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

• US 9,742,975 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2015
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Contour IP Holding, LLC (iON Contour)
• Original Assignee: Contour IP Holding, LLC (iON Contour)
• Inventors: O'Donnell, Laura, Mander, Richard, Denton, Michael, Bodley, Ben, Tompkins, Alan, Gurganus, Keith, Barnsdale, Kelvin P., Third, Simon, Pierce, Carm, Perkins, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): PARIKH, DAKSHESH D
• Application Number:
  US14/702,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20150237252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 video camera system, comprising:

a first digital video camera and a second digital video camera, each respective digital video camera comprising;

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;

a wireless connection protocol device configured to send real time image content by wireless transmission directly to and receive at least one control signal by wireless transmission directly from a wireless connection-enabled controller; and

a camera processor configured to;

receive the real time video image data,

generate a first stream of video image content at a first resolution and a second stream of video image content at a second resolution in real time based at least in part on same real time video image data of the real time video image data, wherein the first resolution is lower than the second resolution,

communicate first video image content from the first stream of the respective digital video camera using the wireless connection protocol device to the wireless connection-enabled controller,

receive the at least one control signal from the wireless connection-enabled controller,

perform at least one action based at least in part on the at least one control signal received from the wireless connection-enabled controller, wherein the at least one action comprises synchronizing start and/or stop of recording with other digital video camera of the first digital video camera or the second digital video camera, and at least one of adjusting at least one setting of the respective digital video camera or accessing a file stored at the respective digital video camera, and

in response to a record command, cause second video image content from the second stream of the respective digital video camera to be stored at the respective digital video camera nearly synchronously with the second stream of the other digital video camera being stored at the other digital video camera, wherein

the wireless connection-enabled controller comprises executable instructions for execution on a handheld personal portable computing device, wherein when executed, the executable instructions cause the handheld personal portable computing device to;

receive the first video image content generated by the first digital video camera,

receive the first video image content generated by the second digital video camera,

concurrently display the first video image content generated by the first digital video camera and the first video image content generated by the second digital video camera on a display of the handheld personal portable computing device thereby allowing one or more users of the first digital video camera and the second digital video camera to manually adjust at least one of a position or orientation of the first digital video camera and/or the second digital video camera with respect to each other to record the scene,

access a plurality of video camera controls of the first digital video camera and the second digital video camera, wherein the plurality of video camera controls comprise a color setting and at least one of a frame alignment, a multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, or a resolution setting,

generate the at least one control signal for the first digital video camera and the second digital video camera based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of video camera controls, and

communicate the at least one control signal to the first digital video camera and the second digital video camera.

2. The video camera system of claim 1, wherein the first video image content of the first digital video camera comprises a lower bit rate than a bit rate of the second video image content of the first digital video camera.

3. A video camera system, comprising:

a first digital video camera, the first digital video camera comprising;

a first lens;

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

a first wireless connection protocol device configured to send real time image content by wireless transmission to and receive at least one first control signal by wireless transmission from a personal portable computing device executing an application; and

a first camera processor configured to;

receive the first real time video image data,

generate a first stream of image data and a second stream of image data from same real time video image data of the first real time video image data, wherein image data of the second stream is a higher quality than image data of the first stream,

cause the wireless connection protocol device to send first real time image content from the first stream to the personal portable computing device for display on a display of the personal portable computing device, wherein the personal portable computing device accesses a plurality of first video camera controls and generates the at least one first control signal for the first digital video camera based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of first video camera controls, and wherein the plurality of first video camera controls comprise a color setting and at least one of a frame alignment, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, or a resolution setting,

receive the at least one first control signal from the personal portable computing device,

perform at least one first action based at least in part on the at least one first control signal received from the personal portable computing device, wherein the at least one first action comprises at least one of adjusting at least one first setting of the first digital video camera or accessing a first file stored at the first digital video camera, and

in response to a record command, cause second real time image content from the second stream to be stored in a first storage device at the first digital video camera as a first video file; and

a second digital video camera, the second digital video camera comprising;

a second lens;

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

a second wireless connection protocol device configured to send real time image content by wireless transmission to and receive at least one second control signal by wireless transmission from the personal portable computing device executing the application; and

a second camera processor configured to;

receive the second real time video image data,

generate a third stream of image data and a fourth stream of image data from same real time video image data of the second real time video image data, wherein image data of the fourth stream is a higher quality than image data of the third stream,

cause the second wireless connection protocol device to send third real time image content from the third stream to the personal portable computing device for concurrent display on the display of the personal portable computing device with the first real time image content from the first stream, wherein the personal portable computing device accesses a plurality of second video camera controls and generates the at least one second control signal for the second digital video camera based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of second video camera controls, and wherein the plurality of second video camera controls comprise multi-camera synchronization and at least one of a color setting, a frame alignment, remote file access, or a resolution setting,

receive the at least one second control signal from the personal portable computing device,

perform at least one second action based at least in part on the at least one second control signal received from the personal portable computing device, wherein the at least one second action comprises synchronizing start and/or stop of recording with the first digital video camera, and at least one of adjusting at least one second setting of the second digital video camera or accessing a second file stored at the second digital video camera, and

in response to the record command, cause fourth real time image content from the fourth stream to be stored in a second storage device at the second digital video camera as a second video file nearly synchronously with the second real time image content from the second stream being stored at the first digital video camera.

4. The video camera system of claim 3, wherein the first stream and the second stream comprise substantially same video image content at at least one of different resolutions, different bit rates, or different frame rates.

5. The video camera system of claim 3, wherein the first digital video camera and the second digital video camera do not include a screen.

6. The video camera system of claim 3, wherein the at least one first control signal further comprises a lighting setting comprising a lighting level and the first camera processor is configured to adjust a video camera lighting level based at least in part on the lighting level from the at least one first control signal.

7. The video camera system of claim 3, wherein the at least one first control signal further comprises an audio setting and the first camera processor is configured to adjust a video camera audio setting based at least in part on the audio setting from the at least one first control signal.

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

9. The video camera system of claim 3, wherein the first real time image content comprises at least one of a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the second real time image content from the second stream, a first bit rate that is lower than a second bit rate of the second real time image content, or a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the second real time image content.

10. The video camera system of claim 3, wherein based at least in part on the record command, the first camera processor is further configured to cause other real time image content from the first stream to be stored in the storage device at the first digital video camera as a third video file, wherein the other real time image content corresponds to the second real time image content at a lower quality.

11. The video camera system of claim 10, wherein the first camera processor is further configured to cause the first wireless connection protocol device to wirelessly communicate content from the third video file directly to the personal portable computing device for display on the display of the personal portable computing device based at least in part on an end of recording.

12. The video camera system of claim 3, wherein the first real time image content comprises a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the second real time image content from the second stream and a first bit rate that is lower than a second bit rate of the second real time image content.

13. The video camera system of claim 3, wherein the first stream comprises a first bit rate that is lower than a second bit rate of the second stream.

31. The video camera system of claim 3, wherein quality of the first stream is same as quality of the third stream and quality of the second stream is same as quality of the fourth stream.

14. A method for synchronizing digital video cameras, the method comprising:

producing first video image data of a first scene using at least in part a first image sensor of a first digital video camera;

generating, using a first camera processor of the first digital video camera, video image content at a first quality and at a second quality based at least in part on same video image data of the first video image data, wherein the first quality is lower than the second quality;

wirelessly communicating first video image content at the first quality in real time using a first wireless connection protocol device of the first digital video camera to a personal portable computing device, wherein the first video image content at the first quality is displayed on a display of the personal portable computing device, thereby allowing a user to manually adjust at least one of a position or orientation of the first digital video camera to record the first scene, wherein the personal portable computing device accesses a plurality of first video camera controls and generates at least one first control signal based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of first video camera controls, the plurality of first video camera controls comprising a color setting and at least one of a frame alignment, a multi-camera synchronization, or a resolution setting;

receiving, by the first camera processor, the at least one first control signal from the personal portable computing device;

performing at least one first action based at least in part on the at least one first control signal received from the personal portable computing device, wherein the at least one first action comprises at least one of adjusting at least one setting of the first digital video camera or accessing a file stored at the first digital video camera;

based at least in part on a record command, causing second video image content at the second quality to be stored at the first digital video camera as a first video file;

producing second video image data of a second scene using at least in part a second image sensor of a second digital video camera;

generating, using a second camera processor of the second digital video camera, video image content at a third quality and at a fourth quality based at least in part on same video image data of the second video image data, wherein the third quality is lower than the fourth quality;

wirelessly communicating third video image content at the third quality in real time using a second wireless connection protocol device of the second digital video camera to the personal portable computing device, wherein the third video image content at the third quality is displayed on the display of the personal portable computing device concurrently with the first video image content at the first quality, thereby allowing a user to manually adjust at least one of a position or orientation of the second digital video camera to record the second scene, wherein the personal portable computing device accesses a plurality of second video camera controls and generates at least one second control signal based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of second video camera controls, the plurality of second video camera controls comprising a multi-camera synchronization and at least one of a color setting, a frame alignment, or a resolution setting;

receiving, by the second camera processor, the at least one second control signal from the personal portable computing device;

performing at least one second action based at least in part on the at least one second control signal received from the personal portable computing device, wherein the at least one second action comprises synchronizing start and/or stop of recording with the first digital video camera; and

based at least in part on the record command, causing fourth video image content at the fourth quality to be stored at the second digital video camera as a second video file nearly synchronously with the second video image content at the second quality being stored at the first digital video camera.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first quality is same as the third quality and the second quality is same as the fourth quality.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

based at least in part on the record command, causing fifth video image content at the first quality to be stored at the first digital video camera as a third video file, wherein the fifth video image content corresponds to the second video image content at a lower quality; and

based at least in part on an end of recording, wirelessly communicating content from the third video file to the personal portable computing device for display on the display of the personal portable computing device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein 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 video image content at the second quality, a first bit rate that is lower than a second bit rate of video image content at the second quality, or a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of video image content at the second quality.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein video image content at the first quality comprises a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of video image content at the second quality and a first bit rate that is lower than a second bit rate of video image content at the second quality.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein video image content at the first quality comprises a first bit rate that is lower than a second bit rate of video image content at the second quality.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the first digital video camera does not include a screen.

21. A video camera system, comprising:

a first digital video camera, the first digital video camera comprising;

a first lens;

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

a first wireless connection protocol device configured to send real time image content by wireless transmission directly to and receive first control signals by wireless transmission directly from a personal portable computing device executing an application; and

a first camera processor configured to;

receive the first real time video image data,

generate a first image data stream and a second image data stream based at least in part on same real time video image data of the first real time video image data, wherein the second image data stream is a higher quality than the first image data stream,

cause the first wireless connection protocol device to send first image content from the first image data stream directly to the personal portable computing device for display on a display of the personal portable computing device, wherein the personal portable computing device generates the first control signals for the first digital video camera, and wherein the first control signals comprise a color setting and at least one of a frame alignment, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, or a resolution setting,

receive the first control signals from the personal portable computing device, and

adjust one or more first settings of the first digital video camera based at least in part on at least a portion of the first control signals received from the personal portable computing device, and

based at least in part on a record command, cause second image content from the second image data stream to be stored in a first storage device at the first digital video camera as a first file; and

a second digital video camera, the second digital video camera comprising;

a second lens;

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

a second wireless connection protocol device configured to send real time image content by wireless transmission directly to and receive second control signals by wireless transmission directly from a personal portable computing device executing an application; and

a second camera processor configured to;

receive the second real time video image data,

generate a third image data stream and a fourth image data stream based at least in part on same real time video image data of the second real time video image data, wherein the fourth image data stream is a higher quality than the third image data stream,

cause the second wireless connection protocol device to send third image content from the third image data stream directly to the personal portable computing device for concurrent display on the display of the personal portable computing device with the first image content from the first image data, wherein the personal portable computing device generates the second control signals for the second digital video camera, and wherein the second control signals comprise at least one of a color setting, a frame alignment, multi-camera synchronization, remote file access, or a resolution setting,

receive the second control signals from the personal portable computing device,

synchronize start and/or stop of recording with the first digital video camera based at least in part on at least a portion of the second control signals received from the personal portable computing device, and

based at least in part on the record command, cause fourth image content from the fourth image data stream to be stored in a second storage device at the second digital video camera as a second file nearly synchronously with the second image content from the second image data stream being stored in the first storage device at the first digital video camera.

22. The video camera system of claim 21, wherein quality of the first image data stream is same as quality of the third image data stream and quality of the second image data stream is same as quality of the fourth image data stream.

23. The video camera system of claim 21, wherein based at least in part on the record command, the first camera processor is further configured to cause fifth image content from the first image data stream to be stored in in the first storage device at the first digital video camera as a third file.

24. The video camera system of claim 23, wherein the first camera processor is further configured to cause the first wireless connection protocol device to wirelessly communicate content from the third file directly to the personal portable computing device for display on the display of the personal portable computing device based at least in part on an end of recording.

25. The video camera system of claim 21, wherein the first control signals further comprise a lighting setting comprising a lighting level and the first camera processor is configured to adjust a lighting level of the first digital video camera based at least in part on the lighting level from the first control signals.

26. The video camera system of claim 21, wherein the first control signals further comprise an audio setting and the first camera processor is configured to adjust a video camera audio setting based at least in part on the audio setting from the first control signals.

27. The video camera system of claim 21, wherein the first digital video camera is configured as a server to the personal portable computing device.

28. The video camera system of claim 21, wherein the first image data stream comprises at least one of a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the second image data stream or a first frame rate that is lower than a second frame rate of the second image data stream.

29. The video camera system of claim 21, wherein the first image data stream comprises a first image resolution that is lower than a second image resolution of the second image data stream and a first bit rate that is lower than a second bit rate of the second image data stream.

30. The video camera system of claim 21, wherein the first image data stream comprises a first bit rate that is lower than a second bit rate of the second image data stream.