Video system and method for data communication

• US 10,110,795 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kraeling, Mark Bradshaw, Miner, Michael Scott, Clouse, Shannon Joseph, Azam, Anwarul, Blair, Matthew Lawrence, Naithani, Nidhi, Rao, Dattaraj Jagdish, Bind, Anju, Chaki, Sreyashi Dey, Nelson, Scott Daniel, Naphade, Nikhil Uday, Chung, Wing Yeung, Ballesty, Daniel Malachi, Shaffer, Glenn Robert, Kisak, Jeffrey James
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Application Number:
  US14/541,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20150070503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 348113-117, 348158
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/002 specially adapted for covering the peripheral part of the vehicle, e.g. for viewing tyres, bumpers or the like integrated in the windows B60R1/001; combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08
• 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 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A camera system and method capture image data with a camera, a data storage device electrically connected to the camera and configured to store the video data and/or a communication device electrically connected to the camera and configured to communicate the image data to a system receiver located remote from the camera. The system receiver may be located onboard a vehicle such that an operator can carry the camera off board the vehicle and communicate the image data back to the vehicle, when performing, for example, work on the vehicle or inspecting the vehicle or the environs of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a camera configured to capture at least image data; and

at least one of a data storage device electrically coupled to the camera and configured to store the image data, or a communication device electrically coupled to the camera and configured to communicate the image data to a system receiver;

a camera supporting object coupled to the camera;

a locator device configured to detect a location of the camera supporting object; and

a control unit configured to communicate with the system receiver and the locator device, and to control the camera based at least in part on the location of the camera supporting object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera supporting object is coupled to a garment configured to be worn by a worker, and the control unit is configured to control the camera to a first mode of operation responsive to the location of the worker indicating that the worker is at an operator terminal and to control the camera to a different, second mode of operation responsive to the location of the worker indicating that the worker is not at the operator terminal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein, in the first mode of operation, the camera is disabled from performing at least one of capturing, storing, or communicating the image data, and, in the second mode of operation the camera is enabled to perform at least one of capturing, storing, or communicating the image data.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the operator terminal is in an operator cab of a vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle control unit configured to control a vehicle based at least in part on the image data, the vehicle control unit also configured to prevent movement of the vehicle responsive to a first data content of the image data indicating that a worker wearing a garment to which the camera supporting object is connected is located outside an operator cab of the vehicle, the vehicle control unit also configured to allow movement of the vehicle responsive to a second data content of the image data indicating that the worker wearing the garment is located inside the operator cab.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle is one of a plurality of vehicles that are logically or mechanically coupled to form a consist having plural interconnected vehicle units, with at least one of the plural vehicle units being a powered vehicle unit, and the vehicle control unit is configured to prevent movement of the vehicle consist responsive to the first data content of the image data indicating that the camera is positioned between adjacent vehicle units of the vehicle consist and to allow movement of the vehicle consist responsive to the second data content of the image data indicating that the camera is not positioned between adjacent vehicle units of the vehicle consist.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle control unit comprises an image data analysis system configured to process the image data and thereby to identify the first data content and the second data content, and the vehicle control unit is configured to prevent and allow movement of the vehicle responsive to the first data and the second data, respectively, that is identified by the image data analysis system.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising a transportation system receiver disposed onboard the vehicle, wherein the transportation system receiver is configured to communicate network data other than the image data to at least one of onboard or off-board the vehicle and to switch to a mode for receiving the image data from the camera responsive to the camera being active to communicate the image data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the transportation system receiver is configured to wirelessly transmit the network data off-board of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the transportation system receiver is configured to transmit one or both of the network data and the image data onboard of the vehicle through an Ethernet network that is configured for the communication of data between the vehicle and one or more other vehicles.

19. The system of claim 5, wherein the locator device includes one or more of a global positioning system receiver, a beacon, or a radio frequency identification tag reader.

20. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to control movement of the vehicle based on one or more of brightness or light intensity in the image data.

21. The system of claim 5, wherein the system includes the communication device, and the communication device is configured to communicate the image data to different devices based on the location determined by the locator device.

22. The system of claim 5, wherein the system includes the communication device, and the communication device is configured to communicate the image data responsive to a change in an operating condition of the vehicle.

11. A method comprising:

obtaining image data from a camera configured to capture image data, and the camera being supported by a camera supporting object;

determining a location of the camera supporting object; and

controlling the camera based at least in part on the location of the camera supporting object that is detected by the locator device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the camera supporting object is a garment configured to be worn by a worker, the method further comprising switching the camera to a first mode of operation responsive to the location of the worker indicating that the worker is at an operator terminal of a vehicle and switching the camera to a different, second mode of operation responsive to the location of the worker.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising disabling the camera from at least one of capturing, storing, or communicating the image data responsive to determining that the camera is in the first mode of operation, and enabling the camera to said at least one of capturing, storing, or communicating the image data responsive to determining that the camera is in the second mode of operation.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the camera supporting object is a garment configured to be worn by a worker, the method further comprising preventing movement of a vehicle responsive to first data content of the image data indicating that the worker is located outside an operator cab of a vehicle and allowing the movement of the vehicle responsive to second data content of the image data indicating that the worker is located inside the operator cab.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising controlling the camera supporting device to travel relative to a ground vehicle and thereby to observe via the camera one or more of a vehicle, a wayside asset, or a route being traveled upon by the ground vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising examining the image data to:

identify damage to or the condition of one or more of the vehicle, the wayside asset, or the route being traveled upon by the ground vehicle, or

to predict imminent impact or damage to one or more of the vehicle, the wayside asset, or the route being traveled upon by the ground vehicle.

17. An imaging system comprising:

a camera configured to generate video data associated with a vehicle; and

one or more processors configured to control continuously recording of the video data according to at least one of a variable frame rate or a variable resolution that changes as operating conditions of the vehicle change, the one or more processors configured to increase the at least one of the variable frame rate or the variable resolution responsive to the operating conditions of the vehicle increasing and to decrease the at least one of the variable frame rate or the variable resolution responsive to the operating conditions of the vehicle decreasing.

18. An imaging system comprising:

a camera configured to image an environment in a vicinity of the vehicle, the camera transmitting imaging data indicative of images acquired;

a location sensor configured to generate signals constituting location data indicative of a geographic location of the vehicle;

a vehicle landmark database comprising a plurality of vehicle landmarks associated with respective geographic locations constituting landmark tags; and

one or more processors configured to receive the imaging data and the location data, the one or more processors configured to communicate with the vehicle landmark database to compare the location data with the geographic locations constituting the landmark tags, such that the one or more processors are configured to incorporate the landmark tag into the imaging data when the location data matches the geographic location constituting one of the landmark tags, such that the imaging data is searchable based on the landmark tags.