GB2481988A

GB2481988A - An outdoor CCTV camera system

Info

Publication number: GB2481988A
Application number: GB1011734.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Francis Townsend; Wendy Joan Townsend
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-07-13
Filing date: 2010-07-13
Publication date: 2012-01-18
Also published as: GB201011734D0

Abstract

To reduce distortion due to rain or snow, a CCTV camera system with a fisheye or wide angle lens has a housing with a flat, concave or slanted surface 4 or a raised rib or ribs 7, 8 to form a structure that acts as a barrier to water or any liquid travelling towards a lens 1 in the system. The system may have a fan type blower, a heating element, a wiper blade or a spray or jet of cleaning water. There may be two cameras with overlaid images to eliminate any viewing barrier. There may be software to display a de-warped view divided into 1 to 24 viewing windows.

Description

ITEM IDENTIFICATION LIST FOR, OUTDOOR CCTV CAMERA SYSTEM.

1. Fisheye or wide angle lens.

2. CCTV Camera.

3. Base of camera system housing,known as housing Known as canopy.

4. Convex or slanted area that is a gravitational barrier to water droplets or snow.

5. Housing with pole passing through centre.

6. Method of hinging both halves of the 2 camera or CCIV system housing.

7. Circular rib or barrier.

8. 2' circular rib or barrier.

9. Arm of wiper system to clean Fisheye or wide angle lens.

10. Drive motor to move arm of wiper system.

11. Water pump to send cleaning water to Fisheye or wide angle lens.

12. Image 12 shows basic wide angle lens camera housing with Fisheye or wide angle lens 1 with barrier ribs 7 +8 and convex or slanted area 4.

13. Image 6 Blower housing 13 with ports 12 in 3 to allow air to reach Fisheye or wide angle lens.

14. Air direction from blower around Fisheye or wide angle lens 1.

15. I mage 7+8-9-10+ 11. Example of 360 degree Fisheye or wide angle lens 1 view area, and the viewing barrier when fixed to a pole 5 or post. (image 10 + 11 shows Fisheye or wide angle lens view is to infinity.

16. Shows sensor point for temperature triggering of blower system.

17. Shows sensor point for triggering the heater element.

18. Image 6 heater element.

19. Alternative housing 3 and system, 20. Second camera 21. Computer Wireless 22. Radio /wireless router switch 23. Pipe from water pump to Fisheye or wide angle lens 24. Reservoir to feed water to fisheye or wide angle or hemispherical lens Items and image reference.

Image item number 1. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,20 2. 1,4,5,6,6a,7,8 3. 9,10,11.23,24 4. 9,10,11 5. 12,3 6. 5,14,13,18 7. 1,5,15 8. 1,5,15 opposing side 9. 1,2,4,5 10. 1,5,15 11. 1,5,15 12. 1,3,4,7,8 12c 1,3,4,7 13 3,5,6,21,22

Claims

Claims: outdoor cctv camera system 1. An outdoor cctv camera system 12. that has been designed to eliminate or greatly reduce the chance of getting a distorted view from the camera 2-20 that happens when a cctv camera with a fisheye or wide angle lens is covered by a transparent viewing area or see through dome that covers the camera/s and lens/s is rained on or snowed on.
2. a cctv camera system 12 that uses one or more fisheye or wide angle lenses 1 fitted to a canopy or bottom of a camera housing 3 having a flat surface or a concave or slanted surface or a surface that has raised ribs that act as a barrier to water or any liquid travelling towards the lens 4,7,8.
3. a cctv camera system 12 that has a fan type blower 13 that passes air around the 360 degree fisheye lens 1 to keep it free from rain droplets or snow flakes or any other foreign body 1,14 this could also be used on camera systems that have a dome type cover and the blown air can pass around the outside of the dome or can be used on a camera and lens system looking at a 180 degree view.
4. a cctv system that has a heating element 18 that heats the air flow claimed in claim 3 as to stop the lens in claim 1,2,3 from getting wet or to keep the said lens ice free.
5. a cctv system as claimed in claimi that has a fan type blower 13 that keeps the camera and lens cooler in hot weather.
6. a cctv system that has no transparent cover or dome on its camera housing or lens to protect from outside elements forexample rain or snow
7.A cctv camera system that uses a fish eye hemispherical or immersive or wide angle lens 1 fitted to a cctv camera or cameras 2-20 that has no type of transparent window or dome assembly viewing window that could allow the view from the 360 degree fisheye wide angle lens to become distorted by rain or snow or any other foreign matter falling on that transparent viewing window or dome.
8. A cctv system as claimed in the previous claims that can have two cameras with 360 degree fisheye or wide angle lens 1 fitted to each camera that are fitted to the canopy 3 that has a concave base 4 on the camera housing, and has a post travelling through the centre of the camera housing 5 That causes a viewing barrier for each camera.
9. A cctv system that overlays the image from each camera system image 7,8,10,11 to eliminate any viewing barrier like the post, and capture a 360 degree view of the area from the combination of the two cameras with no dead areas.
10. A cctv camera system that uses fisheye or wide angle lenses, sends the image or images to a computer and uses software designed to display a de warped view from the camera that can be divided from 1 to more than 24 separate viewing windows of a different part of the 360 image generated by each camera 2-20 and each different part of the image can be manipulated individually to pan tilt and zoom.
11. A cctv camera system as claimed in the previous claims that has a wiper blade 9 that can move across the fisheye or wide angle lens 1 to clean or wipe away any foreign matter.
12. A cctv system as claimed in claim 11 that has a pipe 23 fitted to a pump 11 that is fed by a reservoir 24 to spray or jet water at the fisheye or wide angle lens or lenses 1 to clean the lens or lenses.
13. A cctv system that has a camera or cameras 2-20 that has a 360 degree fisheye or wide angle lens or lenses 1 that faces downward (vertically) to give a 360 degree view of the area below. Image 9
14. An outdoor CCIV camera alternative housing system as claimed in all the preceding claims that has a computer system housed in a box or two boxes that are mounted on a pole or post that travels through the centre of the box or two joined boxes connected by a hinge system 6 and contains twin Fisheye or wide angle lenses fitted to two cameras each lens is sited on opposing sides of the pole looking down vertically, For the sole purpose of recording video footage and transmitting that said footage by wireless over the internet or locally from a short distance away or just storing the said footage for retrieval at a later time or date the box is fitted to the post with a hinge system 6 that allows for fast removal and redeployment of the system elsewhere.
15, An outdoor cctv camera system as claimed in 14 that can record video to a camera using a recordable data card inside the camera.16, an outdoor camera system as claimed in previous claims that transmits images and data to a computer via cable or radio.17. A single camera 2 and fisheye lens 1 that has a housing 3 with a concave base or stepped base 4 that acts as a canopy that has raised ribs 7 and 8 to stop or reduce the travel of water towards the lens and has no other transparent dome or viewing window in front of the lens.Amendments to the Claims have been filed as follows Patent claims. 1.These claims relate to the invention and method of a outdoor cctv camera housing (1) that stops or reduces the problem of rain sleet snow water or condensation from distorting the image that a cctv camera sees. 2.The concave bottom (2) of the housing(1)is a gravitational barrier that stops water running toward the lens (3) 3.The cctv housing (1) as claimed in the previous claim has a cctv camera(5) inside with the lens (3 on the outside of the housing (1))with air being blown around the lens (8)alternatively has a pipe (4)connected to the blower(6) inside the housing (1)and the pipe (4)delivers continuous jet of air to the face of the lens (3)when the water detector (7) fitted on the exterior of the housing (1) detects water.4. The 360 camera lens (3) points to the ground and gives an all round view with no blind spots the view from the lens can be 360/ 180/90 degree view by tilting the camera housing,it is accepted that it is the normal practice for an outside camera housing to fit to a wall or post and can be tilted in any direction.The blast of air coming from the blower(6) and hitting the lens (3) can be automatically temperature controlled to suit the external weather condition i.e Ice / Snow. e... * IS * S S... * * S...*.....I S *. *S * S * * S S..S