Voice activated headset imaging system

• US 20090262205A1
• Filed: 04/21/2008
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Smith, Dana Stephen
• Application Number:
  US12/148,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262205A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.400
• 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 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A voice activated headset imaging system and elements thereof enable hands-free imaging. Hands-free imaging in some embodiments of the invention comprises receiving by a headset assembly a voice command and executing by the headset assembly an imaging control instruction generated in response to the voice command. Execution of the imaging control instruction involves an operation such as activating an object pointer, capturing an image, deleting a captured image or downloading a captured image.

Claims

1. A headset assembly for a voice activated headset imaging system, comprising:

a head frame;

a microphone assembly having microphone logic coupled with the head frame; and

a camera assembly having camera logic coupled with the head frame, wherein the camera logic is adapted to execute a control instruction generated in response to a voice command received by the microphone logic.

2. The headset assembly of claim 1, wherein the camera assembly has a camera and an adjustable arm and wherein the camera is coupled with the head frame via the adjustable arm.

3. The headset assembly of claim 1, wherein the camera assembly has a camera and an object pointer coupled with the camera and wherein the object pointer is directionally disposed to illuminate an object within a field of view of the camera.

4. The headset assembly of claim 1, further comprising a wireless network interface adapted to transmit the voice command to a wireless handset and receive the control instruction from the wireless handset.

5. The headset assembly of claim 1, further comprising a system on chip adapted to receive the voice command from the microphone logic, generate the control instruction and transmit the control instruction to the camera logic.

6. The headset assembly of claim 1, wherein execution of the control instruction awakens the camera assembly from a power-saving state.

7. The headset assembly of claim 1, wherein execution of the control instruction causes the camera assembly to enter a power-saving state.

8. The headset assembly of claim 1, wherein the camera assembly has a camera and execution of the control instruction activates an object pointer directionally disposed to illuminate an object within a field of view of the camera.

9. The headset assembly of claim 1, wherein the camera assembly has a camera and execution of the control instruction captures an image within a field of view of the camera.

10. The headset assembly of claim 1, wherein the camera assembly has a camera and execution of the control instruction deletes an image captured by the camera.

11. The headset assembly of claim 1, wherein the camera assembly has a camera and execution of the control instruction downloads to a wireless handset an image captured by the camera.

12. The headset assembly of claim 1, wherein the camera assembly has a camera and execution of the control instruction captures an image within a field of view of the camera and downloads the image from the camera assembly to the wireless handset for processing and emailing to a predetermined address.

13. A wireless handset for a voice activated headset imaging system, comprising:

a processor; and

a wireless network interface communicatively coupled with the processor, wherein the wireless handset receives from a headset assembly via the wireless network interface a voice command and in response to the voice command under control of the processor generates and transmits to the headset assembly via the wireless network interface an imaging control instruction.

14. The wireless handset of claim 13, wherein the wireless handset further receives from the headset assembly via the wireless network interface an image and under control of the processor stores the image on the wireless handset.

15. The wireless handset of claim 13, wherein the wireless handset further receives from the headset assembly via the wireless network interface an image and under control of the processor enhances the image.

16. The wireless handset of claim 13, wherein the wireless handset further receives from the headset assembly via the wireless network interface an image and under control of the processor routes the image to a predetermined address.

17. A method for hands-free imaging, comprising the steps of:

receiving by a headset assembly a voice command; and

executing by the headset assembly an imaging control instruction generated in response to the voice command.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting by the headset assembly via a wireless network interface the voice command; and

receiving by the headset assembly via the wireless network interface the imaging control instruction.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein execution of the imaging control instruction comprises capturing an image by the headset assembly.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of executing by the headset assembly an audio control instruction to output status information on the voice command.