Method and system with multiple camera units installed in protective enclosure

• US 9,635,319 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2013
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosco Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Rosco Incorporated
• Inventors: Englander, Benjamin, Serer, Julian, Plate, Peter, Balsam, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Application Number:
  US13/972,210
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 348100-162
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• 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 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• 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 9/806 with processing of the sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A system and method for simultaneously and continuously capturing video from the interior and exterior of a vehicle. The system includes, for example, a first housing including a first connection mechanism, first and second cameras and a memory disposed in the first housing. The system also includes a second housing including a second connection mechanism adapted to be removably connected to the first connection mechanism of the first housing and encasing said first housing within the second housing. A mounting mechanism is adjustably connected to said second housing and configured to maintain at least one of the first camera and the second camera in a predetermined position by adjusting the second housing. Additional embodiments are also described including a method for capturing data.

Claims

1. A method for determining distractions to a driver, comprising:

recording first data by a first camera configured to provide a first viewing area in a first direction to enable review of events including distractions to the driver, the first camera disposed in a housing comprising a first viewing area;

transmitting the first data to at least one memory;

storing continuously by the at least one memory the first data captured from the first camera, and the recording the first data further comprising a continuous loop recording wherein the oldest captured video is overwritten with the newest captured video when the at least one memory is full;

measuring a force with at least one accelerometer;

transmitting second data representing the measured force to the at least one memory;

storing by the at least one memory the second data representing the measured force;

storing the first data from the first camera and the second data from the at least accelerometer in at least one of;

a protected portion of the at least one memory, a protected second memory, or marking the predetermined length of the video as non-erasable in the at least one memory, responsive to determining at least one of that the force measured by the at least accelerometer or the speed exceeds the predetermined threshold, a predetermined event and the driver distraction event; and

determining distractions to the driver using the video from the first camera.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the distractions further comprises determining the distractions to the driver using the recorded video and displaying the video.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the distractions further comprises determining the distractions to the driver using the recorded video while recording the first data by the first camera.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said recording the first data further comprises recording the first data by the first camera configured to provide a first viewing area in a first direction including video of at least one of a driver and passenger to enable review of the events including the distractions to the driver.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data comprises video including audio captured inside and outside of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording audio of at least one of the interior and exterior of the vehicle; and

storing the recorded audio by the at least one memory.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of displaying and recording the first data comprising video captured by the first camera in a continuous loop, the continuous loop recording over the oldest captured video with the newest captured video without recording over the protected portion.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a predetermined length of the first data comprising video from the first camera and at least one of the measurement of the force and a location associated with the measurement of the force for display together.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a predetermined length of the first data comprising video from the first camera, speed of the vehicle during video capture, direction of travel of the vehicle during vehicle capture, a measurement from the accelerometer during video capture, the driver distraction event and a location of the vehicle during video capture for display to a user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising counting the number of measurements by the accelerometer exceeding the predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising counting the number of at least one type of recording event in the aggregate using a separate counter for each type of event, and displaying at least one recording event responsive to the counting.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising counting the number of at least one type of recording event comprising the driver distraction event, and displaying the driver distraction event responsive to the counting.

13. A method for reviewing video captured of the interior and exterior of a vehicle, comprising:

transmitting data comprising video captured from a first camera comprising video of at least one of the driver and passenger to enable review of events including distractions to the driver, speed of the vehicle during the video capture, direction of travel of the vehicle during the vehicle capture, a measurement of force from at least one accelerometer during the video capture, and vehicle location during video capture;

displaying, simultaneously, video from the first camera comprising video of at least one of the driver and passenger to enable review of events including distractions to the driver, the speed of the vehicle during video capture, the direction of travel of the vehicle during video capture, the measurement from at least one accelerometer during video capture, and the vehicle location of the vehicle during video capture responsive to the occurrence of predetermined events; and

manipulating of the video from the first camera, the manipulating comprising at least one of normal speed playback, fast forwarding, rewinding, and slow motion playback.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising searching at least one of the video and events based on at least one of user, time, location and type of event including distractions to the driver.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining the distractions to the driver using the data.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said transmitting the data further comprises transmitting the data by the first camera configured to provide a first viewing area in a first direction including video of at least one of a driver and passenger to enable review of the events including the distractions to the driver.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

recording audio of at least one of the interior and exterior of the vehicle; and

storing the recorded audio by the at least one memory.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising at least one of displaying and recording the data comprising video captured by the first camera in a continuous loop, the continuous loop recording over the oldest captured video with the newest captured video without recording over the protected portion.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying a predetermined length of the data comprising video from the first camera and at least one of the measurement of the force and a location associated with the measurement of the force for display together.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying a predetermined length of the data comprising video from the first camera, speed of the vehicle during video capture, direction of travel of the vehicle during vehicle capture, a measurement from the accelerometer during video capture, the driver distraction event and a location of the vehicle during video capture for display to a user.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising counting the number of measurements by the accelerometer exceeds a predetermined threshold.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising counting the number of at least one type of at least one recording event using a separate counter for each type of event, and displaying at least one recording event responsive to the counting.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising counting the number of at least one type of recording event comprising the driver distraction event, and displaying the driver distraction event responsive to the counting.

24. A method for reviewing video captured of the interior and exterior of a vehicle, comprising:

transmitting data from at least one memory,

the at least one memory containing at least one protected computer file,

the at least one protected computer file representing video captured from a first camera and a second camera, the speed of the vehicle during the video capture, the direction of travel of the vehicle during the vehicle capture, a measurement of force from at least one accelerometer during the video capture, and the latitude and longitude of the vehicle during video capture;

displaying, simultaneously, video from the first camera and the second camera, the speed of the vehicle during video capture, the direction of travel of the vehicle during video capture, a measurement from at least one accelerometer during video capture, and the latitude and longitude of the vehicle during video capture; and

manipulating of the video from at least one of the first camera and the second camera, the manipulating comprising at least one of normal speed playback, fast forwarding, rewinding, and slow motion playback.

25. A method for determining driver distraction while recording vehicle data, comprising:

recording first data by a first camera configured to provide a first viewing area in a first direction, the first camera disposed in a housing comprising a first viewing area and a second viewing area, wherein the first camera aligned with the first viewing area;

recording second data by a second camera configured to provide a second viewing area in a second direction including video of at least one of the driver and passenger to enable review of events including distractions to the driver, the second camera disposed in the housing, wherein the second camera aligned with the second viewing area;

transmitting the first and second data to at least one memory;

storing continuously by the at least one memory the first and second data captured from each of the first camera and the second camera, and the recording the first and second data further comprising a continuous loop recording wherein the oldest captured video is overwritten with the newest captured video when the at least one memory is full;

measuring a force with at least one accelerometer and speed of the vehicle direction of travel and location of the vehicle during video capture,

transmitting third data representing the measured force, the speed, the direction and the location to the at least one memory;

storing by the at least one memory the third data representing the measured force;

storing the first and second data from at least one of the first camera and the second camera and the third data from the at least accelerometer in at least one of;

a protected portion of the at least one memory, a protected second memory, or marking the predetermined length of the video as non-erasable in the at least one memory, responsive to determining at least one of that the force measured by the at least accelerometer exceeds the predetermined threshold and detection of the driver distraction event; and

determining distractions to the driver using the video from at least one of the first camera and the second camera including video of at least one of the driver and passenger to enable review of events including distractions to the driver, the speed of the vehicle during video capture, the direction of travel of the vehicle during video capture, a measurement from at least one accelerometer during video capture, and the latitude and longitude of the vehicle during video capture.