a main body comprising

a battery,

a first wireless transceiver,

a socket,

at least one hardware processor,

a memory, and

a mobile application stored in the memory; and

a detachable mini-camera configured to attach to the socket and detach from the socket, wherein the detachable mini-camera comprises

a rechargeable battery configured to charge from the battery in the main body when the detachable mini-camera is attached to the socket,

a second wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver in the main body when the detachable mini-camera is detached from the socket, and

at least one camera comprising

a mini-camera device, and

at least one motor powered by the rechargeable battery and configured to rotate the mini-camera device within a range of rotation around at least one axis while the detachable mini-camera is detached from the socket;

wherein the mobile application is configured to, when executed by the at least one hardware processor in the main body, when the detachable mini-camera is detached from the socket, wirelessly communicate with the detachable mini-camera, via the first and second wireless transceivers, to control the detachable mini-camera and receive image data captured by the detachable mini-camera.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the detachable mini-camera further comprises at least one sensor and at least one flash.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera consists of a single camera configured to capture photographs and video.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera comprises a first camera dedicated to capturing photographs, and a second camera dedicated to capturing video, comprising a plurality of image frames.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera further comprises a rod, wherein the at least one motor comprises a ball-and-axis motor that is attached to a first end of the rod, wherein the mini-camera device is attached to a second end of the rod that is opposite to the first end, and wherein the ball-and-axis motor is configured to, when activated, rotate the rod, so as to rotate the mini-camera within the range of rotation around a first axis that is coincident with a longitudinal axis of the rod.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the mini-camera device comprises an imaging face on a front side and a motor on a rear side, opposite the imaging face, and wherein the motor is configured to rotate the imaging face within a range of rotation around a second axis that is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile application is configured to:

generate a graphical user interface that comprises one or more inputs for moving the mini-camera device; and

,

in response to receiving a user operation of at least one of the one or more inputs, transmit a control command from the first wireless transceiver in the main body to the second wireless transceiver in the detachable mini-camera, so as to actuate the at least one motor to rotate the mini-camera device in accordance with the control command.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the mobile application is further configured to:

generate a graphical user interface that comprises one or more inputs for specifying an object in a photograph; and

,

when an object is specified,

generate a reference representation of the object, and

during a subsequent video recording or live stream in which the mobile application receives a plurality of image frames from the detachable mini-camera,

detect the object in one or more of the plurality of image frames, and,

in response to detecting the object, transmit a control command from the first wireless transceiver in the main body to the second wireless transceiver in the detachable mini-camera, so as to actuate the at least one motor to rotate the mini-camera device to track the object.

9. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile application is configured to:

generate a graphical user interface that comprises a real-time-view region and at least one input for one or more of capturing a photograph, initiating a video recording, and initiating a live stream, wherein the real-time-view region comprises real-time image data captured by the detachable mini-camera and wirelessly transmitted from the second wireless transceiver in the detachable mini-camera to the first wireless transceiver in the main body; and

,

in response to receiving a user operation of the at least one input, transmit a control command from the first wireless transceiver in the main body to the second wireless transceiver in the detachable mini-camera, so as to actuate the at least one camera in the detachable mini-camera according to the control command.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the mobile application is configured to, when the user operation of the at least one input is to capture a photograph:

generate the control command to capture the photograph;

receive the photograph from the detachable mini-camera via a wireless communication from the second wireless transceiver to the first wireless transceiver; and

store the received photograph in the memory in the main body.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the mobile application is configured to, when the user operation of the at least one input is to initiate a video recording:

generate the control command to initiate the video recording;

during the video recording, receive a plurality of image frames from the detachable mini-camera via a wireless communication from the second wireless transceiver to the first wireless transceiver; and

store the received plurality of image frames in the memory in the main body as a video file.

12. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the mobile application is configured to, when the user operation of the at least one input is to initiate a live stream:

generate the control command to initiate the live stream; and

,

during the live stream,

receive a plurality of image frames from the detachable mini-camera via a wireless communication from the second wireless transceiver to the first wireless transceiver, and

relay the plurality of image frames to a sharing platform via at least one wireless cellular network.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the mobile application is further configured to:

generate a graphical user interface that comprises one or more inputs for identifying a group of one or more contacts; and

,

for each of the one or more contacts in the group, transmit an invitation to the contact, wherein the invitation comprises information for viewing the live stream.

14. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the mobile application is further configured to generate a graphical user interface that comprises one or more inputs configured to receive a user selection of the sharing platform.

15. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the main body further comprises:

a front surface comprising a touch panel display; and

a rear surface comprising the socket, wherein the rear surface is on an opposite side of the main body as the front surface.