US Patent 9438868 Adaptive image sensor systems and methods

An imaging device may include a primary imaging sensor and a secondary imaging sensor. The secondary imaging sensor may monitor a scene being imaged by the imaging device for trigger criteria such as sudden movement, changes in the intensity of ambient light, and the presence of a particular object or person. Upon detection of relevant trigger criteria, the imaging device may activate the primary imaging sensor and capture one or more images of the scene with the primary imaging sensor. Operational parameters of the primary imaging sensor including framerate and exposure settings may be based on data from the secondary imaging sensor. The secondary imaging sensor may have a lower power consumption than the primary imaging sensor such that monitoring the scene with the secondary imaging sensor and only activating the primary imaging sensor upon detection of the relevant trigger criteria enables an efficient and adaptive imaging system.