JP2009027613A - Camera apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that, when using two CPUs, costs of a monitor camera can not be reduced but when using one CPU, the number of control lines is increased too much, working efficiency during manufacturing is reduced and manufacturing costs are also increased. <P>SOLUTION: A camera apparatus includes a universal head 101 and a camera housing part 100 coupled to the universal head via a rotary shaft and comprises a plurality of function block parts provided within the camera housing part and a serial/parallel converting section coupled to the plurality of function block parts for converting a serial control signal into a parallel control signal. Within the universal head, a control section is provided, which outputs a control signal for controlling the plurality of function block parts, a transmission line is provided, which connects the control section and the serial/parallel converting section via the hollow part of the rotary shaft, and the control signal, from the control section, for controlling the plurality of function block parts is transmitted on the transmission line as a serial signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera device, and more particularly to a camera device having an improved communication system between a camera housing portion and a camera platform.

  A monitoring device using a camera device is, for example, an intruder or an intruding object (hereinafter referred to as an intruding object) to a public building or place, a bank, a store such as a supermarket, a dam, a base, an airfield or other restricted entry area. Many are used for monitoring purposes. These monitoring devices may be used in a warm region, or in a cold region, especially in a cold region in winter, the camera device itself may freeze or may not operate due to snow damage or freezing. In addition, if there is something that is monitored 24 hours a day, every day of the year, there must be a period or time zone that does not require monitoring due to seasonal factors, year-month factors, night-day factors, etc. Is also true. In particular, the installation of unattended surveillance camera devices has been increasing recently, but for example, monitoring in facilities closed during the winter, closed facilities such as holidays and late nights, regardless of the time and period when the user does not use it, It is necessary to always control the power supply of the camera body of the camera device, a driving motor such as a pan head, and a freeze prevention heater so that the monitoring operation can be normally performed.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional camera device. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 100 denotes a camera housing portion, and 101 denotes a pan head. The camera platform 101 is coupled to the camera housing unit 100 and has a drive mechanism that can drive the camera unit in the pan and tilt directions so that the camera unit can perform monitoring activities within a predetermined visual field range. Reference numeral 102 denotes a fixed base of the camera platform 101 of the camera device. The camera housing unit 100 includes a built-in camera and a heater glass 103 (also referred to as a first functional block unit) mounted on the front surface of the lens and a monitoring image from a subject (not shown). (Not shown), for example, a television camera unit (hereinafter referred to as a camera unit) including an optical system 104 such as a zoom lens that magnifies or projects on a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and a CCD that converts an image of an object into an electrical signal. ) 105, a heater 106 (also referred to as a second functional block) that is operated to prevent freezing in the camera housing when the ambient temperature is low, and a cooling fan 107 (first function) that prevents the temperature in the camera housing from becoming high. 3) and a wiper 108 (fourth functional block) that prevents fogging of the front surface of the front heater glass 103 and adhesion of snow. Also called wards.) Is equipped with a. Reference numeral 109 denotes a control unit for controlling these operations, and includes, for example, a CPU.

  The camera platform 101 includes a horizontal drive mechanism 121 that can rotate 360 degrees in the horizontal direction about the rotation axis 126, for example, and the camera housing 100 about the rotation axis 125. For example, a vertical drive mechanism 122 that can adjust the elevation angle by 180 degrees in the vertical direction is provided. Furthermore, it comprises a heater 123 for preventing the pan head 101 from freezing and a control unit 124 for controlling these operations, for example, a CPU. Reference numeral 131 denotes a control signal input / output terminal, and the control signal line 132 (plural lines) is coupled to the control unit 124 through a hollow portion of the rotating shaft 126. Further, signal transmission between the CPU 109 that controls the inside of the camera housing unit 100 and the CPU 124 that controls the inside of the camera platform 101 is performed through a transmission path 133 that passes through the hollow portion of the rotating shaft 125.

  It should be noted that a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the camera housing unit 100 and the camera platform 101, a power supply circuit and power supply line for supplying power to the camera housing unit 100 and the camera platform 101, and processing of video signals from the camera unit 105 The circuit and the like are omitted.

  Thus, conventional camera devices often use a plurality of microcomputers for controlling a plurality of functional blocks. For example, in a conventional camera device, a microcomputer is mounted on both the camera housing and the camera platform, and communication between them is controlled using a method such as RS232C. In FIG. 7, a CPU 109 is provided for controlling each department in the camera housing unit 100, and a CPU 124 is provided for controlling each department in the camera platform 101, and a total of two CPUs are provided. However, the price of one CPU is relatively high, and in a surveillance system that uses a large number of camera devices such as a surveillance camera, how to reduce the price of the camera device is a major issue.

  For this reason, a configuration in which one CPU is used to control each functional block unit in the camera housing unit 100 and the pan head 101 has been studied. However, in the case of a single CPU, Regarding the control of each functional block unit in the housing unit 100 and the pan head 101, the number of control lines (cables) for allocating the CPU input / output ports and controlling them in parallel is excessive, and the camera The hollow part of the vertical rotation shaft between the housing and the pan head is narrow and the transmission path does not pass, or it is necessary to use a robot cable (described later) as the transmission path, so the number of cables increases and the cost increases. The current situation is that it has not been adopted because there is a tendency that the workability at the time of manufacture is poor and the manufacturing cost tends to be expensive.

JP 2006-60644 A

  As described above, when two CPUs are used, the cost of the surveillance camera cannot be reduced, and in one CPU, the input / output ports of the CPU are assigned to control each functional block unit in parallel. As a result, the number of control lines (cables) to be increased is too large, the workability at the time of manufacturing tends to be low, and the manufacturing cost tends to be high, so that it has not been adopted.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a camera device that can be controlled by a single CPU.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive camera device by minimizing internal wiring and improving manufacturing workability and reducing costs.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide a camera device that can reduce the load on the CPU and add new functions.

  The camera device of the present invention includes a camera platform, a camera housing unit coupled to the camera platform with a rotation shaft, a plurality of function block units provided in the camera housing unit, and the plurality of function block units. A serial / parallel conversion unit for converting serial control signals into parallel is provided, a control unit for outputting control signals for controlling the plurality of functional block units is provided in the pan head, and a hollow portion of the rotating shaft A transmission path for connecting the control unit and the serial / parallel conversion unit via the control unit, so that a control signal for controlling the plurality of functional block units from the control unit is transmitted as a serial signal through the transmission path. Composed.

  In the camera device of the present invention, the plurality of functional block portions include a heater for heating the camera housing portion, a heater glass provided on the front surface of the camera housing portion, and a cooling fan for cooling the camera housing portion. It consists of a wiper.

  The camera device of the present invention further includes a lock sensor for a cooling fan provided in the camera housing portion and a switching contact of the wiper, and a lock sensor signal from the lock sensor and switching from the switching contact. A signal is configured to transmit the transmission path as a serial signal to the control unit.

  Further, in the camera device of the present invention, the control unit further includes a failure diagnosis function of the camera unit of the camera housing unit, and the control unit performs the control via the transmission path as a serial signal of the failure diagnosis result of the camera unit. Configured to transmit to a section.

  As described above, a single CPU can control a plurality of functional block units in the camera housing and the camera platform, thereby realizing a camera device. In addition, an inexpensive camera device can be realized by minimizing internal wiring, improving manufacturing workability, and reducing costs. Furthermore, since it is possible to provide a camera device that can reduce the load on the CPU and add a new function, it is possible to realize a camera system that meets customer requirements.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 140 denotes a control unit (hereinafter abbreviated as CPU) for controlling the camera device of the present invention, 141 denotes a transmission line, and a transmission line generally called a robot cable is used. ing. This robot cable is a transmission line that is generally used for repetitive motion parts such as rotation, expansion, contraction, bending, and twisting, and is commercially available as a reliable transmission line for use in movable parts. Hereinafter, it is simply referred to as a transmission line. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same thing as FIG.

  FIG. 2 shows an external view of a camera device, for example, a surveillance camera device. Reference numeral 100 denotes a camera housing portion, and 103 denotes a front heater glass. Light from a subject enters the optical system 104 via the front heater glass 103. The camera housing unit 100 is driven so that the viewing angle can be changed by about 180 degrees with respect to the rotation axis 125 (shown in FIG. 1). The pan / tilt head 101 is rotatably fixed to the fixed base 102 by a rotating shaft 126 (shown in FIG. 1). In addition, the camera apparatus of a present Example is a comparatively small camera apparatus about 40 cm high as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a specific circuit configuration of the camera apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same thing as FIG. Reference numeral 301 denotes a shift register IC (Integrated Circuit) with a latch function for converting and latching serial data output from the CPU 140 into parallel data, and 302 is a shift register IC for converting parallel data into serial data. The shift register ICs 301 and 302 will be described later. Reference numeral 303 denotes a switch circuit for turning on / off the current of the heater 106, 304, a switch circuit for turning on / off the current of the heater glass 103, 305, a switch circuit for turning on / off the motor 307 of the cooling fan 107, 306 Is a driver IC for driving a motor 309 that drives the wiper 108. Reference numerals 310 and 311 denote switching contacts (microsensors) for reciprocating the wiper 108.

  Reference numeral 312 denotes a DC power source for heating the heater 106, and reference numeral 313 denotes a DC power source for heating the heater glass 103 or driving a cooling fan. 321 is a clock transmission line for transmitting a clock for driving the shift register ICs 301 and 302, 322 is a serial data signal line, 323 is a data latch clock signal line, and 324 is for enabling / disabling the shift register IC 301. Signal lines 325 are serial data transmission / reception switching signal lines.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the feature of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the same components as those in FIG. Reference numeral 801 denotes a hollow portion provided in the central portion of the rotating shaft 125, and the inner diameter is about 15 mmφ. Reference numeral 802 denotes a circuit board provided in the camera platform 101, and 803 denotes a circuit board provided in the camera housing unit 100. The circuit board 802 and the circuit board 803 are connected by a robot cable 141. Therefore, the hollow portion 801 of the rotating shaft 125 is extremely narrow and cannot pass through the robot cable 141 that is too thick, and the number of control lines is limited. Therefore, as described later, it is necessary to realize a camera device capable of sufficient control even if the number of control lines is reduced.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing operation timing for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A illustrates, for example, a period T1 in which the shift register IC 301 operates, and FIG. 4B illustrates, for example, a period T2 in which the shift register IC 302 operates. T represents a predetermined repetition period including periods T1 and T2. That is, the control signal from the CPU 140 represents a period in which the control signal is supplied to the shift register IC 301 in the period T1, while the T2 period represents a period in which the signal from the shift register IC 302 is transmitted to the CPU 140. The switching between the periods T1 and T2 is configured such that the shift registers 301 and 302 are switched by an enable / disable switching signal line 324 from the CPU 140 and a serial data transmission / reception switching signal line 325 described later. Yes.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing signal waveforms for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention. A method of transmitting various control signals from the CPU 140 to the shift register IC 301 via the serial data signal line 322 of the transmission path 141 will be described with reference to FIG. First, FIG. 5A shows the start signal S1. For example, when the monitoring camera system starts monitoring activity, the start signal S1 is input by the operator pressing the start button of the monitoring center. As a result, the CPU 140 starts operation. FIG. 5B shows a clock signal C1, which is a reference signal for operating each functional block unit or circuit of the camera apparatus shown in FIG. 3 in synchronization. For example, the clock signal C1 output from the CPU 140 is supplied to the shift registers IC 301 and 302 via the clock signal line 321 of the transmission path 141, and the shift registers IC 301 and 302 operate in synchronization with the CPU 140.

  In this state, first, an ON / OFF signal S2 of the heater 106 shown in FIG. 5C is applied to the control signal input terminal 131 from an external or internal sensor (not shown), and the heater glass shown in FIG. 5D. Assume that the ON / OFF signal S3 103, the motor ON / OFF signal S4 of the cooling fan 107 shown in FIG. 5E, and the ON / OFF signal S5 of the wiper 108 shown in FIG. In this embodiment, four types of ON / OFF signals are shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that other control signals can also be input. These ON / OFF signals may be input at the same time, or may be input at different timings. When these control signals are input, the CPU 140 appropriately processes them and supplies them as serial data signals to the shift register IC 301 via the serial data signal line 322.

  This will be described in more detail. FIG. 5G schematically shows a serial signal format for transmitting the serial data signal line 322. The serial signal format shown in FIG. 5 (G) is composed of, for example, a repetition of a total of 8CH of 1CH (channel), 2CH, 3CH,..., 8CH, and the time interval of 1CH is, for example, 1 msec. Therefore, in 8CH, it becomes 8 msec, and is configured by repeating this. In the present embodiment, the case of a total of 8 CH is shown, but it goes without saying that the number is appropriately selected according to the number of controlled objects. The ON / OFF signal described above assigns each ON / OFF signal to each channel, for example, with the ON signal as code information “1” and the OFF signal as code information “0”. In the case of FIG. 5, the ON information of the heater 106 ON / OFF signal S2 assigns the code information “1” to the first CH (indicated by 1CH). The ON signal of the ON / OFF signal S3 of the heater glass 103 assigns code information “1” to the third CH (3CH). The ON signal of the motor ON / OFF signal S4 of the cooling fan 107 assigns code information “1” to the fourth CH (4CH). Further, the ON signal of the ON / OFF signal S5 of the wiper 108 assigns code information “1” to the sixth CH (6CH). In this way, the ON signals of the heater 106, the heater glass 103, the cooling fan 107, and the wiper 108 are converted to the serial signal S6 shown in FIG. Is done.

  Note that this serial signal S6 is shown only for one series (composed of 8CH), but in practice, in order to transmit transmission information accurately, for example, three consecutive transmissions are made, so the transmission time is 24 msec. This time corresponds to, for example, the T1 period shown in FIG. Similarly, the OFF signals of the heater 106, the heater glass 103, the cooling fan 107, and the wiper 108 are transmitted as code information “0” on the corresponding channels of 8CH (not shown).

  The shift register IC 301 that has received the serial signal S6 converts each ON signal into a parallel signal and transmits the parallel signal to the heater 106, the heater glass 103, the cooling fan 107, and the wiper 108, respectively. That is, the 1CH ON signal shown in FIG. 5I is supplied to the switch circuit 303 for turning on and off the current of the heater 106, and the switch circuit 303 is turned on. As a result, the current from the DC power supply 312 is supplied to the heater 106 and warms the camera housing 100. Therefore, in a cold district or the like, the heater 106 can be operated by remote control when the temperature falls below a predetermined temperature.

  The 3CH ON signal shown in FIG. 5J is supplied to the switch circuit 304 that turns on and off the current of the heater glass 103, and turns on the switch circuit 304. As a result, a current from the DC power supply 313 is supplied to the heater glass 103, and it is possible to prevent fogging and to prevent snow from attaching.

  The 4CH ON signal shown in FIG. 5K is supplied to the switch circuit 305 that turns on and off the driving current of the motor 307 of the cooling fan 107, and turns on the switch circuit 305. As a result, the motor 307 is driven, and the inside of the camera housing portion can be prevented from becoming high temperature.

  Further, the 6CH ON signal shown in FIG. 5L is supplied to the driver IC 306 for driving the motor 309 that drives the wiper 108 to drive the wiper 108. Accordingly, it is possible to remove adhesion of rain or the like on the front surface of the camera housing portion 100. As described above, a plurality of control signals can be transmitted through one serial data signal line 322.

  Next, the operation of the shift register IC 302 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows operation waveforms of the shift register IC302. In FIG. 6, the start signal S1 and the clock signal C1 shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B) are the same as the signals shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B). 6C shows ON / OFF signals of the lock sensor signal S11 of the fan motor 307 of the cooling fan 107. FIG. The lock sensor signal S11 is a signal output from the lock sensor 308. That is, when the fan motor 307 stops rotating for some reason, a current from the DC power supply 313 flows, and the fan motor 307 causes a fire. In order to prevent this, the lock sensor 308 detects when the fan motor has stopped, notifies the CPU 140 of this signal via the shift register IC 302, and turns off the current flowing into the motor 307 of the fan motor 309. Need to control. The lock sensor 308 can be constituted by a photodiode that detects the rotation of the fan or a temperature detection element that detects the temperature of the fan motor 307.

  6D and 6E show ON / OFF signals of the wiper switching signals S12 and S13. That is, since the wiper 108 reciprocates, it is necessary to reverse the rotation of the driving motor 309 at a predetermined interval. Therefore, it is an ON / OFF signal for the switching contacts 310 and 311 for detecting the movement of the wiper 108. These signals S11, S12, and S13 are supplied to the shift register IC302.

  Next, the operation of the shift register IC 302 will be described. The shift register IC 302 has a function of converting input parallel data into serial data. FIG. 6F schematically shows a signal format when a signal output from the shift register IC 302 is transmitted to the CPU 140 via the serial data signal line 322.

  This will be described in more detail. The serial signal format shown in FIG. 6 (F) is similar to the serial signal format shown in FIG. 5 (G). The difference is that the serial signal format shown in FIG. 5G transmits a control signal from the CPU 140 to the shift register IC 301 via the serial data signal line 322, whereas the serial signal format shown in FIG. The signal format is to transmit a control signal from the shift register IC 302 to the CPU 140 via the serial data signal line 322. That is, the signal format is a period corresponding to the period T2 shown in FIG.

  The serial signal format shown in FIG. 6 (F) is configured by repetition of a total of 8CHs of 1CH (channel), 2CH, 3CH,..., 8CH, and the time interval of 1CH is, for example, 1 msec. Therefore, in 8CH, it becomes 8 msec, and is configured by repeating this. In the present embodiment, the case of a total of 8 CH is shown, but it goes without saying that the number is appropriately selected according to the number of controlled objects. The ON / OFF signal described above assigns each ON / OFF signal to each channel, for example, with the ON signal as code information “1” and the OFF signal as code information “0”. In the case of FIG. 6, the ON information of the lock sensor signal ON / OFF signal S11 assigns code information “1” to the second CH (indicated by 2CH). Further, the ON signal of the wiper switching signal ON / OFF signal S12 assigns code information “1” to the seventh CH (7CH), and the ON signal of the wiper switching signal ON / OFF signal S13 is the eighth CH. Code information “1” is assigned to (8CH). In this way, the ON signal of the lock sensor signal S11, the ON signal of the wiper switching signal S12, and the ON signal of the wiper switching signal S13 become the serial signal S14 shown in FIG. 6 (G), via the serial data signal line 322. It is supplied to the CPU 140. The CPU 140 analyzes the received serial signal S14, the lock sensor signal S11 from the second channel 2CH, the wiper switching signal S12 from the seventh channel 7CH, and the wiper switching signal from the eighth channel 8CH. Each of S13 is detected and necessary processing is executed.

  In addition, although this serial signal S14 also shows only 1 series (it comprises 8CH), in order to transmit transmission information correctly in fact, since it transmits continuously several times, for example, 3 transmission time, 24 msec. This time corresponds to, for example, the T2 period shown in FIG. Similarly, the OFF signals of the lock sensor signal S11, the wiper switching signal S12, and the wiper switching signal S13 are transmitted as code information “0” on the corresponding channels of 8CH (not shown).

  As described above in detail, in the present invention, a total of five transmission lines are sufficient for transmission of control signals and the like of each functional block unit as described above, and wiring in the vertical rotation shaft is performed without difficulty. The cost can be reduced. Furthermore, there is a feature that even if the number of control objects increases, it is not necessary to increase the number of transmission lines.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the use time of the serial data signal line 322 described above. As described with reference to FIG. 4, the period T indicates the repetition period of the control signal transmitted through the serial data signal line 322. The period T1 is a period during which a control signal is transmitted from the CPU 140 to the shift register IC 301 via the serial data signal line 322. The period T2 is a period during which a control signal is transmitted from the shift register IC 302 to the CPU 140 via the serial data signal line 322. When a plurality of control signals are transmitted through a plurality of control channels in this way, as shown in FIG. 9, the period T3 includes a period in which the serial data signal line 322 is not used. Therefore, this period T3 can also be used as a transmission period of failure diagnosis information of the camera housing unit 100, for example. For example, the camera housing unit 100 includes a camera unit 105, and there are many CCDs and various signal processing circuits.

  Therefore, in the camera device, the CPU 140 can be equipped with a function for performing a failure diagnosis of the camera device in software, and the failure diagnosis result can be transmitted to the CPU 140 using each CH (channel) in the period T3. For example, the signal processing unit of the camera unit 105 includes a video signal processing unit, a synchronization signal reproducing unit, a video signal demultiplexing circuit unit, and the like, so these failure diagnosis results are displayed on the first channel (1CH). , Second channel (2CH), third channel (3CH),..., And so on, without transmitting a new transmission line for fault diagnosis by transmitting to CPU 140, respectively. Fault diagnosis can be performed.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments of the camera device described herein, and can be applied widely to camera devices other than those described above. There is no.

The block diagram of schematic structure of one Example of this invention is shown. The external view of one Example of this invention is shown. It is a block diagram which shows the specific circuit structure of one Example of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the wave form diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the wave form diagram for demonstrating other operation | movement of one Example of this invention. The block diagram of schematic structure of an example of the conventional camera apparatus is shown. It is a figure for demonstrating the characteristic of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating another Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100: Camera housing part, 101: Pan head, 102: Fixed stand, 103: Heater glass, 104: Optical system, 105: Camera part, 106: Heater, 107: Cooling fan: 108: Wiper, 121: Horizontal drive mechanism , 122: Vertical drive mechanism, 123: Heater for pan head heating, 125, 126: Rotating shaft, 131: Input / output terminal for control signal, 132: Control signal line, 140: CPU, 141: Transmission path, 301: Shift register IC with latch function, 302: Shift register IC, 303, 304, 305: Switch circuit, 306: Driver IC, 307: Motor, 308: Lock sensor, 309: Wiper motor, 310, 311: Switching contact, 312 313: DC power supply, 321: Clock signal line, 322: Serial data signal line, 323: Data Pitch clock signal line, 324: enable / disable switching signal line of the shift register IC 301, 325: serial data transmission / reception switching signal Line, 801: hollow part, 802, 803: circuit board.

Claims (1)

  A pan head, a camera housing unit coupled to the pan head with a rotation shaft, a plurality of functional block units provided in the camera housing unit, and a serial control signal coupled to the plurality of functional block units; A parallel-serial conversion unit, a control unit for outputting a control signal for controlling the plurality of functional block units is provided in the pan head, and the control unit via the hollow part of the rotating shaft. A camera apparatus comprising a transmission path for connecting to the serial / parallel conversion section, wherein a control signal for controlling the plurality of functional block sections from the control section transmits the transmission path as a serial signal.

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