Portable video camera/recorder having video security feature

• US 9,307,217 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ambarella International LP (Ambarella Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ambarella Incorporated
• Inventors: Day, Christopher N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wendmagegn, Girumsew
• Application Number:
  US13/915,862
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 386/228, 386/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/79 Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording

Abstract

An apparatus includes a camera, a memory, and a control circuit. The camera may be configured to generate a first video stream having a first bitrate and a second video stream having a second bitrate. The second bitrate may be lower than the first bitrate. The memory may be configured to store the first video stream and the second video stream. The control circuit may be configured to upload the second video stream from the memory to a user device via a wireless protocol in response to at least one predetermined emergency-related event.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a camera configured to generate a first video stream having a first bitrate and a second video stream having a second bitrate, wherein said first and said second video streams are generated in parallel using a single image sensor and said second bitrate is lower than said first bitrate;

a memory configured to store said first video stream and said second video stream; and

a control circuit configured to automatically upload a previously recorded portion of said second video stream from said memory to a user device via a wireless protocol in response to said control circuit detecting at least one of (i) said apparatus being removed from a mounted position and (ii) an attempt to remove said memory from said apparatus.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second bitrate is reduced through at least one of lower resolution, lower frame rate, higher predicted frames to reference frame ratio, and change in one or more quantization parameters.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control circuit is further configured to stream said second video stream live from said camera to said user device in addition to uploading said previously recorded portion of the second video stream stored in said memory.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is further enabled to automatically upload said previously recorded portion of said second video stream in response to at least one of detection of a sound of breaking glass and detection of a loud noise.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is further enabled to automatically upload said previously recorded portion of said second video stream in response to a panic button located remotely from said camera being pressed.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said panic button is located on at least one of a steering wheel, a dashboard, and a key fob.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising wireless communication interface supporting one or more of Bluetooth, ZigBee, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.15.1, IEEE 802.15.2, IEEE 802.15.3, IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.15.5, and IEEE 802.20.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is configured to be mounted on or near one or more of a windshield of a vehicle, a helmet, an article of clothing, a pair of eyeglasses, a building structure.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said memory comprises non-volatile memory.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said non-volatile memory comprises one or more of a flash memory, an SD card, an xD-picture card, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card.

11. A system comprising:

a camera configured to record a first video stream having a first resolution and a second video stream having a second resolution, wherein said first and said second video streams are generated in parallel using a single image sensor, said second resolution is lower than said first resolution, and said camera is further configured to automatically transmit a previously recorded portion of said second video stream to a user device via a first wireless protocol in response to said camera detecting at least one of (i) an attempt to remove a memory storing said first and said second video streams from said camera and (ii) said camera being removed from a mounted position; and

said user device, configured to store said second video stream transmitted by said camera and automatically upload said second video stream to a remote location using a second wireless protocol.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said user device comprises at least one of a cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said user device communicates said second video stream to at least one of a secure server, a cloud computer, a security service, a police department.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein said camera is further configured to automatically transmit said previously recorded portion of said second video stream to said user device via said first wireless protocol in response to at least one of said camera detecting a sound of glass being broken and said camera detecting a loud noise.

15. A method of preserving recorded events comprising:

generating a first video stream having a first bitrate and a second video stream having a second bitrate, wherein said first and said second video streams are generated in parallel using a single image sensor and said second bitrate is lower than said first bitrate;

storing said first video stream and said second video stream in a memory; and

in response to a camera embodying said image sensor and said memory storing said first video stream and said second video stream detecting an attempt to remove said memory from said camera, automatically uploading a previously recorded portion of said second video stream from said memory to a user device via a first wireless protocol.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

uploading said second video stream from said user device to a remote location via a second wireless protocol.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said first and said second wireless protocols comprise one or more of Bluetooth, ZigBee, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.15.1, IEEE 802.15.2, IEEE 802.15.3, IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.15.5, and IEEE 802.20.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein said second wireless protocol comprises one or more of GSM, CDMA, GPRS, UMTS, CDMA2000, and 3GPP LTE.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising automatically uploading said previously recorded portion of said second video stream from said memory to said user device via said first wireless protocol in response to said camera embodying said image sensor being removed from a mounted position.