Remotely directed vehicle inspection method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A method of performing an inspection of a vehicle, comprising:
- providing a vehicle inspection site proximate where the vehicle travels;
providing at the vehicle inspection site a hand-held portable inspection wand including a video camera that captures video in a field-of-view extending from an end of the wand, a speaker, a microphone, and transceiver components coupled with the video camera, speaker and microphone;
providing a command site separated a safe distance from the vehicle inspection site, the command site including equipment for displaying information and for transceiving information, including audio-visual information, with the wand;
staffing the command site with one or more personnel for commanding the inspection;
causing the vehicle to stop at the vehicle inspection site;
instructing an occupant of the vehicle to exit the stopped vehicle;
instructing the occupant to grasp the wand at the vehicle inspection site;
transmitting instructions from the command site to the occupant, over the safe distance and through the wand, that direct the occupant to capture video of the vehicle at the vehicle inspection site using the wand;
capturing video of the vehicle using the wand while the occupant uses the wand to inspect the vehicle responsive to the transmitted instructions;
transmitting the captured video from the wand to the command site; and
displaying the transmitted captured video at the command site.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of inspecting a vehicle, comprising providing at an inspection site a hand-held inspection wand that transceives audio-visual information with a command/remote site a safe distance from the inspection site and that is staffed by law enforcement personnel, stopping the vehicle at the remote site, instructing an occupant of the vehicle to exit the vehicle and grasp the wand, transmitting instructions from the command site to the occupant via the wand, that direct the occupant to capture video of the vehicle at the remote site using the wand, capturing video of the vehicle using the wand, transmitting the captured video from the wand to the command site, and displaying the transmitted captured video at the command site.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of performing an inspection of a vehicle, comprising:
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providing a vehicle inspection site proximate where the vehicle travels; providing at the vehicle inspection site a hand-held portable inspection wand including a video camera that captures video in a field-of-view extending from an end of the wand, a speaker, a microphone, and transceiver components coupled with the video camera, speaker and microphone; providing a command site separated a safe distance from the vehicle inspection site, the command site including equipment for displaying information and for transceiving information, including audio-visual information, with the wand; staffing the command site with one or more personnel for commanding the inspection; causing the vehicle to stop at the vehicle inspection site; instructing an occupant of the vehicle to exit the stopped vehicle; instructing the occupant to grasp the wand at the vehicle inspection site; transmitting instructions from the command site to the occupant, over the safe distance and through the wand, that direct the occupant to capture video of the vehicle at the vehicle inspection site using the wand; capturing video of the vehicle using the wand while the occupant uses the wand to inspect the vehicle responsive to the transmitted instructions; transmitting the captured video from the wand to the command site; and displaying the transmitted captured video at the command site. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of performing a search, comprising:
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at a vehicle inspection site, providing a hand-held portable inspection wand including a video camera that captures video in a field-of-view extending from an end of the wand, a speaker, a microphone, a physiological sensor positioned so as to be in contact with a hand when grasping the wand, a chemical sensor and transceiver components coupled at least indirectly with the video camera, speaker, microphone, physiological sensor and chemical sensor; at a command site separated a safe distance of at least 1000 feet from the vehicle inspection site, providing one or more enforcement personnel and equipment for displaying information and for transceiving information, including audio-visual information, sensed physiological condition and sensed chemical information, with the wand; causing the vehicle to stop at the vehicle inspection site; instructing an occupant of the vehicle to exit the stopped vehicle; instructing the occupant to grasp the wand at the vehicle inspection site; wirelessly transmitting instructions from the command site to the occupant at the vehicle inspection site, over the safe distance and through the wand, that direct the occupant to inspect the vehicle using the wand, including capturing video of the vehicle using the wand; capturing video of the vehicle using the wand responsive to the wirelessly transmitting step; sensing via the wand a physiological condition of the occupant while the occupant grasps the wand; sensing via the wand a chemical, if any, while the user inspects the vehicle; transmitting the captured video from the wand to the command site; transmitting from the wand to the command site information indicative of the sensed physiological condition; transmitting from the wand to the command site information indicative of any sensed chemicals; and at the command site, displaying the transmitted captured video, the information indicative of the sensed physiological condition, and the information indicative of the sensed chemical, if any; at the command site, determining whether the vehicle and occupant have passed a check-point inspection based on whether any of the displayed captured video, the displayed sensed physiological condition, and the displayed sensed chemical, if any, indicate any of suspicious activity and a presence of a dangerous material.
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25. A portable, hand-held inspection wand, comprising:
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a substantially elongate housing having a front-end, the elongate housing being sized and shaped to be grasped by a hand of a user of the wand; a video camera operable to capture video in a field of view (FOV) of the video camera extending away from the housing front-end; a lamp positioned on the housing that illuminates the FOV; a physiological sensor that senses a physiological condition of the user from the hand when in contact with the housing, and that produces a signal indicative of the physiological condition; a microphone in the housing for receiving an audio signal from the user; a speaker in the housing for announcing an audio signal to the user; transceiver components, coupled to the video camera, the physiological sensor, the microphone and the speaker, that wirelessly transmit the video captured by the video camera, wirelessly transmit the physiological condition signal, and wirelessly transmit the audio signal received by the microphone, and wirelessly receive the audio to be announced by the speaker; and a power source for powering the video camera, the lamp, the microphone, the speaker, the physiological sensor and the transceiver components. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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27. A system for performing inspections, comprising:
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(a) a portable hand-held wand, comprising; a substantially elongate housing having a front-end, the housing being sized and shaped to be grasped by a hand of a user of the wand; a video camera operable to capture video in a field of view (FOV) of the video camera extending away from the housing front-end; a lamp positioned on the housing that illuminates the FOV; a physiological sensor that senses a physiological condition of the user from the hand when in contact with the housing, and that produces a signal indicative of the physiological condition; a microphone in the housing for receiving an audio signal from the user; a speaker in the housing for announcing an audio signal to the user; wireless transceiver components coupled to the video camera, the physiological sensor, the microphone and the speaker; and (b) a console, comprising; a microphone; a speaker; one or more displays; and wireless transceiver components coupled to the console microphone, the console speaker and the console one or more displays, wherein the video captured by the wand camera is wirelessly transmitted from the wand to the console, through the wand and console wireless transceiver components, and displayed on the console display, audio sensed by the console microphone is wirelessly transmitted from the console to the wand, through the wand and console wireless transceiver components, and announced through the wand speaker, audio sensed by the wand microphone is wirelessly transmitted from the wand to the console, through the wand and console wireless transceiver components, and announced through the console speaker, and the signal indicative of the physiological condition is wirelessly transmitted from wand to the console, through the wand and console wireless transceiver components, and displayed on the one or more console displays. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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Specification