SYSTEMS, APPARATUSES, AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING AUDIOVISUAL APPARATUSES

• US 20170214843A1
• Filed: 01/22/2017
• Published: 07/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coban Technologies Incorporated (Safe Fleet Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Coban Technologies Incorporated (Safe Fleet Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Boykin, Terry W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,165,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

Systems and methods for automatically controlling audiovisual apparatuses. A portable camera and a docking module configured to wirelessly trigger the camera to activate/deactivate the buffering and storage of data captured by the camera.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

wirelessly linking a portable camera with a docking module disposed in a vehicle, wherein the portable camera is disposed remote from the docking module and wherein the portable camera is configured to capture image data and is configured with a buffer to temporarily hold captured image data and a memory to store captured image data; and

using the docking module, sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met, wherein the command causes performance of one or more actions selected from the group consisting of;

(a) causing image data captured by the portable camera to be temporarily held in the buffer;

(b) causing image data captured by the portable camera not to be held in the buffer;

(c) causing image data captured by the portable camera to be stored in the memory; and

(d) causing image data captured by the portable camera not to be stored in the memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a wireless command to the camera when the docking module receives a signal from a sensor, wherein the command causes captured image data to be stored in the memory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

(i) a vehicle light bar sensor, (ii) a vehicle gun rack sensor, and (iii) a vehicle door sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the portable camera to temporarily hold captured image data in the buffer in a continuous circulating stream until the docking module sends a wireless command to the portable camera that causes performance of one of the actions of:

(i) causing captured image data held in the buffer to be transferred to the memory, (ii) causing captured image data not to be held in the buffer, and (iii) causing captured image data to be stored in the memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a wireless command to the portable camera when the portable camera is disposed within a specified distance from the docking module.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a command to the portable camera causing captured image data not to be held in the buffer when the portable camera is disposed within a specified distance from the docking module.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a command to the portable camera causing captured image data not to be stored in the memory when the camera is disposed within a specified distance from the module.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a command to the portable camera when the vehicle:

(i) starts moving, (ii) reaches a specified velocity, (iii) exceeds a specified velocity, or (iv) undergoes a change in acceleration exceeding a threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera when the vehicle starts moving or reaches or exceeds a specified velocity comprises sending a command to the camera that causes performance of one of the actions of:

(i) causing captured image data not to be held in the buffer, and (ii) causing captured image data not to be stored in the memory.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable camera is configured to bypass any commands from the docking module and continue storing captured image data to the memory if the camera has been activated, at a time when the camera is disposed outside of the vehicle, to store captured image data to the memory.

11. A method, comprising:

wirelessly linking a portable camera with a docking module disposed in a vehicle, wherein the portable camera is disposed remote from the docking module and wherein the portable camera is configured to capture image data and temporarily hold the captured image data in a buffer in a continuous circulating stream; and

using the docking module, sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met, wherein the wireless command causes performance of one or more actions selected from the group consisting of;

(a) causing image data captured by the portable camera not to be held in the buffer;

(b) causing image data held in the buffer to be transferred to a memory in the portable camera;

(c) causing image data captured by the portable camera to be stored in the memory; and

(d) causing image data captured by the portable camera not to be stored in the memory.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a command to the portable camera when the docking module receives a signal from a sensor, wherein the command causes:

(a) data held in the buffer to be transferred to the memory, and (b) image data captured by the portable camera to be stored in the memory.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

(i) a vehicle light bar sensor, (ii) a vehicle gun rack sensor, and (iii) a vehicle door sensor.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a command to the portable camera when the camera is disposed within a specified distance from the docking module.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a command to the portable camera causing captured image data not to be held in the buffer when the portable camera is disposed within a specified distance from the docking module.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a command to the portable camera causing captured image data not to be stored in the memory when the portable camera is disposed within a specified distance from the docking module.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met comprises using the docking module to send a command to the portable camera when the vehicle:

(i) starts moving, (ii) reaches a specified velocity, (iii) exceeds a specified velocity, or (iv) undergoes a change in acceleration exceeding a threshold.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sending a wireless command to the portable camera when the vehicle starts moving or reaches or exceeds a specified velocity comprises sending a command to the portable camera that causes performance of one of the actions of:

(i) causing captured image data not to be held in the buffer, and (ii) causing captured image data not to be stored in the memory.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the portable camera is configured to bypass any commands from the docking module and continue storing captured image data to the memory if the portable camera has been activated, at a time when the camera is disposed outside of the vehicle, to store captured image data to the memory.

20. A system, comprising:

a docking module disposed in a vehicle;

a portable camera disposed remote from the docking module;

wherein the portable camera is wirelessly linked with the docking module and configured to capture image data and configured with a buffer to temporarily hold captured image data and a memory to store captured image data; and

wherein the docking module is configured to send a wireless command to the portable camera if a specified condition is met, wherein the command is to cause performance of one or more actions selected from the group consisting of;

(a) causing image data captured by the portable camera to be temporarily held in the buffer;

(b) causing image data captured by the portable camera not to be held in the buffer;

(c) causing image data captured by the portable camera to be stored in the memory; and

(d) causing image data captured by the portable camera not to be stored in the memory.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the specified condition comprises receipt by the docking module of a signal from a sensor, and wherein the docking module is configured to send a wireless command to the portable camera to cause captured image data to be stored in the memory, in response to the receipt of the signal.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of:

(i) a vehicle light bar sensor, (ii) a vehicle gun rack sensor, and (iii) a vehicle door sensor.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the portable camera is configured to temporarily hold captured image data in the buffer in a continuous circulating stream until the docking module sends a command to the camera to cause performance of one of the actions of:

(i) causing captured image data held in the buffer to be transferred to the memory, (ii) causing captured image data not to be held in the buffer, (iii) causing captured image data to be stored in the memory, and (iv) causing captured image data not to be stored in the memory.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the specified condition comprises a distance between the location of the portable camera and the location of the docking module satisfying a threshold.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the specified condition comprises a distance between the location of the portable camera and the location of the docking module satisfying a threshold, and wherein the docking module is configured to send a command to the portable camera to stop holding captured image data in the buffer when the distance between the location of the portable camera and the location of the docking module satisfies the threshold.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the portable camera is configured not to store captured image data to the memory when the camera is disposed within a specified distance from the docking module.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the specified condition comprises a velocity of the vehicle satisfying a threshold.

28. The system of claim 20,

wherein the specified condition comprises a velocity of the vehicle satisfying a threshold;

and

wherein the docking module is configured to send a command to the portable camera, when the velocity of the vehicle satisfies the threshold, to cause performance of one of the actions of;

(i) causing captured image data not to be held in the buffer, and (ii) causing captured image data not to be stored in the memory.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the portable camera is configured to bypass any commands from the docking module and to continue to store captured image data to the memory if the camera has been activated, at a time when the camera is disposed outside of the vehicle, to store captured image data to the memory.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the portable camera is configured to dock with the docking module to:

(i) electrically charge the portable camera, (ii) enable data transfer to or from the portable camera through the docking module, or (iii) enable data exchange between the portable camera and the docking module.