Image recording apparatus and method

• US 20050206532A1
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roy William Lock
• Original Assignee: Roy William Lock
• Inventors: Lock, Roy William
• Granted Patent: US 7,986,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/937
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules

Abstract

An image recording apparatus suitable for recording a traffic signal violation at an intersection controlled by a traffic light is described. The image recording apparatus includes a first camera focused on the intersection, and a second camera focused on a first lane of a street leading to the intersection. A first control circuit is coupled to the first camera causes the first camera to capture a first image at substantially an instant of time that the traffic light indicates a change of traffic control status. The apparatus also includes a detection circuit to detect when a portion of a vehicle crosses a trigger location in the first lane after the change in traffic control status. A second control circuit coupled to the second camera causes the second camera to capture a close-up image of the vehicle in the event that the detection circuit detects the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location after a change in traffic control status.

Claims

1. An image recording apparatus suitable for recording a traffic signal violation at an intersection controlled by a traffic light, the apparatus including:

a first camera focused on the intersection;

a second camera focused on at least a first lane of a street leading to the intersection;

a first control circuit coupled to the first camera and configured to cause the first camera to capture a first image at substantially an instant of time that the traffic light indicates a change of traffic control status;

a first detection circuit configured to detect at least a portion of a vehicle at a trigger location in the first lane after the change in traffic control status; and

a second control circuit coupled to the second camera and configured to cause the second camera to capture a close-up image of the vehicle in the event that the first detection circuit detects the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location after a change in traffic control status.

2. The image recording apparatus of claim 1 wherein, in the event that the first detection circuit detects the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location after a change in traffic control status, the first control circuit causes the first camera to capture a second image after a first predetermined time period from the instant of time that the traffic light indicates the change of traffic control status, and the second control circuit causes the second camera to capture a second close-up image of the vehicle after a second predetermined time period from the instant of time that the traffic light indicates the change of traffic control status.

3. The image recording apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a recording circuit coupled to the first detection circuit and configured to store the first image in temporary memory and to delete the first image from the temporary memory in the event that the detection circuit does not detect the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location upon the change of traffic control status.

4. The image recording apparatus of claim 3 wherein, in the event that the first detection circuit detects the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location upon the change of traffic control status, the recording circuit records each of the first image, the second image, the first close-up image, and the second close-up image to permanent memory.

5. The image recording apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a second detection circuit configured to detect the portion of the vehicle at a trigger location in the second lane after the change in traffic control status;

a third camera focused on a second lane of the street entering the intersection; and

a third control circuit coupled to the third camera and configured to cause the third camera to capture a close-up image of the vehicle in the event that the second detection circuit detects the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location after a change in traffic control status.

6. The image recording apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first camera comprises a wide angle camera focused on the intersection and positioned to show at least the position of the vehicle relative to the intersection, the second camera comprises a first telephoto camera focused on the first lane, and the third camera comprises a second telephoto camera focused on the second lane.

7. The image recording apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a compression circuit configured to the image size of the first image and the close-up image.

8. The image recording apparatus of claim 7 wherein each of the first camera and second camera comprises a digital camera, and wherein the compression circuit performs digital compression.

9. The image recording apparatus of claim 3 wherein the temporary memory comprises RAM.

10. The image recording apparatus of claim 1 wherein the detection circuit includes an inductive loop set below a road surface proximate to the intersection, and wherein the trigger location comprises a stop line marked on a roadway proximate said intersection.

11. An image recording apparatus suitable for recording a traffic signal violation at an intersection controlled by a traffic light, the apparatus including:

a first camera focused on the intersection;

a second camera focused on the intersection;

a detection circuit configured to detect at least a portion of a vehicle at a trigger location proximate the intersection after a change in traffic control status signaled by the traffic light; and

a control circuit coupled to the first camera and second camera, and configured to cause the first camera to capture a first image at substantially an instant of time of the change of traffic control status and store the first image in temporary memory, and to cause the second camera to capture a second image of the vehicle in the event that the detection circuit detects the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location after a change in traffic control status, wherein

the first control circuit causes the temporary image to be to deleted from the temporary memory in the event that the detection circuit does not detect the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location upon the change of traffic control status.

13. The image recording apparatus of claim 11 wherein, in the event that the detection circuit detects the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location after a change in traffic control status, the control circuit causes the first camera to capture a third image after a first predetermined time period from the instant of time of the change of traffic control status, and causes the second camera to capture a fourth image of the vehicle after a second predetermined time period from the instant of time of the change of traffic control status.

14. The image recording apparatus of claim 13 wherein the control circuit causes the recording of each of the third image and fourth image to permanent memory.

15. The image recording apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a compression circuit configured to the image size of the first image and the second image.

16. The image recording apparatus of claim 15 wherein each of the first camera and second camera comprises a digital camera, and wherein the compression circuit performs digital compression.

12. The image recording apparatus of claim 12 wherein, in the event that the first detection circuit detects the portion of the vehicle at the trigger location upon the change of traffic control status, the control circuit causes the recording of each of the first image and second image to permanent memory.

17. The image recording apparatus of claim 12 wherein the temporary memory comprises RAM.

18. The image recording apparatus of claim 12 wherein the permanent memory comprises a WORM device.