Portable digital video camera configured for remote image acquisition control and viewing

• US 8,896,694 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2014
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Contour IP Holding, LLC (iON Contour)
• Original Assignee: Contour, LLC (iON Contour)
• Inventors: Perkins, Carl, O'Donnell, Laura, Mander, Richard, Denton, Michael, Bodley, Ben, Tompkins, Alan, Gurganus, Keith, Barnsdale, Kelvin P., Third, Simon, Pierce, Carm
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARIKH, DAKSHESH D
• Application Number:
  US14/268,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20140240505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 207 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19682 Graphic User Interface [GUI] presenting system data to the user, e.g. information on a screen helping a user interacting with an alarm system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19684 Portable terminal, e.g. mobile phone, used for viewing video remotely
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/617 Upgrading or updating of programs or applications for camera control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 : Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/28 : Mobile studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 : Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 : from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 : Data link layer protocols

Abstract

A wearable digital video camera (10) is equipped with wireless connection protocol and global navigation and location positioning system technology to provide remote image acquisition control and viewing. The Bluetooth® packet-based open wireless technology standard protocol (400) is preferred for use in providing control signals or streaming data to the digital video camera and for accessing image content stored on or streaming from the digital video camera. The GPS technology (402) is preferred for use in tracking of the location of the digital video camera as it records image information. A rotating mount (300) with a locking member (330) on the camera housing (22) allows adjustment of the pointing angle of the wearable digital video camera when it is attached to a mounting surface.

Claims

1. A point of view digital video camera system, comprising:

an integrated hands-free portable viewfinderless video camera, the video camera including a lens and an image sensor, the image sensor capturing light propagating through the lens and representing a scene to be recorded, and the image sensor producing real time video image data of the scene without displaying the scene to a user of the video camera, wherein the real time video image data of the scene relates to an activity in which the user of the video camera is about to engage, the video camera comprising;

a camera processor for receiving the video image data directly or indirectly from the image sensor, and

a wireless connection protocol device operatively connected to the camera processor to send real time video image content by wireless transmission directly to and receive control signals or data signals by wireless transmission directly from a wireless connection-enabled controller, wherein

the camera processor is configured to;

generate the video image content simultaneously at a first resolution and at a second resolution, the video image content at the first resolution and the second resolution corresponding to the video image data representing the scene to be recorded, wherein the first resolution is lower than the second resolution,

stream the real time video image content at the first resolution using the wireless connection protocol device to the wireless connection-enabled controller without displaying the video image content at the video camera,

receive the control signals for adjusting image capture settings of the video camera,

adjust the image capture settings of the video camera prior to recording the scene, and

in response to a record command, cause the video image content at the second resolution to be stored at the video camera;

a mounting interface coupled to the video camera;

a mount configured to be mounted to the body, a garment, or a vehicle of the user of the video camera, the mount configured to receive the mounting interface for rotatably mounting the camera on the body, the garment, or the vehicle of the user of the video camera, the mounting interface and the mount further configured for manual adjustment of the video camera with respect to the user of the video camera; and

the wireless connection-enabled controller for controlling the video camera, the controller comprising executable instructions for execution on a personal portable computing device operable by a user of the personal portable computing device, wherein when executed, the executable instructions cause the personal portable computing device to;

receive video image content at the first resolution directly from the video camera,

display the video image content at the first resolution on a display of the portable computing device for adjustment of the image capture settings prior to the user of the video camera recording the activity, the video image content at the first resolution comprising a preview image of the scene which is not recorded on the camera or the personal portable computing device, the preview image allowing the user of the video camera to manually adjust an angle of the video camera with respect to the user of the video camera, and

generate the control signals to the wireless connection protocol device on the video camera to allow the user of the personal portable computing device to remotely adjust the image capture settings prior to the video camera recording the activity, wherein the control signals comprise at least one of frame alignment, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, data acquisition, and resolution setting adjustment and at least one of lighting setting adjustment, audio setting adjustment, and color setting adjustment.

2. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the user of the video camera is the user of the personal portable computing device.

20. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 1, wherein the video image content at the first resolution has a lower frame rate than a frame rate of the video image content at the second resolution.

3. A point of view digital video camera system, comprising:

a hands-free compact portable video camera, comprising;

a lens,

an image sensor configured to capture light propagating through the lens and representing a scene, and produce real time video image data of the scene,

a camera processor for receiving the video image data directly or indirectly from the image sensor, and

a wireless connection protocol device operatively coupled to the processor and configured to send video image content by wireless transmission directly to and receive control signals or data signals by wireless transmission directly from a personal portable computing device executing an application;

a mounting interface coupled to the video camera for mounting the video camera to a user of the video camera; and

a camera mount configured to be mounted to at least one of the body, a garment, and a vehicle of the user of the video camera, the camera mount configured to couple to the mounting interface to mount the video camera on at least one of the body, the garment, and the vehicle of the user of the video camera, wherein the camera mount is further configured for manual adjustment of the video camera with respect to the user of the video camera,

wherein the camera processor is configured to;

generate first video image content and second video image content corresponding to the video image data representing the scene, wherein the second video image content is a higher quality than the first video image content,

cause the wireless connection protocol device to send the first video image content directly to the personal portable computing device for display on a display of the personal portable computing device,

wherein the first video image content comprises a preview image of the scene, the preview image allowing the user of the video camera to manually adjust an angle of the video camera with respect to the user of the video camera, and

wherein the personal portable computing device generates the control signals for the video camera based at least in part on input received from a user of the personal portable computing device, wherein the control signals comprise at least one of a frame alignment, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, data acquisition, and a resolution setting, and at least one of a lighting setting, a color setting, and an audio setting,

receive, prior to a recording of the scene, the control signals from the personal portable computing device for adjusting one or more image acquisition settings of the video camera in accordance with input received at the personal portable computing device, and

based at least in part on a record command, cause the second video image content to be stored in a storage device at the video camera.

4. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the first video image content comprises at least one of a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the second video image content and a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the second video image content.

5. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the control signals comprise the color setting.

6. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the control signals comprise the lighting setting.

7. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the control signals comprise the audio setting.

8. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the video camera is configured as a server to the personal portable computing device.

9. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the video camera does not have a scene preview screen.

10. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 4, wherein the video camera does not have a screen for viewing the scene.

16. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the first video image content comprises a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the second video image content and a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the second video image content.

17. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 4, wherein the camera processor is further configured to:

monitor a wireless connection bandwidth between the wireless connection protocol device and the personal portable computing device, and

adjust at least one of the frame rate and the image resolution of the first video image content based at least in part on the monitored wireless connection bandwidth.

18. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the camera processor is further configured to cause the first video image content to be stored in the storage device at the video camera based at least in part on the record command.

19. The point of view digital video camera system of claim 3, wherein the user of the video camera is the user of the personal portable computing device.

11. A method for previewing and adjusting a scene to be recorded by a user on an integrated point of view digital video camera, the method comprising:

capturing in real time the scene using the video camera, wherein the video camera comprises;

a lens,

an image sensor configured to capture light propagating through the lens and representing the scene, and produce real time video image data of the scene,

a camera processor for receiving the video image data directly or indirectly from the image sensor, and

a wireless connection protocol device operatively coupled to the processor and configured to communicate directly with a personal portable computing device executing an application;

generating video image content corresponding to the scene to be recorded at a first quality and at a second quality, wherein the first quality is lower than the second quality;

wirelessly transmitting the video image content at the first quality in real time using the wireless connection protocol device of the video camera directly to the personal portable computing device of the user,

wherein the video image content at the first quality is displayed on a display of the personal portable computing device allowing the user to manually adjust an angle of the video camera with respect to the user using at least in part a mounting interface coupled to the video camera and a camera mount configured to be mounted to at least one of the body, a garment, and a vehicle of the user, and wherein the personal portable computing device generates control signals for adjusting image capture settings of the video camera, the control signals comprising at least one of a frame alignment, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, data acquisition, and a resolution setting, and at least one of a lighting setting, a color setting, and an audio setting;

receiving the control signals directly from the personal portable computing device to adjust the image capture settings of the video camera prior to recording the scene; and

based at least in part on a record command, storing the video image content at the second quality at the video camera.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the video image content at the first quality comprises at least one of a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the video image content at the second quality and a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the video image content at the second quality.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the video image content at the first quality comprises a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the video image content at the second quality and a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the video image content at the second quality.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring a wireless connection bandwidth between the wireless connection protocol device and the personal portable computing device, and

adjusting at least one of the frame rate and the image resolution of the video image content at the first quality based at least in part on the monitored wireless connection bandwidth.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising based at least in part on the record command, storing the video image content at the first quality at the video camera.