Local and remote video-camera control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11258937-B2
Application number	US-201916422488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2019
Priority date	Jun 28, 2016
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

This application describes techniques for controlling an apparatus that includes a camera both locally and remotely. The camera apparatuses described herein may include obfuscation components that function to selectively obfuscate a view of the camera at the request of a user. For instance, one particular camera apparatus may include a lens cap and an actuator to move the lens cap from a position in which the lens cap at least partially obfuscates the view of the camera to a position in which the lens cap does not (and vice versa). The camera apparatus may include a physical control to allow a user to locally request to open or close the lens cap, and may also include a network interface to communicate with a user device, thus allowing a user to remotely request to open or close the lens cap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
an obfuscation component to at least partly obfuscate a view of a camera;
one or more network components to enable communications with one or more devices via at least a personal area network (PAN) and a wide area network (WAN); and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
receiving, via the one or more network components, an indication to cease obfuscation of the view of the camera;
determining that the indication is received via the WAN;
continuing to obfuscate the view of the camera based at least in part on the determining that the indication is received via the WAN;
receiving, via the one or more network components, a second indication to cease obfuscation of the view of the camera;
determining that the second indication is received via the PAN; and
causing the obfuscation component to cease obfuscation of the view of the camera based at least in part on the determining that the second indication is received via the PAN.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , the acts further comprising:
sending, to a device, based at least in part on the determining that the indication is received via the WAN, a third indication that the obfuscation component will continue to obfuscate the view of the camera.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the obfuscation component comprises:
a lens cap configured to physically cover a lens of the camera; and
an actuator configured to move the lens cap from a first position physically covering the lens of the camera to a second position in which the lens cap ceases to obfuscate the lens of the camera.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the obfuscation component comprises a light-source configured to emit light substantially parallel to an optical axis of the camera, the light-source configured to turn on to at least partially obfuscate the view of the camera and turn off to cease obfuscation of the view of the camera.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the obfuscation component comprises:
a light-source configured to emit light; and
a lightguide to disseminate the light from the light source to at least partially obfuscate the view of the camera.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the acts further comprise:
receiving a third indication that the obfuscation component is unable to at least partly obfuscate the view of the camera; and
sending at least one image generated by the camera to a device.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a microphone to generate an audio signal based on sound from an environment of the apparatus; and
a speaker, proximate to the microphone;
and the acts further comprising:
receiving a third indication to mute the microphone; and
causing the speaker to generate noise to obfuscate at least a portion of the sound from the environment of the apparatus.

8. A system comprising:
a camera;
an obfuscation component configured to cover one or more lens of the camera;
one or more network components to enable communications with one or more devices via at least a personal area network (PAN) and one or more other networks;
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
receiving, via the one or more network components, a signal comprising an indication to cause the obfuscation component to move from a closed position to an open position;
determining that the signal is received via the one or more other networks;
maintaining the obfuscation component in the closed position based at least in part on the determining that the indication is received via the one or more other networks;
receiving, via the one or more network components, a second signal comprising a second indication to cause the obfuscation component to move from the closed position to the open position;
determining that the second signal is received via the PAN; and
causing the obfuscation component to move from the closed position to the open position based at least in part on the determining that the second signal is received via the PAN.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the obfuscation component comprises an actuator and a cover, and wherein causing the obfuscation component to move from the closed position to the open position comprises causing the actuator to move the cover to the open position.

10. The system as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a physical control to request to move the obfuscation component from the open position to the closed position.

11. The system as recited in claim 8 , the acts further comprising:
sending, to a device, based at least in part on the determining that the signal was received via the the one or more other networks a third indication that the obfuscation component will remain in the closed position.

12. The system as recited in claim 8 , the acts further comprising:
receiving authentication information from an electronic device based at least in part on determining that the signal was received via the one or more other networks, wherein the electronic device transmitted the signal; and
causing the obfuscation component to move from the closed position to the open position.

13. The system as recited in claim 8 , wherein the acts further comprise:
receiving a third indication that the obfuscation component encountered a foreign object and is unable to move from the at least one of the closed position to the open position or from the open position to the closed position; and
sending at least one image generated by the camera to a device.

14. The system as recited in claim 8 , further comprising:
a microphone to generate an audio signal based on sound captured from an environment; and
a speaker;
and the acts further comprising:
receiving data indicating to mute the microphone; and
causing the speaker to generate white noise to obfuscate at least a portion of sound from the environment present in the audio signal.

15. A method, comprising:
receiving, via one or more network components that enable communications with one or more devices via at least a personal area network (PAN) and one or more other networks, an indication to cease obfuscation of a view of a camera;
determining that the indication was received via the one or more other networks;
continuing to obfuscate the view of the camera based at least in part on the determining that the indication is received via the one or more other networks;
receiving, via the one or more network components, a second indication to cease obfuscation of the view of the camera;
determining that the second indication was received via the PAN; and
causing an obfuscation component associated with the camera to cease obfuscation of the view of the camera at least partly in response to the determining that the second indication was received via the PAN.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the indication comprises a first indication, and further comprising:
sending, to a device, data based at least in part on the determining that the indication via was received via the the one or more other networks that the obfuscation component will continue to obfuscate the view of the camera.

17. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein th

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Van Tuyl Bentley Peter
• Berenberg Paul
• Laffon De Mazieres Emmanuel J M

Classifications

• H04N7/183 Primary

  for receiving images from a single remote source · CPC title

• H04N23/661 Primary

  Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet · CPC title

• G06F3/165

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title

• G03B2206/00

  Systems for exchange of information between different pieces of apparatus, e.g. for exchanging trimming information, for photo finishing · CPC title

• H04N7/185

  from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control · CPC title