Safety accessory with situational awareness and data retention

• US 9,833,031 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Erwin, Michael W., Gillan, Bartley S., Hurley, II, William W., Lamm, Ben E., Wheat, Philip A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj, Dave
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUMFIELD, SHANIKA M
• Application Number:
  US14/286,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20140348484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 348115
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/042 Optical devices night vision goggles G02B23/12
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/046 Means for detecting hazards or accidents
• 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 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A video recording system for a head safety device includes a microcontroller and an accelerometer mounted in the head safety device. The accelerometer is coupled to the microcontroller. A plurality of camera modules are mounted on the head safety device and coupled to the microcontroller. The camera modules are positioned facing outward to obtain images at different angles of an environment surrounding the head safety device. The microcontroller receives data from the accelerometer and automatically initiates video recording with the camera modules when movement of the head safety device, as sensed using the accelerometer, reaches or exceeds a selected movement threshold.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receive a selection of a use of a wearable safety device, the selection made using at least one switch that is located on the wearable safety device and that selects between at least two different uses of the wearable safety device that are associated, in the memory, with at least two different acceleration threshold values;

determine an acceleration threshold value based on at least one user-input parameter, the acceleration threshold value being adjusted based on the selected use of the wearable safety device that is selected using the at least one switch;

receive accelerometer data from at least one accelerometer that is attached to the wearable safety device; and

based on the accelerometer data indicating that a change in movement of the wearable safety device is at least the acceleration threshold value, provide video data generated by at least one camera module that is attached to the wearable safety device, wherein the video data captures a field of view in proximity to the wearable safety device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein providing the video data includes:

causing the at least one camera module to begin generating the video data; and

receiving the video data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the video data is stored in a buffer; and

providing the video data includes saving, from the buffer to data storage, at least a portion of the video data that is generated during a time period that includes a time when the change in movement is at least the acceleration threshold value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera module is arranged to capture at least two different views from the wearable safety device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the accelerometer data describes the movement of the wearable safety device in multiple directions; and

the video data is provided based on the change in movement in at least one of the multiple directions being at least the acceleration threshold value.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the change in movement is an acceleration of the wearable safety device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to provide the video data based on a change in audio data generated by at least one audio input device attached to the wearable safety device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one user-input parameter includes one or more of:

an average speed of a wearer of the wearable safety device; and

a weight of the wearer of the wearable safety device.

9. A computer-implemented method performed by at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, a selection of a use of a wearable safety device, the selection made using at least one switch that is located on the wearable safety device and that selects between at least two different uses of the wearable safety device that are associated, in memory, with at least two different acceleration threshold values;

determining, by the at least one processor, an acceleration threshold value based on at least one user-input parameter, the acceleration threshold value being adjusted based on the selected use of the wearable safety device that is selected using the at least one switch;

receiving, by the at least one processor, accelerometer data from at least one accelerometer that is attached to the wearable safety device; and

based on the accelerometer data indicating that a change in movement of the wearable safety device is at least the acceleration threshold value, providing, by the at least one processor, video data generated by at least one camera module that is attached to the wearable safety device, wherein the video data captures a field of view in proximity to the wearable safety device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the video data includes:

causing the at least one camera module to begin generating the video data; and

receiving the video data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the video data is stored in a buffer; and

providing the video data includes saving, from the buffer to data storage, at least a portion of the video data that is generated during a time period that includes a time when the change in movement is at least the acceleration threshold value.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one camera module is arranged to capture at least two different views from the wearable safety device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the accelerometer data describes the movement of the wearable safety device in multiple directions; and

the video data is provided based on the change in movement in at least one of the multiple directions being at least the acceleration threshold value.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the change in movement is an acceleration of the wearable safety device.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing, by the at least one processor, the video data, based on a change in audio data generated by at least one audio input device attached to the wearable safety device.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

based on the accelerometer data indicating that the change in movement of the wearable safety device is at least the acceleration threshold value, causing, by the at least one processor, an emergency message to be sent.

17. A wearable safety device comprising:

at least one accelerometer;

at least one camera module; and

a microcontroller communicatively coupled to the at least one accelerometer and the at least one camera module, the microcontroller configured to;

receive a selection of a use of a wearable safety device, the selection made using at least one switch that is located on the wearable safety device and that selects between at least two different uses of the wearable safety device that are associated, in memory, with at least two different acceleration threshold values;

determine an acceleration threshold value based on at least one user-input parameter, the acceleration threshold value being adjusted based on the selected use of the wearable safety device that is selected using the at least one switch;

receive accelerometer data from the at least one accelerometer, the accelerometer data indicating a change in movement of the wearable safety device; and

based on the change in movement being at least the acceleration threshold value, provide video data generated by the at least one camera module, wherein the video data captures a field of view in proximity to the wearable safety device.

18. The wearable safety device of claim 17, further comprising:

an inner shell; and

an outer shell;

wherein the at least one accelerometer and the microcontroller are between the inner shell and the outer shell.

19. The wearable safety device of claim 17, further comprising:

at least one vent;

wherein the at least one camera module is in the at least one vent.

20. The wearable safety device of claim 17, further comprising at least one audio input device communicatively coupled to the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to provide the video data based on a change in audio data generated by the at least one audio input device.