Systems and methods for enhanced performance of camera devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12506941-B2
Application number	US-202418605512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2024
Priority date	Oct 29, 2021
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

A camera device's exposure to sunlight may be monitored. The sun exposure may be used to predict a solar event associated with the camera device, such as a critical temperature, a brightness level, or an angle of sunlight. Prior to occurrence of the solar event, one or more functions of the camera device may be enabled or disabled. For example, a cooling function of the camera device may be enabled or a characteristic of video streamed by the camera device may be modified. The function may be re-enabled or re-disabled after the solar event.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A camera device comprising:
one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to: monitor exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device; predict, based on the monitoring the exposure to sunlight, a solar event associated the camera device; cause, prior to occurrence of the solar event, a resolution associated with image data captured by the camera device to be reduced; determine that the solar event has ended; and cause, based on the determining that the solar event has ended, the resolution associated with the image data captured by the camera device to be increased.

2 . The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the solar event comprises at least one of a critical camera device temperature, sun brightness, or angle of sunlight.

3 . The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the solar event is predicted to cause damage to at least one of hardware of the camera device, imagery generated by the camera device, or video generated by the camera device.

4 . The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to monitor the exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device cause the camera device to determine a direction of sunlight relative to a location of the camera device.

5 . The camera device of claim 4 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to determine the direction of the sunlight relative to the location of the camera device cause the camera device to determine the direction of the sunlight relative to the location of the camera device using at least one of a magnetometer, a gyroscope, a global positioning system (GPS), a user account, or artificial intelligence.

6 . The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to predict the solar event cause the camera device to determine a time of day that the solar event will occur.

7 . The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to monitor the exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device cause the camera device to determine current weather.

8 . The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to monitor the exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device cause the camera device to detect one or more objects that provide shade to the camera device.

9 . The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to monitor the exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device cause the camera device to determine an orientation of the camera device.

10 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause:
monitoring exposure to sunlight associated with a camera device; predicting, based on the monitoring the exposure to sunlight, a solar event associated the camera device; causing, prior to occurrence of the solar event, a resolution associated with image data captured by the camera device to be reduced; determining that the solar event has ended; and causing, based on the determining that the solar event has ended, the resolution associated with the image data captured by the camera device to be increased.

11 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the solar event comprises at least one of a critical camera device temperature, sun brightness, or angle of sunlight.

12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the solar event is predicted to cause damage to at least one of hardware of the camera device, imagery generated by the camera device, or video generated by the camera device.

13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause monitoring the exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device cause determining a direction of sunlight relative to a location of the camera device.

14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause determining the direction of the sunlight relative to the location of the camera device cause determining the direction of the sunlight relative to the location of the camera device using at least one of a magnetometer, a gyroscope, a global positioning system (GPS), a user account, or artificial intelligence.

15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause predicting the solar event cause determining a time of day that the solar event will occur.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause monitoring the exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device cause determining current weather.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause monitoring the exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device cause detecting one or more objects that provide shade to the camera device.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions that, when executed, cause monitoring the exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device cause determining an orientation of the camera device.

19 . A camera device comprising:
one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to: monitor exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device; predict, based on the monitoring the exposure to sunlight, a solar event associated the camera device; cause, prior to occurrence of the solar event, a frame rate associated with image data captured by the camera device to be reduced; determine that the solar event has ended; and cause, based on the determining that the solar event has ended, the frame rate associated with the image data captured by the camera device to be increased.

20 . The camera device of claim 19 , wherein the solar event comprises at least one of a critical camera device temperature, sun brightness, or angle of sunlight.

21 . The camera device of claim 19 , wherein the solar event is predicted to cause damage to at least one of hardware of the camera device, imagery generated by the camera device, or video generated by the camera device.

22 . The camera device of claim 19 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to monitor the exposure to sunlight associated with the camera device cause the camera device to determine a direction of sunlight relative to a location of the camera device.

23 . The camera device of claim 22 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the camera device to determine the direction of the sunlight relative to the location of the camera device cause the camera device to determine the direction of the sunlight relative to the location of the camera device using at least one of a magnetometer, a gyroscope, a global positioning system (GPS), a user account, or artificial intellig

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Stone Christopher

Classifications

• H04N23/71

  Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation · CPC title

• H04N7/188

  Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position (signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253) · CPC title

• H04N17/002

  for television cameras · CPC title

• H04N23/741

  by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/617

  Upgrading or updating of programs or applications for camera control · CPC title