Dual lens camera unit

• US 10,757,378 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2018
• Issued: 08/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digital Ally Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Digital Ally Incorporated
• Inventors: Ross, Stanton E., Han, Peng
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung Q
• Application Number:
  US16/126,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20190028677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/026 by using processor, e.g. microcomputer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a portable digital video system sized to be worn on the user'"'"'s body and equipped with a plurality of lens assemblies for recording video in a plurality of directions. In one embodiment, the invention includes a camera unit comprising a first lens assembly, a second lens assembly, a first housing containing the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly, a battery unit, a first storage memory, controller circuitry operable to receive video data from the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly and store the video data in the first storage memory, and a second housing containing the battery unit and attached via a cable to the first housing unit. In some embodiments, the system is equipped with both volatile and non-volatile memory for continuous recording with permanent storage of key video segments.

Claims

1. A camera unit:

a first lens assembly having a first optical axis;

a second lens assembly having a second optical axis being different than and generally opposed to the first optical axis;

a housing containing both the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly,

wherein the second lens assembly is permanently and rotatably mounted such that the second optical axis is configured to allow manual rotation relative to the first optical axis,

wherein the manual rotation is about an axis perpendicular to the first optical axis;

a memory element for storing recorded video data from both the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly,

wherein the storing the recorded video data is performed by storing pre-event buffer data,

wherein the pre-event buffer data includes the recorded video data without audio data;

wherein an instruction to record causes recording the audio data; and

a controller configured to

receive video data from the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly and store the video data and a timestamp as metadata for synchronizing the video data;

receive an indication that an external camera has received the instruction to record;

receive an identifier associated with the external camera;

write the identifier as metadata associated with the video data; and

upload the recorded video data to an external computing device, wherein the identifier allows the recorded data to be subsequently linked with video data from the external camera.

2. The camera unit of claim 1,

wherein the first optical axis is configured to be oriented toward an interior of a law enforcement vehicle,

wherein the second optical axis is configured to be generally outward from the law enforcement vehicle.

3. The camera unit of claim 1, wherein the instruction to record is automatically triggered by a triggering event.

4. The camera unit of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to instruct recording to begin upon said receiving of the indication that the external camera has received an instruction to record.

5. The camera unit of claim 1,

wherein the camera unit is a vehicle recording device operable to record video data and audio data,

wherein the vehicle recording device is operable to be mounted in a law enforcement vehicle.

6. The camera unit of claim 1,

wherein the camera unit is a personal recording device operable to record video data and audio data,

wherein the personal recording device is operable to be worn by a law enforcement officer.

7. The camera unit of claim 1, wherein the camera unit is an infrared camera.

8. The camera unit of claim 1,

wherein the identifier is a unique serial number that is indicative of an unalterable serial number of the external camera.

9. The camera unit of claim 1,

wherein the external camera stores a second identifier associated with the camera unit in video data recorded by the external camera.

10. The camera unit of claim 1,

wherein the external computing device is a smartphone carried by a law enforcement officer,

wherein the smartphone is configured to display the recorded data.

11. The camera unit of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to send a signal indicative that recording has begun.

12. The camera unit of claim 1, wherein the external camera is within a certain range of the camera unit when said indication that an external camera has received an instruction to record is received.

13. The camera unit of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

store a location indication where the data was recorded in metadata; and

continue to record until receiving an instruction to stop recording from a law enforcement officer.

14. A system comprising:

a first camera unit; and

a second camera unit including

a first lens assembly having a first optical axis;

a second lens assembly having a second optical axis being different than and generally opposed to the first optical axis;

a housing containing both the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly,

wherein the second lens assembly is permanently and rotatably mounted such that the second optical axis is configured to allow manual rotation relative to the first optical axis,

wherein the manual rotation is about an axis perpendicular to the first optical axis;

a memory element for storing video data both the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly; and

a controller configured to

receive video data from the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly and store the video data and a timestamp as metadata for synchronizing the video data,

wherein the storing the video data is performed by storing pre-event buffer data,

wherein the pre-event buffer data includes the video data without audio data;

wherein moving to a recording status begins recording the audio data;

receive an indication that the first camera unit has received an instruction to record;

receive an identifier associated with the external second camera unit;

write the identifier as metadata associated with the recorded data; and

upload the recorded video data to an external computing device,

wherein the identifier allows the recorded data to be subsequently linked with video data from the external second camera unit.

15. The system of claim 14,

wherein the second camera unit is a vehicle recording device operable to record video data and audio data,

wherein the vehicle recording device is operable to be mounted in a law enforcement vehicle,

wherein the first camera unit is a personal recording device operable to record video data and audio data,

wherein the personal recording device is operable to be worn by a law enforcement officer.

16. The system of claim 14,

wherein the external camera is within a certain range of the second camera unit

wherein the controller is configured to send a signal indicative that recording has begun.

17. A system comprising:

a first camera unit; and

a second camera unit including

a first lens assembly having a first optical axis;

a second lens assembly having a second optical axis being different than and generally opposed to the first optical axis;

a housing containing both the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly,

wherein the second lens assembly is permanently and rotatably mounted such that the second optical axis is configured to allow manual rotation relative to the first optical axis,

wherein the manual rotation is about an axis perpendicular to the first optical axis;

a memory element for storing video data both the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly; and

a controller configured to

receive video data from the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly and store the video data and a timestamp as metadata for synchronizing the video data,

wherein the storing the video data is performed by storing pre-event buffer data,

wherein the pre-event buffer data includes the video data without audio data,

wherein moving to a recording status begins recording the audio data;

wherein the first camera unit is within a certain range of the second camera unit;

receive an identifier associated with the first camera unit;

send a signal indicative that recording has begun;

write the identifier as metadata associated with the recorded data; and

upload the recorded video data to an external computing device,

wherein the identifier allows the recorded data to be subsequently linked with video data from the external camera.