PORTABLE DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA CONFIGURED FOR REMOTE IMAGE ACQUISITION CONTROL AND VIEWING

• US 20140240505A1
• Filed: 05/02/2014
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Contour IP Holding, LLC (iON Contour)
• Original Assignee: Contour, LLC (iON Contour)
• Inventors: O'Donnell, Laura, Mander, Richard, Denton, Michael, Tompkins, Alan, Gurganus, Keith, Barnsdale, Kelvin P., Third, Simon, Pierce, Carm, Perkins, Carl, Bodley, Ben
• Granted Patent: US 8,896,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/157
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/617 Upgrading or updating of programs or applications for camera control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 : Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/28 : Mobile studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 : from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 : Data link layer protocols

Abstract

A wearable digital video camera (10) is equipped with wireless connection protocol and global navigation and location positioning system technology to provide remote image acquisition control and viewing. The Bluetooth® packet-based open wireless technology standard protocol (400) is preferred for use in providing control signals or streaming data to the digital video camera and for accessing image content stored on or streaming from the digital video camera. The GPS technology (402) is preferred for use in tracking of the location of the digital video camera as it records image information. A rotating mount (300) with a locking member (330) on the camera housing (22) allows adjustment of the pointing angle of the wearable digital video camera when it is attached to a mounting surface.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A point of view digital video camera system, comprising:

an integrated hands-free portable viewfinderless video camera, the video camera including a lens and an image sensor, the image sensor capturing light propagating through the lens and representing a scene to be recorded, and the image sensor producing real time video image data of the scene without displaying the scene to a user of the video camera, the video camera comprising;

a camera processor for receiving the video image data directly or indirectly from the image sensor, and

a wireless connection protocol device operatively connected to the processor to send real time video image content by wireless transmission to and receive control or data signals by wireless transmission from a wireless connection-enabled controller, the wireless connection having a predetermined bandwidth, wherein

the camera processor is configured to;

generate the video image content corresponding to the video image data representing the scene to be recorded,

stream the real time video image content using the wireless connection protocol device to the wireless connection-enabled controller without displaying the video image content to a user of the video camera,

receive control instructions for adjusting image capture settings of the video camera, and

adjust the image capture settings of the video camera prior to recording the scene;

a mounting device coupled to the video camera for mounting the video camera to the user of the video camera, the mounting device being configured for manual adjustment by the user of the video camera to alter the scene; and

the wireless connection-enabled controller for controlling the video camera, the controller comprising executable instructions for execution on a personal portable computing device operable by a user of the personal portable computing device, wherein when executed, the executable instructions cause the personal portable computing device to;

receive streamed video image content from the video camera,

display the video image content on a display of the portable computing device for adjustment of the image capture settings prior to the video camera recording the scene, and

generate control signals to the wireless connection protocol device on the video camera to adjust the image capture settings prior to the video camera recording the scene.

15. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 14, wherein the user of the video camera is the user of the personal portable computing device.

16. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 14, wherein the image capture settings comprise at least one of color settings, lighting settings, and volume settings.

17. A point of view digital video camera system, comprising:

a hands-free compact portable video camera, comprising;

a lens,

an image sensor configured to capture light propagating through the lens and representing a scene, and produce real time video image data of the scene,

a camera processor for receiving the video image data directly or indirectly from the image sensor, and

a wireless connection protocol device operatively coupled to the processor and configured to send video image content by wireless transmission to and receive control or data signals by wireless transmission from an application executing on a wireless connection-enabled controller; and

a mounting mechanism coupled to the video camera for mounting the video camera to a user of the video camera, the mounting device being configured for manual adjustment by the user of the video camera to alter the scene,

wherein the camera processor is configured to;

generate the video image content corresponding to the video image data representing the scene,

send the video image content using the wireless connection protocol device to the wireless connection-enabled controller without displaying the scene or the video image content to the user of the video camera, and

receive prior to a recording of the scene control instructions for adjusting one or more image acquisition settings of the video camera in accordance with input received at the wireless connection-enabled controller, and

wherein the application executing on the wireless connection-enabled controller causes the wireless connection-enabled controller to;

receive streamed video image content data from the video camera,

display the received video image content data on a display of the wireless connection-enabled controller for adjustment of the one or more image acquisition settings of the video camera prior to the recording of the scene, and

generate control signals for the video camera based at least in part on input received from a user of the wireless connection enabled controller prior to the recording of the scene.

18. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 17, wherein the video image content sent to the wireless-enabled connection controller comprises a first quality, and wherein the camera processor is further configured to store the video image content at a second quality that is higher than the first quality at the video camera.

19. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 18, wherein the first quality comprises at least one of a low resolution image and a low frame rate and the second quality comprises at least one of a high resolution image and a high frame rate.

20. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 17, wherein the video image content sent to the wireless-enabled connection controller is a first video image content, and wherein the camera processor is further configured to generate a second video image content, wherein the second video image content is of a higher quality than the first video image content.

21. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 20, wherein the first video image content comprises at least one of a low resolution image and a low frame rate and the second video image content comprises at least one of a high resolution image and a high frame rate.

22. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 17, wherein the video image content sent to the wireless-enabled connection controller is a lower quality video image content corresponding to a higher quality video image content that is stored at the video camera.

23. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 22, wherein the lower quality video image content comprises at least one of a low resolution image and a low frame rate and the higher quality video image content comprises at least one of a high resolution image and a high frame rate.

24. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 17, wherein the image acquisition parameters comprise color settings.

25. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 17, wherein the image acquisition parameters comprise lighting settings.

26. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 17, wherein the image acquisition parameters comprise volume settings.

27. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 17, wherein the video camera is configured as a server to the wireless connection-enabled controller.

28. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 17, wherein the video camera does not have a scene preview screen.

29. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 17, wherein the video camera does not have a screen for viewing the scene.

30. A method for previewing and adjusting a scene to be recorded by a user on an integrated point of view digital video camera, the method comprising:

capturing in real time the scene using a lens and an image sensor of the video camera without displaying the scene to the user;

mounting the video camera to the user;

generating video image content corresponding to the scene to be recorded;

wirelessly transmitting the video image content in real time using a wireless connection protocol device on the video camera to a wireless connection-enabled controller on a personal portable computing device of the user;

receiving on the portable computing device of the user the streamed video image content from the video camera;

displaying the video image content data on a display of the portable computing device of the user for adjustment of the scene prior to recording the scene;

generating control signals for adjusting the image capture settings of the video camera by using the personal computing device; and

transmitting the control signals to the video camera to adjust the image capture settings of the video camera prior to recording the scene.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the image capture settings comprise at least one of color settings, lighting settings, and volume settings.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the video image content is a first video image content, the method further comprising:

following receipt of a control signal to record the scene;

generating second video image content of a first quality corresponding to the scene;

storing the second video image content at the video camera;

generating third video image content of a second quality corresponding to the scene; and

wirelessly transmitting the second video image content in real time using the wireless connection protocol device on the video camera to the wireless connection-enabled controller on the personal portable computing device of the user, wherein the first quality is higher than the second quality.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the video image content is a first video image content, the method further comprising:

storing second video image content of a first quality corresponding to the scene at the video camera;

generating third video image content of a second quality from the second video image content; and

wirelessly transmitting the third video image content using the wireless connection protocol device on the video camera to the wireless connection-enabled controller on the personal portable computing device of the user, wherein the first quality is higher than the second quality.