Smart headgear

• US 10,484,652 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2016
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Equisight LLC
• Original Assignee: Equisight LLC
• Inventors: Hobby, Kenleigh C., Gowing, Brendan, Matt, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Villecco, John
• Application Number:
  US15/206,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,228 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/042 Optical devices night vision goggles G02B23/12
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0433 Detecting, signalling or lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3866 carried on the head
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for a smart helmet includes a camera, a communication subsystem, and a control subsystem. The control subsystem processes the video data from the camera and the communication subsystem transmits this video data from the smart helmet to a destination device.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a smart headgear comprising;

a plurality of cameras comprising a front facing camera, a rear facing camera, a first side facing camera, and a second side facing camera, wherein the second side facing camera is opposite to the first side facing camera, wherein the front facing camera generates a first video data, the rear facing camera generates a second video data, the first side facing camera generates a third video data, and the second side facing camera generates a fourth video data,

wherein the first video data, the second video data, third video data, and fourth video data provide a 360 degree view around the smart headgear, and wherein the 360 degree view is seen from a perspective viewed from the smart headgear,

wherein the front facing camera, rear facing camera, first side facing camera, and second side facing camera are each coupled to the smart headgear,

a communication subsystem directly coupled to and directly positioned on the smart headgear,

a control subsystem directly coupled to and directly positioned on the smart headgear, and

a link directly coupled to and directly positioned on the smart headgear, wherein the link communicatively couples the cameras, the communication subsystem, and the control sub system,

wherein the control subsystem is configured to process each video data from the cameras into a manipulated signal and the communication subsystem is configured to wirelessly transmit the manipulated signal from the smart headgear to a destination device and wherein the manipulated signal provides the 360 degree view that is seen from the perspective viewed from the smart headgear;

wherein the control subsystem manipulates the first video data, second video data, third video data, and fourth video data into the manipulated signal comprising a wireless data stream having a transmittable encoding format, and wherein the control subsystem generates the manipulated signal prior to the communication subsystem wirelessly transmitting the manipulated signal from the smart headgear to the destination device; and

wherein the wireless data stream comprises a wireless data streaming video that shows the 360 degree view.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the manipulated signal provides a virtual experience perspective and an immersive-style video.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a microphone coupled to the smart headgear and configured to capture audio data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the destination device comprises a server.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the smart headgear comprises:

a head-mount portion and a shell that is removably coupled to the head-mount portion; and

wherein the cameras, the communication subsystem, and the control subsystem are each mounted on the shell.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the smart headgear includes a package embedded on a surface of the smart headgear and wherein the package includes at least one of the communication subsystem and the control subsystem.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a telemetry subsystem coupled to the smart headgear and configured to capture telemetric data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the destination device comprises a mobile telephone.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the manipulated signal is transmitted at TV White Spaces (TVWS) frequencies.

10. A method, comprising:

generating, by a front facing camera, a first video data;

generating, by a rear facing camera, a second video data;

generating, by a first side facing camera, a third video data;

generating, by a second side facing camera, a fourth video data;

wherein the second side facing camera is opposite to the first side facing camera;

wherein the front facing camera, rear facing camera, first side facing camera, and second side facing camera are each coupled to a smart headgear;

wherein the rear facing camera is 180 degrees from the front facing camera and wherein the front facing camera provides a point of view (POV) of a wearer of the smart headgear;

wherein the first video data, the second video data, third video data, and fourth video data provide a 360 degree view around the smart headgear, and wherein the 360 degree view is seen from a perspective viewed from the smart headgear;

processing, by a control subsystem directly coupled to and directly positioned on the smart headgear, each video data from the cameras into a manipulated signal; and

wirelessly transmitting, by a communication subsystem directly coupled to and directly positioned on the smart headgear, the manipulated signal from the smart headgear to a destination device and wherein the manipulated signal provides the 360 degree view that is seen from the perspective viewed from the smart headgear;

wherein the smart headgear comprises a link that is directly coupled to and directly positioned on the smart headgear, wherein the link communicatively couples the cameras, the communication subsystem, and the control subsystem;

wherein the control subsystem manipulates the first video data, second video data, third video data, and fourth video data into the manipulated signal comprising a wireless data stream having a transmittable encoding format, and wherein the control subsystem generates the manipulated signal prior to the communication subsystem wirelessly transmitting the manipulated signal from the smart headgear to the destination device; and

wherein the wireless data stream comprises a wireless data streaming video that shows the 360 degree view.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the manipulated signal provides a virtual experience perspective and an immersive-style video.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the destination device comprises a mobile telephone.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

capturing, by a microphone coupled to the smart headgear, audio data.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the destination device comprises a server.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

capturing, by a telemetric subsystem coupled to the smart headgear, telemetric data.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein wirelessly transmitting the manipulated signal comprises:

transmitting the manipulated signal at TV White Spaces (TVWS) frequencies.