Surveillance cameras

Abstract

To provide a surveillance camera with excellent flexibility in installation location thereof.SOLUTION: A surveillance camera 1 includes a camera unit 2, a revolution mechanism 3 which revolves the camera unit in the pan direction and the tilt direction, and a support unit 5 which is attached to target equipment and supports the upper portion of the revolution mechanism 3, the support unit 5 includes at least one bending unit 6 which can be freely bent, the bending unit 6 is bent in such a manner that the pan axis of the camera unit 2 of the surveillance camera 1 with the support unit 5 attached to the target equipment, is perpendicular to the ground, and the support unit 5 includes a base unit 7 fixed to the target equipment and a connection unit 8 provided in the upper portion of the revolution mechanism 3, the bending unit 6 is comprised of the end portion of the base unit 7 and the end portion of the connection unit 8, and is bent within a range in which the angle formed by the central axis of the base unit 7 and the central axis of the connection portion 8 is in the range of 90° to 180°.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a surveillance camera having excellent freedom in installation location.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, due to the availability of cameras at low cost, there has been an increase in installing cameras at predetermined locations indoors and outdoors to capture videos, still images, etc. When installing a camera as a surveillance camera, various aspects such as the installation location, installation method, and camera structure have been considered so that a single camera can capture a wider range.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a camera mounting base that can easily adjust the angle of the camera after installation. This camera mounting base includes a mounting stem having a spherical portion at the tip and its base end fixed to the camera, a mounting base arm having a receiving seat at the tip with its base end fixed to a wall surface or the like and rotatably receiving the spherical portion of the mounting stem, a holding fitting that covers the spherical portion of the mounting stem, and a lock knob that is screwed and tightened to the outer periphery of the tip of the mounting base arm to press the spherical portion of the mounting stem against the receiving seat at the tip of the mounting base arm via the holding fitting. It is described that the angle adjustment of the camera can be freely and easily adjusted simultaneously in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes a small and lightweight dome-shaped surveillance camera that is emphasized from the perspective of ceiling mounting. This dome-shaped surveillance camera is composed of a horizontal rotation motor, a camera unit storage case, a camera unit support plate fixed to a substrate and rotatably supporting the camera unit storage case, and a vertical rotation motor. The camera unit support plate and the horizontal rotation motor are arranged facing each other with respect to the rotation axis at the center of the horizontal rotation of the camera. It is described that since heavy objects among the components are arranged facing each other across the horizontal rotation center axis, the horizontal rotation balance is improved, enabling accurate and high-speed rotation.

[0005] A camera having a rotation mechanism for rotating horizontally (pan direction) or vertically (tilt direction), as described in Patent Document 2, is also called a pan-tilt camera. Because pan-tilt cameras can capture a wide range of images, they have become commonly used as surveillance cameras in recent years. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-191689 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-305138 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Pan-tilt cameras have two axes of rotation: a pan axis (the axis of rotation in the panning direction) and a tilt axis (the axis of rotation in the tilting direction). Because they rotate around these axes, they are more susceptible to centrifugal force due to camera rotation compared to fixed cameras that do not have axes of rotation. Therefore, in order to obtain images with minimal blur, pan-tilt cameras were fixed directly to the ceiling or wall, or fixed via a highly rigid support structure.

[0008] When pan-tilt cameras are fixed to ceilings or walls via support brackets, they are often sold as a set with ceiling or wall-mounted support brackets. In this case, the customer had to accurately estimate the number of cameras needed for installation on both the ceiling and the wall, making it difficult to change the installation plan after delivery. Furthermore, even if a pan-tilt camera was installed, it was inconvenient that the installation location could not be freely changed from ceiling to wall or wall to ceiling.

[0009] This invention was made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a surveillance camera that offers excellent flexibility in terms of installation location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present invention provides a surveillance camera comprising a camera unit, a rotation mechanism for rotating the camera unit in the pan and tilt directions, and a support unit attached to a target facility and supporting the upper part of the rotation mechanism, wherein the support unit has at least one flexible bending portion, and the bending portion is characterized in that the pan axis of the camera unit of the surveillance camera attached to the target facility is perpendicular to the ground.

[0011] The support portion has a base portion fixed to the target equipment and a connecting portion provided on the upper part of the rotation mechanism, and the bent portion is composed of the end of the base portion and the end of the connecting portion, and is characterized in that the angle between the central axis of the base portion and the central axis of the connecting portion is bent in the range of 90° to 180°. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The surveillance camera of the present invention has a support section that has at least one flexible bending section, and the bending section bends so that the pan axis of the camera section of the surveillance camera attached to the target equipment becomes perpendicular to the ground. Therefore, the fixing part of the support section can be fixed in close contact with various installation locations that have different angles to the ground, and the degree of freedom in installation location is excellent.

[0013] The support section has a base that is fixed to the target equipment and a connecting section provided on the upper part of the rotation mechanism. The bending section is composed of the end of the base and the end of the connecting section, and the angle between the central axis of the base and the central axis of the connecting section bends in the range of 90° to 180°, so the bending range is limited and it is difficult to move even when subjected to external forces. As a result the surveillance camera is less likely to shake, and it is easier to obtain images with less blur. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the surveillance camera of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a front view showing one embodiment of the surveillance camera of the present invention. [Figure 3]A side view showing one embodiment of the surveillance camera of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a side view of a modified example in which the angle of the support part is 180°. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] An example of the surveillance camera of the present invention will be described using Figure 1. Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the surveillance camera of the present invention. In this specification, the directions of up, down, front, back, left, and right will follow the directions of the arrows shown in Figure 1.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the surveillance camera 1 comprises a camera unit 2, a rotation mechanism 3 that rotates the camera unit 2 in the pan and tilt directions, and a support unit 5 that is attached to the target equipment (not shown) and supports the upper part of the rotation mechanism 3. The support unit 5 is provided on the exterior part 4 that covers the upper part of the rotation mechanism 3. When the support unit 5 is in the state shown in Figure 1, the target equipment is a wall or the like that is perpendicular to the ground. Note that the target equipment is not limited to walls, but can be any equipment to which it can be attached, such as ceilings or three-dimensional structures. Also, the target equipment can be indoors or outdoors. The angle of the location on the target equipment to which the support unit 5 is attached relative to the ground is not limited to horizontal or vertical, but may be any other angle.

[0017] The camera unit and rotation mechanism will be described using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a front view of one embodiment of the surveillance camera of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the camera unit 2 includes, for example, one camera, eight light sources, a microphone, and a speaker on the side facing the direction of shooting. The light sources are arranged, for example, to surround the central camera. Note that the number and arrangement of cameras and light sources are not limited to those described above. The camera may be a zoom camera or a non-zoom camera. For example, an LED can be used as a light source. The light source may be a white light source, an infrared light source, or a combination thereof. The camera unit 2 may also have only a camera and no light sources, microphone, or speaker.

[0018] The pan-tilt mechanism 3 includes a pan-axis rotation mechanism 3a that rotates the camera unit 2 about the pan axis Op, and a tilt-axis rotation mechanism 3b that rotates the camera unit 2 about the tilt axis Ot. The pan axis Op is a rotation axis that penetrates the pan-axis rotation mechanism 3a in the vertical direction, and the tilt axis Ot is a rotation axis that penetrates the tilt-axis rotation mechanism 3b in the horizontal direction. The pan-axis rotation mechanism 3a can rotate the camera unit 2, for example, within a range of 0° to 355° in the pan direction to turn the camera lens left and right. Also, the tilt-axis rotation mechanism 3b can rotate the camera unit 2, for example, within a range of 0° to 95° in the tilt direction, and can turn the camera lens up and down (in the direction directly below the horizontal). In this case, the camera unit 2 can rotate, for example, 177.5° in each of the left and right directions or 95° downward from the state shown in FIG. 2. Thus, by rotating these two rotation mechanisms independently, the surveillance camera can monitor a wide range.

[0019] Referring again to FIG. 1, the support portion 5 will be described. The support portion 5 includes a base portion 7 fixed to the target equipment and a connecting portion 8 provided on the upper portion of the rotation mechanism 3. The support portion 5 has one bendable bending portion 6. The bending portion 6 bends such that the pan axis of the camera unit 2 of the surveillance camera 1 is perpendicular to the ground when the support portion 5 is attached to the target equipment. Note that the support portion 5 only needs to have at least one bending portion 6, and may have two or more bending portions 6. When the support portion 5 has two or more bending portions 6, the support portion 5 may include a base portion 7 directly fixed to the target equipment, a connecting portion 8 directly provided on the rotation mechanism 3, and an intervening portion interposed with a plurality of bending portions 6.

[0020] Since the surveillance camera of the present invention has the above-described configuration, it can be fixed so that the fixing portion described later is substantially in close contact even for various installation locations having different angles with respect to the ground. Thereby, it can be attached to various target equipment such as ceilings, walls, and dome-shaped walls, and has excellent freedom in the installation location.

[0021] The base 7 has a fixing part 7a which is a member for fixing to the target equipment, and a protruding part 7b which protrudes from the fixing part 7a to the side opposite to the target equipment. The fixing part 7a has, for example, four through holes for screwing. Note that the fixing part 7a may be fixed not only by screwing but also by an adhesive, fitting to the target equipment, embedding, or the like. Further, the shape of the protruding part 7b can be a free shape such as a columnar shape, a polygonal columnar shape, a substantially conical shape, a substantially polygonal pyramid shape, or the like.

[0022] The connecting part 8 is provided at the upper part of the exterior part 4 of the rotation mechanism 3. Thereby, when the monitoring camera 1 is attached to the ceiling, the moment caused by the weights of the camera part 2 and the rotation mechanism 3 (main body), which account for most of the weight of the monitoring camera 1, is less likely to act on the connecting part 8, and it is easier to be stable. Note that the connecting part 8 may be provided not only at the upper part of the rotation mechanism 3 but also at the side part of the rotation mechanism 3.

[0023] When the support part has only one bent part, the bent part is composed of the end part of the protruding part at the base and the end part of the connecting part. In this case, since there are few movable parts, it has excellent strength and is less affected by external forces. On the other hand, when the support part has two or more bent parts, the end part of the protruding part and the end part of the intervening part, the end part of the connecting part and the end part of the intervening part, or the end parts of the intervening parts constitute the bent part. When the support part has a plurality of bent parts, the monitoring camera can be attached to a target equipment having a complicated shape such as a recess with depth, and the degree of freedom of the installation location is more excellent.

[0024] The bending of the support part will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of the monitoring camera of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is a side view of a modified example in which the angle of the support part of this monitoring camera is changed. Here, when there is one bent part as in the monitoring camera shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the angle of the support part means the angle formed by the central axis of the base and the central axis of the connecting part.

[0025] The surveillance camera 1 shown in Figure 3 has a support section 5 with an angle θs (angle between the central axis Os of the base section 7 and the central axis Ol of the connecting section 8) of 90°. In this case, the surveillance camera 1 is suitable for mounting to a wall. Here, the rotation axis Ob is an axis that runs perpendicular to the plane of the paper from the front to the back of the paper, passing through the center of the bent section 6. The base section 7 rotates around the rotation axis Ob and can be fixed at predetermined angles (for example, every 5°, every 10°, every 30°, etc.). The bent section 6 is provided with a screw (not shown), and the ease of movement of the bent section 6 can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the screw.

[0026] In the surveillance camera 1 shown in Figure 4, the central axis Os of the base 7 coincides with the central axis Ol of the connecting part 8, and the angle θs of the support part 5 is 180°. In this case, the surveillance camera 1 is suitable for mounting on the ceiling. Note that the angle θs of the support part 5 is not limited to the 90° or 180° mentioned above. For example, if the equipment to which the surveillance camera 1 is to be mounted is a dome-shaped wall, the angle θs of the support part 5 can be set according to the angle of the mounting location of the equipment with respect to the ground.

[0027] The angle of the support can be freely set within a range where the base and the exterior of the rotating mechanism do not interfere with each other. The angle of the support may bend in the range of 45° to 315°, 90° to 270°, or 90° to 180°. When the angle of the support is bent in the range of 90° to 270°, for example, the support can be attached to the wall above an indoor window for outdoor monitoring. Also, when the angle of the support is bent in the range of 90° to 180°, the bending range of the bending part is limited (not bending more than 90° or more than 180°) when fixed to the wall at the minimum angle of 90° or to the ceiling at the maximum angle of 180°, which is preferable because the main body is less likely to shake even when subjected to external forces.

[0028] Surveillance cameras can record in various modes, including a continuous recording mode that keeps recording a designated area, a motion detection recording mode that records only when motion is detected, and a security light mode that records while emitting light. Camera rotation and zoom operations can be set to be performed automatically by the surveillance camera, or they can be controlled using a smartphone or other device. When using a smartphone or other device, it may be possible to operate the camera and view the footage remotely, such as when away from home.

[0029] The video, audio, and other information captured by the surveillance camera may be transmitted via wired connections such as LAN cables, or via wireless communication such as Wi-Fi. When transmitting information wirelessly, an antenna may be installed on the outside or inside of the surveillance camera.

[0030] Power can be supplied to the rotating mechanism and camera unit of the surveillance camera by connecting the camera's power cord to an outlet provided on the target equipment, or by connecting the cord to a solar panel. From the viewpoint of protection from the external environment, it is preferable to pass the cord through the inside of the support unit and connect it to the rotating mechanism and camera unit.

[0031] The surveillance camera of the present invention has been described above based on the figures and other information, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto. [Industrial applicability]

[0032] The surveillance camera of this invention offers excellent flexibility in terms of installation location, making it easy to change the installation plan after delivery or to relocate already installed cameras, allowing it to be installed in a variety of locations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1 Surveillance camera 2 Camera section 3. Rotating mechanism 3a Pan shaft rotation mechanism 3b Tilt axis rotation mechanism 4 Exterior part 5 Support part 6. Flexed section 7 base 7a Fixed part 7b Protrusion 8 Connecting part Op Pan Axis Ot Tilt axis Os, Ol central axis Ob rotation axis

Claims

[Claim 1] A pan-tilt type surveillance camera having a camera unit, a rotation mechanism for rotating the camera unit in the pan and tilt directions, and a support unit attached to the target equipment and supporting the upper part of the rotation mechanism, The support portion has at least one bendable portion that is flexible independently of the rotation mechanism. The bent portion is bent such that the pan axis of the camera part of the surveillance camera, to which the support portion is attached to the target equipment, is perpendicular to the ground. The support portion has a base portion fixed to the target equipment and a connecting portion provided on the upper part of the rotation mechanism. The pan-tilt type surveillance camera is characterized in that the bent portion is composed of the end of the base and the end of the connecting portion, and the angle between the central axis of the base and the central axis of the connecting portion is bent in the range of 90° to 180°.

Images