Image recording system and method

• US 6,738,089 B1
• Filed: 10/26/2000
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Computron Display Systems
• Original Assignee: Computron Display Systems
• Inventors: Silc, Ronald G.
• Primary Examiner(s): RAO, ANAND SHASHIKANT
• Application Number:
  US09/698,949
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 348/36-39, 348/143-148
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/00 Arrangements for holding or mounting articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0033 Rear-view mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0052 using screws, bolts, rivets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0082 collapsible, e.g. for storing after use
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A camera system and method are provided which are particularly well-suited for use in school buses for recording vehicles violating the stop-arm on the bus. The system and method provide advantages in terms of the ability to record both oncoming and upcoming vehicles relative to the bus that violate the stop-arm via one camera mounted to the bus and a redirecting mechanism disposed in the camera'"'"'s field of view. More particularly, the redirecting mechanism can be a prism having reflective surfaces mounted in front of the lens of the camera with the surfaces oriented to redirect images from forward and rearward of the stop-arm through the camera lens. A video recording mechanism records the images redirected through the lens. In a preferred form, a video display monitor displays the images redirected through the lens to the driver of the school bus.

Claims

1. An image recording system for simultaneously recording images in different fields of view, the image recording system comprising:

a camera;

a lens of the camera for receiving images in a predetermined field of view;

a redirecting mechanism disposed in the predetermined field of view which simultaneously redirects images in at least two fields of view that are not in the predetermined field of view through the lens; and

an image recording mechanism of the camera for transferring the simultaneously received images through the lens onto an image recording medium, wherein the redirecting mechanism comprises a prism having light reflective surfaces thereon with the prism being fixed relative to the camera.

2. The image recording system of claim 1 wherein the lens has a central axis, and the redirecting mechanism includes light reflective surfaces at predetermined angles relative to the central axis for reflecting images from at least two fields of view off the surfaces and through the lens.

3. The image recording system of claim 1 wherein the camera is a video camera and the image recording mechanism includes video tape on which the simultaneously received images are recorded.

4. The image recording system of claim 3 wherein the video camera includes a tape speed control for adjusting the speed at which the video tape records images thereon.

5. The image recording system of claim 1 wherein the image recording mechanism includes a solid-state system, and the camera includes a video camera having a control for allowing the number of frames of video per second that are recorded to be adjusted.

6. The image recording system of claim 1 wherein the camera is a video camera that includes a mount for attaching the camera to a vehicle, and a monitor of the video camera inside the vehicle for simultaneously displaying the images from the two fields of view.

7. The image recording system of claim 6 wherein the monitor includes a screen having one portion of the screen for displaying images from one of the two fields of view and another portion of the screen for displaying images from the other of the two fields of view.

8. The image recording system of claim 6 wherein the camera lens faces out laterally from the vehicle, and the redirecting mechanism redirects images from forwardly and rearwardly directed fields of view relative to the vehicle for recording oncoming and upcoming other vehicles.

9. A video camera system for a school bus that simultaneously records images of cars from different predetermined areas about the bus, the video camera system comprising:

a video camera mounted to the bus for recording images received from a first preselected area about the bus; and

an image redirecting mechanism in the first area configured and arranged to redirect images from predetermined second and third areas about the bus to the video camera so that images from the different predetermined areas are simultaneously recorded by the video camera with the second and third areas being separated from and non-overlapping with each other with the corresponding images from the second and third areas being distinct from each other, and the second and third areas being generally at opposite ends of the bus forwardly and rearwardly of the bus for simultaneously recording distinct images of oncoming and approaching vehicles, respectively, relative to the bus.

10. The video camera system of claim 9 including a monitor in the bus that displays the images that are simultaneously recorded to allow an operator of the bus to view the images in the different predetermined areas by viewing the monitor.

11. The video camera system of claim 9 wherein the video camera is mounted to the bus to face laterally out therefrom, and the redirecting mechanism includes light reflective surfaces at predetermined positions relative to the camera such that images from either side of the camera are reflected thereto.

12. A method for recording images from different fields of view, the method comprising:

positioning a camera so that it has a selected field of view;

providing an image reflector in the predetermined field of view of the camera;

redirecting images with the image reflector to the camera from at least two fields of view different from the camera selected field of view;

recording the redirected images from the at least two fields of view with the camera; and

feeding the redirected images to a remote monitor as they are being recorded to allow for real-time viewing of the images from the different fields of view.

13. The method of claim 12 including mounting the camera to a school bus so that when the school bus is stopped to pick up or drop off children the selected field of view of the camera is generally directed laterally out from the bus, and the image reflector redirects images from generally forwardly and rearwardly directed fields of view relative to the stopped bus.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein images are redirected from different fields of view that do not overlap each other.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the image reflector is provided to reflect images from different fields of view that do not overlap with the camera selected field of view.