Patent Publication Number: US-10778887-B1

Title: Security application using camera SOC with multi-sensor capabilities

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to security cameras generally and, more particularly, to a method and/or apparatus for implementing a security application using a camera system on chip (SOC) with multi-sensor capabilities. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Home security systems often utilize two cameras to watch corner locations such as a driveway and a side-yard, or a driveway and a front-door pathway. The two cameras record the two areas separately (in two video files). When someone walks from the driveway to the side-yard or the front door, tracking the movement requires switching between the two video files. For consumers, purchasing and installing two independent cameras to cover such locations (i.e., corners), in order to watch for activities from two directions, is expensive and tedious. Currently, some camera manufacturers have been looking for ways to have two cameras inter-connected and predict what will happen so that the main camera activates the secondary camera ahead of time. Besides the cost of the second camera, it can be difficult to install and get the two independent cameras to interact accurately. 
     It would be desirable to implement a security application using a camera system on chip (SOC) with multi-sensor capabilities. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention concerns an apparatus including a first lens and first image sensor, a second lens and second image sensor, a first motion sensor, a second motion sensor, and a processor. The first lens and first image sensor may be configured to capture a first video image stream of a first field of view (FOV). The second lens and second image sensor may be configured to capture a second video image stream of a second FOV. The first motion sensor may be configured to detect motion in the first field of view (FOV). The second motion sensor may be configured to detect motion in the second field of view (FOV). The processor is generally coupled to the first image sensor, the first motion sensor, the second image sensor, and the second motion sensor, and configured to generate a third video image stream in response to one or more of the first video image stream and the second video image stream. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       Embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims and drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a context of an example embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating fields of vision of a camera in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating an example implementation in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating components of an example implementation in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram of an example processing circuit. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating a process in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 7A-7B  are a diagram illustrating another example process in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments of the present invention include providing a security application using a camera system on chip (SOC) with multi-sensor capabilities that may (i) be used in corner surveillance applications, (ii) reduce cost, (iii) connect multiple sensors to a single camera SoC, (iv) provide low power (e.g., battery) operation, (v) automatically switch sensors on and off to maintain low power operation, (vi) be used in residential settings, (vii) reduce storage (memory) needs/costs, (viii) provide ease of installation, (ix) utilize video analytics to predict target motion, (x) provide seamless tracking from one field of view to another, and/or (xi) be implemented as one or more integrated circuits. 
     In various embodiments, multi-sensor capabilities of a camera system on chip (SoC) may be utilized to build a battery-powered camera that supports multiple sensors. The multi-sensor camera may be configured to provide surveillance in a corner configuration. In the following description, an example of a camera utilizing two sensors is described for clarity. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the field of the invention that the number of sensors may easily be extended to more than two sensors. 
     A corner configuration is generally used where a field of view (FOV) to be covered is greater than about 180 degrees (e.g., 270 degrees, etc.), but less than 360 degrees due to an obstacle (e.g., building wall, etc.). In various embodiments, standard configurations may be made available to fit various residential configurations. In an embodiment with two sensors, both sensors may be connected to a single camera system on chip (SoC) for low power (e.g., battery) operation. In an example embodiment configured to cover two fields of view (FOVs), a first image sensor and a first motion sensor (e.g., passive infrared (PIR) sensor) may be directed in a first direction and a second image sensor and a second motion sensor (e.g., passive infrared (PIR) sensor) may be directed in a second direction, where the second direction is at an angle (e.g., orthogonal) to the first direction. The passive infrared (PIR) sensors generally use very little power. 
     In an example operation, the first passive infrared (PIR) sensor and the second passive infrared (PIR) sensor may be in an activated state and the first image sensor and the second image sensor may be in a non-activated stated. When someone walks to the driveway, the first passive infrared (PIR) sensor may be triggered. In response to the first PIR sensor being triggered, the camera SoC may turn on the first image sensor and start generating a video stream comprising video captured from the first image sensor. The second image sensor may be left in the non-activated state during this time. When the person walks around the corner, the second passive infrared sensor paired with the second image sensor may be triggered. In response to the second PIR sensor being triggered, the camera SoC may turn on the second image sensor, turn off the first image sensor, and continue generating the video stream using video captured from the second image sensor. In some embodiments, the camera SoC may be configured to blend (or stitch) the video from the two image sensors to provide a smooth (seamless) transition between images of the two cameras. In various embodiments, the video stream generated by the camera SoC may be stored for later playback. 
     A system in accordance with embodiments of the invention generally provides multiple benefits. A camera user (or manufacturer) may realize reduced cost (e.g., instead of two cameras, one camera and a second sensor and lens may be purchased and installed). Consumers may enjoy easier installation, and lower cost for such installation. A single video recording (file) may be created instead of two video files, lowering storage costs. The recorded video may be naturally “seamless” (e.g., recording movement towards the driveway and then around the corner, etc.). Video analytics may also be run on the camera SoC to predict the direction of the movement and/or reduce false detections. Predicting the direction of motion generally allows the second image sensor to be started ahead of time, to be ready as soon as the moving object of interest is in the field of view of the second image sensor. The video analytics may allow extended battery time by minimizing the amount of time the image sensors are actually active. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a diagram is shown illustrating a context in which an example embodiment of the invention may be implemented. In an example, a residential setting may include a house  90 . The house  90  may present a number of corner locations. In an example, a camera  100  may be placed at a corner location between a side of the house  90  facing a driveway area and a side of the house  90  facing a side yard or front door pathway. In an example, the camera  100  may be mounted to a soffit of the house  90 . In another example, the camera  100  may be mounted to the two walls of the house  90  (e.g., using an angle brackets). The camera  100  may be directed toward an environment adjacent to the sides of the house  90  encompassing the corner location of the camera  100 . In an example, the camera  100  may be a battery-powered camera. 
     In an example embodiment configured to cover two fields of view (FOVs), a first image sensor and a first passive infrared (PIR) sensor may be directed in a first direction and a second image sensor and a second passive infrared (PIR) sensor may be directed in a second direction, where the second direction is at an angle (e.g., orthogonal) to the first direction. The passive infrared (PIR) sensors generally use very little power. 
     In an example, the camera  100  may be configured to cover two fields of view (FOVs). A first field of view (FOV) may encompass the area including the driveway. A second field of view (FOV) may encompass the area including the side-yard or front-door pathway. In an example, the camera  100  may comprise a first image sensor, a first passive infrared sensor, a second image sensor, a second passive infrared sensor and a camera system on chip (SoC). In an example, the first image sensor and the first passive infrared (PIR) sensor may be directed toward the first field of view and the second image sensor and the second passive infrared sensor may be directed toward the second field of view. The passive infrared (PIR) sensors generally use very little power. 
     In an example operation, the first passive infrared (PIR) sensor and the second passive infrared (PIR) sensor may be in the activated state and the first image sensor and the second image sensor may be in a non-activated stated. When an object moves to the driveway, the first passive infrared (PIR) sensor may be triggered. In response to the first PIR sensor being triggered, the camera SoC may turn on the first image sensor and start generating a video stream comprising video captured from first image sensor. The second image sensor may be left in the non-activated state during this time. When the object moves around the corner (e.g., towards the front door), the second passive infrared sensor paired with the second image sensor may be triggered. In response to the second PIR sensor being triggered, the camera SoC may turn on the second image sensor, turn off the first image sensor, and continue generating the video stream using video captured from the second image sensor. The camera SoC may be configured to provide a seamless transition between the video captured from the two images sensors. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a diagram is shown illustrating example fields of view (FOVs) of the camera  100  of  FIG. 1 . In an example, the camera  100  is generally configured to have a first viewing angle  102  for the first field of view and a second viewing angle  104  for the second field of view. The viewing angles  102  and  104  may be wide viewing angles (e.g., less than or substantially equal to 180 degrees). In an example, the two viewing angles  102  and  104  may overlap (e.g., by one or more degrees) at the corner location of the house  90 . In an example, the camera  100  may utilize two fisheye lenses to provide the two viewing angles  102  and  104 . In various embodiments, the camera  100  may be connected to (or be part of) a home security system. 
     In an example, the camera  100  may comprise processing circuitry (e.g., the camera SoC) configured to perform a de-warping operation to provide views of particular portions (e.g., right, center, left, etc.) of the two viewing angles  102  and  104 . The de-warping operation generally refers to a process of correcting a perspective of an image to reverse effects of geometric distortions (e.g., caused by a camera lens). De-warping may allow the camera  100  to cover the wide viewing angles  102  and  104  (e.g., using fisheye or panoramic lenses), while still having a “normal” view of an otherwise distorted or reversed image. De-warping may also allow the camera  100  to seamlessly combine images captured from the two viewing angles into a single video stream. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a diagram of the camera  100  is shown illustrating an example implementation in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention. In an example, the camera  100  may comprise a housing  106 , a number of blocks (or circuits)  108   a - 108   n , and/or a block (or circuit)  110 . The housing  106  may comprise an upper portion  112  and a lower portion  114 . The upper portion  112  may be configured to mount the camera  100  to a structure (e.g., a soffit or wall of the house  90 ). In an example, the lower portion  114  may be implemented as a transparent dome. The housing  106  is generally configured to protect components of the camera  100  from the environment and tampering. The blocks  108   a - 108   n  may comprise lens and sensor assemblies. In  FIG. 3 , a first lens and sensor assembly  108   a  and a second lens and sensor assembly  108   n  are shown. The block  110  may comprise a processor (or system-on-chip (SoC)). In various embodiments, the block  110  may implement a camera SoC with multi-sensor capabilities. 
     In various embodiments, each of the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n  may have a respective field of view (or viewing angle). In an example, the respective viewing angles of the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n  may be combined (with or without overlap) to provide a desired number of degrees of coverage for a variety of corner configurations. In an example, two lens and sensor assemblies  108   a  and  108   n  may be configured to provide coverage for a 270 degrees field of view (as described above in connection with  FIG. 2 ). For example, the lens and sensor assembly  108   a  may be configured to observe the viewing angle  102  and the lens and sensor assembly  108   n  may be configured to observe the viewing angle  104 . 
     The lens and sensor assemblies  108   a  and  108   n  may be configured to detect and/or measure various types of input from the environment (e.g., light, motion, heat, sound, smoke, carbon monoxide, Wi-Fi signals, etc.). In an example, each of the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a  and  108   n  may comprise a lens assembly, an image sensor, and a motion sensor (described below in connection with  FIG. 4 ). In an example, the motion sensor may be implemented as a passive infrared (PIR) sensor. In another example, the motion sensor may be a smart motion sensor based on vision. In another example, the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a  and  108   n  may further comprise a microphone configured to measure audio levels. In another example, a directional microphone may be implemented to allow a location of a noise source to be determined. Other blocks (or circuits or components) of the camera  100  may be implemented. The components of the camera  100  may be varied according to the design criteria of a particular implementation. 
     The lens and sensor assemblies  108   a  and  108   n  may be configured to capture video of respective fields of view. The edges of the field of view of the lens and sensor assembly  108   a  may be illustrated by the long-dashed lines of the viewing angle  102  in  FIG. 2 . The edges of the field of view of the lens and sensor assembly  108   n  may be illustrated by the short-dashed lines of the viewing angle  104  in  FIG. 2 . In an example, the fields of view of the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a  and  108   n  may overlap. The range of the fields of view provided by the viewing angles  102  and  104  may be varied according to the design criteria of a particular implementation. 
     Each of the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a  and  108   n  may be directed towards a location in the overall field of view of the camera  100 . Each of the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a  and  108   n  may provide coverage for a portion of the field of view of the camera  100 . In an example, the lens and sensor assembly  108   a  may provide coverage for the viewing angle  102 . In another example, the lens and sensor assembly  108   n  may provide coverage for the viewing angle  104 . The portion of coverage of each of the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a  and  108   n  may be a zone. In an example, a first zone may cover the viewing angle  102  and be covered by the lens and sensor assembly  108   a . In another example, a second zone may cover the viewing angle  104  and be covered by the lens and sensor assembly  108   n . In yet another example, additional zones may cover portions of the field of view of the camera  100  and be covered by respective ones of a number of lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n . While the viewing angles  102  and  104  are shown overlapping, in some embodiments the zones covered by the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n  may be configured so as to not overlap. The number, size and/or arrangement of the zones may be varied according to the design criteria of a particular implementation. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a diagram is shown illustrating an example implementation of a camera in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention. In an example, each of the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n  may comprise a lens assembly  60   a - 60   n , a motion sensor  70   a - 70   n , and an image sensor  80   a - 80   n  (not shown). The lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n  may be arranged such that optical axes of the lens assemblies  60   a - 60   n  are at an angle to one another. In an example implementing two lens and sensor assemblies, the optical axes may be at an angle of 90 degrees to one another. 
     In various embodiments, each of the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n  is generally connected to a single processor or system on chip (SoC)  110  by one or more buses. In an example, the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n  may be connected to the processor or system on chip (SoC)  110  using one or more serial buses (e.g., I 2 C, SPI, etc.), parallel buses (e.g. GPIO, etc.), and/or individual signals (e.g., via wires or traces). In various embodiments, the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n  may communicate video image streams and motion detection signals to the processor or system on chip (SoC)  110 , and the processor or system on chip (SoC)  110  may communicate control signals to the lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n.    
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a block diagram of the camera  100  is shown illustrating a camera system-on-a-chip connected to multiple lens and sensor assemblies  108   a - 108   n . The camera  100  may comprise the lenses  60   a - 60   n , the motion sensors  70   a - 70   n , the image sensors  80   a - 80   n , the SoC  110 , a block (or circuit)  112 , a block (or circuit)  114 , and/or a block (or circuit)  116 . The circuit  112  may be implemented as a memory. The block  114  may be a communication module. The block  116  may be implemented as a battery. In some embodiments, the camera  100  may comprise the lenses  60   a - 60   n , the motion sensors  70   a - 70   n , the image sensors  80   a - 80   n , the SoC  110 , the memory  112 , the communication module  114 , and the battery  116 . In another example, the camera  100  may comprise the lenses  60   a - 60   n , the motion sensors  70   a - 70   n , and the capture devices  80   a - 80   n , and the SoC  110 , the memory  112 , the communication module  114 , and the battery  116  may be components of a separate device. The implementation of the camera  100  may be varied according to the design criteria of a particular implementation. 
     The lenses  60   a - 60   n  are shown attached to respective capture devices  80   a - 80   n . In an example, the capture devices  80   a - 80   n  are shown respectively comprising blocks (or circuits)  82   a - 82   n , blocks (or circuits)  84   a - 84   n  and blocks (or circuits)  86   a - 86   n . The circuits  82   a - 82   n  may be sensors (e.g., image sensors). The circuits  84   a - 84   n  may be processors and/or logic. The circuits  86   a - 86   n  may be memory circuits (e.g., frame buffers). 
     The capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may be configured to capture video image data (e.g., light collected and focused by the lenses  60   a - 60   n ). The capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may capture data received through the lenses  60   a - 60   n  to generate a video bitstream (e.g., a sequence of video frames). The lenses  60   a - 60   n  may be directed, tilted, panned, zoomed and/or rotated to capture the environment surrounding the camera  100  (e.g., capture data from the fields of view). 
     The capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may transform the received light into a digital data stream. In some embodiments, the capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may perform an analog to digital conversion. For example, the capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may perform a photoelectric conversion of the light received by the lenses  60   a - 60   n . The image sensors  80 - 80   n  may transform the digital data stream into a video data stream (or bitstream), a video file, and/or a number of video frames. In an example, each of the capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may present the video data as a digital video signal (e.g., the signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N). The digital video signals may comprise the video frames (e.g., sequential digital images and/or audio). 
     The video data captured by the capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may be represented as signals/bitstreams/data VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N (e.g., a digital video signal). The capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may present the signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N to the processor/SoC  110 . The signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N may represent the video frames/video data. The signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N may be video streams captured by the capture devices  80   a - 80   n.    
     The image sensors  82   a - 82   n  may receive light from the respective lenses  60   a - 60   n  and transform the light into digital data (e.g., the bitstream). For example, the image sensors  82   a - 82   n  may perform a photoelectric conversion of the light from the lenses  60   a - 60   n . In some embodiments, the image sensors  82   a - 82   n  may have extra margins that are not used as part of the image output. In some embodiments, the image sensors  82   a - 82   n  may not have extra margins. In some embodiments, some of the image sensors  82   a - 82   n  may have the extra margins and some of the image sensors  82   a - 82   n  may not have the extra margins. In some embodiments, the image sensors  82   a - 82   n  may be configured to generate monochrome (B/W) video signals. In some embodiments, the image sensors  82   a - 82   n  may be configured to generate color (e.g., RGB, YUV, RGB-IR, YCbCr, etc.) video signals. In some embodiments, the image sensors  82   a - 82   n  may be configured to generate video signals in response to visible and/or infrared (IR) light. 
     The processor/logic  84   a - 84   n  may transform the bitstream into a human viewable content (e.g., video data that may be understandable to an average person regardless of image quality, such as the video frames). For example, the processors  84   a - 84   n  may receive pure (e.g., raw) data from the camera sensors  82   a - 82   n  and generate (e.g., encode) video data (e.g., the bitstream) based on the raw data. The capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may have the memory  86   a - 86   n  to store the raw data and/or the processed bitstream. For example, the capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may implement the frame memory and/or buffers  86   a - 86   n  to store (e.g., provide temporary storage and/or cache) one or more of the video frames (e.g., the digital video signal). In some embodiments, the processors/logic  84   a - 84   n  may perform analysis and/or correction on the video frames stored in the memory/buffers  86   a - 86   n  of the capture devices  80   a - 80   n.    
     The motion sensors  70   a - 70   n  may be configured to detect motion (e.g., in the fields of view corresponding to the viewing angles  102  and  104 ). The detection of motion may be used as one threshold for activating the capture devices  80   a - 80   n . The motion sensors  70   a - 70   n  may be implemented as internal components of the camera  100  and/or as components external to the camera  100 . In an example, the sensors  70   a - 70   n  may be implemented as passive infrared (PIR) sensors. In another example, the sensors  70   a - 70   n  may be implemented as smart motion sensors. In an example, the smart motion sensors may comprise low resolution image sensors configured to detect motion and/or persons. The motion sensors  70   a - 70   n  may each generate a respective signal (e.g., SENS_A-SENS_N) in response to motion being detected in one of the respective zones (e.g., FOVs  102  and  104 ). The signals SENS_A-SENS_N may be presented to the processor/SoC  110 . In an example, the motion sensor  70   a  may generate (assert) the signal SENS_A when motion is detected in the FOV  102  and the motion sensor  70   n  may generate (assert) the signal SENS_N when motion is detected in the FOV  104 . 
     The processor/SoC  110  may be configured to execute computer readable code and/or process information. The processor/SoC  110  may be configured to receive input and/or present output to the memory  112 . The processor/SoC  110  may be configured to present and/or receive other signals (not shown). The number and/or types of inputs and/or outputs of the processor/SoC  110  may be varied according to the design criteria of a particular implementation. The processor/SoC  110  may be configured for low power (e.g., battery) operation. 
     The processor/SoC  110  may receive the signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N and the signals SENS_A-SENS_N. The processor/SoC  110  may generate a signal META based on the signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N, the signals SENS_A-SENS_N, and/or other input. In some embodiments, the signal META may be generated based on analysis of the signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N and/or objects detected in the signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N. In various embodiments, the processor/SoC  110  may be configured to perform one or more of feature extraction, object detection, object tracking, and object identification. For example, the processor/SoC  110  may determine motion information by analyzing a frame from the signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N and comparing the frame to a previous frame. The comparison may be used to perform digital motion estimation. 
     In some embodiments, the processor/SoC  110  may perform video stitching operations. The video stitching operations may be configured to facilitate seamless tracking as objects move through the fields of view associated with the capture devices  80   a - 80   n . The processor/SoC  110  may generate a number of signals VIDOUT_A-VIDOUT_N. The signals VIDOUT_A-VIDOUT_N may be portions (components) of a multi-sensor video signal. In some embodiments, the processor/SoC  110  may be configured to generate a single video output signal (e.g., VIDOUT). The video output signal(s) (e.g., VIDOUT or VIDOUT_A-VIDOUT_N) may be generated comprising video data from one or more of the signals VIDEO_A-VIDEO_N. The video output signal(s) (e.g., VIDOUT or VIDOUT_A-VIDOUT_N) may be presented to the memory  112  and/or the communications module  114 . 
     The memory  112  may store data. The memory  112  may be implemented as a cache, flash memory, memory card, DRAM memory, etc. The type and/or size of the memory  112  may be varied according to the design criteria of a particular implementation. The data stored in the memory  112  may correspond to a video file, motion information (e.g., readings from the sensors  70   a - 70   n , video stitching parameters, image stabilization parameters, user inputs, etc.) and/or metadata information. 
     The lenses  60   a - 60   n  (e.g., camera lenses) may be directed to provide a view of an environment surrounding the camera  100 . The lenses  60   a - 60   n  may be aimed to capture environmental data (e.g., light). The lenses  60   a - 60   n  may be wide-angle lenses and/or fish-eye lenses (e.g., lenses capable of capturing a wide field of view). The lenses  60   a - 60   n  may be configured to capture and/or focus the light for the capture devices  80   a - 80   n . Generally, the image sensors  82   a - 82   n  are located behind the lenses  60   a - 60   n . Based on the captured light from the lenses  60   a - 60   n , the capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may generate bitstreams and/or video data. 
     The communications module  114  may be configured to implement one or more communications protocols. For example, the communications module  114  may be configured to implement Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, etc. In embodiments where the camera  100  is implemented as a wireless camera, the protocol implemented by the communications module  114  may be a wireless communications protocol. The type of communications protocols implemented by the communications module  114  may be varied according to the design criteria of a particular implementation. 
     The communications module  114  may be configured to generate a broadcast signal as an output from the camera  100 . The broadcast signal may send the video data VIDOUT to external devices. For example, the broadcast signal may be sent to a cloud storage service (e.g., a storage service capable of scaling on demand). In some embodiments, the communications module  114  may not transmit data until the processor/SoC  110  has performed video analytics to determine that an object is in the field of view of the camera  100 . 
     In some embodiments, the communications module  114  may be configured to generate the manual control signal. The manual control signal may be generated in response to a signal from a user received by the communications module  114 . The manual control signal may be configured to activate the processor/SoC  110 . The processor/SoC  110  may be activated in response to the manual control signal regardless of the power state of the camera  100 . 
     The camera  100  may include a battery  116  configured to provide power for the various components of the camera  100 . The multi-step approach to activating and/or disabling the capture devices  80   a - 80   n  based on the outputs of the motion sensors  70   a - 70   n  and/or any other power consuming features of the camera  100  may be implemented to reduce a power consumption of the camera  100  and extend an operational lifetime of the battery  116 . The motion sensors  70   a - 70   n  may have a very low drain on the battery  116  (e.g., less than 10 W). In an example, the motion sensors  70   a - 70   n  may be configured to remain on (e.g., always active) unless disabled in response to feedback from the processor/SoC  110 . The video analytics performed by the processor/SoC  110  may have a large drain on the battery  116  (e.g., greater than the motion sensors  70   a - 70   n ). In an example, the processor/SoC  110  may be in a low-power state (or power-down) until some motion is detected by the motion sensors  70   a - 70   b.    
     The camera  100  may be configured to operate using various power states. For example, in the power-down state (e.g., a sleep state, a low-power state) the motion sensors  70   a - 70   n  and the processor/SoC  110  may be on and other components of the camera  100  (e.g., the image capture devices  80   a - 80   n , the memory  112 , the communications module  114 , etc.) may be off. In another example, the camera  100  may operate in an intermediate state. In the intermediate state, one of the image capture devices  80   a - 80   n  may be on and the memory  112  and/or the communications module  114  may be off. In yet another example, the camera  100  may operate in a power-on (or high power) state. In the power-on state, the motion sensors  70   a - 70   n , the processor/SoC  110 , the capture devices  80   a - 80   n , the memory  112  and/or the communications module  114  may be on. The camera  100  may consume some power from the battery  116  in the power-down state (e.g., a relatively small and/or minimal amount of power). The camera  100  may consume more power from the battery  116  in the power-on state. The number of power states and/or the components of the camera  100  that are on while the camera  100  operates in each of the power states may be varied according to the design criteria of a particular implementation. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a diagram is shown illustrating a process in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention. In an example, a method (or process)  200  may be performed using the camera  100 . The method  200  may detect motion within a monitored area and provide a video record of the object in motion detected. The method  200  generally comprises a decision step (or state)  202 , a decision step (or state)  204 , a step (or state)  206 , and a step (or state)  208 . 
     The process  200  may start in either the decision state  202  or the decision state  204 . In the decision state  202 , the processor  110  may determine whether a first motion sensor (e.g., PIR-1) has been triggered. If the first motion sensor PIR-1 has not been triggered, the process  200  may move to the decision state  204 . If the first motion sensor PIR-1 has been triggered, the process  200  may move to the state  206 . In the decision state  204 , the processor  110  may determine whether a second motion sensor (e.g., PIR-2) has been triggered. If the second motion sensor PIR-2 has not been triggered, the process  200  may move to the decision state  202 . If the second motion sensor PIR-2 has been triggered, the process  200  may move to the state  208 . The process  200  may loop through the decision states  202  and  204  until either the first or the second motion sensor is triggered. 
     In the state  206 , the processor  110  may activate a first image sensor (e.g., CAMERA 1) corresponding to the first motion sensor and record video. If the camera  100  is in a low power mode, the processor  110  may determine whether a second camera (e.g., CAMERA 2) associated with the second motion sensor is on and, if so, deactivate the second camera. 
     In the state  208 , the processor  110  may activate the second image sensor (e.g., CAMERA 2) corresponding to the second motion sensor and record video. If the camera  100  is in a low power mode, the processor  110  may determine whether the first camera (e.g., CAMERA 1) associated with the first motion sensor is on and, if so, deactivate the first camera. 
     In various embodiments, the processor  110  may perform video analytics on the video being recorded to try to anticipate the motion of the moving object being tracked. The processor  110  may be configured to control the activation and deactivation of various image sensors in order to maintain a seamless video recording of the motion of the object in the area being monitored by the camera  100 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7A-7B , a diagram is shown illustrating another example process in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention. In an example, a method (or process)  300  may be performed using the camera  100 . The method  300  may detect motion within a monitored area and provide a video record of an object associated with the motion detected. In an example, the method  300  may comprise a step (or state)  302 , a decision step (or state)  304 , a step (or state)  306 , a step (or state)  308 , a decision step (or state)  310 , a step (or state)  312 , a step (or state)  314 , a decision step (or state)  316 , a step (or state)  318 , a step (or state)  320 , a decision step (or state)  322 , a step (or state)  324 , a decision step (or state)  326 , and a step (or state)  328 . 
     The process  300  may start in the state  302 . In the state  302 , the processor  110  may monitor a first motion sensor and a second motion sensor to detect motion in a monitored area. The first motion sensor may be associated with a first image sensor having a first field of view. The second motion sensor may be associated with a second image sensor having a second field of view. Together, the first field of view and the second field of view may cover an area around a corner of a structure (e.g., a house, etc.). In an example, the first and the second fields of view may overlap by one or more degrees. In the decision state  304 , the processor  110  may determine whether one of the motion detectors has been triggered. If the motion sensors have not been triggered, the process  300  may move to the state  302  and continue monitoring the motion sensors. If the one of the motion sensors has been triggered, the process  300  may move to the state  306 . In the state  306 , the processor  110  may turn on the image sensor associated with the motion sensor that was triggered and move to the state  308 . In the state  308 , the processor  110  may determine whether the motion detected was caused by an object to be tracked. In an example, the processor  110  may perform one or more image processing and/or computer vision operations or techniques (e.g., feature extraction, object detection, object identification, etc.) to determine whether the detected motion is associated with an object of concern (e.g., vehicle, person, etc.) or an object that may be ignored (e.g., small animal, bird, rain, etc.). 
     In the decision step  310 , if the processor  110  determines the object may be ignored, the process  300  may move to the state  312 . If the processor  110  determines the motion is associated with an object of concern, the process  300  may move to the state  314 . In the state  312 , the processor  110  may turn off the image sensor and move to the state  302  to resume monitoring the motion sensors. In the state  314 , the processor  110  may begin generating a sequence of video images comprising video from the image sensor that is switched on (or activated) and track motion of the object (e.g., using the one or more computer vision operations or techniques). In the decision state  316 , the process  300  may determine whether the object in motion is moving from a current field of view (e.g., the field of view of the activated image sensor) to another field of view. If the object is not moving into another field of view, the process  300  may loop in the states  314  and  316 . If the object is moving into another field of view, the process  300  may move to the state  318 . 
     In the state  318 , the processor  110  may turn on the image sensor corresponding to the field of view into which the object is moving and move the state  320 . In the state  320 , the processor  110  may determine whether the object is actually in the second field of view using the one or more image processing and/or computer vision operations or techniques (e.g., feature extraction, object detection, object identification, etc.). In the decision state  322 , if the object is not in the second field of view, the process  300  may return to the state  320 . When the object is confirmed to be in the second field of view, the process  300  may move to the state  324 . In the state  324 , the processor  110  may turn off the first image sensor and begin generating the sequence of video images comprising video from the second image sensor. The processor  110  may also continue tracking the object. In the decision state  326 , the processor  110  may determine whether the object has left the second field of view. If the object has not left the second field of view, the process  300  may loop through the states  324  and  326 . When the object has left the second field of view, the process  300  may move to the state  328 . In the state  328 , processor  110  may turn the second image sensor off and the process  300  moves to the state  302 . In an example where the object begins moving toward the first field of view, the process  300  may perform steps similar to the steps  314  through  328  with the first image sensor. 
     In various embodiments, the processor  110  may perform video analytics on the video being recorded to try to anticipate the motion of the moving object being tracked. The processor  110  may be configured to control the activation and deactivation of various image sensors in order to maintain a seamless video recording of the motion of the object in the area being monitored by the camera  100 , while minimizing the amount of power utilized for extended battery life. In various embodiments, the processor  110  may be configured for low power operation. In an example, the processor  110  may comprise one or more dedicated hardware circuits (or engines or circuitry) implementing various image processing steps and/or computer vision operations. 
     The functions and structures illustrated in the diagrams of  FIGS. 1 to 7  may be designed, modeled, emulated, and/or simulated using one or more of a conventional general purpose processor, digital computer, microprocessor, microcontroller, distributed computer resources and/or similar computational machines, programmed according to the teachings of the present specification, as will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s). Appropriate software, firmware, coding, routines, instructions, opcodes, microcode, and/or program modules may readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure, as will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s). The software is generally embodied in a medium or several media, for example non-transitory storage media, and may be executed by one or more of the processors sequentially or in parallel. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented in one or more of ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), PLDs (programmable logic devices), CPLDs (complex programmable logic device), sea-of-gates, ASSPs (application specific standard products), and integrated circuits. The circuitry may be implemented based on one or more hardware description languages. Embodiments of the present invention may be utilized in connection with flash memory, nonvolatile memory, random access memory, read-only memory, magnetic disks, floppy disks, optical disks such as DVDs and DVD RAM, magneto-optical disks and/or distributed storage systems. 
     The terms “may” and “generally” when used herein in conjunction with “is(are)” and verbs are meant to communicate the intention that the description is exemplary and believed to be broad enough to encompass both the specific examples presented in the disclosure as well as alternative examples that could be derived based on the disclosure. The terms “may” and “generally” as used herein should not be construed to necessarily imply the desirability or possibility of omitting a corresponding element. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.