JP2006033704A - Monitoring camera device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitoring camera device which can obtain images of an upper direction than a horizontal surface and can reduce a distortion of the images. <P>SOLUTION: A camera 3 is provided so as to be tiltable. A dome cover 5 has a shape corresponding to a part of a hemisphere so as to cover a range equal to or more than a horizontal angle of the camera 3. A cabinet 7 holds the dome cover 5 at the position covering a range equal to or more than a vertical angle when the camera 3 faces in a directly downward direction and an upper direction than a horizontal surface. A waterproof means is arranged between the dome cover 5 and the cabinet 7, and the waterproof means deforms according to a fastening load of the dome cover 5 to the cabinet 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a surveillance camera device having a dome cover.

  Conventionally, a surveillance camera device with a dome cover that is installed downward on a ceiling is known (Patent Document 1). In such a monitoring camera device, the camera unit is covered with a transparent or semi-transparent hemispherical dome cover. By providing the dome cover, the camera unit is protected from being touched directly. The dome cover has a waterproof and dustproof function.

The dome cover is manufactured by resin molding. For reasons of resin molding, the dome cover has a hemispherical shape as described above. However, when shooting an area above the horizontal direction, it is necessary to cover an area larger than the hemisphere. Therefore, in such a case, a dome cover having a shape in which a cylinder is combined with a hemisphere is provided. Then, photographing is performed through the cylindrical portion.
JP 2001-45344 A (page 4-5, FIG. 2)

  However, in the conventional surveillance camera device, since the shape of the dome cover is hemispherical as described above, a suitable image can be obtained only when the tilt direction is below the horizontal. When the tilt direction is higher than the horizontal, photographing is performed through the cylindrical portion, which causes a problem that image distortion increases. In addition, the conventional dome cover has a problem that image distortion increases due to variations in roundness, thickness, and the like.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a surveillance camera device that can take a picture in an upward direction from the horizontal and has a small image distortion.

  The surveillance camera device of the present invention includes a camera provided to be tiltable, a dome cover having a shape corresponding to a part of a hemisphere so as to cover a region having a horizontal angle of view or more of the camera, and the dome cover. A housing that holds the camera in a position that covers a region that is equal to or larger than a vertical angle of view when the camera is directed directly downward and upward from the horizontal.

  With this configuration, since the housing holds the dome cover so as to cover an area having a vertical angle of view or more when the camera is directed upward from the horizontal, it is possible to photograph the upward from the horizontal through the spherical surface. Furthermore, since the dome cover has a shape corresponding to a part of the hemisphere and the area of the dome cover can be reduced, the dome cover can be easily formed, and variations in roundness and thickness can be reduced. Therefore, an image higher than the horizontal direction can be obtained, and image distortion can be reduced.

  In the surveillance camera device of the present invention, the optical axis of the camera passes through the center of the spherical surface of the dome cover. With this configuration, the shape of the dome cover becomes a target spherical surface with respect to the optical axis of the camera in the shooting range, and image distortion can be reduced.

  In the surveillance camera device of the present invention, the dome cover is provided so as to perform pan rotation together with the camera. With this configuration, even if the range of the dome cover is a part of a hemisphere, the panning can be turned and photographed.

  The surveillance camera device of the present invention is disposed between the dome cover and the housing, and is deformed by a tightening load of the dome cover on the housing, so that the dome cover and the housing A waterproof means for sealing the gap is provided. With this configuration, even if the dome cover has a shape corresponding to a part of the hemisphere, waterproofness around the cover can be secured. In addition, since the waterproof means is deformed, the tightening load applied to the dome cover is reduced, thereby reducing image quality deterioration due to deformation and distortion of the dome cover.

  In another aspect of the present invention, a surveillance camera device includes a camera provided to be tiltable and a dome cover having a shape corresponding to a part of a hemisphere so as to cover a region having a horizontal angle of view or more of the camera. And a housing that holds the dome cover at a position that covers an area that is larger than the vertical angle of view of the camera facing the elevation angle direction and the depression angle direction with respect to the installation surface. In this aspect, the surveillance camera may be installed downward on the ceiling, or may be installed at another angle.

  The present invention provides a surveillance camera device having an effect that an image above the horizontal direction can be obtained and distortion of the image can be reduced by providing the dome cover having the shape and arrangement as described above. it can.

  Hereinafter, surveillance camera devices according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of a surveillance camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The surveillance camera device 1 includes a camera 3, a dome cover 5, and a housing 7. The camera 3 is provided so as to be tiltable. As will be described later, the dome cover 5 has a shape corresponding to a part of a hemisphere. The dome cover 5 is held by the housing 7. The housing 7 is attached to the base portion 9. The base unit 9 includes a power source and an image communication function. The upper surface of the base portion 9 is attached to an installation surface such as a ceiling, whereby the surveillance camera 1 is installed downward.

  2 to 4 are diagrams of the internal configuration of the monitoring camera device 1 and show the drive mechanism 11 of the camera 3. The drive mechanism 11 includes a pan mechanism 13 and a tilt mechanism 15 and supports the camera 3 so as to be rotatable in the pan direction and the tilt direction.

  The pan mechanism 13 includes a chassis 21 and a control board 23. The chassis 21 and the control board 23 are fixed to a disc 25, and the disc 25 is rotatably supported by the pan shaft 27. The pan shaft 27 is attached to and fixed to the base portion 9 (FIG. 1).

  A pan motor 29 is attached to the control board 23. The drive gear of the pan motor 29 is connected to the pan gear 33 via the gear transmission mechanism 31. The pan gear 33 is fixed to the pan shaft 27. Therefore, the pan gear 33 is fixed together with the pan shaft 27. When the pan motor 29 rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the pan gear 33. The pan motor 29 rotates in the pan direction together with the control board 23, the disk 25 and the chassis 21 by the reaction force of the pan gear 33.

  The control board 23 is equipped with a control CPU, and the control board 23 functions as a computer for controlling the pan mechanism 13 and the tilt mechanism 15.

  Next, the tilt mechanism 15 will be described. A support wall 35 is erected on the chassis 21. The tilt shaft 37 is rotatably supported on the support wall 35, and the camera 3 is supported on the tilt shaft 37.

  A tilt motor 39 is further fixed to the support wall 35. The drive gear of the tilt motor 39 is connected to the tilt gear 43 via a gear transmission mechanism 41 (not shown). The tilt gear 43 is fixed to the tilt shaft 37. When the tilt motor 39 rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the tilt gear 43 and the tilt shaft 37 rotates in the tilt direction together with the camera 3.

  Here, the definition of the tilt angle and the pan angle in the present embodiment will be described. The tilt angle and pan angle are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively. In the present embodiment, the direction perpendicular to the installation surface, that is, the direction along the pan axis is the tilt reference direction. When the camera 3 faces the tilt reference direction, the tilt angle is 0 degree. When the camera 3 is parallel to the installation surface, the tilt angle is 90 degrees. In the present embodiment, since the surveillance camera device 1 is installed downward on the ceiling, the tilt angle is 0 degree when the camera 3 faces directly below, and the tilt angle is 90 when the camera 3 faces the horizontal direction. Degree. The pan angle is represented by a turning angle in the pan direction from a predetermined pan reference direction.

  The pan mechanism 13 of the present embodiment can turn the camera 3 in the pan direction within a pan angle range of 0 degrees to 360 degrees. In addition, the tilt mechanism 15 can turn the camera 3 in the tilt direction in a range of the tilt angle from 0 degree to the upper limit angle α (α> 90). Therefore, the tilt mechanism 15 can turn the camera 3 upward from the horizontal direction. Note that the tilt mechanism 15 may further tilt the camera 3 to a region where the tilt angle is negative within a range where the camera 3 can shoot.

  Next, the structure of the housing | casing 7 and the dome cover 5 is demonstrated. The housing 7 is made of resin, and has a shape combining a cylinder and a hemisphere as a whole. The dome cover 5 is held in an opening provided in the housing 7. The housing 7 is attached to the disc 25 of the pan mechanism 13. As a result, the housing 7 rotates in the pan direction together with the camera 3 together with the dome cover 5.

  FIG. 5 shows the shape of the dome cover 5. The dome cover 5 has a shape corresponding to a part of the hemisphere. The diameter and center of the hemisphere are the same as the hemispherical portion of the housing 7. The center of the hemisphere coincides with the intersection of the camera optical axis, tilt pivot axis, and pan pivot axis. Therefore, the optical axis of the camera 3 passes through the center of the spherical surface of the dome cover 5.

  The dome cover 5 has a shape corresponding to a belt-like portion at the center of the hemisphere. Here, the center of the hemisphere indicates an area near one meridian (a line on a sphere passing through the center of the zenith of the hemisphere, and a line passing through the center of the sphere also intersects the sphere). More specifically, the dome cover 5 is a constant width portion at the center of the hemisphere, and has a target shape centered on the meridian of the hemisphere. In other words, the dome cover 5 has a shape in which both sides of the constant width portion at the center of the hemisphere are deleted. The width D of the dome cover 5 is set so that the dome cover 5 covers an area that is equal to or larger than the horizontal angle of view of the camera 3. That is, the width D is set to be greater than or equal to the hemispherical horizontal dimension corresponding to the horizontal angle of view.

  6 and 7 show the arrangement of the dome cover 5 in the tilt direction. The dome cover 5 is disposed so as to cover an area that is equal to or larger than the vertical angle of view when the camera 3 is directed directly downward and toward the upper limit angle α.

  That is, in FIG. 6, the camera 3 is facing directly downward (tilt angle 0 degree). An area having a vertical angle of view or more at this time is covered by the dome cover 5. In FIG. 7, the camera 3 faces the upper limit angle α (α> 90). The upper limit angle α is the upper end of the tilt range and is upward from the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 7, the dome cover 5 also covers an area that is greater than the vertical angle of view when the camera 3 is facing the upper limit angle α.

  The arrangement as described above is realized by tilting the hemisphere of the dome cover 5 with respect to the hemisphere of the housing 7. That is, in the present embodiment, the hemispherical zenith of the dome cover 5 is inclined with respect to the hemispherical zenith (pan axis direction or tilt reference direction) of the housing 7.

  The shape of the dome cover 5 has been described above. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the dome cover 5 is a part of a hemisphere, the dome cover 5 may be called a partial dome cover. Further, in the housing 7, the spherical portions on both sides of the dome cover 5 function as a dome dummy. In this respect, the housing 7 may be called a dummy dome housing.

  Next, a structure for attaching the dome cover 5 to the housing 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the dome cover 5. A flange 51 is provided around the dome cover 5. The flange 51 is fixed to the inner surface of the housing 3 with a screw 53. Between the flange 51 and the housing 7, a rubber packing 55 is disposed as a waterproof means. The rubber packing 55 is accommodated in a groove provided in the flange 51 and has a circular cross section. The rubber packing 55 is sandwiched between the housing 7 and the dome cover 5 and is deformed by the tightening load of the dome cover 5 on the housing 7. Thereby, the gap between the dome cover 5 and the housing 7 is sealed with the rubber packing 55. Further, since the rubber packing 55 is deformed and absorbs the tightening force, the tightening force applied to the dome cover 5 is reduced, and the deformation of the dome cover 5 is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the flange 51 and the rubber packing 55 are provided on the entire circumference of the dome cover 5. Moreover, although the screw | thread 53 is not shown by FIG. 1, it is provided in several places at appropriate intervals.

  The configuration of the monitoring camera device 1 has been described above. Next, the operation of the monitoring camera device 1 will be described.

  In the monitoring camera device 1, the CPU of the control board 23 calculates a desired angle of the camera 3 based on an instruction from an external controller, and sends a control signal corresponding to the calculated angle to the pan mechanism 13 and the tilt mechanism 15. Supply. The pan motor 29 and the tilt motor 39 are rotated by being controlled by the control board 23, whereby the camera 3 turns in the pan direction and the tilt direction and faces the direction instructed by the external controller. Then, shooting is performed by the camera 3. The image of the camera 3 is sent from the base unit 9 to an external monitor by communication.

  In FIG. 6, the camera 3 is facing down (tilt angle 0 degree). At this time, the horizontal field angle and the vertical field angle of the camera 3 are covered by the dome cover 5. Therefore, the camera 3 can photograph the subject through the dome cover 5. Since photographing is performed through a spherical surface, an image with small distortion can be obtained. In particular, since the camera optical axis passes through the center of the spherical surface of the dome cover 5, image distortion is reduced.

  In FIG. 7, the tilt mechanism 15 operates and the camera 3 is pivoted in the tilt direction to the upper limit angle α (α> 90). The upper limit angle α is the upper end of the tilt range. The camera 3 faces upward from the horizontal direction. Even at this camera position, the horizontal angle of view and the vertical angle of view of the camera 3 are covered by the dome cover 5. Therefore, the camera 3 can photograph the subject through the dome cover 5.

  Even when the camera 3 is directed upward from the horizontal, the image is taken through the spherical surface, so that an image with small distortion can be obtained. Since the camera rotation center coincides with the center of the spherical surface of the dome cover 5, even if the camera 3 is tilted, the positional relationship between the camera 3 and the spherical surface is maintained, and the camera optical axis passes through the center of the spherical surface. As a result, an image with small distortion is obtained.

  The same applies when the tilt angle is intermediate between FIGS. 6 and 7 (0 degrees to α degrees). The shooting direction of the camera 3 is covered by the dome cover 5, and shooting is preferably performed through the dome cover 5. As described above, shooting is performed through the spherical surface, and the optical axis of the camera passes through the center of the spherical surface of the dome cover 5, so that an image with small distortion is obtained.

  When the pan mechanism 13 operates, the camera 3 turns in the pan direction. At this time, the housing 7 and the dome cover 5 also rotate together with the camera 3. Therefore, even if the camera 3 turns in the pan direction, the camera 3 can photograph the subject through the dome cover 5.

  Next, the case where the tilt angle is negative will be described. In the present embodiment, in the region where the tilt angle is negative, the dome cover 5 covers only a narrow range, that is, the dome cover 5 does not cover the tilt angle up to around −90 degrees. However, when it is desired to photograph such a direction, the camera 3 may be turned 90 degrees or more in the pan direction. For example, assume that the camera 3 is directed in the direction of -α degrees from the state of FIG. In this case, the tilt angle is maintained at α degrees, and the camera 3 is turned 180 degrees in the pan direction. As a result, the camera 3 faces the direction in which the tilt angle is −α.

  It is also assumed that the camera device 1 has been exposed to water. At this time, since the space between the dome cover 5 and the housing 7 is sealed with the rubber packing 55, the entry of water into the interior is prevented.

  The surveillance camera device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. According to the present embodiment, since the dome cover 5 is held by the casing 7 so as to cover a region having a vertical angle of view or more when facing upward from the horizontal, the upward direction from the horizontal through the spherical surface. Can be taken. Since the spherical surface is passed, a good image with small distortion can be obtained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the dome cover 5 is a part of the center of the hemisphere, and the dome cover 5 only needs to cover an area having a horizontal angle of view or more, and the area of the dome cover 5 can be reduced. If the area of the dome cover 5 is small, the dome cover 5 can be easily molded, the yield is improved, and the variation in roundness and thickness can be reduced. As described above, in the present embodiment, the range of the dome cover 5 is limited to a necessary portion. Therefore, it is only necessary to produce the necessary portion with high accuracy, thereby improving the accuracy of the dome cover 5. Then, an image with small distortion can be obtained by improving the accuracy.

  In this way, according to the present embodiment, an image above the horizontal can be obtained, and image distortion can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the optical axis of the camera 3 passes through the center of the spherical surface of the dome cover 5, so that the shape of the dome cover 5 is the target with respect to the optical axis of the camera 3 in the shooting range. A spherical surface, which can reduce image distortion.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the dome cover 5 is provided so as to pan with the camera 3. Thereby, even if the range of the dome cover 5 is a part of a hemisphere, turning in the pan direction and photographing are possible.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the waterproof means is arranged between the dome cover 5 and the housing 7, and the waterproof means is deformed by the tightening load of the dome cover 5 on the housing 7. . Thereby, even if the dome cover 5 has a shape corresponding to a part of the hemisphere, waterproofness can be secured. That is, waterproofness can be ensured even if the whole is not an integral cover of a resin molded product as in the prior art. In addition, since the waterproof means is deformed, the tightening load applied to the dome cover 5 is reduced, thereby reducing the image quality deterioration due to deformation and distortion of the dome cover 5.

  In another aspect, surveillance camera device 1 of the present embodiment has a shape corresponding to a part of a hemisphere so as to cover camera 3 provided to be tiltable and a region having a horizontal angle of view of camera 3 or more. A dome cover 5 having a dome cover 5, and a housing 7 that holds the dome cover 5 in a position that covers an area that is greater than the vertical angle of view of the camera 3 facing the elevation angle direction and the depression angle direction with respect to the installation surface; It has. The elevation angle direction is a direction in which the tilt angle is 0 degree to 90 degrees, and the depression angle direction is a direction in which the tilt angle is 90 degrees or more. Similar advantages can be obtained from this point of view. Note that the surveillance camera device may be installed at an angle other than downward, or may be installed on a wall or the like.

  In the above description, the pan mechanism 13 and the tilt mechanism 15 are provided with motors, and the camera 3 is automatically rotated by the driving force of the motors. On the other hand, an actuator other than the motor may be provided. Further, the camera 3 may be manually moved in the pan direction and the tilt direction.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, Of course, those skilled in the art can modify the above-mentioned embodiment within the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the monitoring camera device according to the present invention has an effect that an image above the horizontal direction can be obtained and distortion of the image can be reduced, and is useful as a monitoring camera device for a security system or the like. .

1 is an external view showing a surveillance camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing which shows the surveillance camera apparatus in embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing which shows the surveillance camera apparatus in embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing which shows the surveillance camera apparatus in embodiment of this invention Perspective view showing the shape of the dome cover The perspective view which shows arrangement | positioning of the dome cover with respect to a housing | casing The perspective view which shows arrangement | positioning of the dome cover with respect to a housing | casing Diagram showing waterproof structure of dome cover

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Surveillance camera apparatus 3 Camera 5 Dome cover 7 Case 9 Base part 11 Drive mechanism 13 Pan mechanism 15 Tilt mechanism 27 Pan shaft 29 Pan motor 37 Tilt shaft 39 Tilt motor 51 Flange 55 Rubber packing

Claims (5)

A tiltable camera,
A dome cover having a shape corresponding to a part of a hemisphere so as to cover a region having a horizontal angle of view or more of the camera;
A housing that holds the dome cover at a position that covers an area that is equal to or greater than a vertical angle of view when the camera is directed directly downward and above horizontal.
A surveillance camera device characterized by comprising:   The surveillance camera device according to claim 1, wherein an optical axis of the camera passes through a center of a spherical surface of the dome cover.   The surveillance camera device according to claim 1, wherein the dome cover is provided so as to perform pan rotation together with the camera.   A waterproof means is provided between the dome cover and the housing, and is deformed by a tightening load of the dome cover on the housing to seal between the dome cover and the housing. The surveillance camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A tiltable camera,
A dome cover having a shape corresponding to a part of a hemisphere so as to cover a region having a horizontal angle of view or more of the camera;
A housing that holds the dome cover in a position that covers an area that is greater than the vertical angle of view of the camera that faces the elevation angle direction and the depression angle direction with respect to the installation surface;
A surveillance camera device characterized by comprising:

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