System and related methods for detecting an unholstering event and initiating a video recording

Abstract

A system for detecting an unholstering event of a holstered weapon 300 and initiating a video recording comprises one or more camera units including a video recording device and a wireless communicati

Description

Title: System and Related Methods for Detecting an Unholstering Event and Initiating a Video Recording Field of Invention. The present invention relates generally to the field of weapon management and detection. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for detecting that a weapon has been removed form a holster and in response initiating a video recording. Background Body cameras are used by many security forces such as police departments, investigative and enforcement departments of a government, and military forces, to record incidents. Such recordings obtained by body cameras can be particularly useful in incidents where weapons are drawn and used and, if properly handled, may serve as evidence in a subsequent proceeding to show whether weapon protocols were adhered to properly during the incident. Generally, the operation of a recording system may be initiated manually or by a trigger signal sent to the recording system via a conventional wireless communication protocol. It would be desirable for such a trigger to be sent to the recording device automatically, and since a situation where it is desirable to initiate a recording is when a security officer draws a weapon from a holster, sending such a trigger signal in response to detecting an unholstering event would also be desirable. Furthermore, it would be desirable for a system for detecting an unholstering event to be capable of adapting to different weapon types and environments. It is within this context that the present invention is provided. Summary The present disclosure provides a multi-sensor weapon removal detection system that reliably detects the presence, removal, and absence of a weapon in a holster by monitoring the multiple sensors in parallel. Upon a confirmed detection of the holstered weapon being removed, the system is configured to wirelessly transmit a trigger signal to one or more connected camera units to initiate a recording. Thus, according to one aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a system for detecting an unholstering event and initiating a video recording, the system comprising: one or more camera units, each comprising a video recording device, a power unit, and a wireless communications module; and one or more unholstering detection units, each comprising a power unit, a wireless communications module, a controller, and a plurality of sensors connected to the controller including a magnetometer, an NFC or RFID reader, and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and at least one microphone. In some cases the IMU may be integrated with the magnetometer. The controller is configured to: monitor a signal of each of the sensors; determine a quiescent level for each of the sensors; detect that one or more of the sensors has registered a signal which is above a threshold difference in amplitude away from the quiescent level for that sensor; and register an unholstering event and, in response, send an activation signal to one or more of the camera units to cause them to start a video recording. In one embodiment, the controller is pre-configured to use a specific sensor of the plurality of sensors as a primary sensor for detecting an unholstering event. Furthermore, the controller may be pre-configured to use the remaining sensors to correlate and confirm unholstering events detected via the primary sensor. In another embodiment, the controller is configured with an initialisation mode for automatically determining an optimum sensor from the plurality of sensors to use as a primary trigger for detecting an unholstering event. Entering the initialisation causes the controller to be configured to: monitor each of the plurality of sensors during a series of unholstering operations; identify which of the signals of the plurality of sensors reliably differs from the quiescent level by a threshold difference; and select the sensor with the most reliable signal change as the primary trigger. In some embodiments, the step of determining the quiescent level of each sensor comprises taking a series of samples of the sensor signal at regular intervals in a given environment to determine an environmental average and setting the environmental average as the quiescent level for that sensor. In some embodiments, the system comprises a plurality of interconnected pairs of camera units and unholstering detection units. Furthermore, each camera unit in the system may be assigned a UUID and a major and minor number within the UUID for identification and hierarchical arrangement. The controller may also be configured, in response to detecting an unholstering event, to send an activation signal to a plurality of the camera units in a pre-configured cascade or time sequence, utilising their major and minor UUID numbers. In some embodiments, the communications signal is a Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, signal. In some embodiments, the RFID or NFC reader of each unholstering detection unit is paired with a tag that is affixed to a weapon which is to be monitored by that unholstering detection unit. In some embodiments, each unholstering detection unit further comprises the holster itself. Finally, in some embodiments, one or more camera units of the system are placed on a security safe, door, or vehicle. Brief Description of the Drawings Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. FIG.1 illustrates a flow diagram of a core set of steps carried out by a controller in the system of the present disclosure. FIG.2 illustrates a block diagram of an example specific configuration of an unholstering detection unit suitable for use in a system according to the present disclosure. FIG.3 illustrates a perspective view of an example physical configuration of an unholstering detection unit according to the present disclosure in relation to a holstered weapon. FIG.4 illustrates an example situation where the system of the present disclosure can be used advantageously. Common reference numerals are used throughout the figures and the detailed description to indicate like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize that the above figures are examples and that other architectures, modes of operation, orders of operation, and elements / functions can be provided and implemented without departing from the characteristics and features of the invention, as set forth in the claims. Detailed Description and Preferred Embodiment The following is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments to illustrate the principles of the invention. The embodiments are provided to illustrate aspects of the invention, but the invention is not limited to any embodiment. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalent; it is limited only by the claims. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The system of the present disclosure provides a reliable and versatile way of initiating a video recording by one or more camera units in response to the removal of any kind of weapon from a holster. The system comprises these one or more camera units and at least one unholstering detection unit, which can either be a holster itself or which can be retrofit to a weapon holster, and which is able to reliably detect the removal of the weapon from the holster by monitoring multiple different types of sensor. The unholstering detection unit comprises the sensors, which include at the least a magnetometer, an NFC or RFID reader, an IMU, and aat least one microphone, the detection unit 5 further comprises a controller which may be in the form of a microprocessor and a wireless communications unit capable of sending and receiving signals. In some cases the IMU is integrated with the magnetometer. Furthermore, the at least one microphone may include multiple microphones positioned at different points on a holster device. Referring to FIG.1, a flow diagram is shown of a core set of steps carried out by the controller of the detection unit. In a first step 102, the controller is configured to monitor a signal of each of the sensors. The controller may do so in parallel continuously or by sampling the signal received from each sensor at a pre-determined rate. In one example the controller samples the magnetometer and NFC or RFID reader at a rate of 10Hz. In a second step 104, the controller is configured to determine a quiescent level for each of the sensors. A quiescent level as referred to herein means a level of environmental and signal noise that the controller uses as a baseline for detecting changes with respect to. The step of determining the quiescent level for each sensor in some examples comprises taking a series of samples of the sensor signal at regular intervals in a given environment to determine an environmental average, and setting the environmental average as the quiescent level for that Sensor. In a third step 106, the controller is configured to detect that one or more of the sensors has registered a signal which is above a threshold difference in amplitude away from the quiescent level for that sensor. The threshold difference may be pre-set for each sensor. For example a central server may determine an appropriate threshold difference for a given type of sensor when installing or updating firmware of the detection unit. In other examples, the controller can be entered into an initialisation or testing mode where a threshold difference can be set or adjusted for each sensor. For example a user may switch the device into an initialisation mode and perform several unholstering and re-holstering actions to allow the software of the controller to determine an appropriate signal amplitude and signature to expect when the weapon is unholstered. Naturally the amplitude and signature will vary between sensors, as well as between different weapons and environments. In some examples the controller may be further configured to use a particular sensor of the plurality of sensors as a primary trigger for detecting an unholstering event, and to use the remaining sensors for correlation and confirmation that the event occurred. This can be advantageous given that different types of sensor will detect an unholstering event more reliably in different environments and for different weapons. For example a taser device usually emits an audible click when it is unholstered, but is made of plastic. A magnetometer therefore may not provide a reliable trigger for the unholstering of the taser device, but a microphone would, and so would an RFID / NFC reader having a corresponding tag attached to the taser device. Therefore, the NFC / RFID sensor may be used as a primary and correlated using the microphone sensor, or vice versa — although in practice a microphone will rarely be used as the primary due to the high likelihood of the environment in which an unholstering event will occur being noisy. The initialisation mode mentioned above may also be useful in automatically selecting an optimal sensor to use as a primary trigger. Entering the initialisation mode may cause the controller to be configured to: monitor each of the plurality of sensors during a series of unholstering operations; identify which of the signals of the plurality of sensors reliably differs from the quiescent level by a threshold difference; and select the sensor with the most reliable signal change as the primary trigger. Finally, after a signal has been detected from a sensor that meets the controller’s criteria and is above a threshold difference from the quiescent level determined for that sensor, the controller in a fourth core step 108 is configured to register that an unholstering event has taken place and, in response, send an activation signal to one or more of the camera units to cause them to start a video recording. In some examples the signal is sent via the Bluetooth Low-Energy standard (BLE). In some cases the controller will only send the activation signal to a single camera unit which it is paired with, i.e. the body camera of an agent carrying the weapon which was detected as being unholstered, however the system provides for versatile interactions between various camera units, which can be tailored for specific operations co-ordinating multiple agents. For example, the system may comprise a hierarchy of interconnected detection units and camera units, each having an assigned universally unique identifier (UUID) and a major and minor number within that UUID. A UUID is a 128-bit number used to identify information in computer systems. When generated according to the standard methods, UUIDs are, for practical purposes, unique. Their uniqueness does not depend on a central registration authority or coordination between the parties generating them, unlike most other numbering schemes. Generally, a UUID contains 32 hexadecimal digits, split into 5 groups, separated by hyphens such as: f7826da6-4fa2-4e98-8024- bc5b71e0893e. Devices operating within the same system according to the present disclosure will all share a UUID, allowing them to identify and communicate with one another, and will be formed into a hierarchy by major and minor numbers within that UUID. The major and minor values are generally unsigned integers. Major values are intended to identify and distinguish a group whereas minor values are intended to identify and distinguish an individual device — for example distinguishing individual devices within a group of devices sharing a major value. Using this or another appropriate hierarchical communication system, devices within the disclosed system can activate video recordings form camera units in any manner desired. This could be a simultaneous activation of all camera units in an area capable of receiving the activation signal, a target activation of specific subsets of camera units, and even cascading and time-sequenced activation of different groups and individual camera units. In some cases, the activation signal may be sent by the unholstering detection unit to other unholstering detection units in the system, which in turn activate paired camera units. Referring to FIG.2, a specific configuration of the components of an unholstering detection unit 200 suitable for use in the system of the present disclosure is shown in block diagram view. The unit comprises various sensors 202 which are all run in parallel. These include a magnetometer 204 that comprises a shielding component 206 to reduce environmental noise and ensure that only signals from movement of a metallic weapon being removed from a holster trigger large signals. Another sensor which can be included is an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 208. The IMU 208 can be a useful secondary signal for correlating a primary trigger signal, given that an agent drawing a weapon form their holster will usually cause a detectable impact on the holster. Secondary impacts such as this can be useful in preventing false positive unholstering event detections. As mentioned above an NFC or RFID reader 210 is also included which is paired with a tag attached to whichever weapon is being monitored for an unholstering event. The tag can be either active or passive but in practice would usually be passive. Microphones — a lower microphone 212 and an upper microphone 214 in the present example — are also provided for detecting an audible noise made by an unholstering event, these are particularly useful for non-lethal weapons such as tasers that emit a distinctive click when they are removed form their holster. In practice a microphone would rarely be used as a primary trigger signal since the environment in which an agent would remove their weapon is likely to be loud and thus filled with environmental noise. The sensors shown in the present example are merely illustrative, and it will be understood that various other types of suitable sensor could also be used in combination with the present disclosure. The outputs of each of the sensors 202 will be fed into controller 216, which implements the methods described above in relation to FIG.1, and which also interfaces with a wireless transceiver 218 for communicating with a paired camera unit such as a body camera and other external devices as described above. The controller 216 Also controls first and second LED indicators 220 and 222 and an interface 224, such as a manual button or trigger, for causing the controller to enter an initialisation mode. The LED indicators are used to convey when the device is active, and when it is in initialisation mode, as well as various other states such as when an update is in progress. A power unit 226 and USB port / circuit 228 handle the powering of the various electronic components of the device. The power unit may comprise a rechargeable battery such as a lithium polymer battery. Firmware updates may be implemented wirelessly by a central server, or via the USB port that is also used to charge the device. Although not illustrated, the unit 200 may also comprise a separate RFID unit used for identification purposes as described above. Referring to FIG.3, a physical arrangement of the unholstering detection unit 200 is shown with the positions of some of the sensors shown in relation to a holstered weapon 300. As can be seen, the NFC / RFID reader is placed in close proximity to a tag 230 placed on the holstered weapon. The shielded magnetometer 204 is placed internally within the unit 200, whereas an upper microphone 214 is placed facing externally. The controller and wireless transceiver circuit have been incorporated on a single integrated control board 232 that receives feeds from the various Sensors. Referring to FIG.3, an example situation is shown where the above-described identification system and the ability to time sequence the activation of various camera units is advantageous. As can be seen, three groups of agents, group A 402, group B 404, and group C 406 are shown covering the entrances / exits of a building. Each agent is equipped with a camera unit capable of receiving an activation signal to start a video recording, and agent 408 of group A has an unholstering detection unit linked to their weapon. Since each camera unit can be assigned a major number indicating the group, A, B, or C, and a minor number indicating the individual within that group, the controller of the detection unit can be pre-configured to activate the camera units of every agent in a time sequence that aligns with the operation to be carried out. Thus, if the operation involves group A entering the building, followed by group B entering, followed by group C entering the building, the detection unit can be pre-configured to send a time-sequenced activation signal to the agents in all three groups based on the detection of a single unholstering event from the holster of agent 408. The system thus provides a completely versatile co-ordination tool that can be tailored to a given operation to create an evidence trail, efficiently and automatically. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative, not restrictive. While specific configurations of the system for detecting an unholstering event and initiating a video recording have been described in a specific manner referring to the illustrated embodiments, it is understood that the present invention can be applied to a wide variety of solutions which fit within the scope and spirit of the claims. There are many alternative ways of implementing the invention. A detector may store information in a memory (e.g., a log). Information stored by a detector may include information related to the operation and / or status of the detector. Information stored by a detector may be stored as an entry in the log. Each entry in a log may include the date and time of recording the entry. Information stored in a log may include detecting withdraw of a weapon from a holster, detecting insertion of a weapon into a holster, activation (e.g., starting, operation of) a mute operation of the recorder, resetting of the detector, setting of the time of the circuit used to generate timestamps or to record actions in the log, executing a software (e.g., firmware) upgrade, updates to user settings, reverting to an earlier version of software, and / or detecting a system fault. The mute operation, discussed in more detail below, alters the information transmitted in one or more notices for a period of time. A processing circuit includes any circuitry, component, and / or electrical / electronic subsystem for performing a function. A processing circuit may include circuitry that performs (e.g., executes) a stored program. A processing circuit may include a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit, a programmable logic device, logic circuitry, state machines, MEMS devices, signal conditioning circuitry, communication circuitry, a conventional computer, a conventional radio, a network appliance, data busses, address busses, and / or a combination thereof in any quantity suitable for performing a function and / or executing one or more stored programs. A processing circuit of a controller or microprocessor may further include conventional passive electronic components (e.g., resistors, capacitors, inductors) and / or active electronic component (op amps, comparators, analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, programmable logic). A processing circuit may include conventional data buses, output ports, input ports, timers, memory, and arithmetic units. A processing circuit may provide and / or receive electrical signals whether digital and / or analog in form. A processing circuit may provide and / or receive digital information via a conventional bus using any conventional protocol. A processing circuit may receive information, manipulate the received information, and provide the manipulated information. A processing circuit may store information and retrieve stored information. Information received, stored, and / or manipulated by the processing circuit may be used to perform a function and / or to perform a stored program. A memory stores information. A memory provides previously stored information. A memory may provide previously stored information responsive to a request for information. A memory may store information in any conventional format. A memory may store electronic digital information. A memory may provide stored data as digital information. A processing circuit may have a low power state in which only a portion of its circuits operate or it performs only certain function. A processing circuit may be switched (e.g., awoken) from a low power state to a higher power state in which more or all of its circuits operate or it performs additional certain functions or all of its functions. A processing circuit may control the operation and / or function of other circuits and / or components of a system. A processing circuit may receive status information regarding the operation of other components, perform calculations with respect to the status information, and provide commands (e.g., instructions) to one or more other components for the component to start operation, continue operation, alter operation, suspend operation, or cease operation. Commands and / or status may be communicated between a processing circuit and other circuits and / or components via any type of bus including any type of conventional data / address bus. A processing circuit may instruct a circuit or component to enter a low power state. A processing circuit may instruct a circuit or component to exit a low power state. A memory includes any semiconductor, magnetic, or optical technology (e.g., device, chip, system), or a combination thereof for storing information. A memory may receive information from a processing circuit for storage. A processing circuit may provide a memory a request for previously stored information. Responsive to the request the memory may provide stored information to the processing circuit. A memory may include any circuitry for storing program instructions and / or data. Storage may be organized in any conventional manner (e.g., program code, buffer, circular buffer, database). Memory may be incorporated in and / or accessible by a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, a sensor, a controller, and / or a processing circuit. A communication circuit transmits and / or receives information (e.g., data). A communication circuit may transmit and / or receive (e.g., communicate) information via a wired and / or wireless communication link. A communication circuit may communicate using wireless (e.g., radio, light, sound, vibrations) and / or wired (e.g., electrical, optical) mediums. A communication circuit may communicate using any wireless (e.g., Bluetooth, Zigbee, WAP, WiFi, NFC, IrDA, LTE, BLE, EDGE, EV-DO) and / or wired (e.g., USB, RS-232, Firewire, Ethernet) communication protocols. A sensor circuit detects (e.g., measures, witnesses, discovers, determines) a physical property (e.g., intensive, extensive, isotropic, anisotropic). A physical property may include momentum, capacitance, electric charge, electric impedance, electric reactance, inductance, electric potential (e.g., electromotive force), frequency, luminance, luminescence, magnetic field, magnetic flux, mass, electromagnetic field, pressure, spin, stiffness, temperature, tension, velocity, sound, heat, and time. A sensor circuit may detect a quantity, a magnitude, and / or a change in a physical property. A sensor circuit may detect a physical property and / or a change in a physical property directly and / or indirectly. A sensor circuit may detect a physical property and / or a change in a physical property of an object. A sensor circuit may detect a physical quantity (e.g., extensive, intensive). A physical quantity may be positive, negative, or zero. A sensor circuit may detect a change in a physical quantity directly and / or indirectly. A sensor circuit may detect one or more physical properties and / or physical quantities at the same time (e.g., in parallel), at least partially at the same time, or serially. A sensor circuit may deduce (e.g., infer, determine, calculate) information related to a physical property. A physical quantity may a magnitude of any of the physical properties discussed above. For example, a physical quantity may include an amount of time, an elapse of time, a magnitude of an electric current, an amount of electrical charge, a magnitude of a current density, a magnitude of a voltage, an amount of capacitance, an amount of inductance, a magnitude of impedance, a magnitude of reactance, a magnitude of a magnetic field, and a flux density. A sensor circuit may provide force to detect a physical property and / or a physical quantity. A force may include an electromotive force (e.g., voltage, current). A force may be provided before, coincident with, and / or after detecting. A force may be provided once, periodically, repeatedly, and / or as needed. An electromotive force may include a direct current (“DC”) or an alternating current (“AC”). For example, a sensor circuit may provide a voltage to detect a capacitance. A sensor circuit may provide a current to generate an electromagnetic field and / or to detect a change in an electromagnetic field. A sensor circuit may provide a current to an LC circuit (e.g., LC tank circuit) to cause the LC circuit to oscillate. Providing a force may include providing a current to a coil to produce an electromagnetic field. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as would be apparent from the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the above description, discussions utilizing terms such as, but not limited to, "activating", "accessing", "adding", "applying", "analyzing", "associating", "calculating", "capturing", "classifying", "comparing", "creating", "defining", "detecting", "determining", "eliminating", "extracting", "forwarding", "generating", "identifying", "implementing", "obtaining", "processing", "providing", "receiving", "sending", "storing", "transferring", "transforming", "transmitting", "using", etc., refer to the action and process of a computing system or similar electronic device that manipulates and operates on data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computing system memories, resisters, caches or other information storage, transmission or display devices. Those of skill in the art will readily recognize that the algorithms and operations presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computing system, computer architecture, computer or industry standard, or any other specific apparatus. Various general purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teaching herein, or it may prove more convenient / efficient to construct more specialized apparatuses to perform the required operations described herein. The required structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent to those of skill in the art, along with equivalent variations. In addition, the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language and it is appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the present invention as described herein, and any references to a specific language or languages are provided for illustrative purposes only and for enablement of the contemplated best mode of the invention at the time of filing.

Claims

Claims What is claimed is:

1. Asystem for detecting an unholstering event and initiating a video recording, the system comprising: one or more camera units, each comprising a video recording device, a power unit, and a wireless communications module; and one or more unholstering detection units, each comprising a power unit, a wireless communications module, a controller, and a plurality of sensors connected to the controller including a magnetometer, an NFC or RFID reader, and a at least one microphone; wherein the controller is configured to: monitor a signal of each of the sensors; determine a quiescent level for each of the sensors; detect that one or more of the sensors has registered a signal which is above a threshold difference in amplitude away from the quiescent level for that sensor; and register an unholstering event and, in response, send an activation signal to one or more of the camera units to cause them to start a video recording.

2. Asystem according to claim 1, wherein the controller is pre-configured to use a specific sensor of the plurality of sensors as a primary sensor for detecting an unholstering event.

3. Asystem according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further pre-configured to use the remaining sensors to correlate and confirm unholstering events detected via the primary Sensor.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured with an initialisation mode for automatically determining an optimum sensor from the plurality of sensors to use as a primary trigger for detecting an unholstering event, wherein entering the initialisation causes the controller to be configured to: monitor each of the plurality of sensors during a series of unholstering operations; identify which of the signals of the plurality of sensors reliably differs from the quiescent level by a threshold difference; and select the sensor with the most reliable signal change as the primary trigger.

5. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the step of determining the quiescent level of each sensor comprises taking a series of samples of the sensor signal at regular intervals in a given environment to determine an environmental average and setting the environmental average as the quiescent level for that sensor.

6. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the system comprises a plurality of interconnected pairs of camera units and unholstering detection units.

7. Asystem according to claim 6, wherein each camera unit in the system is assigned a UUID and a major and minor number within the UUID for identification and hierarchical arrangement.

8. Asystem according to claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured, in response to detecting an unholstering event, to send an activation signal to a plurality of the camera units in a pre-configured cascade or time sequence, utilising their major and minor UUID numbers.

9. Asystem according to any preceding claim, wherein the communications signal is a Bluetooth Low Energy, BLE, signal.

10. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the RFID or NFC reader of each unholstering detection unit is paired with a tag that is affixed to a weapon which is to be monitored by that unholstering detection unit.

11. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein each unholstering detection unit further comprises the holster itself.

12. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the sensors further comprise an inertial measurement unit, IMU.

13. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one microphone comprises multiple microphones placed at different points on a holster.

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