Camera device

Abstract

A camera device (2) comprises: a camera part (6) that generates image data; a cover member (8) that is disposed so as to cover the camera part (6); an antenna (10) that has a ground terminal (30) and is disposed so as to be in contact with the cover member (8); a wireless circuit (12) that wirelessly transmits the image data to the outside via the antenna (10); a control circuit (18) that has a plurality of heat-generating components (32) and controls the camera part (6) and the wireless circuit (12); and a ground part (20) that has a first ground (34) located near a heat-generating component (32a) having the largest amount of heat generation. A ground terminal (30) of the antenna (10) is electrically and heat-transferably connected to the first ground (34). Heat from the first ground (34) is transferred to the ground terminal (30) of the antenna (10), whereby the antenna (10) functions as a heater for heating the cover member (8).

Description

Camera device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a camera device.

[0002] A security camera device installed on an outdoor ceiling or the like is known. This type of camera device includes a housing, a camera unit and a wireless communication device supported by the housing, and a dome-shaped and transparent cover member arranged to cover the camera unit. The wireless communication device wirelessly transmits image data indicating an image captured by the camera unit to the outside.

[0003] When the above-described camera device is used, for example, in winter, dew may form on the cover member, which may cause the image captured by the camera unit through the cover member to become unclear. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a camera device provided with a heater unit for suppressing dew formation on the cover member. In the camera device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the heater unit is supported by the housing and heats the cover member by blowing warm air.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-90318

[0005] However, in the camera device disclosed in Patent Document 1, since a dedicated heater unit for heating the cover member is built in, there is a problem that the entire device becomes larger.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a camera device that can suppress dew formation on the cover member while reducing the size of the entire device.

[0007] The camera device in this disclosure comprises: a camera unit that generates image data showing an image of a subject by photographing the subject; a light-transmitting cover member disposed to cover the camera unit; an antenna having a ground terminal and disposed to contact the cover member; a wireless circuit that wirelessly transmits the image data generated by the camera unit to the outside via the antenna; a control circuit having a plurality of heat-generating components and controlling the camera unit and the wireless circuit; and a ground unit having a reference potential and a first ground which is a region located near the heat-generating component that generates the largest amount of heat among the plurality of heat-generating components, wherein the ground terminal of the antenna is electrically and heat-transmittingly connected to the first ground of the ground unit, and the antenna functions as a heater that heats the cover member by transferring heat from the first ground to the ground terminal of the antenna.

[0008] The camera device described in this disclosure makes it possible to reduce the overall size of the device while suppressing condensation on the cover member.

[0009] This is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the camera device according to the embodiment. This is a perspective view showing the cover member and antenna of the camera device according to the embodiment, with the parts removed. This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the camera device according to the embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the heating mode in the camera device according to the embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the non-heating mode in the camera device according to the embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the camera device according to the embodiment.

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below, with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, unnecessarily detailed explanations may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters and redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art.

[0011] The inventors provide the accompanying drawings and the following description so that those skilled in the art may fully understand this disclosure, and not to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0012] (Embodiment) [1. Camera Device Configuration] First, the configuration of the camera device 2 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the camera device 2 according to the embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the cover member 8 and antenna 10 of the camera device 2 according to the embodiment. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the camera device 2 according to the embodiment. Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the heating mode in the camera device 2 according to the embodiment. Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the non-heating mode in the camera device 2 according to the embodiment.

[0013] In Figure 1, the upper side of the page is referred to as "top," and the lower side of the page is referred to as "bottom." Also, for the sake of explanation, Figure 2 shows the cover member 8 inverted vertically compared to the actual orientation in which it is used, as shown in Figure 1.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the camera device 2 according to this embodiment is a dome-shaped camera device installed, for example, on an outdoor ceiling, for photographing outdoor subjects. The camera device 2 comprises a housing 4, a camera unit 6, a cover member 8, an antenna 10, a wireless circuit 12, a temperature sensor 14, a main board 16 (an example of a board), a control circuit 18, a ground unit 20, and a switch 22.

[0015] The housing 4 is formed in a roughly cylindrical shape and is mounted on an outdoor ceiling or the like. Inside the housing 4, there is a space 24 for housing various components of the camera device 2. A circular opening 26 is also formed at the lower end of the housing 4. The housing 4 is made of, for example, metal. However, the housing 4 is not limited to metal and may be made of resin.

[0016] The camera unit 6 is supported by the housing 4 and protrudes downward from the opening 26 of the housing 4. The camera unit 6 has, for example, a lens and an image sensor, and photographs outdoor subjects through the cover member 8. The camera unit 6 also generates image data showing the image of the photographed subject and outputs the generated image data to the control circuit 18.

[0017] The cover member 8 is formed in a dome shape and is sealed and attached to the opening 26 of the housing 4. That is, by attaching the cover member 8 to the opening 26 of the housing 4, the camera unit 6 is sealed inside the space formed by the housing 4 and the cover member 8. The cover member 8 is a member for protecting the camera unit 6 and is positioned to cover the camera unit 6. The cover member 8 is made of a light-transmitting material, such as transparent resin or glass. In this specification, "sealed" does not necessarily mean completely airtight or watertight. For example, the cover member 8 does not have to be completely airtight or watertight attached to the opening 26 of the housing 4.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, the antenna 10 is positioned to contact the inner surface of the cover member 8 and is attached to the inner surface of the cover member 8, for example, with an adhesive. The antenna 10 has a power supply terminal 28 and a ground terminal 30. The antenna 10 is formed of a metal mesh woven with extremely fine metal wires, such as copper or silver, at a pitch of 100 μm, and is translucent. Note that the antenna 10 is not limited to a metal mesh and may be formed of a transparent conductive film (ITO: indium tin oxide), for example. Also, for the sake of explanation, the antenna 10 is not shown in Figure 1.

[0019] The wireless circuit 12 is located in the internal space 24 of the housing 4. The wireless circuit 12 is electrically connected to the power supply terminal 28 of the antenna 10 and outputs an RF (Radio Frequency) signal to the power supply terminal 28. As a result, the wireless circuit 12 wirelessly transmits the image data generated by the camera unit 6 to an external device (for example, an external terminal or external server) via the antenna 10. The wireless circuit 12 may also perform wireless communication using a communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0020] The temperature sensor 14 is located inside the cover member 8 and detects the ambient temperature around the camera device 2. The temperature sensor 14 outputs temperature data indicating the detected ambient temperature to the control circuit 18. For the sake of explanation, the temperature sensor 14 is not shown in Figures 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 14 is located inside the cover member 8, but it is not limited to this and may be located outside the camera device 2 (i.e., outside the housing 4 and cover member 8).

[0021] The main board 16 is, for example, made up of a multilayer printed circuit board and is located in the internal space 24 of the housing 4. The main board 16 is electrically connected to the camera unit 6, the ground terminal 30 of the antenna 10, the wireless circuit 12, and the temperature sensor 14 via cables.

[0022] The control circuit 18 is a circuit for controlling the camera unit 6 and the wireless circuit 12, and is mounted on the main board 16. The control circuit 18 acquires image data from the camera unit 6 and outputs the acquired image data to the wireless circuit 12. The control circuit 18 also controls the switch 22 by outputting a switching signal to the switch 22 based on temperature data from the temperature sensor 14.

[0023] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the control circuit 18 has a plurality of heat-generating components 32, which are composed of various electronic components such as an SoC (System on a Chip), an IC (Integrated Circuit), a capacitor, a coil, and a resistor. These plurality of heat-generating components 32 are mounted on the main board 16. Of the plurality of heat-generating components 32, the heat-generating component 32a that generates the most heat is, for example, the SoC. The control circuit 18 or SoC may also include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory, and the CPU may realize the various functions of the control circuit 18 described above by executing a program stored in memory. The control circuit 18 or SoC may also include a signal processing circuit, and the signal processing circuit may encode and encrypt image data.

[0024] The ground portion 20 is a conductor having a reference potential (e.g., 0V) and is formed, for example, by the ground layer of the main substrate 16. Alternatively, the ground portion 20 may consist of almost the entire area of ​​one of the multiple conductor layers included in the multilayer substrate constituting the main substrate 16. The ground portion 20 includes a first ground 34 and a second ground 36.

[0025] The first ground 34 is a region within the ground section 20 that is located near the heat-generating component 32a of the control circuit 18, which generates the most heat. That is, when the camera device 2 is operating and each heat-generating component 32 is generating heat, the first ground 34 is a region that becomes relatively hot because heat from the heat-generating component 32a is easily transferred to it. Here, "located near the heat-generating component 32a" means a position where heat from the heat-generating component 32a is easily transferred, and includes not only the case where the heat-generating component 32a is within the region of the first ground 34 (i.e., when the main board 16 is viewed from above, the first ground 34 and the heat-generating component 32a are in an overlapping positional relationship), but also the case where the heat-generating component 32a is outside the region of the first ground 34. Although Figures 4 and 5 show the first ground 34 containing only the heat-generating component 32a, the diagram is not limited to this, and the first ground 34 may contain one or more heat-generating components 32 (including the heat-generating component 32a).

[0026] The second ground 36 is a region of the ground section 20 other than the first ground 34. That is, when the camera device 2 is operating and each heat-generating component 32 is generating heat, the second ground 36 is a region that is relatively cool because heat from the heat-generating component 32a, which generates the most heat, is less likely to be transferred to it. Specifically, the second ground 36 is a region that is cooler than the first ground 34. The second ground 36 may include one or more heat-generating components 32 (excluding heat-generating component 32a).

[0027] In this embodiment, the region of the ground section 20 where heat is most easily transferred from the heat-generating component 32a is designated as the first ground 34, and the region where heat is least easily transferred from the heat-generating component 32a is designated as the second ground 36. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the region of the ground section 20 containing a larger number of heat-generating components 32 may be designated as the first ground 34, and the region containing a smaller number of heat-generating components 32 may be designated as the second ground 36.

[0028] Switch 22 is a c-contact switch for switching the connection destination of the antenna 10's ground terminal 30 from one of the first ground 34 and the second ground 36 of the ground section 20 to the other. Switch 22 has a common contact 38, an a-contact 40, and a b-contact 42. The common contact 38 is electrically and thermally connected to the antenna 10's ground terminal 30. The a-contact 40 is electrically and thermally connected to the second ground 36 via a wiring pattern 44 on the main board 16. The b-contact 42 is electrically and thermally connected to the first ground 34 via a wiring pattern 46 on the main board 16. Note that the wiring pattern 46 may be formed thicker than other wiring patterns to improve heat transfer efficiency. Based on a switching signal from the control circuit 18, the switch 22 is switched between a first switching state in which the common contact 38 and the b-contact 42 are conductive, and a second switching state in which the common contact 38 and the a-contact 40 are conductive.

[0029] [2. Operation of the Camera Device] Next, the operation of the camera device 2 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of operation of the camera device 2 according to the embodiment.

[0030] As shown in Figure 6, the control circuit 18 causes the camera unit 6 to start taking pictures (S101). Once the camera unit 6 starts taking pictures, the control circuit 18 acquires temperature data from the temperature sensor 14 (S102). The control circuit 18 periodically acquires temperature data from the temperature sensor 14, for example, at predetermined time intervals. Next, the control circuit 18 compares the ambient temperature indicated by the acquired temperature data with a threshold (for example, 10°C) (S103).

[0031] If the ambient temperature indicated by the acquired temperature data is below a threshold (YES in S103), the control circuit 18 outputs a switching signal to instruct the switch 22 to switch to the first switching state. As a result, as shown in Figure 4, the switch 22 is switched to the first switching state, and the connection destination of the ground terminal 30 of the antenna 10 is switched to the first ground 34 (S104).

[0032] In this case, the heat from the heat-generating component 32a causes the temperature of the first ground 34 to rise to a high temperature, and this high-temperature heat from the first ground 34 is transmitted to the ground terminal 30 of the antenna 10 via the wiring pattern 46 and the switch 22. As a result, the antenna 10 enters a heating mode in which it also functions as a heater to heat the cover member 8 (S105). Consequently, when the camera device 2 is used, for example, in winter when the temperature is low, the heat from the antenna 10 is transmitted to the cover member 8, thereby suppressing condensation on the cover member 8.

[0033] Returning to step S103, if the ambient temperature indicated by the acquired temperature data is above the threshold (NO in S103), the control circuit 18 outputs a switching signal to instruct the switch 22 to switch to the second switching state. As a result, as shown in Figure 5, the switch 22 is switched to the second switching state, and the connection destination of the ground terminal 30 of the antenna 10 is switched to the second ground 36 (S106).

[0034] In this case, heat from the heat-generating component 32a is not easily transferred to the second ground 36, so only low-temperature heat from the second ground 36 is transferred to the ground terminal 30 of the antenna 10 via the wiring pattern 44 and switch 22. As a result, the antenna 10 enters a non-heating mode where it does not function as a heater to heat the cover member 8 (S107). Consequently, when the camera device 2 is used, for example, in the summer when temperatures are high, it is possible to avoid unnecessarily heating the cover member 8 with the heat from the antenna 10. Specifically, since it is possible to suppress an excessive rise in the internal temperature of the cover member 8, the operation of the camera unit 6 located inside the cover member 8 can be stabilized. Furthermore, if the cover member 8 is made of resin, deterioration of the part of the cover member 8 that is heated by the antenna 10 can be suppressed.

[0035] If, after step S105 or S107, you wish to continue taking images with the camera unit 6 (NO in S108), return to step S102 as described above. On the other hand, if you wish to end taking images with the camera unit 6 (YES in S108), terminate the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 6.

[0036] Furthermore, the control circuit 18 may incorporate a hysteresis characteristic into its comparison process between ambient temperature and a threshold. Specifically, when the ambient temperature drops from above a first threshold to below the first threshold, the control circuit 18 may output a switching signal to instruct the switch 22 to switch to a first switching state. Also, when the ambient temperature rises from below a second threshold (> first threshold) to above the second threshold, the control circuit 18 may output a switching signal to instruct the switch 22 to switch to a second switching state.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control circuit 18 switches the switch 22 while the camera unit 6 is taking pictures, but it is not limited to this. The control circuit 18 may switch the switch 22 based only on the ambient temperature, independently of the operation of the camera unit 6 (i.e., regardless of whether the camera unit 6 is taking pictures or not). In other words, the processes in steps S102 to S107 of Figure 5 may be executed regardless of whether the camera unit 6 is taking pictures or not.

[0038] [3. Effects] As described above, in this embodiment, the high-temperature heat generated in the first ground 34 is transmitted to the ground terminal 30 of the antenna 10, thereby allowing the cover member 8 to be heated using the heat from the antenna 10. This eliminates the need for a dedicated heater unit to heat the cover member 8, allowing for miniaturization of the entire device while suppressing condensation on the cover member 8.

[0039] (Note) (Technical 1) A camera device comprising: a camera unit that generates image data showing an image of a subject by photographing the subject; a cover member that is translucent and arranged to cover the camera unit; an antenna having a ground terminal and arranged to be in contact with the cover member; a wireless circuit that wirelessly transmits the image data generated by the camera unit to the outside via the antenna; a control circuit having a plurality of heat-generating components and controlling the camera unit and the wireless circuit; and a ground unit having a reference potential and a first ground which is a region located near the heat-generating component that generates the largest amount of heat among the plurality of heat-generating components, wherein the ground terminal of the antenna is electrically and heat-transmittingly connected to the first ground of the ground unit, and the antenna functions as a heater that heats the cover member by transferring heat from the first ground to the ground terminal of the antenna.

[0040] According to Technology 1, heat from the first ground is transferred to the ground terminal of the antenna, so the antenna functions as a heater that heats the cover member. Therefore, the cover member can be heated using the heat from the antenna. This eliminates the need for a dedicated heater unit to heat the cover member, allowing for miniaturization of the entire device while suppressing condensation on the cover member.

[0041] (Technology 2) The ground portion further has a second ground which is an area other than the first ground. The camera device further includes a switch for switching the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna from one of the first ground and the second ground of the ground portion to the other, the camera device according to Technology 1.

[0042] According to Technology 2, for example, when it is necessary to heat the cover member, the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna can be switched to the first ground of the ground portion by the switch. Also, for example, when there is no need to heat the cover member, the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna can be switched to the second ground of the ground portion by the switch.

[0043] (Technology 3) The camera device further includes a temperature sensor for detecting the ambient temperature around the camera device. The control circuit (i) switches the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna to the second ground when the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a threshold value, and (ii) switches the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna to the first ground when the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than the threshold value, to control the switch, the camera device according to Technology 2.

[0044] According to Technology 3, for example, in winter when the air temperature is low, the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna can be switched to the first ground of the ground portion by the switch. Thereby, condensation on the cover member can be suppressed. Also, for example, in summer when the air temperature is high, the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna can be switched to the second ground of the ground portion by the switch. Thereby, it is possible to avoid heating the cover member unnecessarily.

[0045] (Technology 4) The camera device further includes a substrate for mounting the plurality of heat-generating components. The first ground and the second ground of the ground portion are formed on the substrate, the camera device according to Technology 2 or 3.

[0046] According to Technique 4, the first ground and the second ground of the ground portion can be easily formed on the substrate.

[0047] (Other Embodiments) As described above, embodiments have been described as examples of the techniques disclosed in the present application. However, the techniques in the present disclosure are not limited to this, and are also applicable to embodiments with appropriate changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. Further, it is also possible to combine the respective components described in the above embodiments to form a new embodiment.

[0048] Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

[0049] In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the first ground 34 of the ground portion 20 is formed on the main substrate 16, but it is not limited to this, and for example, it may be formed on a metal housing 4. In this case, in order to dissipate the heat from the heat-generating component 32a with the largest heat generation amount, the heat-generating component 32a is brought into heat-transferable contact with the housing 4 via a heat-conducting member, so that the region of the housing 4 located in the vicinity of the heat-generating component 32a becomes the first ground.

[0050] Also, in the above embodiment, the ground terminal 30 of the antenna 10 is electrically and heat-transferably connected to the first ground 34 of the ground portion 20, but it is not limited to this, and the power supply terminal 28 of the antenna 10 may be heat-transferably connected to the first ground 34 of the ground portion 20. In this case, the connection destination of the power supply terminal 28 of the antenna 10 may be switched from one of the first ground 34 and the second ground 36 to the other by the switch 22.

[0051] Also, in the above embodiment, the control circuit 18 controls the switch 22 to switch from one of the first switching state and the second switching state to the other, but it is not limited to this, and the user may manually switch the switch 22 from one of the first switching state and the second switching state to the other.

[0052] Furthermore, although the camera device 2 is provided with a switch 22 in the above embodiment, it is not limited to this, and the switch 22 may be omitted. In this case, the ground terminal 30 of the antenna 10 may always be electrically and thermally connected to the first ground 34 of the ground section 20.

[0053] Furthermore, although the above embodiment uses separate configurations for multiple heat-generating components 32 and the wireless circuit 12, the invention is not limited to this configuration, and the wireless circuit 12 may include one or more heat-generating components 32. In this case, the ground near the wireless circuit 12 may be designated as the first ground 34.

[0054] Furthermore, although the wireless circuit 12 is located outside the main board 16 in the above embodiment, the invention is not limited to this, and the wireless circuit 12 may be mounted on the main board 16.

[0055] As described above, embodiments have been explained as examples of the technology in this disclosure. For this purpose, accompanying drawings and a detailed description have been provided.

[0056] Therefore, the components described in the attached drawings and detailed descriptions may include not only components essential for solving the problem, but also components that are not essential for solving the problem, provided that they illustrate the technology described above. For this reason, the mere presence of these non-essential components in the attached drawings and detailed descriptions should not be immediately assumed to mean that they are essential.

[0057] Furthermore, since the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes of the technology described herein, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc., can be made within the scope of the claims or equivalents thereof.

[0058] The camera device described herein is applicable, for example, to dome-shaped security cameras installed on outdoor ceilings.

[0059] 2 Camera device 4 Housing 6 Camera section 8 Cover member 10 Antenna 12 Wireless circuit 14 Temperature sensor 16 Main board 18 Control circuit 20 Ground section 22 Switch 24 Space 26 Opening 28 Power supply terminal 30 Ground terminal 32, 32a Heat-generating component 34 First ground 36 Second ground 38 Common contact 40 a contact 42 b contact 44, 46 Wiring pattern

Claims

1. A camera device comprising: a camera unit that generates image data showing an image of a subject by photographing the subject; a light-transmitting cover member disposed to cover the camera unit; an antenna having a ground terminal and disposed to contact the cover member; a wireless circuit that wirelessly transmits the image data generated by the camera unit to the outside via the antenna; a control circuit having a plurality of heat-generating components and controlling the camera unit and the wireless circuit; and a ground unit having a reference potential and a first ground which is a region located near the heat-generating component that generates the largest amount of heat among the plurality of heat-generating components, wherein the ground terminal of the antenna is electrically and heat-transmittingly connected to the first ground of the ground unit, and the antenna functions as a heater that heats the cover member by transferring heat from the first ground to the ground terminal of the antenna.

2. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the ground portion further has a second ground which is a region other than the first ground, and the camera device further includes a switch that switches the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna from one of the first ground and the second ground of the ground portion to the other.

3. The camera device further comprises a temperature sensor for detecting the ambient temperature around the camera device, and the control circuit controls the switch such that (i) if the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold, the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna is switched to the second ground, and (ii) if the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor is less than the threshold, the connection destination of the ground terminal of the antenna is switched to the first ground.

4. The camera device further comprises a substrate for mounting the plurality of heat-generating components, wherein the first ground and the second ground of the ground portion are formed on the substrate, as described in claim 2 or 3.

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