REMOTE SURVEILLANCE SENSOR APPARATUS

• US 20160259979A1
• Filed: 09/24/2014
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bounce Imaging Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bounce Imaging Inc.
• Inventors: Aguilar, Francisco, Alvarado-Moya, Pablo, Fridberg, Mikhail
• Granted Patent: US 10,019,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0567 Solid-state light source, e.g. LED, laser
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/002 Details of arrangement of components in or on camera body
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• 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 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

In a surveillance system including a remote sensor apparatus and a portable receiver, a method is provided for collecting and processing data related to a surrounding environment of the remote sensor apparatus including image data for a scene external to the housing of the apparatus. The method includes receiving, at the processing unit, raw image data simultaneously from a plurality of image sensors as the raw image data is being captured by the plurality of image sensors. One or more light sources are placed around a wide-angle lens fitted to each of the image sensor Infrared or near-infrared light emanating from the plurality of light sources is used in a dark environment. The method also includes processing, at the processing unit, the simultaneously received raw image data to generate pre-processed image data. The method further includes transmitting the pre-processed image data to the portable receiver using the wireless transceiver.

Claims

1. An apparatus for collecting data from a surrounding environment into which it is introduced, the apparatus comprising:

a housing sufficiently sized to be handled by a user and introduced into an environment, the housing being shaped so as to provide for continued traversal of the environment subsequent to contacting a surface or object in the environment;

a plurality of image sensors positioned relative to one another about the housing so as to collectively capture image data of the surrounding environment in substantially all directions about the housing during and after traversal of the environment; and

a transceiver for transmitting the image data to a remote location.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing is substantially spherical in shape.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing includes a substantially elastic outer layer and a substantially rigid inner layer.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plurality of image sensors are substantially flush with or recessed within the housing.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plurality of image sensors includes six image sensors.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the image sensors provides a substantially rectangular field of view.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of image sensors is oriented to have a respective field of view rotated approximately 90 degrees from that of an adjacent image sensor.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the image data via a wireless connection using one of the following communication protocols:

WiFi, Bluetooth, radio frequency (RF), a military protocol, or a non-standard spectra protocol.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a processing unit in electrical connection with each of the plurality of image sensors for simultaneously receiving image data collected by the plurality of image sensors.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to process the simultaneously received image data to generate pre-processed image data.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an inertial measurement unit for providing information about at least one of an orientation, an acceleration, and a direction of travel of the remote sensor apparatus.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor for collecting data other than image data from the surrounding environment.

13. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a series of counterweights configured to be shifted to roll the remote sensor apparatus.

14. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least one internal motor configured to produce torque to propel the remote sensor apparatus.

15. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of light sources situated around each of the image sensors.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further including at least one wide-angle lens for increasing a field of view of one or more of the image sensors.

17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein at least one of the wide-angle lenses a corresponding image sensor with a field of view spanning approximately 100 degrees in one direction.

18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein at least one of the wide-angle lenses provides a corresponding image sensor with a field of view spanning approximately 140 degrees in one direction.

19. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein at least one of the wide-angle lenses is a fisheye lens.

20. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the image data via a wireless connection using one of the following communication protocols:

WiFi, Bluetooth, radio frequency (RF), a military protocol, and a non-standard spectra protocol.

21. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising one or more audio devices for, collectively, capturing audio from the surrounding environment, and projecting audio into the surrounding environment.

22. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising one or more photosensors to measure light conditions in the surrounding environment for use in determining an exposure time of at least one of the image sensors.

23. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a tether configured to provide at least one of electrical power to the sensor and a communications link through which the transceiver transmits the image data.