Wildlife-sensing digital camera with instant-on capability and picture management software

• US 7,471,334 B1
• Filed: 11/22/2004
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Reconyx, LLP
• Original Assignee: Reconyx, LLP
• Inventors: Stenger, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LUONG TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/994,765
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 348/152, 348/154, 348/81, 396/27, 396/25, 396/427, 396/433
• US Class Current: 348/373
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/007 Details of energy supply or management
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 29/00 Combinations of cameras, projectors or photographic printing apparatus with non-photographic non-optical apparatus, e.g. clocks or weapons; Cameras having the shape of other objects combinations with flash apparatus G03B15/03
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• 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

Abstract

An outdoor, battery powered digital camera includes a passive infrared motion detector that allows the camera to be left unattended, as the detector automatically triggers the camera to take a picture upon sensing the presence of a moving animal. To prolong the life of the battery, the camera goes into a power-saving sleep mode between pictures. To enable the camera to instantly take a picture upon suddenly being awakened by the motion detector, the exposure setting of the camera is periodically checked, adjusted and stored so that the camera can use that fairly recent exposure setting, or one near it, to take an instant picture rather than wasting excessive time adjusting the exposure when the animal first appears. In some cases, the camera is used in conjunction with picture management software.

Claims

1. A method of operating a digital camera selectively in a picture-taking mode for taking pictures of a subject, a sleep mode for conserving energy, and a test mode for presetting an exposure setting, the method comprising:

appreciably reducing power consumption of the digital camera by switching to the sleep mode;

periodically updating the exposure setting to a preliminary exposure setting by periodically switching from the sleep mode to the test mode in response to a clock signal, wherein the preliminary exposure setting is at least partially based on an amount of light sensed by the digital camera during the test mode;

switching from the sleep mode to the picture-taking mode in response to the digital camera detecting that the subject is present;

while in the picture-taking mode, taking a first picture of the subject with the exposure setting at the preliminary exposure setting if the preliminary exposure setting is at a predetermined appropriate value for the first picture;

while in the picture-taking mode, adjusting the exposure setting to a more appropriate exposure setting if the preliminary exposure setting is decidedly inappropriate for the first picture; and

taking a second picture of the subject with the exposure setting at the more appropriate exposure setting if the preliminary exposure setting is decidedly inappropriate value for the first picture.

2. A camera for creating a digital picture of a subject so that the digital picture can be displayed on a computer, the camera comprising:

a weather-resistant case that can be opened for accessing an interior of the weather-resistant case;

a digital image sensor disposed within the interior of the weather-resistant case for creating a raw image representation of an image of the subject;

a lens for focusing the image onto a light sensing device;

an exposure setting associated with the digital image sensor, wherein the exposure setting helps determine the raw image representation;

a clock system that provides a clock signal;

a subject detector that provides a trip signal in response to detecting that the subject is present;

an illuminator for illuminating the subject;

a controller operatively coupled to the clock system and the subject detector so as to be responsive to the clock signal and the trip signal, the controller is disposed within the interior of the weather-resistant case and is connected to receive the raw image representation from the digital image sensor and create an enhanced image representation of the image based on the raw image representation received from the digital image sensor, the controller is selectively operable in a sleep mode, a test mode, and a picture-taking mode, wherein the controller in the picture-taking mode can cooperate with the digital image sensor to adjust the exposure setting and can trigger the illuminator to illuminate the subject, and the controller in the test mode can cooperate with the digital image sensor to adjust the exposure setting and can trigger the illuminator to illuminate the subject, and the sleep mode forces at least one of the controller and the digital image sensor to function at an appreciably reduced level of power consumption so as to conserve energy as the camera has an electrical power consumption that is at least ten times greater in the picture-taking mode than in the sleep mode;

a user input operatively coupled to the controller for determining an operating status of the camera;

a user output operatively coupled to the controller for providing an indication of the operating status of the camera;

an onboard memory operatively coupled to the controller for storing the enhanced image representation;

a battery system for powering the digital image sensor, the controller, the onboard memory, and the illuminator; and

a firmware program associated with the controller such that the controller in conjunction with the firmware program creates the enhanced image representation by adjusting a plurality of characteristics of the raw image representation, wherein the plurality of characteristics includes at least one of sharpness, contrast, and brightness, the firmware program also determines when the controller selectively switches to the sleep mode, the test mode, and the picture-taking mode, such that;

a. the controller periodically switches from the sleep mode to the test mode in response to the clock signal, wherein the controller periodically works in conjunction with the digital image sensor to adjust the exposure setting to a preliminary value;

b. the controller switches from the sleep mode to the picture-taking mode in response to the trip signal, wherein the controller receives a first raw image representation created by the digital image sensor, wherein the first raw image representation is based on the exposure setting being at the preliminary value, which was set during the test mode that occurred before the picture-taking mode; and

c. the controller switches from the test mode to the sleep mode after the controller and the digital image sensor set the exposure setting at the preliminary value.

3. The camera of claim 2, wherein the exposure setting is adjusted to the preliminary value by a strategic iterative method, wherein the strategic iterative method involves creating a plurality of raw image representations under a plurality of different exposure settings until the digital image sensor creates a properly exposed raw image representation, whereby the preliminary value is stored for later use.

4. The camera of claim 2, wherein controller while operating in the picture-taking mode changes the exposure setting from the preliminary value to a more recent value upon evaluating the first raw image representation, whereby the more recent value is used for creating a second raw image representation.

5. The camera of claim 2, wherein the camera is operable during a daytime period that begins at dawn and a nighttime period that begins at dusk, wherein the daytime period and the nighttime period can be distinguished by a predetermined amount of available light, wherein the controller switches to the test mode a plurality of times during the nighttime period during which the controller activates the illuminator more often near dusk than near dawn.

6. The camera of claim 2, wherein the controller comprises a microcontroller chip and an image processor chip, wherein the image processor chip consumes more power than does the microcontroller chip when the controller is in the picture-taking mode, and the microcontroller chip provides the image processor chip with a wakeup signal that switches the image processor chip from the sleep mode to the picture-taking mode.