Video-monitoring safety systems and methods

• US 6,420,977 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2000
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BBNT Solutions LLC (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BBNT Solutions LLC (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Corbitt, Timothy W., Passman, William S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US09/557,194
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 340/937, 340/435, 340/426, 340/539, 340/933, 348/333.01, 348/333.13, 348/142, 348/147, 348/149, 348/159, 348/49
• US Class Current: 340/937
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/00 Safety means for rail/road crossing traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/246 Signals or brake- or lighting devices mounted on the road vehicle and controlled from the vehicle or train
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A system facilitates visual monitoring of a dangerous location. The system includes a stationary camera device (110) and at least one mobile display device (120) corresponding to at least one vehicle. The camera device (110) captures a video image of the dangerous location and transmits video signals representative of the captured video image. The display device (120) receives the video signals from the camera device (110) when the corresponding vehicle is in proximity to the camera device (110) and presents the video signals as a video image of the dangerous location to a driver of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for visually monitoring a plurality of dangerous street locations, comprising:

a plurality of camera devices corresponding to the dangerous street locations, each of the camera devices being configured to capture a video image of the corresponding dangerous street location and transmit video signals representative of the captured video image; and

at least one mobile display device, corresponding to at least one vehicle operable on a street, configured to receive the video signals from each of the camera devices when the corresponding street vehicle is in proximity to the camera device and present the video signals as a video image of the corresponding dangerous street location to a driver of the street vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the camera devices includes:

a camera configured to capture the video image of the corresponding dangerous street location, and

a radio transmitter configured to transmit the video signals as radio signals on a predetermined radio channel.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the radio transmitter in each of the camera devices transmits video signals on the same predetermined radio channel.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the display device includes:

a radio receiver tuned to the predetermined radio channel to receive the video signals.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device includes at least one of a liquid crystal display and a projection-type display.

6. A system for visually monitoring a dangerous location, comprising:

a plurality of camera devices configured to capture different video images corresponding to the dangerous location and transmit video signals representative of the captured video images, each of the camera devices being configured to transmit the video signals on different communication channels;

at least one first mobile display device, corresponding to at least one first vehicle, configured to receive the video signals from a first one of the communication channels when the corresponding first vehicle is in proximity to a corresponding one of the camera devices and present the video signals as a video image corresponding to the dangerous location to a driver of the first vehicle; and

at least one second mobile display device, corresponding to at least one second vehicle, configured to receive the video signals from a second one of the communication channels when the corresponding second vehicle is in proximity to a corresponding one of the camera devices and present the video signals as a video image corresponding to the dangerous location to a driver of the second vehicle.

7. A method for visually monitoring a dangerous location, comprising:

capturing video images of different views corresponding to the dangerous location by a plurality of camera devices;

transmitting video signals representative of the different views on a corresponding plurality of different communication channels;

receiving the video signals from a first one of the communication channels by at least one first mobile display device, corresponding to at least one first vehicle, when the corresponding first vehicle is in proximity to a corresponding one of the camera devices and presenting the video signals as a video image corresponding to the dangerous location to a driver of the first vehicle; and

receiving the video signals from a second one of the communication channels by at least one second mobile display device, corresponding to at least one second vehicle, when the corresponding second vehicle is in proximity to a corresponding one of the camera devices and presenting the video signals as a video image corresponding to the dangerous location to a driver of the second vehicle.

8. A system for visually monitoring a dangerous location, comprising:

a plurality of camera devices configured to capture video images corresponding to the dangerous location and transmit video signals representative of the captured video images, each of the camera devices being configured to transmit the video signals on different communication channels; and

at least one mobile display device, corresponding to at least one vehicle, configured to;

tune to one of the communication channels,

receive the video signals on the one communication channel when the vehicle is in proximity to a corresponding one of the camera devices, and

present the video signals as a video image corresponding to the dangerous location to an occupant of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein when tuning to the one communication channel, the at least one mobile display device is configured to receive input from an occupant of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein when presenting the video signals to the occupant of the vehicle, the at least one mobile display device is configured to provide a textual description of the dangerous location.

11. A monitoring device within an automobile, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive video signals on different communication channels from a plurality of camera devices when the automobile is in proximity to the camera devices, each of the camera devices capturing video images of one or more corresponding dangerous locations;

at least one user control configured to permit an occupant of the automobile to tune to one of the communication channels; and

a display device configured to present the video signals corresponding to the one communication channel as a video image of the corresponding dangerous location to a driver of the automobile.