REMOTELY CONTROLLABLE DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA SYSTEM

• US 20130077931A1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cornell, David James, Parulski, Kenneth Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,750,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

A digital video camera system comprising image capture and recording units. The image capture unit includes an image sensor for capturing a digital video signal, an optical system for forming an image of a scene onto the image sensor, a controllable tilting mechanism for adjusting a pointing direction of the optical system, and a first wireless communication system. The image recording unit includes a second wireless communication system, an image display, a user interface including an orientation sensor, and a program memory storing instructions to implement a method for capturing a digital video sequence in response to user activation of a user control. The method includes wirelessly receiving a digital video signal from the image capture unit, displaying the received digital video signal on the image display, and adjusting the pointing direction of the optical system in response to detecting a change in the orientation of the image recording unit.

Claims

1. A digital video camera system, comprising:

an image capture unit having;

an image sensor for capturing a digital video signal;

an optical system for forming an image of a scene onto the image sensor;

a controllable tilting mechanism for adjusting a pointing direction of the optical system;

a first wireless communication system; and

an image recording unit having;

a second wireless communication system for wirelessly communicating with the first wireless communication system;

an image display;

a user interface including one or more user controls, wherein the user controls include an orientation sensor that determines an orientation of the image recording unit;

a data processing system;

a storage memory for storing captured video images; and

a program memory communicatively connected to the data processing system and storing instructions configured to cause the data processing system to implement a method for capturing a digital video sequence, wherein the method includes;

detecting user activation of a user control to initiate the capture of the digital video sequence;

wirelessly receiving a digital video signal from the image capture unit;

displaying the received digital video signal on the image display;

detecting the orientation of the image recording unit using the orientation sensor;

wirelessly sending a signal to the image capture unit to control the controllable tilting mechanism thereby adjusting the pointing direction of the optical system in response to detecting a change in the orientation of the image recording unit;

storing the received digital video signal in a digital media file; and

detecting user activation of a user control to terminate the capture of the digital video sequence.

2. The digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the pointing direction of the optical system is adjusted in a direction corresponding to a direction of the detected change in the orientation of the image recording unit.

3. The digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the one or more user controls include one or more buttons that can be activated to adjust the pointing direction of the optical system.

4. The digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the image display is a touch screen, and wherein the pointing direction of the optical system is adjusted in response to detecting a predefined touch pattern.

5. The digital video camera system of claim 4, wherein virtual buttons are provided on the image display, and wherein the pointing direction of the optical system is adjusted in response to detecting that the user has touched the virtual buttons.

6. The digital video camera system of claim 4, wherein the pointing direction of the optical system is adjusted in response to detecting movement of a user finger that is in contact with the touch screen, the pointing direction of the optical system being adjusted in a direction corresponding to a direction of the detected movement.

7. The digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the image capture unit and the image recording unit include interface connectors to enable the image recording unit to be the physically connected to the image capture unit.

8. The digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein when the image capture unit is connected to the image recording unit they can be operated as a one-piece connected digital video camera unit.

9. The digital video camera system of claim 8, wherein the image capture unit further includes a rechargeable battery for powering the image capture unit, and wherein the rechargeable battery is recharged through the interface connector when the image capture unit is connected to the image recording unit.

10. The digital video camera system of claim 9, wherein the rechargeable battery in the image capture unit is recharged when the image recording unit is connected to an external recharger.

11. The digital video camera system of claim 1 wherein the image capture unit further includes an image capture unit microphone, and wherein an audio signal is stored in temporal synchronization with the received digital video signal, the audio signal being derived from an image capture unit audio signal captured by the image capture unit microphone.

12. The digital video camera system of claim 11, wherein a pointing direction of the image capture unit microphone is controlled together with the pointing direction of the optical system.

13. The digital video camera system of claim 1 wherein the image capture unit further includes an image capture unit microphone and the image recording unit further includes an image recording unit microphone, and wherein at least one audio signal is stored in temporal synchronization with the received digital video signal, the at least one audio signal being derived from an image capture unit audio signal captured by the image capture unit microphone and an image recording unit audio signal captured by the image recording unit microphone.

14. The digital video camera system of claim 13, wherein a user control is provided to enable the user to select one or both of the image capture unit audio signal and the image recording unit audio signal to be stored in the at least one digital media file.

15. The digital video camera system of claim 13, wherein the image capture unit audio signal and the image recording unit audio signal are combined to form a combined audio signal which is stored in the at least one digital media file.

16. The digital video camera system of claim 15, wherein a user control is provided to enable a user to control relative sound recording levels for the image capture unit audio signal and the image recording unit audio signal in the combined audio signal.

17. The digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the at least one digital media file is a single digital media file.

18. The digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the image recording unit further includes:

a second image sensor for capturing a second digital video signal; and

a second optical system for forming an image of a second scene onto the second image sensor.

19. The digital video camera system of claim 18, wherein the second digital video signal is recorded in the at least one digital media file.