CN113852744B - Privacy protection mechanism of camera and camera - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses privacy protection mechanism of a camera and the camera. Based on this application, the casing end cover with the camera window can be installed the end cover lantern ring and first shielding element to, through the relative rotation between end cover lantern ring and the casing end cover, can make first shielding element dodge the first gesture of dodging of camera window and shelter from the first gesture of dodging of camera window and swing, thereby, can realize privacy protection function at the integration of the casing end cover of camera, and then help simplifying the required operation process of implementation privacy protection. In addition, through the first radial sliding allowance provided by the hooking cooperation of the first shielding element and the end cover sleeve ring, direct transmission conversion between relative rotation of the end cover sleeve ring and swinging of the first shielding element can be realized, so that an additional transmission mechanism such as a gear is not needed, thereby being beneficial to saving hardware cost and simplifying assembly procedures.

Description

Privacy protection mechanism of camera and camera

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to privacy protection technology, and more particularly, to a privacy protection mechanism for a camera and a camera using the privacy protection mechanism.

Background

The camera may capture scene information within its field of view and the sequence of images containing the scene information can be directed to a designated device. However, if the camera is invaded by a network, the image sequence of the camera containing the scene information may be stolen, resulting in possible privacy disclosure in the scene.

In order to avoid privacy disclosure, a shielding cover may be used to shield the lens of the camera. During the period that the lens of the camera is shielded, the image sequence output by the camera does not contain any scene information, and at the moment, even if the camera is invaded by a network, the scene information can be prevented from being leaked through the stolen image sequence.

However, the shielding cover is a separate component from the camera, and performing privacy protection using the shielding cover involves operations such as searching for the shielding cover, taking the shielding cover, placing the shielding cover on the camera, and the like, which results in complicated operation procedures required for performing privacy protection.

Disclosure of Invention

In the embodiment of the application, a privacy protection mechanism of a camera and a camera applying the privacy protection mechanism are provided, which can support the integration of privacy protection functions in the camera so as to help simplify the operation process required by implementing privacy protection.

A privacy preserving mechanism for a camera provided in one embodiment may include:

the shell end cover is provided with a lens window;

an end cap collar coaxially mated with the housing end cap, wherein the coaxial mating permits relative rotation between the end cap collar and the housing end cap in response to an external operation;

the first shielding element is arranged on the shell end cover in a swinging way and is used for responding to the relative rotation and swinging between a first avoidance posture for avoiding the lens window and a first shielding posture for shielding the lens window;

wherein there is a first inter-axle offset between a first swing axis of the first shield element and the rotational axis of the relative rotation, the first shield element being in snap-fit with the end cap collar, the snap-fit of the first shield element with the end cap collar being configured to: providing the first shield element with a first radial slip margin relative to the end cap collar in a radial direction of the end cap collar, the first radial slip margin being adapted to the first inter-axle offset for eliminating obstruction of the swing of the first shield element by the first inter-axle offset during the relative rotation;

Further comprises: the positioning magnetic attraction element is aligned with the first reference magnetic attraction element when the first shielding element is in the first avoidance attitude and generates a first magnetic attraction force which prevents the relative rotation, and the positioning magnetic attraction element is aligned with the second reference magnetic attraction element when the first shielding element is in the first shielding attitude and generates a second magnetic attraction force which prevents the relative rotation.

Optionally, the hooking cooperation of the first shield element with the end cap collar forms a movable first hooking fulcrum, wherein during the relative rotation: a first phase position of the first hitching fulcrum in the direction of relative rotation is restrained by a limit to change synchronously with the end cap collar, so that the first shielding element swings between the first avoidance posture and the first shielding posture in response to the change of the first phase position; a first radial position of the first hitch fulcrum in the radial direction is varied in relation to the first phase position by the first radial slip margin to eliminate obstruction of the variation of the first phase position by the first inter-axle offset.

Optionally, the end cap collar has a first runner, the first shield element has a first pivot post slidably inserted in the first runner to form the first hitch fulcrum with a mating engagement of the first pivot post with the first runner; the first phase position is limited and restrained by the first sliding groove to synchronously change with the end cover lantern ring; and, the first runner extends in the radial direction to provide the first radial sliding margin that allows the first radial position to vary in association with the first phase position.

Optionally, the first shielding element comprises: the first baffle is positioned outside the window range of the lens window when the first shielding element is in the first avoidance posture, and is positioned in the window range of the lens window when the first shielding element is in the first shielding posture; and one end of the first deflector rod is connected with the first baffle plate, and the other end of the first deflector rod is provided with the first pivot column.

Optionally, the method further comprises: the second shielding element is arranged on the shell end cover in a swinging way and is used for responding to the relative rotation, swinging between a second avoidance posture for avoiding the lens window simultaneously with the first shielding element and a second shielding posture for shielding the lens window jointly with the first shielding element, wherein the first magnetic attraction force is generated when the second shielding element and the first shielding element avoid the lens window simultaneously, and the second magnetic attraction force is generated when the second shielding element and the first shielding element jointly shield the lens window; wherein a second inter-axis offset is provided between a second pivot axis of the second shielding element and the axis of rotation of the relative rotation; and, the second shield element is in a snap fit with the end cap collar, and the snap fit of the second shield element with the end cap collar is configured to: providing a second radial slip margin in the radial direction for the second shield element relative to the end cap collar, the second radial slip margin being adapted to the inter-second axis offset for eliminating obstruction of the swing of the second shield element by the inter-second axis offset.

Optionally, the hooking cooperation of the first shielding element and the end cap collar forms a movable first hooking fulcrum, wherein during the relative rotation, a first phase position of the first hooking fulcrum in the direction of the relative rotation is limited to be changed synchronously with the end cap collar, so that the first shielding element swings between the first avoidance posture and the first shielding posture in response to the change of the first phase position; and, a first radial position of the first hitch fulcrum in the radial direction is varied in relation to the first phase position with the first radial slip margin to eliminate obstruction of the variation of the first phase position by the first inter-axle offset; the second shielding element and the end cover collar are engaged to form a movable second hanging fulcrum, wherein during the relative rotation period, a second phase position of the second hanging fulcrum in the relative rotation direction is limited and restrained to synchronously change with the end cover collar, so that the second shielding element swings between the second avoidance posture and the second shielding posture in response to the change of the second phase position; and, a second radial position of the second hitch fulcrum in the radial direction is varied in association with the second phase position by the second radial slip margin to eliminate obstruction of the variation of the second phase position by the second inter-axis offset.

Optionally, the first shielding element in the first shielding posture and the second shielding element in the second shielding posture are complementarily spliced to form a full shielding of the lens window; wherein the complementary splice forms a smooth linear splice.

Optionally, the end cap collar has a first runner and a second runner, the first shield element having a first pivot post, the second shield element having a second pivot post; the first pivot post is slidably inserted into the first chute to form the first hanging fulcrum by means of the plug-in cooperation of the first pivot post and the first chute; the second pivot post is slidably inserted into the second chute to form the second hanging fulcrum by means of the plug-in cooperation of the second pivot post and the second chute; the first phase position is limited and restrained by the first sliding groove to synchronously change with the end cover lantern ring, and the second phase position is limited and restrained by the second sliding groove to synchronously change with the end cover lantern ring; and, the first runner extends in the radial direction to provide the first radial sliding margin that allows the first radial position to vary in association with the first phase position; the second runner extends in the radial direction to provide the second radial sliding margin that allows the second radial position to vary in association with the second phase position.

Optionally, the first shielding element comprises: the first baffle is positioned outside the window range of the lens window when the first shielding element is in the first avoidance posture, and is positioned in a first area of the window range of the lens window when the first shielding element is in the first shielding posture; the first deflector rod is connected with the first baffle plate at one end, and the first pivot column is formed at the other end of the first deflector rod; the second shielding element comprises: the second baffle is positioned outside the window range of the lens window when the second shielding element is in the second avoidance posture, and is positioned in a second area of the window range of the lens window when the second shielding element is in the second shielding posture, and the second area is complementary with the first area; and one end of the second deflector rod is connected with the second baffle plate, and the other end of the second deflector rod is provided with the second pivot column.

In another embodiment, a camera is provided comprising:

A housing body having an end face opening;

an imaging module, which is accommodated in the housing main body, and which has a lens opening toward the end face; the method comprises the steps of,

the privacy securing mechanism of any one of claims 1 to 11, mounted to the end face opening such that the lens window coincides with a lens field of view of the lens.

Optionally, the shell end cover is fixedly arranged at the end face opening; the end cap collar is rotatably mounted in an axial gap between the housing end cap and the end face opening.

Based on the above embodiment, the casing end cover with the lens window can be provided with the end cover collar and the first shielding element, and through the relative rotation between the end cover collar and the casing end cover, the first shielding element can be caused to swing between the first avoidance posture of avoiding the lens window and the first shielding posture of shielding the lens window, so that the integration of the privacy protection function on the casing end cover of the camera is realized, and the operation process required by privacy protection is simplified. In addition, through the first radial sliding allowance provided by the hooking cooperation of the first shielding element and the end cover sleeve ring, direct transmission conversion between relative rotation of the end cover sleeve ring and swinging of the first shielding element can be realized, so that an additional transmission mechanism such as a gear is not needed, thereby being beneficial to saving hardware cost and simplifying assembly procedures.

Drawings

The following drawings are only illustrative of the present application and do not limit the scope of the present application:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a privacy preserving mechanism of a video camera in one embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an equivalent modified structure of the privacy securing mechanism shown in fig. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an expanded structure of the privacy securing mechanism shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 4 is an exploded structural schematic view of an example form of an extended structure of the privacy securing mechanism shown in fig. 3;

FIGS. 5a and 5b are inboard projection views of the example form of the sub-assembly structure shown in FIG. 4;

FIGS. 6a and 6b are outside effect views of the example form of the sub-assembly structure of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 7a and 7b are inboard projection views of the mounting structure of the example form shown in FIG. 4;

FIGS. 8a and 8b are perspective views of an assembled structure of the example form shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a camera in another embodiment of the present application;

FIGS. 10a and 10b are partial cross-sectional views of the mounting structure of the camera shown in FIG. 9;

fig. 11a and 11b are overall external views of the assembly structure of the video camera as shown in fig. 9.

Description of the reference numerals

10. Casing main body

100. End face opening

110. Clamping convex edge

120. Mounting boss

130. Support boss

20. Imaging module

200. Lens

210. Circuit board

220. Lens mounting base

230. Photosensitive element

30. Casing end cover

300. Lens window

310. Mounting buckle

320. Mounting convex column

350. Nested peripheral edge

360. Annular boss

361. First lateral slit

362. Second lateral slit

371. First hole seat

372. Second hole seat

390. Detection hole

40. Light-transmitting protective cover

50. End cap collar

510. First lug

511. First chute

512. First caulking groove

520. Second lug

521. Second chute

522. Second caulking groove

530. Annular chute

590. Hanging column

61. First shielding element

610. First baffle plate

611. First deflector rod

612. First pivot column

613. First shaft hole

619. Hanging groove

62. Second shielding element

620. Second baffle

621. Second deflector rod

622. Second pivot post

623. Second shaft hole

70. Positioning assembly

700. Positioning magnetic attraction element

710. First reference magnetic attraction element

720. Second reference magnetic attraction element

82. Module mounting screw

83. End cover mounting screw

861. First rotating shaft screw

862. Second rotating shaft screw

C50 Axis of rotation

C61 A first swing axis

C62 A second swing axis

SP61 first hanging fulcrum

SP62 second hanging pivot

PH61 first phase position

PH62 second phase position

RP61 first radial position

RP62 second radial position

TR61 first circumferential track

TR62 second circumferential track

Detailed Description

For the purposes of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the present application will be further described in detail below by referring to the accompanying drawings and examples.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a privacy protection mechanism of a video camera in one embodiment of the present application. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an equivalent modified structure of the privacy securing mechanism shown in fig. 1. Referring to fig. 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the privacy securing mechanism of the camera may include a housing cover 30 of the camera, and a cover collar 50 and a first shielding element 61 that may be co-mounted with the housing cover 30 to the camera.

The housing cover 30 may have a lens window 300 for exposing a lens field of view of the camera 300. For example, the window center of the lens window 300 may be re-coincident with the end cap of the housing end cap 30.

The end cap collar 50 may be coaxially mated with the cabinet end cap 30, wherein the coaxial mating of the end cap collar 50 with the cabinet end cap 30 may allow for relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the cabinet end cap 30 in response to external manipulation. For example, the axis of rotation C50 of the relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30 may coincide with the end cap of the housing end cap 30 and the window center of the lens window 300.

The first shielding element 61 is swingably mounted to the casing end cap 30, wherein the first shielding element 61 is further engaged with the end cap collar 50 for swinging between a first avoidance posture (i.e., a posture in which the first shielding element 61 is shown in solid outline in fig. 1 and 2) of the avoidance lens window 300 and a first shielding posture (i.e., a posture in which the first shielding element 61 is shown in broken outline in fig. 1 and 2) of the shielding lens window 300 in response to relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the casing end cap 30.

Wherein the first pivot axis C61 of the first shielding element 61 has a first inter-axis offset from the rotational axis C50 of the relative rotation of the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30, i.e. the first shielding element 61 and the end cap collar 50 are mounted eccentrically to each other in the housing end cap 30.

Also, as can be seen from fig. 1, since there is a first inter-axis offset between the first swing axis C61 and the rotation axis C50, the first circumferential track TR61 in which the first shielding element 61 swings about the first swing axis C61 has a track offset with respect to the circumferential profile of the end cap collar 50, which occurs in the radial direction of the end cap collar 50 (i.e., the radial direction with the rotation axis C50 as the center), and the track offset existing at different track positions of the first circumferential track TR61 is also different. Therefore, if the first shielding element 61 is fixedly coupled to the end cap collar 50, a track offset of the first shielding element 61 relative to the circumferential profile of the end cap collar 50 may prevent the first shielding element 61 from swinging.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, the snap fit of the first shielding element 61 with the end cap collar 50 is not a single degree of freedom fixed snap fit, but a movable snap fit with a sliding degree of freedom to avoid the first shielding element 61 from seizing with the end cap collar 50 due to the track offset described above, i.e. the snap fit of the first shielding element 61 with the end cap collar 50 may be configured to:

the first shield element 61 is provided with a first radial slip margin relative to the end cap collar 50 in the radial direction of the end cap collar 50 (i.e. the radial direction centered on the rotation axis C50) which is adapted to a first inter-axle offset between the first pivot axis C61 and the rotation axis C50 for eliminating the impediment of the first inter-axle offset between the first pivot axis C61 and the rotation axis C50 to the pivoting of the first shield element 61 during relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30. That is, the first radial slip margin is used to compensate for the first inter-axis offset between the first pivot axis C61 and the rotational axis C50 to allow the first shutter element 61 to pivot between a first retracted position (i.e., the position of the first shutter element 61 shown in solid outline in fig. 1 and 2) in which the lens window 300 is retracted, and a first shutter position (i.e., the position of the first shutter element 61 shown in dashed outline in fig. 1 and 2) in which the lens window 300 is blocked, in response to the relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30.

Based on the above structure, the casing end cover 30 with the lens window 300 may be provided with the end cover collar 50 and the first shielding element 61, and, through the relative rotation between the end cover collar 50 and the casing end cover 30, the first shielding element 61 may be caused to swing between the first avoidance posture for avoiding the lens window and the first shielding posture for shielding the lens window, thereby realizing the integration of the privacy protection function in the casing end cover 30 of the camera, and further facilitating the simplification of the operation process required for implementing privacy protection. Moreover, by the first radial sliding margin provided by the hooking cooperation of the first shielding element 61 and the end cover collar 50, a direct transmission conversion between the relative rotation of the end cover collar 50 and the swinging of the first shielding element 61 can be realized, so that an additional transmission mechanism such as a gear is not needed, thereby contributing to saving hardware cost and simplifying assembly procedures.

For a clearer understanding of the first radial sliding margin described above, a movable first hooking fulcrum SP61 formed by the hooking engagement of the first shielding element 61 with the end cap collar 50 is shown in fig. 1 and 2.

The first hitching fulcrum SP61 has a first phase position PH61 in the direction of relative rotation of the end cap collar 50 and the cabinet end cap 30, the first phase position PH61 being indicative of the angle of rotation of the first hitching fulcrum SP61 in the angular range about the rotational axis C50, and the first phase position PH61 being limited to vary synchronously with the end cap collar 50 during relative rotation of the end cap collar 50 to enable the first shielding element 61 to swing between the first evasive attitude and the first shielding attitude in response to the variation of the first phase position PH61, the amount of phase variation of the first phase position PH61 sufficient to support the first shielding element 61 swinging between the first evasive attitude and the first shielding attitude being indicated as Δph61 in fig. 1 and 2.

The first hitch fulcrum SP61 also has a first radial position RP61 in the radial direction of the end cap collar 50, which first radial position RP61 may represent the radial distance of the first hitch fulcrum SP61 relative to the rotational axis C50, and which first radial position RP61 may be varied in relation to the first phase position PH61 with a first radial slip margin during relative rotation of the end cap collar 50 and the cabinet end cap 30 to eliminate the obstruction of the variation of the first phase position PH61 by the first inter-axle offset between the first swivel axis C61 and the rotational axis C50, which first radial position RP61 is sufficient to support the associated variation of the first shielding element 61 swivelling between the first stowed position and the first shielding position being denoted as Δrp61, i.e. the first radial slip margin is not less than the associated variation Δrp61.

For example, in fig. 1, the end cap collar 50 may have a first runner 511 and the first shield element 61 may have a first pivot post 612, the first pivot post 612 slidably inserted into the first runner 511 to form a movable first hitch pivot SP61 with a mating engagement of the first pivot post 612 with the first runner 511. In this case, the first phase position PH61 may be limited by the first sliding groove 511 to be changed in synchronization with the end cap collar 50, i.e., the width of the first sliding groove 511 may be the same as the outer diameter of the first pivot post 612; also, the first runner 511 may extend in the radial direction to provide a first radial sliding margin that allows the first radial position RP61 to vary in association with the first phase position PH61, i.e., the first radial sliding margin is determined by the length of the first runner 511, and the length of the first runner 511 is not less than the associated variation Δrp61.

In order to facilitate the arrangement of the first pivot post 612 at the first shielding element 61, the first shielding element 61 may further comprise a first lever 611 in addition to the first flap 610. The first blocking piece 610 is located outside the window range of the lens window 300 when the first shielding element 61 is in the first avoidance posture, and is located within the window range of the lens window 300 when the first shielding element 61 is in the first shielding posture; one end of the first lever 611 is connected to the first blocking piece 610, and the other end of the first lever 611 may be formed with a first pivot post 612 serving as the first hooking fulcrum SP61.

Alternatively, the implementation of the first hanging support SP61 shown in fig. 1 may be equivalently replaced with that shown in fig. 2, that is, the end cover collar 50 may have a hanging post 590, and the first shielding element 61 may have a hanging slot 619, where the hanging slot 619 may be sleeved on the hanging post 590, so that the hanging slot 619 is configured as the first hanging support SP61. In this case, the first phase position PH61 may be limited to be changed in synchronization with the end cap collar 50 by the hitching leg 590, i.e., the outer diameter of the hitching leg 590 may be the same as the width of the hitching groove 519; also, the hitching leg 590 may guide the hitching groove 519 to slide telescopically in response to the first phase position PH61 to provide a first radial slip margin allowing the first radial position RP61 to vary in association with the first phase position PH61, i.e., the first radial slip margin is determined by the travel of the hitching leg 590 guiding the hitching groove 519 to telescope, and the travel component of the travel in the radial direction of the end cap collar 50 is not less than the associated variation ΔRP61.

As in fig. 1, in order to facilitate the arrangement of the hooking groove 619 in the first shielding element 61, the first shielding element 61 may further include a first lever 611' in addition to the first blocking piece 610, one end of the first lever 611' is connected to the first blocking piece 610, and the other end of the first lever 611' may be formed with a hooking post 619 serving as the first hooking fulcrum SP 61.

As described above, if the first radial sliding margin is not smaller than the associated variation Δrp61, the swing stroke of the first shielding element 61 may be restricted within the swing range between the first avoidance posture and the first shielding posture to prevent the first shielding element 61 from being swung excessively, if the first radial sliding margin is set to be equal to the associated variation Δrp61 or slightly larger than the associated variation Δrp61 for the purpose of tolerating the preset tolerance range.

In order to enable the first shielding element 61 to remain stable when reaching the first stowed or first shielding position to avoid false deflection due to external factors such as shock, the privacy securing mechanism of this embodiment may further include a positioning assembly 70, which positioning assembly 70 may be used to generate a restraining force that resists relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the cabinet end cap 30 when the first shielding element 61 is in either of the first stowed or first shielding positions.

For example, the restraining force generated by the positioning assembly 70 may be a rigid or elastic stress based on physical contact, or may be a coupling stress (e.g., magnetic attraction force) based on non-contact. Since the restraining force has a variety of alternative stress patterns, there are also a variety of corresponding options for the physical form of the positioning assembly 70, for which reason the positioning assembly 70 is virtually represented in the form of a lock in figures 1 and 2.

In addition, the privacy protecting mechanism in this embodiment may independently complete the single-piece full-shielding of the lens window 300 using only the first shielding element 61 in the first shielding posture, and if so, the area of the first blocking piece 610 of the first shielding element 61 needs to be not smaller than the hollowed-out area of the lens window 300, thereby causing the phase change amount of the first phase position PH61 sufficient to support the swinging of the first shielding element 61 between the first avoiding posture and the first shielding posture to be denoted as Δph61 to be larger, indirectly causing the associated change amount Δrp61 of the first radial position RP61 that is associated with the change of the first phase position PH61 to be larger, and thus, in order to allow the larger associated change amount Δrp61, the housing end cover 30 and the end cover collar 50 need to provide a sufficiently large radial space, that is, the housing end cover 30 and the end cover collar 50 need to have a large radial dimension, which in turn causes the overall radial dimension of the privacy protecting mechanism to be large, and even causes the overall radial dimension of the camera to be large.

Thus, to facilitate a miniaturized design of the privacy securing mechanism and the overall radial dimension of the camera, a dual shielding element configuration may be employed in this embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an expanded structure of the privacy securing mechanism shown in fig. 1. Referring to fig. 3, in this embodiment, the privacy securing mechanism may further include a second masking element 62.

The second shielding element 62 is swingably mounted on the casing end cover 30, where the second shielding element 62 may also be engaged with the end cover collar 50 for swinging between a second avoidance position (i.e. the position of the second shielding element 62 shown in solid outline in fig. 3) where the second shielding element 61 is avoided from the lens window 300, and a second shielding position (i.e. the position of the second shielding element 62 shown in broken outline in fig. 3) where the second shielding element 61 is combined with the first shielding element 61 to shield the lens window 300.

Wherein the second pivot axis C62 of the second shielding element 62 has a second inter-axis offset from the rotational axis C50 of the relative rotation of the housing end cap 30 and the end cap collar 50, the direction of the second inter-axis offset may be different from the direction of the first inter-axis offset between the first pivot axis C61 and the rotational axis C50, and the offset distance of the second inter-axis offset may be the same as or different from the offset distance of the first inter-axis offset.

As with the first shield element 61, the snap fit of the second shield element 62 with the end cap collar 50 may be configured to: in the radial direction of the end cap collar 50 (i.e. the radial direction centered on the rotation axis C50), a second radial slip margin is provided for the second shielding element 62 relative to the end cap collar 50, which second radial slip margin is adapted to the second inter-axial offset between the second pivot axis C62 and the rotation axis C50 for eliminating the obstruction of the pivot formation of the second shielding element 62 by the second inter-axial offset between the second pivot axis C62 and the rotation axis C50. That is, the second radial slip margin is used to compensate for the second axial offset between the second pivot axis C62 and the rotational axis C50 to allow the second shutter element 62 to pivot between a second retracted position (i.e., the position of the second shutter element 62 shown in solid outline in fig. 3) in which the lens window 300 is retracted, and a second shutter position (i.e., the position of the second shutter element 62 shown in dashed outline in fig. 3) in which the lens window 300 is blocked, in response to the relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30.

In addition to the first hooking point SP61 shown in fig. 1, the second screening element 62 is shown in fig. 3 in a movable second hooking point SP62 formed by the hooking engagement with the end cap collar 50.

The second hitching fulcrum SP62 has a second phase position PH62 in the direction of relative rotation of the end cap collar 50 and the chassis end cap 30, the second phase position PH62 being indicative of the angle of rotation of the second hitching fulcrum SP62 in the angular range about the rotational axis C50, and the second phase position PH62 being limited to vary synchronously with the end cap collar 50 during relative rotation of the end cap collar 50 to enable the second shielding element 62 to swing between the second stowed position and the second shielding position in response to the variation of the second phase position PH62, the second phase position PH62 being sufficient to support the second shielding element 62 to swing between the second stowed position and the second shielding position being indicated as Δph62 in fig. 3.

The second hitching fulcrum SP62 also has a second radial position RP62 in the radial direction of the end cap collar 50, which second radial position RP62 may represent the radial distance of the second hitching fulcrum SP62 relative to the rotational axis C50, and which second radial position RP62 may be varied in relation to the second phase position PH62 with a second radial slip margin during relative rotation of the end cap collar 50 and the cabinet end cap 30 to eliminate the obstruction of the variation of the second phase position PH62 by the second inter-axial offset between the second swivel axis C62 and the rotational axis C50 caused by the track offset of the second circumferential track TR62 of the second shielding element 62 about the second swivel axis C62 relative to the circumferential contour of the end cap collar 50, which second radial position RP62 is sufficient to support the associated variation of the second shielding element 62 swivelling between the second evasive attitude, i.e. the second radial slip margin is represented as Δrp62, which is not smaller than the associated variation Δrp62.

For example, in fig. 3, the end cap collar 50 may have a second runner 521 spaced from the first runner 511, and the second shield element 62 may have a second pivot post 622 slidably inserted into the second runner 521 to form a movable second hitch pivot SP62 with a mating engagement of the second pivot post 622 with the second runner 521. In this case, the second phase position PH62 may be limited by the second chute 521 to vary synchronously with the end cap collar 50, i.e., the width of the second chute 521 may be the same as the outer diameter of the second pivot post 622; also, the second runner 521 may extend in the radial direction to provide a second radial sliding margin that allows the second radial position RP62 to vary in association with the second phase position PH62, i.e., the second radial sliding margin is determined by the length of the second runner 521, and the length of the second runner 521 is not less than the associated variation Δrp62.

Similar to the first shielding element 61, the second shielding element 62 may further comprise a second lever 621 in addition to the second flap 620 in order to facilitate the arrangement of the second pivot post 622 at the second shielding element 62. Wherein the second blocking piece 620 is located outside the window range of the lens window 300 when the second shielding element 62 is in the second avoidance posture, and is located within the window range of the lens window 300 when the second shielding element 62 is in the second shielding posture; one end of the second shift lever 621 is connected to the second blocking piece 620, and the other end of the second shift lever 621 may be formed with a second pivot post 622 serving as a second hooking fulcrum SP62.

It will be appreciated that the implementation of the second hooking point SP62 shown in fig. 3 may be equivalently replaced with the implementation of the first hooking point SP61 in fig. 2, and will not be described herein.

In this embodiment, the second avoidance posture of the second shielding member 62 is a posture synchronized with the first avoidance posture of the first shielding member 61, and the second shielding posture of the second shielding member 62 is a posture synchronized with the first shielding posture of the first shielding member 61, so that:

when the first shutter element 61 is in the first retracted position (i.e., the position in which the first shutter element 61 is shown in solid outline in fig. 3), the second shutter element 62 is in the second retracted position in which it is retracted from the lens window 300 in response to relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30;

when the first shielding element 61 is in the first shielding position (i.e., the position in which the first shielding element 61 is shown in phantom outline in fig. 3), the second shielding element 62 is in the second shielding position that cooperates with the first shielding element 61 to shield the lens window 300 in response to relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30.

Since the lens window 300 may be commonly blocked by the first blocking piece 61 and the second blocking piece 62, the area of the first blocking piece 610 of the first blocking piece 61 and the area of the second blocking piece 620 included in the second blocking piece 62 are not necessarily not smaller than the hollowed-out area of the lens window 300, thereby allowing the phase variation Δph61 of the first phase position PH61 and the phase variation Δph62 of the second phase position PH62 to be smaller relative to the case of single-piece full blocking, so as to help reduce the associated variation Δrp61 of the first radial position RP61 associated with the first phase position PH61 and the associated variation Δrp62 of the second radial position RP62 associated with the second phase position PH62, which may allow the housing end cover 30 and the end cover collar 50 to provide a smaller radial space, so as to help reduce the radial dimensions of the housing end cover 30 and the end cover collar 50, and thus help to miniaturize the privacy protection mechanism and the overall radial dimensions of the camera.

Moreover, the expanded configuration shown in FIG. 3 also supports the positioning assembly 70 arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In order to more intuitively understand the privacy preserving mechanism in the above embodiment, a further description will be made below in connection with an example form of the privacy preserving.

Fig. 4 is an exploded structural diagram of an example form of an extended structure of the privacy securing mechanism shown in fig. 3. Fig. 5a and 5b are inside projection views of a sub-assembly structure of the example form shown in fig. 4. Fig. 6a and 6b are outside effect views of the example form of the sub-assembly structure shown in fig. 4. Fig. 7a and 7b are inside projection views of the mounting structure of the example form shown in fig. 4. Fig. 8a and 8b are perspective views of an assembled structure of the example form shown in fig. 4. Please refer to fig. 4 in combination with fig. 5a and 5b, fig. 6a and 6b, fig. 7a and 7b, and fig. 8a and 8b:

the rim of the housing end cap 30 has an axially protruding nesting flange 350 and the rim of the end cap collar 50 on the side facing the housing end cap 30 has an annular groove 530, such that when the housing end cap 30 is axially docked with the end cap collar 50, the nesting flange 350 is received in the annular groove 530 to achieve a coaxial fit between the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30 for relative rotation;

The first shielding element 61 may have a first shaft hole 613 at the junction of the first blocking piece 610 and the first shift lever 611, through which first shaft hole 613 a first rotation shaft screw 861 may be fixed to the casing end cap 30 to determine a hole center axis of the first shaft hole 613 as a first rotation axis C61 of the first shielding element 61; similarly, the second shielding member 62 may have a second shaft hole 623 at the junction of the second blocking piece 620 and the second shift lever 621, and a second shaft screw 862 may be fixed to the casing cap 30 through the second shaft hole 623 to determine the hole center axis of the second shaft hole 623 as the second swing axis C62 of the second shielding member 62.

The inner circumference of the end cap collar 50 may have a first ledge 510 and a second ledge 520, with a first runner 511 for providing a first radial slip margin being located at the first ledge 510 and a second runner 521 for providing a second radial slip margin being located at the second ledge 520;

the casing end cap 30 further has an annular boss 360 axially protruding at the edge of the lens window 300, and a side wall of the annular boss 360 may be provided with a first lateral slit 361 for allowing the first shielding member 61 to swing through and a second lateral slit 362 for allowing the second shielding member 62 to swing through, so that the annular boss 360 may isolate the swinging first and second shielding members 361 and 362 from the lens aligned with the lens window 300, preventing the first and second shielding members 361 and 362 from striking the lens erroneously during the swinging.

Moreover, the first blocking piece 610 of the first shielding member 61 and the second blocking piece 620 of the second shielding member 62 are configured to have complementary shapes, in this example configuration, the first blocking piece 610 and the second blocking piece 620 each have an approximately semicircular shape, so that the first shielding element 61 in the first shielding posture and the second shielding element 62 in the second shielding posture are complementarily spliced to form a full shielding of the lens window 300.

For example, the first blocking piece 610 is located in a first region of the window range of the lens window 300 when the first shielding element 61 is in the first shielding posture, and the second blocking piece 620 is located in a second region of the window range of the lens window 300 when the second shielding element 62 is in the second shielding posture, the second region being complementary to the first region.

Preferably, the complementary stitching of the first and second shielding elements 61, 62 may form a smooth linear stitching, e.g. the first and second flaps 610, 620 may have straight edges for stitching with each other, and the straight edges of the first and second flaps 610, 620 may overlap in the thickness direction to avoid an error seam due to machining errors.

Furthermore, referring to fig. 6b in particular, the surfaces of the first shielding element 61 and the second shielding element 62 facing the lens window 300 may be printed with a prompt (e.g., a graphical prompt), so that when the first shielding element 61 and the second shielding element 62 jointly shield the lens window 300, the prompt may be presented through the lens window 300 to generate a visual sensory effect different from that of the exposure of the lens window 300.

In this example aspect, the positioning assembly 70 as shown in fig. 1 and 2 may include a first reference magnetically attractable element 710, a second reference magnetically attractable element 720, and a positioning magnetically attractable element 700, wherein:

the first reference magnetic attraction member 710 may be fixedly installed at a first reference position of the casing end cap 30, for example, the first reference magnetic attraction member 710 may be installed in pairs in a pair of first hole seats 371 provided in the casing end cap 30 at the first reference position and at a diagonally mirrored position of the first reference position with respect to the rotation axis C50;

the second reference magnetic attraction members 720 may be fixedly installed at a second reference position of the casing end cap 30, for example, the second reference magnetic attraction members 720 may be installed in pairs in a pair of second hole seats 372 provided at the second reference position of the casing end cap 30 and at a diagonally mirrored position of the second reference position with respect to the rotation axis C50;

The positioning magnetic attraction member 700 may be fixedly mounted to the end cap collar 50, for example, the positioning magnetic attraction member 700 may be mounted in pairs in a first caulking groove 512 further included in the first lug 510 and a second caulking groove 522 further included in the second lug 520.

And, the first reference position and the second reference position described above are configured such that:

when the first shielding element 61 is in the first avoidance posture (the second shielding element is in the second avoidance posture at this time), the positioning magnetic attraction element 700 is aligned with the first reference magnetic attraction element 710 to generate a first magnetic attraction force between the positioning magnetic attraction element 700 and the first reference magnetic attraction element 710, which acts as a restraining force that blocks the relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30 at this time;

when the first shielding element 61 is in the first shielding position (the second shielding element is in the second shielding position at this time), the positioning magnet element 700 is aligned with the second reference magnet element 720 to generate a second magnetic attraction force between the positioning magnet element 700 and the second reference magnet element 720, which acts as a restraining force that prevents relative rotation between the end cap collar 50 and the housing end cap 30 at this time.

For example, the first reference magnetic element 710 and the second reference magnetic element 720 may be magnetic elements having a first polarity, and the positioning magnetic element 700 may be magnetic elements having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity; alternatively, the first reference magnetic element 710 and the second reference magnetic element 720 may be magnetic elements having any polarity, and the positioning magnetic element 700 may be a metal element (e.g., a ferrous element) sensitive to magnetic force; alternatively, the first reference magnetic element 710 and the second reference magnetic element 720 may be metal elements (e.g., iron elements) sensitive to magnetic force, and the positioning magnetic element 700 may be magnetic elements having any polarity.

It will be appreciated that, as an alternative, the first reference magnetic element 710 and the second reference magnetic element 720 may instead be fixedly mounted to the end cap collar 50, and the positioning magnetic element 700 may instead be fixedly mounted to the housing end cap 30, which may also produce a positioning effect based on magnetic attraction.

Fig. 9 is an exploded view of a camera according to another embodiment of the present application. Fig. 10a and 10b are partial sectional views of the assembly structure of the camera as shown in fig. 9. Referring to fig. 9 in combination with fig. 10a and 10b, the camera in this embodiment may include a cabinet body 10, an imaging module 20, and the privacy securing mechanism in the foregoing embodiments. In fig. 9 and fig. 10a and 10b, the privacy securing means in the foregoing embodiment is illustrated by taking an example form as shown in fig. 4.

The casing body 10 has an end face opening 100, that is, the casing body 10 has a hollow casing cavity, and the casing cavity has an opening at the end face of the casing body 10, which is the end face opening 100 of the casing body 10.

The imaging module 20 is accommodated in the cabinet body 10, and the imaging module 20 may have a lens 200 facing the end face opening 100. For example, the imaging module 20 may include a circuit board 210, and a lens mount 220 mounted on the circuit board 210, wherein the circuit board 210 may have a photosensitive element 230 such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor ) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device, charge coupled device), the lens mount 220 may be mounted on the circuit board 210 at a region where the photosensitive element 230 is located, and the lens 200 may be mounted on the lens mount such that a lens field of view can be projected on a photosensitive surface of the photosensitive element. Also, as shown in fig. 10a and 10b, the inside of the cabinet body may have a support boss 130, and the circuit board 210 may be fixed to the support boss 130 by the module mounting screw 82 so that the imaging module 20 may be fixedly installed in the cabinet body 10.

The casing end cap 20 may be fixedly installed at the end face opening 100 of the casing body 10. For example, as can be seen in fig. 9 and 10a, the casing body 10 may have a snap bead 110 at the end face opening 100, and the casing end cap 20 may have a mounting buckle 310 for snap-fitting with the snap bead 110; as can be seen from fig. 9 and 10b, the casing body 10 may further have a mounting boss 120 at the end face opening 100, and the casing end cap 20 may further have a mounting boss 320 fixedly coupled to the mounting boss 120 by an end cap mounting screw 83, the mounting boss 320 being so high as to form an axial gap between the casing end cap 20 and the casing body 10.

Accordingly, the cap collar 50 coaxially fitted with the housing cap 20 can be rotatably installed in the axial gap between the housing cap 20 and the end face opening 100 of the housing body 10, at which time the cap collar 50 can be used as a knob for triggering switching in response to an external operation.

The side of the casing cover 20 facing away from the cover collar 50 and the casing body 10 may be covered with a transparent protective cover 40 made of a transparent material such as glass.

Fig. 11a and 11b are overall external views of the assembly structure of the video camera as shown in fig. 9.

Referring to fig. 11a, if the end cap collar 50 is subjected to the first external operation OP1 when the lens field 300 is exposed, the end cap collar 50 overcomes the first magnetic attraction force generated between the positioning magnetic attraction element 700 and the first reference magnetic attraction element 710 and relatively rotates in the first direction with respect to the housing end cap 30; during the relative rotation of the end cap collar 50 along the first direction, the first chute 511 drives the first pivot post 612 to move, and the second chute 521 drives the second pivot post 622 to move, so as to drive the first shielding member 61 and the second shielding member 62 to swing, so that the first shielding member 61 and the second shielding member 62 form a full shielding for the lens window 300 in a complementary splicing manner, that is, the lens 200 facing the lens window 300 is shielded. At this time, by positioning the second magnetic attraction force generated between the magnetic attraction element 700 and the second reference magnetic attraction element 720, the first shielding member 61 and the second shielding member 62 can be kept shielded from the lens window 300;

referring to fig. 11b, if the end cap collar 50 receives a second external operation OP2 opposite to the first external operation OP1 when the lens field 300 is blocked, the end cap collar 50 overcomes a second magnetic attraction force generated between the positioning magnetic attraction element 700 and the second reference magnetic attraction element 720 and rotates relatively to the housing end cap 30 in a second direction opposite to the first direction; in the process of relatively rotating the end cover collar 50 along the second direction, the first chute 511 drives the first pivot post 612 to move, and the second chute 521 drives the second pivot post 622 to move, so as to drive the first shielding member 61 and the second shielding member 62 to swing, so that the first shielding member 61 and the second shielding member 62 synchronously avoid the lens window 300, and the lens 200 facing the lens window 300 is restored to an exposed state. At this time, by positioning the first magnetic attraction force generated between the magnetic attraction element 700 and the first reference magnetic attraction element 710, the first shielding member 61 and the second shielding member 62 can be kept away from the lens window 300.

In addition, the camera may further include a photo detection switch, and the housing end cover 30 may further be provided with a detection hole 390, and when the first shielding member 61 and the second shielding member 62 form a full shielding for the lens window 300 in a complementary splicing manner, an optical path between the photo detection switch and the detection hole 390 is blocked; when the first shielding member 61 and the second shielding member 62 are retracted from the lens window 300, the optical path between the photo detection switch and the detection hole 390 is conducted. Thus, the photoelectric detection switch can judge the open/close state of the lens window 300 according to the light path state, and trigger the imaging module 20 to sleep when the lens window 300 is shielded, and activate the imaging module 20 when the lens window 300 is opened.

In addition, it will be appreciated that the end cap collar 50 may alternatively be fixedly mounted to the end face opening 100 of the housing body 10 and permit rotation of the housing end cap 20.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is not intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements and alternatives falling within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (11)

1. A privacy preserving mechanism of a video camera, comprising:

A housing end cap (30), the housing end cap (30) having a lens window (300);

an end cap collar (50), the end cap collar (50) coaxially mating with the housing end cap (30), wherein the coaxial mating allows for relative rotation between the end cap collar (50) and the housing end cap (30) in response to an external operation;

a first shielding element (61), the first shielding element (61) being swingably mounted to the housing end cap (30), wherein the first shielding element (61) is in hooking engagement with the end cap collar (50) for swinging between a first avoidance position for avoiding the lens window (300) and a first shielding position for shielding the lens window (300) in response to the relative rotation;

wherein a first inter-axis offset is provided between a first swivel axis (C61) of the first shielding element (61) and the rotational axis (C50) of the relative rotation, the hooking cooperation of the first shielding element (61) with the end cap collar (50) being configured to: -providing the first shielding element (61) with a first radial sliding margin with respect to the end cap collar (50) in a radial direction of the end cap collar (50), the first radial sliding margin being adapted to the first inter-axle offset for eliminating an obstruction of the swinging movement of the first shielding element (61) by the first inter-axle offset during the relative rotation;

Further comprises: a first reference magnetic element (710) fixedly mounted at a first reference position of one of the housing end cap (30) and the end cap collar (50), a second reference magnetic element (720) fixedly mounted at a second reference position of the one of the housing end cap (30) and the end cap collar (50), and a positioning magnetic element (700) fixedly mounted at the other of the housing end cap (30) and the end cap collar (50), the positioning magnetic element (700) being aligned with the first reference magnetic element (710) when the first shielding element (61) is in the first stowed position and generating a first magnetic attraction that resists the relative rotation, the positioning magnetic element (700) being aligned with the second reference magnetic element (720) when the first shielding element (61) is in the first shielding position and generating a second magnetic attraction that resists the relative rotation.

2. The privacy securing mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein,

the first shielding element (61) cooperates with the hooking of the end cap collar (50) to form a movable first hooking fulcrum (SP 61), wherein during the relative rotation:

A first phase position (PH 61) of the first hitch fulcrum (SP 61) in the direction of relative rotation is limited to vary synchronously with the end cap collar (50) such that the first shield element (61) swings between the first stowed position and the first shield position in response to the variation of the first phase position (PH 61);

a first radial position (RP 61) of the first hitch fulcrum (SP 61) in the radial direction is varied in relation to the first phase position (PH 61) with the first radial slip margin to eliminate obstruction of variation of the first phase position (PH 61) by the first inter-axis offset.

3. The privacy securing mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein,

the end cap collar (50) has a first runner (511), the first shielding element (61) has a first pivot post (612), the first pivot post (612) is slidably inserted in the first runner (511) to form the first hooking fulcrum (SP 61) with a plugging fit of the first pivot post (612) with the first runner (511);

wherein the first phase position (PH 61) is limited by the first chute (511) to be synchronously changed with the end cover collar (50);

And, the first runner (511) extends in the radial direction to provide the first radial sliding margin allowing the first radial position (RP 61) to vary in relation to the first phase position (PH 61).

4. A privacy protection mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that the first shading element (61) comprises:

a first blocking piece (610), wherein the first blocking piece (610) is located outside the window range of the lens window (300) when the first shielding element (61) is in the first avoidance posture, and is located within the window range of the lens window (300) when the first shielding element (61) is in the first shielding posture;

and a first deflector rod (611), wherein one end of the first deflector rod (611) is connected with the first baffle (610), and the other end of the first deflector rod (611) is provided with the first pivot column (612).

5. The privacy securing mechanism as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a second shielding element (62), the second shielding element (62) being swingably mounted to the housing end cover (30) for swinging between a second avoidance posture for avoiding the lens window (300) simultaneously with the first shielding element (61) and a second shielding posture for shielding the lens window (300) jointly with the first shielding element (61) in response to the relative rotation, and the first magnetic attraction force being generated when the second shielding element (62) and the first shielding element (61) avoid the lens window (300) simultaneously, and the second magnetic attraction force being generated when the second shielding element (62) and the first shielding element (61) jointly shield the lens window (300);

Wherein a second axis of rotation (C62) of the second shielding element (62) has a second axial offset from the axis of rotation (C50) of the relative rotation;

and, the second shielding element (62) is in a hooking engagement with the end cap collar (50), and the hooking engagement of the second shielding element (62) with the end cap collar (50) is configured to: -providing the second shielding element (62) with a second radial sliding margin in the radial direction with respect to the end cap collar (50), the second radial sliding margin being adapted to the inter-second axis offset for eliminating obstruction of the swing of the second shielding element (62) by the inter-second axis offset.

6. The privacy securing mechanism as recited in claim 5, wherein,

the first shielding element (61) cooperates with the hooking of the end cap collar (50) to form a movable first hooking fulcrum (SP 61), wherein during the relative rotation: a first phase position (PH 61) of the first hitch fulcrum (SP 61) in the direction of relative rotation is limited to vary synchronously with the end cap collar (50) such that the first shield element (61) swings between the first stowed position and the first shield position in response to the variation of the first phase position (PH 61); and, a first radial position (RP 61) of the first hitch fulcrum (SP 61) in the radial direction is varied in relation to the first phase position (PH 61) with the first radial sliding margin to eliminate obstruction of variation of the first phase position (PH 61) by the first inter-axis offset;

The second shielding element (62) cooperates with the hooking of the end cap collar (50) to form a movable second hooking fulcrum (SP 62), wherein during the relative rotation: -a second phase position (PH 62) of the second hooking fulcrum (SP 62) in the direction of the relative rotation is constrained to vary synchronously with the end cap collar (50) so that the second shielding element (62) swings between the second avoidance position and the second shielding position in response to a variation of the second phase position (PH 62); and, a second radial position (RP 62) of the second hooking fulcrum (SP 62) in the radial direction is varied in association with the second phase position (PH 62) by the second radial sliding margin to eliminate an obstruction of variation of the second phase position (PH 62) by the second inter-axis offset.

7. The privacy securing mechanism as recited in claim 6, wherein,

-said first shielding element (61) in said first shielding position and said second shielding element (62) in said second shielding position are complementarily stitched to form a full occlusion of said lens window (300);

wherein the complementary splice forms a smooth linear splice.

8. The privacy securing mechanism as recited in claim 6, wherein,

the end cap collar (50) has a first runner (511) and a second runner (521), the first shield element (61) having a first pivot post (612), the second shield element (62) having a second pivot post (622);

the first pivot post (612) is slidably inserted in the first chute (511) to form the first hooking fulcrum (SP 61) by means of a plug-in fit of the first pivot post (612) with the first chute (511);

the second pivot post (622) is slidably inserted in the second chute (521) to form the second hooking fulcrum (SP 62) with a plug-in fit of the second pivot post (622) with the second chute (521);

wherein the first phase position (PH 61) is limited and restrained by the first sliding groove (511) to synchronously change with the end cover sleeve ring (50), and the second phase position (PH 62) is limited and restrained by the second sliding groove (521) to synchronously change with the end cover sleeve ring (50);

and, the first runner (511) extends in the radial direction to provide the first radial sliding margin allowing the first radial position (RP 1) to vary in association with the first phase position (PH 61); the second runner (521) extends in the radial direction to provide the second radial sliding margin allowing the second radial position (RP 2) to vary in association with the second phase position (PH 62).

9. The privacy securing mechanism as recited in claim 8, wherein,

the first shielding element (61) comprises: a first flap (610), the first flap (610) being located outside the window range of the lens window (300) when the first shielding element (61) is in the first avoidance position and being located within a first region of the window range of the lens window (300) when the first shielding element (61) is in the first shielding position; and a first shift lever (611), one end of the first shift lever (611) is connected with the first baffle (610), and the other end of the first shift lever (611) is formed with the first pivot post (612);

the second shielding element (62) comprises: a second flap (620), the second flap (620) being located outside the window range of the lens window (300) when the second shielding element (62) is in the second avoidance position and being located within a second region of the window range of the lens window (300) when the second shielding element (62) is in the second shielding position, the second region being complementary to the first region; and a second shift lever (621), one end of the second shift lever (621) is connected to the second blocking piece (620), and the other end of the second shift lever (621) is formed with the second pivot post (622).

10. A video camera, comprising:

a housing main body (10), wherein the housing main body (10) has an end surface opening (100);

an imaging module (20), the imaging module (20) being housed within the casing body (10), and the imaging module (20) having a lens (200) that is open (100) toward the end face; the method comprises the steps of,

the privacy preserving mechanism of any of claims 1 to 9, mounted to the end face opening (100) such that the lens window (300) coincides with a lens field of view of the lens (200).

11. The camera of claim 10, wherein the camera is configured to,

the shell end cover (20) is fixedly arranged at the end face opening (100);

the end cap collar (50) is rotatably mounted in an axial gap between the housing end cap (20) and the end face opening (100).