Wearable Camera Distributed Control for Automatic Incident Recording
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for controlling wearable cameras in law enforcement require manual user intervention, leading to missed recordings during critical incidents due to user distraction.
Innovation Solution
A system with distributed control functionality, where devices like wearable cameras can automatically change settings based on notifications received from peripheral devices, such as a weapon or vehicle status sensors, using short-range wireless communication and notification processing engines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual user control is used for wearable cameras, then user can operate the camera, but user distraction causes missed recordings during critical incidents
Solution Approach 1:
The camera device automatically detects events using its own sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone) and changes recording settings without requiring user intervention. The device serves itself by autonomously determining when to record based on detected environmental cues such as sudden movements, impacts, or audio events.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors environmental parameters through sensors and uses this feedback to automatically adjust recording settings. When sensors detect critical events like impacts or unusual movements, the system receives feedback and automatically transitions to recording mode, ensuring reliable capture of important incidents.
2Reliability
If automatic event detection is implemented, then recording reliability improves, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing
Solution Approach 1:
The camera device performs multiple functions: it serves as both a recording device and an event detection system. The same sensors used for basic camera operations (motion detection, orientation sensing) are also utilized for event detection, eliminating the need for separate dedicated sensors and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the event detection functionality with the existing camera system. The notification processing engine integrates sensor data from accelerometers, gyroscopes, and microphones that are already present in modern wearable cameras, merging multiple functions into a unified system rather than adding separate components.
3Extent of automation
If distributed control system is used with multiple devices, then automation capability improves, but system complexity and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The notification processing engine acts as an intermediary component within the camera device that receives notifications from other devices (such as weapon devices or vehicle devices), processes them, and automatically adjusts camera settings in response. This mediator architecture enables automated distributed control without requiring complex direct communication between all device pairs.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems involving distributed control functions are described herein. Each member or device within the system has responsibility for controlling part of the system's behavior, and includes logic to determine what action, if any, will follow as a response to determining information or receiving information from other members or devices within the system. A change of status of one member of a system may provide a basis for action by another member of the system. Status may be the result of sensing a condition of the environment, sensing the condition of a component, receiving the output of a conventional sensor, and/or sensing the condition of a link between components. In some embodiments, action taken by a member of the system may include collecting data during law enforcement activities.