TELEMATICS SENSORS AND CAMERA ACTIVATION IN CONNECTION WITH FIREARM ACTIVITY

• US 20170160041A1
• Filed: 01/25/2017
• Published: 06/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yardarm Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Yardarm Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Glowacki, David, Schaff, James, Howell, Kyle, Tooley, Tom, Hammond, Paul, Stewart, Robert J., Wade, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,958,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/063 comprising a transponder
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/066 having means for recognizing biometric parameters, e.g. voice control, finger print or palm print control
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/20 Grip or stock safeties, i.e. safeties disengaged by clasping the grip or stock thumb-operated sliding safeties F41A17/52, F41A17/62, F41A17/70, F41A17/80
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 19/01 Counting means indicating the number of shots fired
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 35/00 Accessories or details not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 23/22 Stocks having space for the storage of objects
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 33/029 combined with electronic devices, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Disclosed herein are apparatuses, systems, methods, and machine readable media for activating a portable camera in response to the activity of a firearm, and for implementing and using a system for identifying an individual who discharged a firearm, and for recording, assessing, identifying, and transmitting information related to the firing of a firearm, and for monitoring the status of an implement at a mount, and for using a charging device for delivering electrical power to components of a firearm. A communications channel may be established between a firearm telematics sensor and a video camera, sometimes by means of intermediary devices. A communications channel may be established between a mount (e.g., holster) telematics device and local and/or remote monitoring service components, sometimes by means of intermediary devices. When the telematics sensor detects that its associated firearm is removed from its holster, or in motion, or being discharged, it may signal the camera to initiate recording. When the telematics device detects that its associated firearm is removed from its holster, the change in status can be reported to the local and/or remote system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a camera;

a firearm;

a holster for receiving the firearm;

one or more telematics sensor devices, wherein the telematics sensor devices are (1) mounted on the holster, (2) integrated into the firearm, or (3) mounted on the holster and integrated into the firearm, and wherein a first telematics sensor device of the one or more telematics sensor devices comprises;

a communication module for receiving and sending signals over a telecommunications network, and

a processor coupled to a memory storing a first rule set for determining an event category for each of one or more events sensed by the first telematics sensor device, and a second rule set for defining behaviors of the camera and at least one of the one or more telematics sensor devices, the processor configured to execute the first and second rule sets, and further to save metadata to the memory, wherein the metadata comprise respective determined event categories for each event sensed by the first telematics sensor device, wherein each such sensed event is one of the one or more events sensed by the first telematics sensor device;

wherein the camera and the one or more telematics sensor devices are in communication via a personal area network, and wherein the camera is configured to change status following receipt of a signal received by the camera from one of the one or more telematics sensor devices, said signal transmitted responsive to determination that an event of a first event category has been detected.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more events sensed by the first telematics sensor device comprises discharge of the firearm.

3. A method, comprising:

at a first telematics sensor device, detecting an unholstering event, wherein detecting the unholstering event comprises;

generating a first set of sensor data regarding the presence of a firearm in a holster;

determining that the status of the firearm is holstered or unholstered based on the first set of sensor data; and

identifying the unholstering event as a change in the status of the firearm from holstered to unholstered;

by the first telematics sensor device, sending an unholstering signal indicating that the unholstering event has occurred;

at a camera, receiving an instruction to record camera data as a result of the unholstering signal, and recording camera data in accordance with the instruction;

at a second telematics sensor device, detecting a firearm-discharge event, wherein detecting the firearm-discharge event comprises;

generating a second set of sensor data regarding the firearm;

determining that a discharge event has occurred based on the second set of sensor data;

at the second telematics sensor device, recording metadata regarding the discharge event for association with the camera data, wherein the metadata comprise a time stamp for the discharge event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the unholstering signal is sent over a telecommunications network.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the unholstering signal is sent over a local area network.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the first telematics sensor device and the second telematics sensor device are the same telematics device.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the second telematics sensor device is integrated into the grip of the firearm.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of sensor data is indicative of the presence or absence of metal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first set of sensor data is inductive coupling data.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of sensor data is near field communication (NFC) data.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

at the camera, receiving an instruction selected from the group consisting of;

turning on the camera, waking the camera, marking existing video to be retained, and/or marking new video to be retained.