Security application using camera SOC with multi-sensor capabilities

• US 10,778,887 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2019
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ambarella International LP (Ambarella Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ambarella International LP (Ambarella Incorporated)
• Inventors: Xu, Ruian
• Primary Examiner(s): Dhillon, Peet
• Application Number:
  US16/426,278
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19606 Discriminating between target movement or movement in an area of interest and other non-signicative movements, e.g. target movements induced by camera shake or movements of pets, falling leaves, rotating fan
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19619 Details of casing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• 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: G08B 13/19695 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

An apparatus includes a first lens and first image sensor, a second lens and second image sensor, a first motion sensor, a second motion sensor, and a processor. The first image sensor may be configured to capture a first video image stream of a first field of view (FOV). The second image sensor may be configured to capture a second video image stream of a second FOV. The first motion sensor may be configured to detect motion in the first FOV. The second motion sensor may be configured to detect motion in the second FOV. The processor is generally coupled to the first image sensor, the first motion sensor, the second image sensor, and the second motion sensor, and configured to generate a third video image stream in response to one or more of the first video image stream and the second video image stream.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a first lens and first image sensor disposed within said housing and configured to capture a first video image stream of a first field of view (FOV);

a second lens and second image sensor disposed within said housing and configured to capture a second video image stream of a second FOV;

a first motion sensor disposed within said housing and configured to detect motion in said first FOV;

a second motion sensor disposed within said housing and configured to detect motion in said second FOV; and

a camera system on chip (SOC) with multi-sensor capabilities disposed within said housing and coupled to said first image sensor, said first motion sensor, said second image sensor, and said second motion sensor, wherein a processor of said camera system on chip (SOC) is configured to generate a third video image stream in response to one or more of said first video image stream and said second video image stream.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first lens and said first image sensor are mounted orthogonally relative to said second lens and said second image sensor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first FOV and said second FOV overlap by one or more degrees.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to track an object moving from the first or the second FOV to the second or the first FOV.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said processor is further configured to switch said first and said second image sensors on and off as said object moves from the first or the second FOV to the second or the first FOV.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said processor is further configured to utilize video analytics to determine when to switch said first and said second image sensors on and off as said object moves from the first or the second FOV to the second or the first FOV.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said processor is further configured to switch said first image sensor or said second image sensor on prior to said object moving from the first or the second FOV to the second or the first FOV, and switch said first image sensor or said second image sensor off after said object has moved from the second or the first FOV to the first or the second FOV.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said first motion sensor and said second motion sensor comprises a passive infrared (PIR) sensor.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said first motion sensor and said second motion sensor comprises a low resolution image sensor configured to detect at least one of motion and a person.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to determine when to switch said first and said second image sensors on and off based on inputs from said first motion sensor and said second motion sensor.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is battery powered.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to communicate said third video image stream to a monitoring device using a wireless protocol.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor performs video analytics to predict a direction of movement of an object to allow said first or said second image sensor to be started ahead of time, to be ready as soon as the object is in the first FOV or the second FOV.

14. A method of monitoring an area using a camera system on chip (SOC) with multi-sensor capabilities, said method comprising:

orienting a first lens and a first image sensor disposed within a housing containing said camera SoC to capture a first video image stream of a first field of view (FOV);

orienting a second lens and a second image sensor disposed within said housing containing said camera SoC to capture a second video image stream of a second FOV;

orienting a first motion sensor disposed within said housing containing said camera SoC and associated with said first image sensor to detect motion in said first FOV;

orienting a second motion sensor disposed within said housing containing said camera SoC and associated with said second image sensor to detect motion in said second FOV; and

generating a third video image stream in response to one or more of said first video image stream and said second video image stream using a processor of said camera SoC coupled to said first image sensor, said first motion sensor, said second image sensor, and said second motion sensor.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said first lens and said first image sensor are mounted orthogonally relative to said second lens and said second image sensor.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein said first FOV and said second FOV overlap by one or more degrees.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

using said processor to track an object moving from the first or the second FOV to the second or the first FOV; and

switching said first and said second image sensors on and off as said object moves from the first or the second FOV to the second or the first FOV.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said processor utilizes video analytics to determine when to switch said first and said second image sensors on and off as said object moves from the first or the second FOV to the second or the first FOV.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said processor is further configured to switch said first image sensor or said second image sensor on prior to said object moving from the first or the second FOV to the second or the first FOV, and switch said first image sensor or said second image sensor off after said object has moved from the second or the first FOV to the first or the second FOV.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein each of said first motion sensor and said second motion sensor comprises at least one of a passive infrared (PIR) sensor and a low resolution image sensor configured to detect at least one of motion and a person.