IP Library Granted Patent US 12,574,639
Granted Patent B2
US 12,574,639 · App. 18/484,294 · Granted Mar 10, 2026

Automated camera gimbal

Inventors: Alexandre Wali (Atlanta, GA); Bruno Francois (Atlanta, GA); Remy Cilia (Atlanta, GA); Alan Melling (Atlanta, GA); Antoine Vaucamps (Atlanta, GA)
Assignee: Carvana, LLC
H04N23/68G03B17/561H04N23/64
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,574,639
App. No.
18/484,294
Filed
Oct 10, 2023
Granted
Mar 10, 2026
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2852
USPC
396/421
Abstract

The method includes capturing a first portion of a surround image using a camera; generating a bounding box using an image in the first portion of the surround image; estimating a center of an item in the image using the bounding box; and adjusting a position of a motorized gimbal such that the motorized gimbal focuses on the center of the item.

Claims (37)

1 . A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and cause the one or more processors to perform:

capturing a first portion of a surround image using a camera;

generating a bounding box using an image in the first portion of the surround image;

estimating a center of an item in the image using the bounding box;

determining a 3D position of the camera using metadata of the first portion of the surround image; and

adjusting a position of a motorized gimbal such that the motorized gimbal orients the camera towards the center of the item.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the surround image comprises approximately one quarter of the surround image.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the capturing of the first portion of the surround image is at a higher frame rate than a remainder of the surround image.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the generating the bounding box comprises using a predictive algorithm to generate the bounding box.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the estimating the center of the item comprises using a weighted average of 3D points comprising the center of the bounding box.

6 . The system of claim 5 , further comprising determining a 3D point corresponding to the center of the bounding box using a 3D position of the camera.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to perform filtering a list of pairable peripherals by a vendor ID.

8 . A method comprising:

capturing a first portion of a surround image using a camera;

generating a bounding box using an image in the first portion of the surround image;

estimating a center of an item in the image using the bounding box; and

determining a 3D position of the camera using metadata of the first portion of the surround image; and

adjusting a position of a motorized gimbal such that the motorized gimbal orients the camera towards the center of the item.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first portion of the surround image comprises approximately one quarter of the surround image.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the capturing of the first portion of the surround image is at a higher frame rate than a remainder of the surround image.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the generating the bounding box comprises using a predictive algorithm to generate the bounding box.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the estimating the center of the item comprises using a weighted average of 3D points comprising the center of the bounding box.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining a 3D point corresponding to the center of the bounding box using a 3D position of the camera.

14 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising filtering a list of pairable peripherals by a vendor ID.

15 . An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computer based system, cause the computer based system to perform operations comprising:

capturing a first portion of a surround image using a camera;

generating a bounding box using an image in the first portion of the surround image;

estimating a center of an item in the image using the bounding box; and

determining a 3D position of the camera using metadata of the first portion of the surround image; and

adjusting a position of a motorized gimbal such that the motorized gimbal orients the camera towards the center of the item.

16 . The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the first portion of the surround image comprises approximately one quarter of the surround image.

17 . The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the capturing of the first portion of the surround image is at a higher frame rate than a remainder of the surround image.

18 . The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the generating the bounding box comprises using a predictive algorithm to generate the bounding box.

19 . The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the estimating the center of the item comprises using a weighted average of 3 D points comprising the center of the bounding box.

20 . The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the instructions cause the computer based system to perform further operations comprising filtering a list of pairable peripherals by a vendor ID.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 30, 2024
From: WALI, ALEXANDRE; FRANCOIS, BRUNO; CILIA, REMY; MELLING, ALAN; VAUCAMPS, ANTOINE
To: CARVANA, LLC
Reel/Frame 066299/0760 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250119645A1 · Apr 10, 2025
References Cited (43)
US 6304284B1 · Dunton et al. · 2001 [cited by applicant]
US 7348989B2 · Stevens et al. · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 7912319B2 · Lakshamanan et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 8212812B2 · Tsin et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 9659381B2 · Mullins et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 9928655B1 · Alston · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10284794B1 · Francois · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 11373318B1 · McKennoch · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 11727657B2 · Melling et al. · 2023 [cited by applicant]
US 11776229B2 · Holzer · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 11810262B2 · Melling et al. · 2023 [cited by applicant]
US 12015843B1 · Imai · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20030117497A1 · Nicolaisen et al. · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 20060269264A1 · Stafford et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20070263995A1 · Park et al. · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20100127819A1 · Radivojevic et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20100214398A1 · Goulart et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20110104941A1 · Chang et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20110187323A1 · Gourley · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20120038636A1 · Montague · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120062691A1 · Fowler et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120293683A1 · Osaka et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120300019A1 · Yang et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120306999A1 · Zhou · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20120320148A1 · Unger · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 20130084773A1 · Mimlitch et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130181098A1 · Lin · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20140028713A1 · Keating et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20140117193A1 · Wong · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20150188591A1 · Shen et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20170061229A1 · Rastgar · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20170193687A1 · Lo et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170206691A1 · Harrises et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20190065027A1 · Hauenstein et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200059595A1 · Ono · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200320727A1 · Smolic et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210250490A1 · Miao · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220189124A1 · Sanor et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20220277512A1 · Ito · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20220284662A1 · Bond · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20230252649A1 · Lu · 2023 [cited by examiner]
Screen captures from YouTube video clip entitled “I Phone & I Pod Easy stand from a charger plug.” 4 pages, uploaded on Aug. 1, 2014 by user “grouse201 O”. Retrieved from Internet: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZQI7… [cited by applicant]
Wikipedia. “File: Image explaining how Cycloramic iPhone app Works.png.” Retrieved Jul. 30, 2013. 5 pages. [cited by applicant]