Modular floodlight system with supplemental motion detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12460808-B2
Application number	US-202118263832-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2021
Priority date	Feb 18, 2021
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

This document describes techniques directed to a modular floodlight system with supplemental motion detection. The modular floodlight system includes a camera unit magnetically coupled to an accessory unit. The accessory unit includes passive infrared, PIR, sensors that expand and supplement motion-detection capabilities of the camera unit. For example, the accessory unit PIR sensor provides a PIR field of view, FOV, that is different than the PIR FOV of the camera unit's PIR sensor. Motion detected in either or both of the PIR FOVs is used to cause of change in functionality of the camera system such as, for example, activating image capture by the camera unit and/or activating one or more lights on the modular floodlight system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A camera system comprising:
a camera unit including:
an image sensor configured to capture images of a scene; and
a camera unit passive infrared (PIR) sensor having a camera unit field of view (FOV) extending from the camera system;
an accessory unit magnetically coupled with the camera unit, the accessory unit including an accessory unit PIR sensor arranged to have an accessory unit FOV extending from the camera system that is different than and which supplements the camera unit FOV of the camera unit PIR sensor; and a processing unit configured to:
receive sensor readings from the accessory unit PIR sensor and the camera unit PIR sensor;
detect motion within at least one of the accessory unit FOV or the camera unit FOV based on the received sensor readings; and
cause a change in functionality of the camera system in response to detecting motion within at least one of the accessory unit FOV or the camera unit FOV.

2 . The camera system of claim 1 , wherein:
the accessory unit further comprises one or more light subassemblies; the processing unit is communicatively connected to the accessory unit PIR sensor, the one or more light subassemblies, and the camera unit PIR sensor; and the change in functionality of the camera system includes at least one of:
activation of the one or more light subassemblies to provide light to an environment of the camera system; or
activation of the image sensor to begin capturing images or recording video.

3 . The camera system of claim 1 , wherein the accessory unit FOV of the accessory unit PIR sensor has a horizontal angular range of 180 degrees.

4 . The camera system of claim 1 , wherein the accessory unit PIR sensor includes two PIR sensors oriented at 60 to 90 degrees relative to one another.

5 . The camera system of claim 1 , wherein the accessory unit further comprises a substrate mounted to a backside of the accessory unit PIR sensor, wherein the accessory unit PIR sensor includes a plurality of pins grounded by the substrate.

6 . The camera system of claim 5 , wherein the substrate is mounted to a flexible printed circuit via one or more surface mount technologies and used as a spacer with shielding for the accessory unit PIR sensor.

7 . The camera system of claim 5 , wherein the accessory unit further comprises a conductive adhesive positioned between the substrate and the accessory unit PIR sensor to ground the accessory unit PIR sensor and the plurality of pins of the accessory unit PIR sensor.

8 . The camera system of claim 5 , wherein the accessory unit further comprises a generally cylindrical metal tube positioned around sidewalls of the accessory unit PIR sensor to provide shielding for the sidewalls of the accessory unit PIR sensor.

9 . The camera system of claim 1 , wherein the accessory unit further comprises:
a housing; and a PIR lens attached to the housing and having a bowl shape to house the accessory unit PIR sensor.

10 . The camera system of claim 1 , further comprising a wallplate configured to be attached to the accessory unit and mounted to a surface, wherein the wallplate includes:
a trim plate having a disk-like shape with front and back sides; and a mounting gasket, the mounting gasket:
having a general ring shape;
being assembled to the trim plate; and
substantially covering a portion of each of the front and back sides of the trim plate.

11 . The camera system of claim 10 , wherein the mounting gasket includes one or more drainage slots defined in an exterior surface of the mounting gasket for enabling water drainage between the exterior surface of the mounting gasket and the surface to which the wallplate is mounted.

12 . The camera system of claim 11 , wherein the mounting gasket includes at least two drainage slots and a channel connecting the at least two drainage slots proximate to an edge of the mounting gasket.

13 . The camera system of claim 11 , wherein:
the mounting gasket includes at least three drainage slots and a channel connecting the at least three drainage slots proximate to an edge of the mounting gasket; the at least three drainage slots include a middle slot and two outer slots; and the two outer slots include sidewalls that are non-orthogonal to the edge of the mounting gasket to reduce water ingress when the wallplate is rotated about a center axis of the wallplate.

14 . The camera system of claim 13 , wherein the at least three drainage slots and the channel each have a depth substantially within a range of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

15 . The camera system of claim 10 , wherein the accessory unit further comprises:
a power supply unit; a cable connecting the power supply unit to a power source; and a shrink tube positioned around a portion of the cable proximate to a housing of the accessory unit to provide rigidity to the cable and prevent the cable from being pinched when the accessory unit is assembled to the wallplate.

16 . The camera system of claim 1 , wherein:
the accessory unit includes a magnet mount assembly configured to magnetically couple with the camera unit; and the magnet mount assembly includes a flexible concave surface that is complementary to a convex outer surface of the camera unit.

17 . The camera system of claim 1 , wherein:
the camera unit is a modular camera system; and the accessory unit has a modular structure having a magnetic mount that enables 3-axis articulation of the modular camera system.

18 . The camera system of claim 1 , further comprising a PIR module, the PIR module including:
a PIR holder; a PIR board mounted to a surface of the PIR holder, the PIR board populated with a processing unit communicatively coupled to the accessory unit PIR sensor and configured to operate the accessory unit PIR sensor; a PIR flex component assembled to the PIR holder and configured to be attached to the accessory unit PIR sensor; and a PIR lens affixed to the PIR holder and configured to cover the accessory unit PIR sensor.

19 . The camera system of claim 18 , wherein the PIR module further comprises:
a first gasket positioned between the PIR lens and the PIR holder; and a second gasket positioned between the PIR lens and a housing of the accessory unit.

20 . The camera system of claim 19 , wherein:
the housing of the accessory unit includes an aperture through which the PIR lens is positioned; the PIR lens is configured to attach to an interior surface of the housing of the accessory unit; and the accessory unit PIR sensor is positioned within the PIR lens and outside of the housing of the accessory unit.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Shih Poll
• Liu Che-Wei
• Liu Chia-Chi
• Chou Wen-Pin

Classifications

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• F21Y2113/00

  Combination of light sources · CPC title

• H04N23/52

  Elements optimising image sensor operation, e.g. for electromagnetic interference [EMI] protection or temperature control by heat transfer or cooling elements · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title