Photography – Camera support – Surveillance type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-28
2003-11-25
Gray, David (Department: 2851)
Photography
Camera support
Surveillance type
C348S143000, C348S150000, C348S151000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06652164
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surveillance camera systems, and more particularly to a mounting apparatus for a surveillance camera that allows the camera to be fully retracted into a housing behind the plane of the surface that the mounting apparatus is attached to.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of surveillance cameras and related systems is becoming increasingly more prevalent. Not only are surveillance cameras used in such traditional institutions as banks and casinos, but their use has spread to retail and business establishments, indoor and outdoor entry points, airport security checkpoints, government buildings, and the like. One of the most common mounting locations for a security camera is in a ceiling. From the vantage point of a ceiling, a camera may be pointed (the tilt angle) anywhere from parallel with the ceiling itself to straight down. When the camera is pointed parallel with the ceiling, the front lens of the camera is perpendicular to the ceiling having a 90° tilt. When pointed straight down, the front lens of the camera is parallel to the ceiling having a 0° tilt. Then, once the tilt angle is selected, a ceiling-mounted camera may scan (pan) through a full 360° circle.
Numerous wall and ceiling mounted surveillance camera support devices have been developed in the prior art. One common mounting apparatus is a simple rotatable structure that is attached directly to the surface of the ceiling or wall, leaving the camera and mount in plain view. Often such mounting apparatuses are enclosed within a semi-spherical or spherical dome or other similar structure to disguise or conceal the camera, while also protecting it against the environment and potential vandalism.
In many installations, a housing (back box) is provided in the wall or ceiling directly behind (above) the camera to house the motors and other electronics which operate the camera. Often, the pan and tilt camera mountings have the camera tilt angle passing through the approximate center of inertia of the combination camera body and lens, for the specific purpose of reducing inertial forces during camera tilt movement. In order for such cameras to have a full 90° tilt capability (i.e., to be able to view the ceiling line), the entire camera and lens arrangement has to be capable of being tilted down below the plane of the ceiling line. As a result, in many cases the entire camera body and lens assembly is mounted inside a semi-spherical viewing dome that protrudes below the ceiling line, as opposed to inside the housing above the ceiling line.
In a typical ceiling application, it is important for the camera to be able to pan and tilt in order to train on various objects, but usually the most critical viewing area is the conical region immediately below the camera. While viewing this “default” area, it is desirable for the camera and lens assembly to be fully retractable into the housing and not protrude beyond the plane of the ceiling so as not to be detected by a potential intruder. A dome or camera protruding down from the ceiling is easily spotted from a distance by an intruder and may potentially be avoided. However, a retracted camera has the same appearance as an opening for a light fixture, and is not as easily detected allowing for more covert surveillance. Such a configuration also protects the camera from environmental changes and potential vandalism, is less intrusive and is more aesthetically pleasing in appearance.
Several existing camera mounting apparatuses allow for the camera and lens assembly to be partially retracted into the housing. However, it has heretofore been impossible or impracticable to provide a mounting apparatus that is capable of fully retracting the camera and lens assembly into the housing while maintaining the ability to tilt all the way up to the ceiling (0°). The present invention provides such a mounting apparatus in which the camera and lens assembly is capable of viewing along the ceiling line and is also fully-retractable into the housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a viewing angle-dependent retractable camera mechanism invention having two aspects. The first aspect is that of the camera (body and lens) being mounted for pivotal movement (tilt) fully up into the interior of the housing (back box). In the retractable camera mechanism of the present invention, the hinge point (tilt pivot point) for the camera mount is located adjacent a circumferential interior edge of the housing, so that the pivot point of the camera is located within the housing, above the ceiling line. This allows the camera body and lens assembly may be fully retracted up into the housing for more covert operations. The corresponding pivot point on the camera body is near the front lens, as opposed to being at or near the center of the camera body. The camera mount can pivot 90° downwardly to effect the full range of camera tilt, from parallel to the ceiling line to straight down. The purpose of this design, of course, is to permit the entire camera and lens assembly to be pivoted up into the interior of the housing utilizing one motor for both retraction and tilt.
The second aspect of this invention is that of correlating the camera tilt/retraction angle to the camera lens telephoto angle. Specifically, telephoto angles may vary from a wide angle of approximately 75° to a telephoto angle of approximately 3° as the camera “view” is zoomed to and from telephoto. Therefore, at any given tilt/retraction angle, the actual camera “view” changes as the zoom/telephoto angle changes. Stated differently, for each level of zoom of the telephoto lens, the tilt angle of the camera may be adjusted so that one edge of the viewing field along the plane of the surface upon which the camera is mounted (e.g. a wall or ceiling line) remains constant as the lens zooms in and out.
As an example, for a selected wide viewing angle of the camera lens, the camera need not be tilted down out of the housing to a full 90°, but rather need be tilted downwardly only, for example, approximately 60° in order to have one edge of the camera view remain along the ceiling line, the amount of tilt depending on the capability of the lens. Similarly, with the camera lens at a maximum telephoto position having, for example, a minimum viewing angle of 3°, such a camera would need to be tilted out of the housing approximately 87° in order to keep one edge of the view along the ceiling line, as is intended in pan and tilt camera mounts. The amount of tilt in each situation will depend upon the characteristics and capabilities of the particular lens. In outdoor applications, viewing along the ceiling line is more common because there tend to be long unobstructed views. However, even in indoor applications, a large ceiling area may have few or no protrusions whatsoever, giving the impression that no surveillance is taking place when, in fact, there may be significant surveillance conducted using numerous cameras installed in retractable housing assemblies of the type described herein.
Of course, should the need arise for the camera to focus on a particular object or area, it may then be tilted out from the housing in the ceiling (or wall) for this purpose. In particular, when the camera lens is in telephoto mode, the camera may extend out from the housing in the ceiling a maximum amount. However, when the camera lens is in wide-angle mode, the camera may only be extended from the back box a minimum amount. In both cases, the amount or degree of camera tilt needed is determined based on the capability of the particular lens and the amount of zoom sought. The camera position is thereafter established and maintained so that one edge of the camera view remains parallel to the surface upon which it is mounted (e.g. the upper edge of the view continues to be the ceiling line as the camera zooms in and out).
The camera and lens assembly is pivotally attached to a pair of movable axes that make up the mount of the present invention. These axes are
Stiepel Norbert
Traser Terrence
Gray David
Miller Mark D.
Pelco
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