Linked Camera Housing Rotation for Wider Surveillance Angles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surveillance cameras have limited effective shooting angles due to their fixed base and hemispheric transparent portions, which restrict the rotation angle of the camera lens and can cause image distortion, thereby narrowing the available surveillance range.
Innovation Solution
A camera supporting device with a rotatable outer casing and linkage mechanism that allows the camera holding structure to drive the outer casing, increasing the effective shooting angle range without distortion by maintaining a consistent distance between the lens and the light-permeable cover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the camera lens is rotatably disposed on a fixed base with a hemispheric transparent portion, then the camera can rotate to increase surveillance range, but the effective shooting angle range is limited by the size of the hemispheric transparent portion and the transmission angle range
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the rotation system into two independent parts: the camera lens rotates on the fixed base, and the outer casing with transparent portion rotates independently on the supporting frame. This segmentation allows each component to rotate without restricting the other, enabling the camera to achieve a rotation angle range greater than 180 degrees while maintaining a large effective shooting angle range through the transparent portion.
2Ease of manufacture
If the surrounding portion of the transparent cover has different curvature from other portions (e.g. cylindrical), then the structure can be manufactured, but images captured through the surrounding portion are substantially distorted, further narrowing the actual available rotation angle range
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies different curvature characteristics to different regions of the transparent cover: the central portion maintains a hemispheric shape with uniform curvature for high-quality image capture, while the surrounding portion uses a different curvature (e.g., cylindrical) for structural completeness. This local quality differentiation ensures that the camera lens primarily captures images through the high-quality hemispheric portion, minimizing distortion while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
3Device complexity
If the outer casing is fixed to the fixed base, then the structure is simple, but the camera lens rotation angle range is limited to less than 180 degrees
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamic rotation capability to the outer casing, allowing it to rotate independently on the supporting frame in addition to the camera lens rotating on the fixed base. This dynamic design enables the system to achieve a total rotation angle range greater than 180 degrees, significantly expanding surveillance coverage while maintaining reasonable structural complexity through the use of standard rotating joint mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A camera supporting device includes a supporting frame, an outer casing, a camera holding structure, and a linkage mechanism. The outer casing is rotatably connected to the supporting frame. The camera holding structure is rotatably connected to the supporting frame independently of the outer casing. The linkage mechanism incudes a driving part and a driven part kinematically connected to the driving part. The driving part is fixedly connected to the camera holding structure. The driven part is fixedly connected to the outer casing. An image-capturing device can be fixed on the camera holding structure. Through the camera holding structure driving the outer casing through the linkage mechanism, the outer casing can provide a wider angle range available for the image-capturing device to capturing exterior images.