HID & IR spotlight with integrated camera system

• US 20090091619A1
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ibis Tek, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ibis Tek, LLC
• Inventors: Rosemeyer, William E., Helms, James M.
• Application Number:
  US12/283,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20090091619A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A spotlight, including hardware for mounting to a vehicle (especially a police or security vehicle), including an HID lamp or other visible light illuminator, an infrared illuminator, and an integrated camera system including a video capture device for providing a video feed formed using the visible or infrared light, and a remote terminal including a viewer for viewing the video feed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing spotlight function and covert surveillance and recording activity, comprising:

a spotlight (11) having a housing (11h) including a mounting attachment (11d) for mounting to a vehicle;

at least one infrared illuminator (11b) mounted inside the spotlight housing (11h);

at least one visible light illuminator (20) attached to the housing;

a video capture device (11c) mounted inside the spotlight housing (11h), responsive to visible or infrared light, for providing a video feed based on the visible or infrared light;

a terminal (12a) operatively coupled to the video capture device (11c), for turning on and off the video capture device (11c) and for receiving and displaying the video feed; and

an illumination controller (12c) operatively coupled to the visible light illuminator (20) and to the infrared illuminator (11b), for turning on and off the visible light illuminator (20) and for turning on and off the infrared illuminator (11b).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the visible light illuminator (20) comprises a high intensity discharge light and accompanying ballast.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the visible light illuminator (20) comprises one or more light emitting diodes providing visible light.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination controller (12c) is operatively coupled to the illuminators (11b 20) via a wireline, for turning on and off the illuminators (11b 20).

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination controller (12c) is wirelessly operatively coupled to the illuminators (11b 20) via a transmitter, for turning on and off the illuminators (11b 20).

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terminal (12a) includes a controller for turning on and off the video capture device (11c), and includes a video display device for displaying the video feed, and includes a recorder for recording the video feed, and wherein the terminal (12a) is wirelessly coupled to the video capture device (11c) via a transmitter.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terminal (12a) includes a video display device for displaying the video feed, and the video display device is wirelessly coupled to the video capture device (11c) via a transmitter.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terminal (12a) includes a controller for turning on and off the video capture device (11c) and the controller is operatively coupled to the video capture device (11c) via a wireline, for turning on and off the video capture device (11c).