Completely integrated baseball cap camera

• US 6,704,044 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2000
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omnivision Technologies Incorporated (Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai)
• Original Assignee: Omnivision Technologies Incorporated (Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai)
• Inventors: Gallinat, Gregory David, Nedinsky, Richard Alex, Foster, Ronald R
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, NHON THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/593,250
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.947, H04/N.718, 348/157, 348/14.01, 348/158, 348/143, 348/64, 348/164, 348/169, 348/373
• US Class Current: 348/157
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 1/24 with means for attaching articles thereto, e.g. memorandum tablets or mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A camera unit is mountable to a cap. The camera unit includes a single-chip image sensor, such as a color complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, and includes a mounting mechanism that is structured to allow the camera unit to be attached to an existing structure of the cap, such as to a brim of a baseball cap. The camera unit further includes a transmit unit to allow transmission of a signal representative of captured images and a receive unit to receive control signals to control parameters associated with the camera unit. The control signals can be sent from a remote unit, thereby allowing the remote unit to control parameters of the camera unit, such as exposure, gain, white balance, color saturation, brightness, or hue. The camera unit can be of a small size and weight, and can be completely integrated on a single-chip, thereby minimizing intrusiveness to the cap wearer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

using a cap-mounted camera unit to capture images, the camera unit having a single-chip image sensor;

transmitting, from the cap-mounted camera unit to a remote station, a signal representative of the captured images; and

transmitting a control signal from the remote station to the cap-mounted camera unit to control a parameter associated with the cap-mounted camera unit, wherein the parameter associated with the cap-mounted camera unit comprises one of an exposure, gain, white balance, color saturation, brightness, or hue.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the signals are transmitted along a wireless radio frequency communication link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a field of view of the cap-mounted camera unit by using an adjusting unit attached to the cap-mounted camera unit to change an orientation of the cap-mounted camera unit.

4. A method, comprising:

providing a camera unit mountable on a cap, the camera unit having a single-chip image sensor;

providing the camera unit with circuitry to allow transmission of a signal representative of captured images; and

providing the camera with circuitry to allow reception of control signals to control parameters associated with the camera unit;

wherein the parameter associated with the cap-mounted camera unit comprises one of an exposure, gain, white balance, color saturation, brightness, or hue.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the image sensor comprises a color complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor having a processing unit to allow processing of images.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the processing unit includes components to provide a National Television Standards Committee (NTSC), Phase Alternating Line (PAL), or Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire (SECAM) video format derived from the captured images.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the processing unit includes components to provide a digital data derived from the captured images.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the cap comprises a baseball cap having a brim, the method further comprising:

placing components of the camera unit in a housing; and

affixing a mounting mechanism to the housing, the mounting mechanism including an adjusting unit structured to allow the housing to be mounted to the brim and to allow a change in an orientation of the housing.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the adjusting unit with a ball and socket assembly coupled to the housing to allow rotational change of the orientation of the housing to change a field of view of the camera unit.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a camera unit mountable to a cap, the camera unit having a single-chip image sensor and including a mounting mechanism structured to allow the camera unit to be attached to an existing structure of the cap, the camera unit further including a transmit unit to allow transmission of a signal representative of captured images and a receive unit to receive control signals to control parameters associated with the camera unit, wherein the parameter associated with the cap-mounted camera unit comprises one of an exposure, gain, white balance, color saturation, brightness, or hue.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the camera unit further comprises:

an image sensor array to capture images; and

a processing unit coupled to the image sensor array to use the parameters to process the images and to provide the signal representative of the captured images to the transmit unit, wherein the processing unit is responsive to the control signals change the parameters.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the camera unit further comprises a control unit coupled to receive the control signals from the receive unit and coupled to the processing unit to control operation of the processing unit based on the control signals.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the cap comprises a baseball cap and wherein the existing structure comprises a brim, the camera unit further comprising a housing having the mounting mechanism affixed thereon, the mounting mechanism including a threaded component affixed to the brim to allow the housing to be mounted to the brim.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the mounting mechanism further comprises an adjusting unit attached to a housing of the camera unit, the adjusting unit having a ball and socket assembly to allow change of a field of view of the camera unit by changing a rotational position of the housing.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the image sensor comprises a color complementary metal oxide (CMOS) image sensor.

16. A system, comprising:

a cap;

a camera unit mounted to the cap, the camera unit having a single-chip image sensor and including a mounting mechanism structured to allow the camera unit to be attached to an existing structure of the cap, the camera unit further including a transmit unit to allow transmission of a signal representative of captured images and a receive unit to receive control signals to control parameters associated with the camera unit, wherein the parameter associated with the cap-mounted camera unit comprises one of an exposure, gain, white balance, color saturation, brightness, or hue; and

a remote unit to receive the signal representative of captured images from the transmit unit and to transmit the control signals to the receive unit to externally control the camera unit.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the camera unit further comprises:

an image sensor array to capture images, and

a processing unit coupled to the image sensor array to use the parameters to process the images and to provide the signal representative of the captured images to the transmit unit, wherein the processing unit is responsive to the control signals change the parameters.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the camera unit further comprises a control unit coupled to receive the control signals from the receive unit and coupled to the processing unit to control operation of the processing unit based on the control signals.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the signal representative of captured images and the control signals comprise radio frequency signals.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein mounting mechanism further comprises an adjusting unit attached to a housing of the camera unit, the adjusting unit being structured to allow change a field of view of the camera unit by changing a rotational position of the housing.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein the cap comprises a baseball cap and wherein the existing structure comprises a brim, the camera unit further comprising a housing having the mounting mechanism affixed thereon, the mounting mechanism including an elongated component structured to allow the housing to be mounted to the brim.