Apparatus and method for remote viewing system

• US 8,193,933 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlo Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Andrew Wayne Knight, Scott Jezierski
• Inventors: Jezierski, Scott, Knight, Andrew Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A.
• Application Number:
  US12/932,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20110164134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/569, 340/570, 340/568.1, 232/17, 232/34, 396/56, 348/152, 348/E5.042
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1557 Single ended primary inductor converters [SEPIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33576 having at least one active switching element at the secondary side of an isolation transformer

Abstract

An energy conserving remote viewing system comprising an instantaneous analog video transmission camera, an analog video receiver that receives and transmits a video image to a video monitor and a remote transmitter that activates the analog video transmission camera. The remote camera device is normally in a low power, sleep mode that has a minimal power drain. The system includes a battery powered camera requiring a first voltage to operate and an RF transmitter to send an activation signal to the camera. The activation signal has a duration. A camera power circuit includes a normally sleeping signal receiving circuit and a first timer. The first timer periodically activates the signal receiving circuit to check for the presence of the activation signal and turns off the signal receiving circuit if the activation signal is not present and turns on the camera if the activation signal is present, and wherein the time the signal receiving circuit sleeps is less than the activation signal duration.

Claims

1. A wireless device, comprising:

a sensor constructed to provide image information;

a radio constructed to be normally deactivated;

a low power timer coupled to the radio and constructed to activate the radio from time to time;

a memory coupled to the sensor and arranged to store the image information;

a processor coupled to the sensor, radio, and memory; and

a battery providing full operational power for the sensor, radio, memory and processor.

2. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the low power timer is provided by the processor.

3. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor normally operates in a sleep mode, and is activated responsive to the low power timer.

4. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the battery is arranged to provide less than about 10 microamps while the radio is deactivated.

5. A wireless imaging system, comprising a sensor constructed to provide image information;

a radio constructed to be normally deactivated;

a low power timer coupled to the radio and constructed to activate the radio from time to time;

a memory coupled to the sensor and arranged to store the image information;

a processor coupled to the sensor, radio, and memory;

a battery providing full operational power for the sensor, radio, memory and processor; and

the wireless imager operating the steps of;

operating the wireless imager in a sleep mode;

receiving an interrupt while the wireless imager is in sleep mode;

activating the wireless imager responsive to the interrupt;

transmitting a request signal;

entering a listen mode for no longer than a listen period;

waiting for an acknowledgement signal; and

placing the wireless imager in sleep mode if no acknowledgment signal is received during the listen period.

6. The wireless imaging system according to claim 5, wherein the interrupt is received from the sensor.

7. The wireless imaging system according to claim 5, wherein the interrupt is received from the low power timer.

8. The wireless imaging system according to claim 5, wherein the listen period is about 5 ms to about 20 ms.

9. The wireless imaging system according to claim 5, wherein the activating step includes activating the radio.

10. The wireless imaging system according to claim 5, wherein the activating step includes activating the processor.

11. The wireless device according to claim 7, wherein the low power timer provides time control to set the time when the low power timer activates the radio.

12. The wireless device according to claim 8, wherein the low power timer provides time control to activate the radio at a particular predefined time.

13. The wireless device according to claim 8, wherein the low power timer provides time control to activate the radio after a particular predefined delay.