FR2740245A1 - DEVICE FOR CAPTURING AND TRANSMITTING IMAGES, AND REMOTE MONITORING INSTALLATION COMPRISING SUCH A DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

A device (D) for recording and transmitting pictures, including a miniature electronic camera (1), particularly a video camera, adjustably mounted on a holder (2), and at least one miniature electromagnetic wave transmitter (5) mounted on the same holder as the camera for transmitting the pictures recorded by the camera to a remote location. The holder (2) comprises rapid electrical connection means (C) for supplying power to the camera (1) and the transmitter (5), whereby the device (D) may be connected directly to an existing power source, especially one for a light fixture.

Description

DEVICE FOR CAPTURING AND TRANSMITTING IMAGES, AND
REMOTE MONITORING INSTALLATION COMPRISING SUCH
DEVICE.

 The invention relates to a device for capturing and transmitting images, a device of the type which includes an electronic camera, in particular a video camera, mounted orientably on a support.

 Such a device is used, in particular, in surveillance installations comprising, at a surveillance station, at least one monitor connected by coaxial cable to one or more cameras, with the possibility of selecting the camera whose images are to be observed.

 The implementation of such a device poses various problems.

 First of all, for certain surveillance applications, we want the device with its camera to be as discreet as possible so that it cannot be easily identified and to avoid a momentary change in the behavior of people in the monitored area and who would have noticed the device. It is also desired that such a device is relatively protected from bad weather and other causes liable to damage the camera.

 EP-A-O 642 053 shows, for example, a relatively bulky monitoring device, comprising a camera mounted orientable on a support arranged inside an envelope comprising a substantially hemispherical dome.

 The problem of setting up links with the image rendering monitor (s) should be taken into account and an economical and rapid solution to this problem would be appreciated. It is also desirable to avoid operating the camera on batteries or accumulators which require periodic replacement or recharging and therefore maintenance costs, with the risk of failure in the event of failure or premature discharge.

 It is therefore desirable to provide a power supply for the camera from a current distribution network.

 The object of the invention is, above all, to provide a device for capturing and transmitting images, of the kind defined above, which is simple and quick to set up and which makes it possible to minimize installation work in particular. for the creation of links between the camera and the monitor (s) for rendering images and with a power supply.

 According to the invention, a device for capturing and transmitting images comprising an electronic camera, in particular a video camera, mounted orientable on a support is characterized by the fact - that it comprises at least one miniaturized emitter of electromagnetic waves mounted on the same support that the camera, and suitable for transmitting remotely the images captured by the camera, - that the camera is a miniaturized camera, - and that the support includes means of rapid electrical connection, for supplying the camera and the transmitter, allowing the device to be connected directly to a source of electric current already in place, in particular for applications such as lighting.

 Advantageously, the electrical connection means comprise a base identical to that of a light bulb, allowing the device to be mounted on a socket normally intended for a light bulb. According to another possibility, the electrical connection means comprise a plug suitable for being connected to a conventional electrical outlet.

 The device may comprise a transparent envelope, in particular made of polycarbonate, of a shape similar to that of a light bulb, carried by the support, this envelope comprising at least one opening for the passage of sound, the camera being provided with a microphone to capture sound. The transparent envelope is preferably removable and made, for example, in two parts fitting one into the other.

 The camera is generally rotatably mounted around two orthogonal axes, one of these axes being coincident with the axis of the base. The camera is advantageously rotatably mounted between the two branches of a fork, itself rotatably mounted around the axis of the base, each branch of the fork having at its end an articulation bearing, the two bearings having a geometric axis common corresponding to the second axis of rotation of the camera, this common axis being orthogonal to the axis of the base.

 The miniature transmitter is fixedly mounted on the base.

Advantageously, this transmitter further comprises means for receiving electromagnetic waves, and the device comprises motor means for orienting the camera around the two orthogonal axes of rotation, these motor means being controlled by said receiver means.

 The device may include lighting means, in particular light-emitting diodes, located behind the camera in the viewing direction, to increase the resemblance to a light bulb in operation, without hampering the capture of images. by the camera.

 Preferably the miniaturized transmitter is a radio transmitter operating at a high frequency in particular of, or close to, 2.4 GHz. With such a frequency, the waves cross obstacles and thick walls well. The power of the transmitter can advantageously be 10 mN (milliwatts).

 Alternatively, the transmitter operates in the infrared range.

 The invention also relates to a remote monitoring installation comprising a device as defined above, this installation comprising, at a distance from the device, a wave receiver connected, by coaxial cable, to a monitor for displaying the images captured by the camera and transmitted by the device's miniature transmitter.

 It immediately appears that the installation of the installation is very simple and very fast since the device can be placed on a socket or an electrical outlet already installed and that the transmission by electromagnetic waves between the device and the receiver of the monitor avoids all wiring and facilitates the choice of monitor location.

 Advantageously, the remote monitoring installation comprises a wave receiver, an A / D converter of image signals with data compression, a modem connected to the switched telephone network for the transmission of compressed digital data and, remotely, connected on the switched telephone network another modem connected to means of reception and restitution of the image constituted, in particular, by a microcomputer with monitor.

Preferably, the A / D converter means of the image signals with data compression are the same as those already used in the apparatus marketed under the name VIENCOM by the French company COM 1 - Parc Tecnologique de
Marticot - 33612 CESTAS-BORDEAUX - FRANCE.

 The invention consists, apart from the arrangements set out above, of a certain number of other arrangements which will be more explicitly discussed below in connection with an exemplary embodiment described with reference to the attached drawing, but which n 'is in no way limiting.

 Figure 1 of this drawing is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a device for capturing and transmitting images according to the invention.

 FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram of a remote monitoring installation with the device of FIG. 1.

 FIG. 3, finally, is a diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of part of the remote monitoring installation of FIG. 2.

 Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings one can see a device D for capturing and transmitting images. This device D comprises a miniaturized video camera 1, pivotally mounted on a support 2. The camera 1, with its lens, is fixed by screws 3 on a plate 4 carrying the electronic circuits for taking pictures.

An example of a miniaturized video camera which can be used for the device D is given by the micro-module marketed under the name of WATEC by the Japanese company.
SONY (KANASAKI-JAPAN). As an indication, and in no way limiting, the plate 4 has a square shape with a side of 32 mm; the total thickness of the camera 1 and of the plate 4, that is to say the dimension of the assembly in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the plate 4, is of the order of 14 n.

 The device D further comprises a miniature transmitter 5 of electromagnetic waves, mounted on the same support 2 as the camera. In the example considered, the transmitter 5 is a radio transmitter working on a high frequency, in particular 2.4 GHz (gigahertz), a frequency which allows waves to easily pass through obstacles and thick walls. The power of such a transmitter is preferably of the order of 10 mW (milliwatts). The transmitter 5 comprises a plate 5a fixedly mounted on the support 2, provided with electronic circuits for radio transmission, and an antenna 5b. A connecting cable 1 is provided between the output of camera 1 and the transmitter 5 for the transmission of image signals from camera 1 to this transmitter 5. Preferably the transmitter 5 is a transceiver, the wafer 6 comprising the electronic circuits to ensure operation as a receiver.

The support 2 comprises rapid electrical connection means C, for the electrical supply of the camera 1 and of the transceiver 5, making it possible to connect the device
D directly on an electrical current source already in place.

 In the example shown, the electrical connection means C comprise a screw base 6 identical to that of an electric light bulb and allowing the device to be mounted on a socket (not shown) intended for such a bulb. The diameter of the base 6 can have different values depending on the type of sockets for which it is intended. Alternatively, the base 6 can be produced with lugs for fixing to a socket of the bayonet type, or in any other form suitable for other types of sockets.

 The device D can thus be installed immediately on a support already in place, for example at the top of a lamppost 7, as illustrated in FIG. 2, in place of the bulb of this lamppost.

 According to another possibility, the quick connection means C comprise a plug capable of being engaged on a conventional electrical outlet, already in place.

 The device D comprises, on the support 2, a block 8 for supplying electronic circuits, in particular for supplying, by chopping the alternating current, a low voltage direct current.

 The camera 1 is rotatably mounted around two geometric axes A, B orthogonal. The axis A coincides with that of the base 6. The camera 1 and the wafer 4 are carried by a fork 9 with two branches in the shape of a U, fixed on a shaft 10 of geometric axis coincident with the axis A, this shaft 10 being rotatably mounted in the support 2. Preferably, the shaft 10 is hollow for the passage of connecting conductors such as 11 between the supply 8 and the camera 1 / plate 4 assembly.

 At a remote end from the shaft 10, from each of the two branches of the fork 9, there is provided a bearing constituted for example by a circular hole 12; the centers of the two holes 12 are aligned on the axis B orthogonal to the axis A and intersecting this axis. The articulation of the camera 1 plate 4 assembly in the bearings 12 is ensured by pins extending parts 13, of larger diameter than the pins, provided on each side of the camera 1, at half the width of plate 4 .

 An electric motor 14 can be provided to control the rotation of the shaft 10 around the geometric axis A and another electric motor 15 to control the rotation of the camera and the wafer 4 around the axis B. The setting in action of the motors 14 and 15 is provided by a remote control, the signals of which are collected by the receiver part of the transceiver 5 and are processed by an electronic control circuit 16, fixed on the support. It is thus possible to control the operation of the motors 14 and 15 in the desired manner in order to correctly position the camera 1.

Optionally, these motors allow the camera to provide permanent or intermittent scanning.

 Lighting means (not shown) constituted for example by light-emitting diodes, can be provided in the device D and carried by the same support 2 these lighting means are located behind the camera 1, in the direction of sight , so as not to hinder the taking of images, while giving the device D the appearance of a lighting lamp in operation. The supply of such lighting means is also provided by the base 6.

 The whole of the camera, the miniature transmitter and the various other elements, is preferably surrounded by a transparent envelope 17, in particular made of polycarbonate of shape similar to that of the envelope of a light bulb; in the example shown, the envelope 17 has substantially the shape of a pear whose part of smaller diameter is linked to the support 2.

 This envelope 17 has at least one opening 18, and preferably several openings 18 distributed over its surface, to let the sound pass and allow its capture by the camera 1 equipped with a suitable microphone.

 The envelope 17 is installed in a removable manner on the support 2 and can be made up of two parts which, in the example considered, would fit into each other substantially at the level of a diametrical plane, to facilitate the set up inside the camera-transmitter assembly.

 The envelope 17 also contributes to maintaining an appropriate operating temperature for the various components.

 In the case where the device D is intended to carry out a monitoring of the automobile traffic, the device can be put in place immediately, as already indicated, at the top of a lamppost 7 for lighting the roadway. Of course, the device D can be used for a large number of applications other than monitoring vehicle traffic, for example for monitoring and protecting sales stores or warehouses, residential premises, banks or others.

 As shown in FIG. 2, a remote monitoring installation comprising the device D comprises, at a distance from this device, a receiver 19 of electromagnetic waves calibrated on the transmission frequency of the transmitter 5 of the device D. For a transmitter d With a power of 10 milliwatts, the receiver 19 can be placed at a distance of up to 300 meters. The receiver 19 is connected by a coaxial cable 20 to a monitor 21 making it possible to view the images captured by the camera 1.

Cable 20, of reduced length, requires no installation work in a fixed housing. The receiver 19 may include a transmitter part capable of sending remote control signals, received by the receiver part of the transmitter-receiver 5, for the orientation of the camera 1 using the motors 14, 15.

 FIG. 3 illustrates an advantageous alternative embodiment of part of the remote monitoring installation of FIG. 2. The receiver 19 is connected to an A / D (analog-digital) converter 22 of the image signals picked up by the receiver 19, with data compression. The output of circuit 22 is connected to a modem 23 associated with a telephone set 24 connected to the switched telephone network. A distance from the station 24, another modem 25 associated with a telephone station 26 also connected to the switched network is provided. The output of the modem 25 is connected to a microcomputer 27 equipped with a monitor 21 and a keyboard 28. The images captured by the device D can thus be observed on a monitor 21 located at a great distance from the device D, without require expensive installations of connecting cables; transmission takes place via the switched network.

 The combination of the means of FIG. 3 and of the device D therefore makes it possible to carry out, with a minimum of cost, a long-distance remote monitoring installation, with the possibility of interrogating, from the reception station comprising the telephone set 26 and the microcomputer 27, several devices D associated with different call numbers.

 An example of an A / D converter system 22 with data compression allowing the real-time transmission of images captured by a video camera, by the switched network, is that used in the device marketed under the name of VIEWCON by the French company. COM 1 cited above.

 The example described with reference to the drawing relates to a transmission of radio waves by the transmitter 5. The device could of course operate in another domain of the wave spectrum, in particular in the infrared domain.

 In summary, the device of the invention allows the taking of images and sound by a miniaturized orientable camera with an integrated transmission of images by a radio or infrared micro-transmitter, the device being able in particular to be mounted directly in a lighting system. public or private.

 The example of mounting in a lamppost, given with reference to Figure 2, is of course not limiting. The device of the invention can be mounted, in particular, in a headlight of any land, sea and air vehicle.

Claims (11)

1. Device for capturing and transmitting images comprising an electronic camera (1), in particular a video camera, orientable mounted on a support (2), characterized by the fact: - that it comprises at least one miniaturized transmitter (5) of electromagnetic waves mounted on the same support (2) as the camera, suitable for transmitting remotely the images captured by the camera, - that the camera (1) is a miniaturized camera, - and that the support (2) includes means for quick electrical connection (C) for supplying the camera (1) and the transmitter (5), allowing the device (D) to be connected directly to a source of electric current already in place, in particular for lighting . 2. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the rapid electrical connection means (C) comprise a base (6) identical to that of a light bulb, allowing the device (D) to be mounted on a socket normally intended for a light bulb. 3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rapid electrical connection means (C) comprise a plug suitable for being connected to a conventional electrical outlet. 4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the miniature camera (1) is a camera sold under the name of WATEC by the firm SONY, mounted on a card (4) comprising the electronic shooting circuits.  5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmitter is designed to operate at a frequency of, or close to, 2.4 GHz.  6. Device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises a transparent envelope (17), in particular made of polycarbonate, of shape similar to that of the envelope of a light bulb, and comprising at at least one opening (18) to let the sound pass, the camera (1) being provided with a microphone to also capture the sound.  7. Device according to claim 2, in which the camera (1) is rotatably mounted around two orthogonal axes (A, B), characterized in that the camera (1) is rotatably mounted between two branches of a fork ( 9) around a geometric axis (B) defined by bearings (12) provided at the ends of the legs of the fork (9), this axis (B) being orthogonal to the axis (A) of the base around which the fork (9) is rotatably mounted.  8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises receiving means associated with the transmitter (5) and motor means (14, 15), for the orientation of the camera (1) , controlled by the receiving means.  9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises lighting means, in particular light-emitting diodes, located behind the camera (9) in the viewing direction.  10. Remote monitoring installation, characterized in that it comprises a device (D) according to one of the preceding claims and that it comprises, at a distance from the device (D), a wave receiver (19) connected by cable coaxial with a monitor (21) for displaying the images captured by the camera (1).  11. Remote monitoring installation, characterized in that it comprises a device according to one of claims 1 to 9 and that it comprises a wave receiver (19), means for converting (A / D) image signals of the camera with data compression (22), a modem (23) connected to the switched telephone network and, remotely, another modem (25) connected to the switched network, this other modem being connected to a microcomputer (27) with monitor (21) for displaying the images captured by the camera (1) and transmitted by the switched network.