MULTI-FUNCTIONAL REMOTE MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20130314537A1
• Filed: 08/05/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Digital Ally Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Digital Ally Incorporated
• Inventors: Haler, Robert D., Pingel, Leslie R., Scroggins, Yancy E., Morrey, Walter T.
• Granted Patent: US 10,271,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A multi-functional remote monitoring system for use in a mobile surveillance system comprising a host controller, at least one hub transceiver, and at least one remote monitoring transmitter (“RMT”) operable to capture and transmit data, wherein the hub transceiver is operable to communicate to and receive data from the at least one RMT. The hub transceiver and the RMT are adapted for bi-directional transmission and receipt of data, including audio and data signals. The host controller is operable to control the hub transceiver and facilitate communication of the audio and data signals between the RMTs and the hub transceiver.

Claims

1. A multi-functional remote monitoring system for use in a mobile surveillance system used by law enforcement personnel, the remote monitoring system comprising:

at least one wireless hand-held, mobile remote monitoring transmitter having a processor, an on-board memory, at least one input device for capturing input data, and a speaker and sized for being worn by a user on the user'"'"'s person or clothing; and

at least one hub transceiver for communicating to and receiving communication from said at least one remote monitoring transmitter, said hub transceiver having a processor and a memory,

wherein upon capturing of said input data by the remote monitoring transmitter, said system transmits at least a portion of the captured input data to the hub transceiver when the remote monitoring transmitter is within a transmit range of the hub transceiver for storage on the hub transceiver'"'"'s memory,

wherein upon capturing of said input data by the remote monitoring transmitter, said system stores at least a portion of the captured input data on the on-board memory of the remote monitoring transmitter when the remote monitoring transmitter is not within said transmit range of the hub transceiver,

wherein the hub transceiver transmits at least one control signal to the remote monitoring transmitter when the remote monitoring transmitter is within said transmit range of the hub transceiver,

wherein the remote monitoring transmitter transmits said input data captured from the input device to said hub transceiver,

wherein when said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter is not within a transmit range of the hub transceiver, said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter stores the input data in the transmitter'"'"'s on-board memory,

wherein upon said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter moving within the transmit range of the hub transceiver, said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter transmits the stored input data to the hub transceiver for storage on the hub transceiver'"'"'s memory.

2. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter scans all available channels for detection of and synchronization with an available hub transceiver.

3. The remote monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the input device on the remote monitoring transmitter is a microphone.

4. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein another input device is a location-determining device that can determine and output a location.

5. The remote monitoring system of claim 4, wherein said location of the remote monitoring transmitter and a location-determining device used to determine the location of the hub transceiver is used to determine an optimum power level for operation of said remote monitoring transmitter based on a distance of said remote monitoring transmitter from said hub transceiver.

6. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein another input device is a still photograph and video subsystem for capturing and storing still photographs and videos.

7. The remote monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter automatically stores a pre-set period of video prior to the user manually instructing the remote monitoring transmitter to store the captured video.

8. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein another input device is a biometric sensor for receiving biometric information.

9. The remote monitoring system of claim 8, wherein said biometric sensor is a fingerprint reader and said biometric information is fingerprint data.

10. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter includes a verification portion for use in verifying an authenticity of an identification card.

11. The remote monitoring system of claim 10, wherein said verification portion is selected from the group consisting of a UV light source and an IR light source.

12. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter includes a display.

13. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter is automatically adjusted to increase transmit power prior to sending of data to increase a transmit range of stored input data.

14. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter scans all available channels to send an emergency signal to the hub transceiver or to any other hub transceiver in transmit range of said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter.

15. The remote monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter is automatically adjusted to full power prior to sending of said emergency signal to increase a transmit range of said emergency signal.

16. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter includes an audio and noise filtering feature to improve recorded audio quality and decrease ambient noise.

17. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter includes a vibrating mechanism used for covertly signaling the remote monitoring transmitter user.

18. The remote monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the remote monitoring transmitter and the hub transceiver includes a data transfer port for the manual transfer of data.

19. A multi-functional remote monitoring system for use in a mobile surveillance system used by law enforcement personnel, the remote monitoring system comprising:

at least one wireless hand-held, mobile remote monitoring transmitter having a processor, an on-board memory, at least one input device for capturing input data, and a speaker and sized for being worn by a user on the user'"'"'s person or clothing;

at least one hub transceiver for communicating to and receiving communication from said at least one remote monitoring transmitter, said hub transceiver having a processor and a memory; and

at least one host controller for communicating to and receiving communication from said at least one remote monitoring transmitter and said at least one hub transceiver, said host controller having a processor and a memory,

wherein the host controller can operate code segments encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium residing on or accessible by the host controller for enabling the host controller to execute logical functions in the host controller, the hub transceiver, and the remote monitoring transmitter,

wherein upon capturing of said input data by the remote monitoring transmitter, said system transmits at least a portion of the captured input data to the hub transceiver when the remote monitoring transmitter is within a transmit range of the hub transceiver for storage on the hub transceiver'"'"'s memory,

wherein upon capturing of said input data by the remote monitoring transmitter, said system stores at least a portion of the captured input data on the on-board memory of the remote monitoring transmitter when the remote monitoring transmitter is not within said transmit range of the hub transceiver,

wherein the hub transceiver transmits at least one control signal to the remote monitoring transmitter when the remote monitoring transmitter is within said transmit range of the hub transceiver,

wherein the remote monitoring transmitter transmits said input data captured from the input device to said hub transceiver,

wherein when said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter is not within a transmit range of the hub transceiver, said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter stores the input data in the transmitter'"'"'s on-board memory,

wherein upon said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter moving within the transmit range of the hub transceiver, said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter transmits the stored input data to the hub transceiver for storage on the hub transceiver'"'"'s memory.

20. The remote monitoring system of claim 19, wherein an in-car video surveillance unit is the host controller.

21. The remote monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the host controller is comprised of at least one computing device in a remote location.

22. The remote monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the code segment encoded on the non-transitory computer-readable medium residing on or accessible by the host controller provides a feature selected from the group consisting of searching and retrieving stored video based on user name, searching and retrieving stored video based on vehicle ID, searching and retrieving stored video based on date and time, searching and retrieving stored video based on event ID, searching and retrieving stored video based on case or serial number.

23. The remote monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the code segment encoded on the non-transitory computer-readable medium residing on or accessible by the host controller provides a feature selected from the group consisting of adding notes and annotations to videos or video frames or adding notes and annotations to images.

24. The remote monitoring system of claim 19, wherein the code segment encoded on the non-transitory computer-readable medium residing on or accessible by the host controller provides a feature selected from the group consisting of general archiving or management of recorded data.