GB2440553A

GB2440553A - Automatic Tracking, Recording and Monitoring Apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2440553A
Application number: GB0615285A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sheng Tien Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-01
Filing date: 2006-08-01
Publication date: 2008-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 2026-08-01
Also published as: GB0615285D0; GB2440553B

Abstract

An automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus has a plurality of infrared photodetectors 5 which may be distributed uniformly over 180 degrees. The apparatus includes a deceleration motor 3 which can rotate a shaft sleeve means 7, said shaft sleeve means 7 being axially coupled with a camera 4. The deceleration motor 3 and shaft sleeve means 7 are respectively connected to upper and lower conducting citcuits of a circuit controller 2. A monitoring region may include three main areas and two overlapping areas (Figure 8). When for example, an invader intrudes into one of these areas, the infrared photodetector 5 in this area sends out a detection signal to a microprocessor (21, Figure 7) of the circuit controller 2. Next, the microprocessor 21 processes this signal to allow a deceleration motor 3 to turn the camera 4 for monitoring this area. An external video recorder (6, Figure 7) may be activated via a relay to make a synchronous recording.

Description

AUTOMATIC TRACKINGI RECORDING AND

MONITORING APPARATUS

The present invention relates to an automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus able to detect the incursion of an invader into the detection areas by infrared photodetectors, whereby a camera can be turned to aim at these areas and an external video recorder can be activated simultaneously to make a synchronous recording by tracking the movement of this invader.

A conventional monitoring system generally scans and monitors the detection region in a constant-type or reciprocation-type scan manner. In accordance with the constant-type scan manner, the camera is fixed on a predetermined position to monitor a single area. In accordance with the reciprocation-type scan manner, the direction of the camera is changed repeatedly within a certain range. It seems that these two manners can capture the images easily. However, their constant monitoring mode has very serious drawbacks.

The general constant-type monitoring system is provided with a monitoring and recording angle ranged between 40 degrees and 100 degrees. This monitoring and recording angle is rarely larger than 120 degrees. In addition, the large monitoring and recording angle makes the captured images non-stereoscopic and become smaller, which causes the poorer monitoring effect. Moreover, the reciprocation-type monitoring system performs the scan along a fixed route so it

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cannot detect the human body and track the movement of human body automatically. As a result, the conventional monitoring device has unavoidable blind spots. Furthermore, the video recorder makes the recording all the time in the whole monitoring process so a larger storage capacity is required. Therefore, it is not economical.

It is a primary aim of the present invention to provide an automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus that detects the presence of human body by infrared photodetectors so as to turn the camera according to the detection result for tracking the movement of the invader. In comparison with the conventional monitoring device that has blind spots, the present invention offers the complete monitoring effect and activates the video recorder after the invader shows up.

It is another aim of the present invention to provide a 180 degrees monitoring region, and this monitoring region can be expanded from 180 degrees to 360 degrees by the use of infrared photodetectors, which are distributed on several areas, to perform a full-scale detection for avoiding blind spots.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings in which: FIG. I is a perspective view of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus according to the present invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a deceleration motor that couples with a camera of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a shaft sleeve means and the deceleration motor of the present invention; FIG. 6 is an elevational view showing the scan action of the camera of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing the control circuit of the present invention; and FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the detection region of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus of the present invention generally comprises: a casing 1, a circuit controller 2, a deceleration motor 3, a camera 4, several infrared photodetectors 5 and a shaft sleeve means 7. The casing I is located at a suitable position of a place to be monitored. The casing 1 has a front cover 11 on which an action window 111 and several -$ detection windows 112 are formed. In addition, the casing I has a base 12 on which the components are allowed to be assembled securely. The circuit controller 2 has an upper conducting circuit and a lower conducting circuit.

Referring further to FIGS. 3 to 5, the camera 4 and the deceleration motor 3 can be fixed on the base 12 of the casing 1, wherein the deceleration motor 3 is axially coupled with a lower buffer gear 77 and an upper buffer gear 76.

These buffer gears have respective action teeth so that the lower buffer gear 77, which is rotated by the rotatory spindle of the deceleration motor 3, can rotate the upper buffer gear 76.

The upper buffer gear 76 is inserted into a shaft hole 71 of the shaft sleeve means 7, and rotated synchronously with the shaft hole 71. A buffer spring 75 is sleeved onto the outside of the upper buffer gear 76 so that the buffer spring 75 located in the shaft sleeve means 7, the lower buffer gear 77, and the upper buffer gear 76 constitutes a buffer structure together to protect the deceleration motor 3. The aforesaid shaft sleeve means 7 is integrally formed with a camera holder 72 and an elastic positioning holder 73, wherein the camera holder 72 is axially connected to the camera 4. In addition, an elastic positioning sheet 74 is mounted in the elastic positioning holder 73 that is integrally formed with the shaft sleeve means 7 to touch angle-positioning contacts 211 so as to provide signals for positioning or breaking the deceleration motor 3. Besides, a circuit board 22 is mounted under the elastic positioning holder 73. The circuit board 22 has several angle-positioning contacts 211 formed thereon.

The elastic positioning sheet 74 is located to touch the circuit board 22. When these infrared photodetectors 5 detect the presence of a human body, they send out signals to control the rotation of the server motor 3, which turns the camera 4 to allow the camera 4 to aim at the human body in accordance with the constant contact between the elastic positioning sheet 74 and the angle-positioning contacts 211 for tracking the movement of the human body.

The base 12 has a positioning holder 121 mounted thereon.

After the shaft sleeve means 7 is coupled with the deceleration motor 3 and the camera 4, the shaft sleeve means 7 can be fixed by the positioning holder 121.

After the shaft sleeve means 7 is coupled with the deceleration motor 3 and the camera 4, the deceleration motor 3 and the camera 4 are electrically connected to the upper and lower conducting circuits of the circuit controller 2, respectively. The infrared photodetectors 5 are mounted on the circuit board 22 that locates under the camera 4.

Therefore, when the infrared photodetectors 5 detect the temperature of the human body, the camera 4 can be turned to aim at the position of the human body immediately.

After the circuit controller 2, the deceleration motor 3, the camera 4, and the infrared photodetectors 5 are positioned on the base 12 of the casing 1. They are all covered with a lower dust cover 13, an upper dust cover 14 and the front cover 11. The action window 111 of the front cover 11 is provided to allow the movement of the camera 4. The detection windows 112 are provided to allow the infrared photodetectors 5 to detect the infrared radiation emitted naturally from the human body. The human body can natively emit the sensitive infrared ray with a wavelength at 7-10gm, and the natively emitted infrared ray is not affected by the clothing and the environment. In accordance with this preferred embodiment, there are provided with three infrared photodetectors 5 and three detection windows 112 having respective 90 degrees viewing angles so that every infrared photodetector 5 is able to detect a respective independent area, whereby these infrared photodetectors 5 are allowed to detect different areas.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, the deceleration motor 3 is controlled by the circuit of the circuit controller 2, and its rotation is controlled by a microprocessor 21, wherein the microprocessor 21 is a single-chip microprocessor for circuit control.

Moreover, the circuit controller 2 has an anti-destruction alarm switch 213, which is pushed down by the front cover 11. Once the casing I is destroyed, the anti-destruction alarm switch 213 can send out an alarm signal.

The automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus of the present invention has three infrared photodetectors 5 (PIR) having respective 90 degrees viewing angles. They are distributed over the 180 degrees monitoring region uniformly.

As a result, the entire monitoring region is composed of five areas including an area A, an area B, an area C, an overlap area (A+B) between area A and area B, and an overlap area (B+C) between area B and area C, wherein the positions of the angle-positioning contacts 211 are determined by these five areas. Once a person makes incursions into any one of these five areas, the camera 4 that has 60 degrees viewing angle is turned immediately to aim at the center of this area and an external video recorder 6 is now activated to provide the function of anti-theft.

The circuit controller 2 can be set by a function setting device 214 to make a selection from a static mode, a tracking mode, and an automatic scanning mode. In addition, the present invention further provides a three-way (DIP) switch 212 to. select a static angle so that the camera 4 can be controlled to monitor one of these five areas (A, A+B, B, B+C and C). The camera 4 is located to aim at the exact forward direction when it is adjusted to monitor the area B. When the function setting device 214 is switched to the automatic scanning mode, the camera 4 is turned to a low speed to scan every area from area A to area C for 2 seconds.

It is determined that the human body is in the overlap area when two infrared photodetectors 5 detect the presence of human body at the same time, namely, the time difference between two adjacent areas is lesser than 0.2 seconds.

The monitoring procedure for monitoring the invader is explained below.

Example 1:

If the tracking mode is selected to make the camera 4 aim at the area A, when a single invader intrudes into the area B, the camera 4 is turned immediately to aim at the area B. When this invader intrudes into the area B+C, the infrared photodetectors (PB and PC) 5 will detect the signal immediately. If the time difference for triggering is lesser than 0.2 seconds, the camera 4 is turned toward the area B+C immediately. If this invader keeps moving toward the area C, the camera 4 is turned toward the area C once the infrared photodetectors (PB) 5 detects that the signal disappears. If the signal from area C disappears for 20 seconds, the camera 4 is turned back to aim at the area A.

Example 2:

Type 1: two invaders intrude into two adjacent areas one after another and one of these invaders passes first.

If the static angle of the camera 4 is set to aim at the area A, the camera 4 is located to monitor the area A. When one invader intrudes into the area C, the camera 4 is turned to aim at the area C, and the external video recorder 6 is turned on. After about 0.2 seconds, if the other invader intrudes into the area B, the camera 4 is turned immediately to aim at the area B for about 2 seconds, and then turned to aim at the area C for about 2 seconds. If one of the invaders does not make a movement or does not create a signal for 2 seconds, the camera 3 stops monitoring this area. After the last

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invader leaves for 20 seconds, the camera 4 is turned back to the original static angle to aim at the area A. Type 2: two invaders intrude into two adjacent areas one after another and the other invader passes the overlap area.

If the static angle of the camera 4 is set to aim at the area A, the camera 4 is located to monitor the area A. When one invader intrudes into the area C, the camera 4 is turned to aim at the area C, and the external video recorder 6 is turned on. After about 0.2 seconds, if the other invader intrudes into the area B, the camera 4 is turned immediately to aim at the area B for about 2 seconds, and then turned to aim at the area C for about 2 seconds. If one of the invaders does not make a movement or does not create signal for 2 seconds, the camera 3 stops monitoring this area. After the last invader leaves for 20 seconds, the camera 4 is turned back to the original static angle to aim at the area A. If the infrared photodetectors (PA, PB and PC) 5 detect that there are invaders in the three main areas and the time difference is larger than 0.2 seconds, the microprocessor 21 performs a scan on each one of five areas for 2 seconds immediately.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. An automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus comprising: a casing, a circuit controller, a deceleration motor, a camera, a plurality of infrared photodetectors and a shaft sleeve means, in which: said deceleration motor can rotate said shaft sleeve means, said shaft sleeve means is axially coupled with said camera, said deceleration motor and said shaft sleeve means are respectively connected to upper and lower conducting circuits of said circuit controller, said infrared photodetectors are mounted on a circuit board under said camera, and said circuit controller has a microprocessor for allowing the rotation of said deceleration motor according to the signal of human body detected by said infrared photodetectors, whereby said deceleration motor can turn said camera to monitor said human body.

2. An automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, said deceleration motor is coupled with an upper buffer gear that inserts into a shaft hole of said shaft sleeve means and rotates synchronously with said shaft hole, and a buffer spring is sleeved onto the outside of said upper buffer gear to protect said deceleration motor.

3. An automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus according to claim I or claim 2, wherein said deceleration motor rotates said shaft sleeve means via an upper buffer gear that locates on said shaft sleeve means so as to rotate an elastic positioning holder, thereby allowing an elastic positioning sheet to touch a positioning contact for positioning or breaking said deceleration motor.

4. An automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein three infrared photodetectors are uniformly distributed 180 degrees in three main areas A, B and C, an overlap area (A+B) between said area A and said area B, and an overlap area (B+C) between said area B and said area C. 5. An automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said overlap areas are obtained by enlarging detection angles of said infrared photodetectors in said main areas to across adjacent areas.

8. An automatic tracking, recording and monitoring apparatus substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.