Device configured to be mounted on surface

Abstract

To provide safer products while facilitating installation of a camera device.SOLUTION: A device (10) configured to be mounted on a surface comprises a base part (102) and an attachment part (104), the attachment part (104) being attachable to the base part (102), where the base part (102) is provided with a keyhole-shaped opening (106) for receiving a fastener (30) comprising a head (32) and a shaft (34) for attaching the base part (102) to the surface, and the keyhole-shaped opening (106) comprises a first segment permitting passage of the head (32) and shaft (34) and a second segment permitting passage of the shaft (34) but preventing passage of the head (32).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an improvement in safety for fixing devices such as cameras to walls and / or ceilings, and more particularly to a device configured to be mounted on a surface.

Background Art

[0002] Camera devices intended for the monitoring and surveillance of various environments are becoming increasingly common. An example of such a camera device is a dome camera, which includes a hemispherical camera housing to enable camera movement relative to a base, and the base is then attached to a support such as a wall or ceiling. Such cameras allow rotation and tilt in many directions and thus achieve a wide field of view.Whole housing can rotate, camera follows housing movement, or camera mounted inside housing rotates / tilts while housing itself is fixed.

[0003] To achieve a good vantage point for the camera device and an unobstructed view of its surroundings, the device should preferably be mounted at an elevated position relative to the environment it is intended to monitor, such as high on a wall or on a ceiling. This creates stringent requirements for the reliability of how the camera device is mounted to the wall / ceiling. This can complicate many camera devices by including concealed fasteners in order to attach the camera device to a wall / ceiling that may be desirable from an aesthetic point of view and / or to reduce the risk of unauthorized removal / tampering of the camera device. However, concealed fasteners can make it difficult to control and ensure that the camera device is securely fixed.

[0004] Therefore, manufacturers of camera devices constantly strive to provide safer products while making the installation of camera devices easier. Relevant background technology can be found in U.S. Patent No. 4,369,340. [Overview of the project]

[0005] Taking into consideration the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a device, preferably a camera device, that improves upon the solutions of the prior art and alleviates at least some of the problems described above.

[0006] To achieve at least one of the above objectives and other objectives that will similarly become apparent from the following description, a device having the features defined in claim 1 is provided according to the present invention. Preferred embodiments of the device will become apparent from the dependent claims.

[0007] More specifically, a device configured for surface mounting is provided according to the present invention. The device comprises a base portion and an attachment portion, the attachment portion being attachable to the base portion. The base portion has a keyhole-shaped opening for receiving a fastener comprising a head and a shaft for mounting the base portion to a surface, the keyhole-shaped opening comprising a first segment that allows the passage of the head and shaft, and a second segment that allows the passage of the shaft but prevents the passage of the head. The attachment portion comprises a projection that, in the assembled state of the base portion and the attachment portion, restricts the relative movement between the fastener and the base portion. The attachment portion is attachable to the base portion by linear relative movement between the attachment portion and the base portion, and the attachment portion comprises a further projection configured to be received by a further opening provided in the base portion in the assembled state.

[0008] Therefore, the risk of the device unintentionally detaching from the fastener is reduced because the assembly of the attachment and base itself provides additional security by preventing relative movement between the fastener and the base.

[0009] Further protrusions of the attachment portion, configured to be received by further openings in the base portion when assembled, facilitate the correct relative orientation of the base portion and the attachment portion.

[0010] The base part can be a camera base part, and the attachment part can be a dome window.

[0011] The keyhole-shaped opening and projection can be further positioned around the periphery of the base and attachment, respectively. The periphery placement of the keyhole-shaped opening reduces the risk that any rotational force applied to the outside of the device will increase, as would be the case if the keyhole-shaped opening were positioned closer to the center of the device. Therefore, the risk of unintended detachment of the device is reduced.

[0012] The attachment part can be attached to the base part by rotational relative motion between the attachment part and the base part.

[0013] The projection can extend within the keyhole-shaped opening when the attachment and base are assembled. The projection positioned within the keyhole-shaped opening will reduce the risk of the base moving relative to the fastener when the device is assembled. Furthermore, the projection can function as a guide to facilitate the assembly of the attachment and base through its interaction with the keyhole-shaped opening.

[0014] The base can be equipped with multiple keyhole-shaped openings.

[0015] The attachment part may further include multiple protrusions.

[0016] The keyhole-shaped openings can be distributed circumferentially on the base.

[0017] The attachment portion may comprise an outer annular lower section, an inner annular lower section, and a bridging section connecting the outer and inner annular lower sections. Thus, the bridging section provides structural rigidity to the inner and outer annular sections. The projection is also sufficiently rigid by being formed as the distal end of the bridging section between the outer and inner annular lower sections, thereby reducing the risk of damage or deterioration of the projection due to interaction with fasteners.

[0018] The attachment part can be removably mounted to the base part.

[0019] In general, all terms used in the claims shall be interpreted according to their ordinary meanings in the art unless otherwise expressly provided herein. All references to “one (a) / one (an) / the [element, device, component, means, step, etc.]” ​​shall be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of the above element, device, component, means, step, etc. Unless otherwise expressly stated. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not need to be performed in the exact order disclosed unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0020] The above and further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used for similar elements. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] [Figure 1]This is a perspective view of a device attached to the surface within the shape of the ceiling in an office environment. [Figure 2] This is a rear view of a device comprising a base portion and an attachment portion. [Figure 3] This is a detailed view of the attachment portion attached to the base portion [Figure 4] This is a view showing an attachment portion attached by linear movement with respect to the base portion. [Figure 5] This is a view showing an attachment portion attached by linear and rotational movements with respect to the base portion. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of the attachment portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which presently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. However, the invention can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0023] FIG. 1 discloses a perspective view of a device 10 mounted on a surface 20, preferably a camera device 10. The camera device 10 is shown as a dome camera, but can be embodied as another type of camera suitable for mounting on the surface 20.

[0024] The surface 20 can be any type of surface suitable for mounting the camera device 10, such as a wall or a ceiling. Typically, when the device is a camera device, the device 10 is preferably mounted at a position raised relative to its surroundings in order to achieve the desired field of view shown in FIG. 1. This clearly requires that the device 10 be securely attached to the surface 20.

[0025] The device 10 includes a base portion 102 and an attachment portion 104. The attachment portion 104 is attachable to the base portion 102, while the base portion 102 is configured to be attached to the surface 20. Therefore, the base portion 102 supports the weight of the attachment portion 104 and forms the load-bearing component of the device 10. The equipment of the base portion 102 facilitates the mounting of the device 10 to the surface 20. This is because the attachment portion 104 can be fixed to the appropriate fastener 30 (shown in FIGS. 3-5) before being attached to the base portion 102. For example, a camera unit (not shown) can be attached to the base portion 102, while the attachment portion 104 forms a cover / housing such as a dome window that encloses the camera unit inside the device 10\. Therefore, the attachment portion 104 is partially or completely transparent, whereby the camera unit disposed inside the attachment portion 104 can achieve satisfactory image quality. The base portion 102 and the attachment portion 104 are shown as having corresponding circular shapes, but it should be recognized that the base portion 102 and / or the attachment portion 104 can also have other shapes such as rectangular or hexagonal.

[0026] Figure 2 shows the device 10 from a rear view, with the base portion 102 shown from the side intended to face the surface. The base portion 102 can be formed from a plastic material or, for example, a metal material. The base portion 102 has a keyhole-shaped opening 106 for receiving a fastener 30 (shown in Figure 3) for attaching the base portion 102 to the surface 20. The keyhole-shaped opening 106 facilitates the attachment and removal of the base portion 102 to and from the surface 20, because to remove the base portion 102, only the fastener 30 needs to be loosened, not completely removed.

[0027] Preferably, a plurality of keyhole-shaped openings 106, such as three or more, are provided. Preferably, the keyhole-shaped openings 106 are located around the periphery of the base portion 102, i.e., near the outer circumference of the base portion 102. The keyhole-shaped openings 106 can be distributed angularly evenly around the periphery of the base portion 102. The keyhole-shaped openings 106 can be further distributed unevenly around the periphery of the base portion 102, providing only one possible relative orientation of the base portion 102 and the fastener 30, as well as only one possible relative orientation of the attachment portion 104 and the base portion 102, in order to enable the assembly of the two portions 102, 104.

[0028] Each keyhole-shaped opening 106 includes a first segment 108 that allows the head 32 (shown in Figure 3) of the fastener 30 to pass through, thus allowing the base portion 102 to be removed from the surface 20 without completely removing the fastener 30. A second segment 110 of each keyhole-shaped opening 106 allows the shaft 34 of the fastener 30 to pass through, but prevents the head 32 of the fastener 30 from passing through. The base portion 102 is for fixing the base portion 102, which is configured to adjust to the fastener 30, to the surface 20, thereby positioning the fastener 30 within the second segment 110.

[0029] To reduce the risk of the base portion 102, and therefore the entire device 10, unintentionally detaching from the fastener 30, the attachment portion 104 is provided with a projection 122. The projection 122 restricts the relative movement between the fastener 30 and the base portion 102 when the base portion 102 and attachment portion 104 are assembled. As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, this can be achieved by configuring the projection 122 to be positioned close to the head 32 of the fastener 30 when the attachment portion 104 is attached to the base portion 102 so that the head 32 cannot pass through the first segment 108.

[0030] The projection 122 can extend so as to be positioned within the first segment 108 of the keyhole-shaped opening 106 when the attachment portion 104 is mounted on the base portion 102, thereby preventing the fastener 30 from moving relative to the base portion 102 from the first segment 108 to the second segment 110. Preferably, one projection 122 is provided for each keyhole-shaped opening 106. However, it is also possible to provide fewer projections 122 than the number of keyhole-shaped openings 106.

[0031] The projection 122 can extend further so as to be positioned close to the keyhole-shaped opening 106 when the attachment portion 104 is attached to the base portion 102. In this context, "close to" means that the projection 122 is closer to the base portion 102 than the height of the head 32 of the fastener 30 so that the movement of the fastener 30 relative to the base portion 102 is obstructed by the projection 122. Therefore, the projection 122 does not necessarily have to extend into the keyhole-shaped opening 106, but can extend to a position above the keyhole-shaped opening 106 that is close enough to avoid the head 32 of the fastener 30 between the projection 122 and the base portion 102. Thus, when the attachment portion 104 is attached to the base portion 102, the projection 122 will be positioned so as to prevent the fastener 30 from moving relative to the base portion 102 from the second segment 110 to the first segment 108.

[0032] The base portion 102 may further include additional openings 114 for receiving additional projections 112 on the attachment portion 104. Multiple additional projections 112 and corresponding additional openings 112 can be provided as shown in Figure 2. The additional projections 112 and corresponding additional openings 112 are preferably positioned around the periphery of the attachment portion 104 and the base portion 102, i.e., near the outer circumference of each respective portion 102, 104. When attached to the base portion 102, the additional projections 112 and corresponding additional openings 112 are configured to facilitate the correct orientation of the attachment portion 104. Therefore, the additional projections 112 and corresponding additional openings 114 can be positioned such that only one possible relative orientation of the attachment portion 104 and the base portion 102 is possible. For example, the additional projections 112 and corresponding additional openings 112 can be unevenly distributed around the periphery of the base portion 102 and the attachment portion 104, respectively. Further protrusions 112 and corresponding further openings 112 may further have shapes and / or orientations that allow only one relative orientation of the base portion 102 and the attachment portion 104.

[0033] Each further opening 114 may further have an elongated shape so that a further projection 112 can move relative to the further opening 114. A further opening 114 may have, for example, a semicircular elongated shape, which allows the further projection 112 to move within the further opening 114 as the attachment portion 104 rotates relative to the base portion 102. The first end of the further opening 114, through its interaction with the further projection 112, defines the fixed relative position of the base portion 102 and the attachment portion 104 in which the fastener 30 is positioned within the second segment 110 of the keyhole opening 106. The second end of the further opening 114, opposite the first end, through its interaction with the further projection 112, defines the open relative position of the base portion 102 and the attachment portion 104 in which the fastener 30 is positioned within the first segment 108 of the keyhole opening 106.

[0034] The device 10 may further include attachment fasteners 124 for fixing the attachment portion 104 to the base portion 102. Preferably, one or more attachment fasteners 124 are provided.

[0035] The attachment fastener 124 may be an elastic clip that enables snap-lock fastening of the attachment 104 to the base 102. The attachment fastener 124 may further comprise fasteners such as screws or similar.

[0036] The attachment portion 104 is preferably releasably attached to the base portion 102, thereby allowing the attachment fastener 124 to be released, for example, by elastically pushing the attachment fastener 124 out of the snap-lock engagement state.

[0037] Figure 3 shows a detailed view of how the projection 122 is positioned within the keyhole-shaped opening 106. While the projection 122 is shown having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, it is recognized that the projection may also have other cross-sectional shapes, such as circular, elliptical, or square. The projection 122 may have a shape corresponding to the shape of the first segment 108 of the keyhole-shaped opening 106, so that it can be positioned within the first segment 108.

[0038] The protruding portion 122 can be configured to prevent the attachment portion 104 from being attached to the base portion 102 if the fastener 30 is not properly positioned within the second segment 110 of the keyhole-shaped opening 106.

[0039] For example, since the projection 122 has a cross-sectional shape that occupies a sufficient amount of space within the first segment 108 of the keyhole-shaped opening 106, if the head 32 or shaft 34 of the fastener 30 is positioned within the first segment 108, the projection 122 cannot be inserted into or sufficiently close to the first segment 108.

[0040] The protrusion 122 is positioned such that when the attachment portion 104 is attached to the base portion 102, the fastener 30 is prevented from moving into the first segment 108 of the keyhole-shaped opening 106.

[0041] This can be achieved by ensuring that the projection 112 extends close enough to the keyhole-shaped opening 106 so that when relative motion is induced between the base portion 102 and the fastener 30, the head 30 of the fastener 30 comes into contact with the projection 122.

[0042] Alternatively, the projection 122 may extend within or to a proximal position on the first segment 108 of the keyhole-shaped opening 106, preferably near the transition between the first segment 108 and the second segment 110 of the keyhole-shaped opening 106. Alternatively, in embodiments where the second segment 110 has an elongated extension in the plane of the base portion 102 that is elongated enough to accommodate both the fastener 30 and the projection 122, the projection 122 may be located within or within a proximal position on the second segment 110 in the assembled state of the device 10. In such embodiments, the projection 122 should be located between the fastener 30 and the first segment 108, thereby preventing the fastener 30 from moving through the projection 122 in the second segment 110 to the first segment 108.

[0043] The protruding portion 122 can further function as a guide to achieve correct alignment between the base portion 102 and the attachment portion 104.

[0044] The attachment portion 104 is shown in Figures 3 and 4 as being attachable to the base portion 102 by linear relative motion between the attachment portion 104 and the base portion 102. In other words, the attachment portion 104 can be attached to the base portion 102 by pushing the attachment portion 104 together with the base portion 102. The attachment fastener 124 can be configured to snap into a locked position when the attachment portion 104 is correctly positioned relative to the base portion 102.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, the attachment portion 104 may be further configured to be attached to the base portion 102 by rotational relative motion between the attachment portion 104 and the base portion 102, in addition to or as an alternative to linear motion. Thus, the attachment portion 104 can be positioned relative to the base portion 102, and then the attachment portion 104 is twisted / rotated relative to the base portion 102 until the correct relative position is achieved. The attachment fastener 124 may be configured to snap into a locked position when the attachment portion 104 is correctly positioned relative to the base portion 102.

[0046] As can be seen further in Figure 3, the attachment portion 104 may comprise an outer annular lower section 116, an inner annular lower section 118, and a bridging section 120 connecting the outer annular lower section 116 and the inner annular lower section 118. The outer annular lower section 116 and the inner annular lower section 118 may be integrally formed with the attachment portion 104. The outer annular lower section 116 may be formed by the exterior of the attachment portion 104, and the inner annular lower section 118 may form an annular wall located inside the outer annular lower section 116.

[0047] The bridging section 120 is integrally formed with the outer and inner annular lower sections 116 and 118, providing them with rigidity. The outer and inner annular lower sections 116 and 118 form an intermediate annular space between them, and when the attachment portion 104 is attached to the base portion 102, the keyhole-shaped opening 106 is positioned within the intermediate annular space together with the head 32 of the fastener 30. As a result, the fastener 30 is concealed and cannot be removed unless the attachment portion 104 is first removed from the base portion 102.

[0048] The bridging section 120 may further include a distal end 122 that forms a projection 122. The projection 122 is therefore integrally formed with the bridging section 120, which is connected to the outer and inner annular lower sections 116, 118, respectively, and thus can have sufficient structural rigidity.

[0049] Similarly, as shown in Figure 6, which displays the attachment portion 104 in a perspective view, each additional projection 112 can be formed as a distal end 112 on the respective bridging section 120 between the outer annular lower section 116 and the inner annular lower section 118. Thus, the additional projections 112 and 122 can be formed as part of the reinforcing bridging section 120 that provides structural rigidity to the attachment portion 104.

[0050] It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. Therefore, several modifications and variations can be considered within the scope of the invention, and the invention is thus exclusively defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A base portion (102), and Attachment part (104) A device (10) configured for mounting to a surface (20), comprising: The attachment portion (104) is attachable to the base portion (102); the base portion (102) is provided with one or more keyhole shaped openings (106), each keyhole shaped opening (106) configured to receive a fastener (30) having a head (32) and a shaft (34) for attaching the base portion (102) to the surface (20); Each keyhole opening (106) comprises a first segment (108) that allows passage of the head (32) and shaft (34) and a second segment (110) that allows passage of said shaft (34) but prevents passage of said head (32); for each keyhole opening (106), the attachment portion (104) is provided with a protrusion (122) which, in an assembled state of the base portion (102) and the attachment portion (104), limits relative movement between the associated fastener (30) and the base portion (102); the attachment portion (104) is attachable to the base portion (102) by linear relative motion between the attachment portion (104) and the base portion (102); The device (10), wherein the attachment portion (104) comprises a further protrusion (112) configured to be received in an assembled state by a further non-keyhole shaped opening (114) provided in the base portion (102).

2. The device (10) of claim 1 , wherein the base portion (102) is a camera base portion (102).

3. The device (10) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the attachment portion (104) is a dome window (104).

4. The device (10) of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the keyhole opening (106) and the protrusion (122) are peripherally disposed on the base portion (102) and the attachment portion (104), respectively.

5. 5. The device (10) of claim 1, wherein the attachment portion (104) is attachable to the base portion (102) by rotational relative movement between the attachment portion (104) and the base portion (102).

6. 6. The device (10) of claim 1, wherein the protrusion (122) extends into the keyhole opening (106) in the assembled state of the attachment portion (104) and the base portion (102).

7. The device (10) of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the base portion (102) comprises a plurality of keyhole shaped openings (106).

8. The device (10) of claim 7, wherein the attachment portion (104) comprises a plurality of protrusions (122).

9. The device (10) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the keyhole shaped openings (106) are circumferentially distributed on the base portion (102).

10. 10. The device (10) of claim 1, wherein the attachment portion (104) comprises an outer annular lower section (116), an inner annular lower section (118), and a bridging section (120) connecting the outer annular lower section (116) and the inner annular lower section (118), the bridging section (120) having a distal end (122) forming the protrusion (122).

11. The device (10) of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the attachment portion (104) is releasably attached to the base portion (102).