JP3574884B2 - Surveillance camera device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a monitoring camera device using a TV camera.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, this type of surveillance camera device is often mounted with the ceiling as the installation surface, and is equipped with an angle adjustment mechanism that can adjust the optical axis of the surveillance camera to set the monitoring area according to the installation location There are many. In a general angle adjustment mechanism, it is possible to adjust the angle of two axes, that is, rotation in a plane parallel to the installation surface and rotation around one axis parallel to the installation surface. As described above, this type of surveillance camera device is often installed on a ceiling surface, so that a plane parallel to the installation surface is hereinafter referred to as a horizontal plane, and a rotation angle from a fixed position in the horizontal plane is defined as a pan angle and a horizontal plane. Is called a tilt angle.
[0003]
In a surveillance camera device for so-called fixed-point monitoring in which a surveillance area after installation is fixed, almost no angle adjustment is required after installation. Therefore, two-axis angle adjustment (pan angle and tilt angle) of the camera 1 is performed. Are often performed manually. That is, when the angle between the pan angle θ and the tilt angle φ is adjusted as shown in FIG. 10, the operation is performed by directly touching the camera 1 with a hand.
[0004]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, a monitoring camera device used in a place where the monitoring area is frequently changed after installation has a drive unit that uses a motor to adjust both the pan angle θ and the tilt angle φ. 21a and 21b (for controlling the pan angle .theta. And the tilt angle .phi. Of the camera 1 with a motor are described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-1793, etc.). This type of surveillance camera device is used when a single surveillance camera device has a wide monitoring area or when obtaining detailed information on a monitoring area using a camera 1 having a relatively narrow field of view. The drive units 21a and 21b are controlled using a wired or wireless controller 22. The drive unit 21b is for adjusting the tilt angle φ, and is driven to rotate together with the camera 1 by the drive unit 21a for adjusting the pan angle θ. In addition, in this type of drive units 21a and 21b, a geared motor is often used in order to obtain a rotation speed suitable for adjusting the angle of the camera 1.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the conventional surveillance camera device, there are provided one in which both the pan angle and the tilt angle are manually adjusted, and one in which both are adjusted using a drive source such as a motor. However, there is a problem that a device that is manually adjusted cannot be used in a place where the monitoring area after installation is frequently changed. On the other hand, since adjustment by a drive source requires two drive units 21a and 21b, there is a problem that the size is increased and the amount of protrusion from the installation surface (ceiling surface) becomes large, making the appearance unsightly. The use of the two drive units 21a and 21b has a problem that the number of components is large and the configuration is complicated, and the control system is also complicated, which leads to an increase in cost.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to enable a monitoring area to be changed without manual operation even after installation, and to be relatively small in size from the installation surface. To provide a surveillance camera device that can be provided at a lower cost than a conventional configuration using two drive units as a relatively simple configuration with a small amount of protrusion and a relatively small number of parts and a relatively simple control system. is there.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a base fixed to an installation surface on which a monitoring camera is installed, a hemispherical cover coupled to the base and protruding from the installation surface, and a base so as to hold the camera movably. A guide rail provided at a fixed position with respect thereto, a string-shaped transmission body for transmitting a driving force in a direction along the guide rail to the camera, and a return force acting means for applying a tensile force to one end of the string-shaped transmission body; The state in which a pulling force greater than the pulling force by the restoring force acting means is applied to the other end of the string-shaped transmitting body to pull the string-shaped transmitting body and the movement of the string-shaped transmitting body by the pulling force by the restoring force acting means. A drive source capable of selecting a state to allow, so that the guide rail is spiral along the peripheral wall of the cover so that the optical axis of the camera is kept at a fixed angle with respect to the normal direction of the peripheral wall of the cover. It has been formed . According to this configuration, the drive source can be made close to the camera by pulling the string-like transmission member to the drive source by string-like transmission body tensile force due to restoring force acting unit without pulling the string-like heat transfer movement member by a drive source , The camera can be moved away from the drive source. Here, since the camera moves along the guide rail, it is possible to reciprocate the camera along the guide rail, and the cost is lower than a conventional configuration using a drive unit for two axes. Can be provided. Further, when the camera is moved along the guide rail, the camera can be moved within a range of 0 to 360 degrees in a plane parallel to the installation surface, and the inclination of the camera with respect to a direction perpendicular to the installation surface can be adjusted. It can be changed in the range of 0 to 90 degrees at the maximum. In addition, the monitoring area can be changed without manual operation, and the size is small, the amount of protrusion from the installation surface is small, and the number of parts is relatively small as compared with the one using two drive units. The control system has a relatively simple configuration. Here, Himojoden dynamic body, substantially circular cross section of the wire cross section is intended to include flat belts, chains or the like. Further, a coil spring is usually used as the returning force acting means.
[0009]
The invention of claim 2 is the invention of claim 1, the guide rail is inside is formed in a wider cross section than the opening segments, the runners provided in the camera to the string-like heat transfer movement member disposed in the guide rail It is fixed through the opening of the guide rail. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the string-shaped transmission body from moving along the guide rail and to prevent the camera from falling off the guide rail.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or the second aspect of the present invention, there are provided image capturing means for capturing images at a plurality of locations when the camera is moved along the guide rail, and a plurality of images captured by the image capturing means. An image synthesizing means for synthesizing images, an image extracting means for cutting out a required portion from the image synthesized by the image synthesizing means, and an image display means for displaying an image extracted by the image extracting means on a screen. According to this configuration, it is possible to set the monitoring area over a wide range by synthesizing the monitoring area, and furthermore, since unnecessary parts are extracted and displayed on the image display means, unnecessary areas are displayed on the image display means. It is something that will not be done. Further, since the gas Idoreru is formed in a spiral shape, but the field of view by the running position of the camera is what displaced vertically, the desired monitoring area regardless the deviation of the visual field by extracting necessary portions from the composite image It becomes possible to set.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
As shown in FIG. 1, a hemispherical cover 2 is detachably connected to a base (not shown) fixed to an installation surface such as a ceiling surface. The inner peripheral surface of the cover 2 is detachably engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the disc-shaped base. The cover 2 is formed of a transparent synthetic resin such as acrylic or polycarbonate, and a spiral guide rail 3 is formed continuously and integrally on the inner peripheral surface. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the guide rail 3 has a substantially C-shaped cross-sectional shape in which the inside is wider than the opening, and as shown in FIG. The crossing angle of the opening surface with respect to the normal direction is kept substantially constant (substantially perpendicular in the illustrated example).
[0012]
The guide rails 3, as shown in FIG. 5, one end portion of the circular cross section of the wire 4 is inserted as Himojoden dynamic body. A wire having a diameter larger than that of the opening of the guide rail 3 is used as the wire 4 so that the wire 4 does not fall out of the opening of the guide rail 3. One end of the coil 4 is connected to one end of the wire 4. The other end of the coil spring 5 is fixed to the cover 2 inside the guide rail 3. On the other hand, the other end of the wire 4 is pulled out from the guide rail 3 and is taken up by a take-up drum 7 attached to an output shaft of a motor 6 as a drive source.
[0013]
The camera 1 is fixed to the tip of the wire 4 in the guide rail 3. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the camera 1 integrally includes a runner 8 inserted into the opening of the guide rail 3, and the runner 8 is inserted into the opening of the guide rail 3 and arranged in the guide rail 3. The wire 4 and the runner 8 thus fixed are integrally fixed. The camera 1 is mounted so that the optical axis substantially coincides with the normal direction of the peripheral wall of the cover 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the camera 1 has four rollers 9 which abut on both side surfaces of the guide rail 3 and roll (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The guide rail 3 is urged to resiliently contact both side surfaces by a spring 10 housed inside the guide rail 3. The provision of such rollers 9 allows the camera 1 to run smoothly without falling over the guide rail 3.
[0014]
If the wire 4 is wound on the winding drum 7 by the rotation of the motor 6, the wire 4 is pulled against the spring force of the coil spring 5, and the camera 1 moves in the cover 2 in the ascending direction. become. When the motor 6 is rotated in the reverse direction, the wire 4 is pulled back by the spring force of the coil spring 5, and the camera 1 moves inside the cover 2 in the downward direction. Thus, the position of the camera 1 can be positioned at a desired position on the guide rail 3 by the forward / reverse rotation of the motor 6.
[0015]
The rotation of the motor 6 is instructed by a separately provided controller 11, as shown in FIG. Further, a power supply circuit 12 for supplying power to the camera 1 and the motor 6 is provided separately from the controller 11.
With the above-described configuration, the camera 1 can be moved along the guide rail 3, and if the camera 1 moves along the guide rail 3, the direction of the optical axis of the camera 1 can be changed in the horizontal plane. Of course, the direction of the optical axis of the camera 1 with respect to the vertical direction can be changed at the same time. That is, the pan angle and the tilt angle of the optical axis of the camera 1 can be changed simultaneously with only one driving source. Depending on the shape of the guide rail 3, the pan angle can be changed in the range of 0 to 360 degrees, and the tilt angle can be changed in the range of 0 to 90 degrees.
[0016]
With the above configuration, the pan angle and the tilt angle are controlled by one motor 6, so that the control system has a simple configuration, and the monitoring area can be easily changed after installation.
By the way, if the guide rail 3 is spiral as described above, the field of view of the camera 1 also moves spirally, so that the time required to reach the target monitoring area becomes longer than in the conventional configuration. In some cases, the field of view cannot be adjusted to the desired monitoring area. Therefore, a desired monitoring area can be immediately monitored by performing the following image processing.
[0017]
That is, the camera 1 is moved over the entire length of the guide rail 3, and as shown in FIG. 7, images are sampled at a plurality of locations and converted into digital signals (FIG. 7 shows two cameras 1). However, when one camera 1 moves in the direction of the arrow, sampling is performed at the position of the camera 1 shown in the figure). As shown in FIG. 8, the sampling of an image and the conversion to a digital signal are performed in an A / D converter 13 as an image capturing means. Image data output from the A / D converter 13 is stored in the image memory 14. Here, if the shape of the helix and the image fetch timing are determined, it is obvious which part of the image overlaps, so the image memory 14 stores the image data so that the overlapping part has the same address. However, since parallax is actually generated depending on the position where the image is sampled, it is preferable to correct the parallax and then superimpose the images. Since this processing requires a large amount of calculation, the overlapping portion of the sampled image is reduced as much as possible. Thus, the image memory 14 functions as an image synthesizing unit. It should be noted that parallax correction is unnecessary when image distortion is allowed.
[0018]
FIG. 9 shows an image of the image thus obtained. Here, it is assumed that four images P ₁ to P ₄ are stored in the image memory 14 in a form obtained by overlapping a portion of the region, respectively. Next, when the monitoring area is designated by the extraction area designating means 15, the image data in the image memory 14 corresponding to the area designated by the extraction area designating means 15 is read out by the image extracting means 16, and the CRT or the liquid crystal display is displayed. Is displayed on the image display means 17 as shown in FIG. For example, the image extracting means 16 can extract a monitoring area M surrounded by a dashed line in FIG.
[0019]
In the above-described example, the guide rail 3 is formed in a spiral shape, but may be formed in a circular shape so as to go around a predetermined position of the cover 2. In this case, by forming the guide rail 3 so that the optical axis of the camera 1 forms a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction, it is possible to widen the monitoring area. Further, although the wire 4 has been exemplified as the string-shaped transmission body, a configuration in which a belt provided with rack-shaped teeth at one end portion is engaged with a pinion provided on the motor 6 to advance and retract the belt may be employed. Alternatively, a chain and a sprocket may be used in combination.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a base fixed to an installation surface on which a monitoring camera is installed, a hemispherical cover coupled to the base and protruding from the installation surface, and a base so as to hold the camera movably. A guide rail provided at a fixed position with respect thereto, a string-shaped transmission body for transmitting a driving force in a direction along the guide rail to the camera, and a return force acting means for applying a tensile force to one end of the string-shaped transmission body; The state in which a pulling force greater than the pulling force by the restoring force acting means is applied to the other end of the string-shaped transmitting body to pull the string-shaped transmitting body and the movement of the string-shaped transmitting body by the pulling force by the restoring force acting means. A drive source capable of selecting a state to allow, so that the guide rail is spiral along the peripheral wall of the cover so that the optical axis of the camera is kept at a fixed angle with respect to the normal direction of the peripheral wall of the cover. It is those which are formed, a drive source Thus, it is possible to bring the camera by pulling the string-like transmission member to a drive source, drives the camera if caused to act a tensile force due to restoring force acting unit without pulling the string-like heat transfer dynamic body string-like transmission member by a drive source Because it can be moved away from the source and the camera moves along the guide rail, it is possible to reciprocate the camera along the guide rail. That is, there is an advantage that it can be provided at a lower cost as compared with the conventional configuration using the drive units for two axes. Further, when the camera is moved along the guide rail, the camera can be moved within a range of 0 to 360 degrees in a plane parallel to the installation surface, and the inclination of the camera with respect to a direction perpendicular to the installation surface can be adjusted. It can be changed in the range of 0 to 90 degrees at the maximum. In addition, the monitoring area can be changed without manual operation, and the size is small, the amount of protrusion from the installation surface is small, and the number of parts is relatively small as compared with the one using two drive units. There is also an advantage that the control system has a relatively simple configuration.
[0022]
As in the invention of claim 2, the guide rail is formed in the cross-sectional shape inside is wider than the opening portion, runners provided in the camera to the string-like heat transfer movement member disposed in the guide rail of the guide rail opening In the case where the string-shaped transmission element is fixed along the guide rail, there is an advantage that it is possible to prevent the string-shaped transmission body from moving along the guide rail and to prevent the camera from falling off the guide rail.
[0023]
As in the invention according to claim 3 , image capturing means for capturing images at a plurality of locations when the camera is moved along the guide rail, image combining means for combining the plurality of images captured by the image capturing means, In a device including an image extracting unit that cuts out a required part from an image synthesized by the image synthesizing unit and an image display unit that displays a screen of the image extracted by the image extracting unit, the monitoring region can be widened by synthesizing the monitoring region. In addition, since a necessary portion is extracted and displayed on the image display means, there is an advantage that an unnecessary area is not displayed on the image display means. Further, since the gas Idoreru is formed in a spiral shape, but the field of view by the running position of the camera is what displaced vertically, the desired monitoring area regardless the deviation of the visual field by extracting necessary portions from the composite image There is an advantage that setting can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an essential part perspective view showing a guide rail used in the same.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a cover used in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a camera used in the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of the above.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the camera used in the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a concept of sampling an image of the above.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the above.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a relationship between a sampling image and a monitoring area according to the embodiment.
10A and 10B show a conventional example, in which FIG. 10A is a side view, and FIG. 10B is a bottom view.
FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing another conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera 2 Cover 3 Guide rail 4 Wire 5 Coil spring 6 Motor 7 Winding drum 8 Runner 13 A / D converter 14 Image memory 16 Image extraction means 17 Image display means

Claims (3)

A base fixed to the installation surface on which the monitoring camera is installed, a hemispherical cover coupled to the base and protruding from the installation surface, and provided at a fixed position with respect to the base so as to freely hold the camera. A guide rail, a string-shaped transmission body for transmitting a driving force in a direction along the guide rail to the camera, a restoring force acting means for applying a tensile force to one end of the string-shaped transmission body, and the other end of the string-shaped transmission body It is possible to select between a state in which a pulling force greater than the pulling force exerted by the restoring force acting means is applied to the portion to draw the string-shaped transmission body and a state in which the string-shaped transmitting body is allowed to move by the pulling force exerted by the restoring force acting means. A drive source, and the guide rail is formed in a spiral shape along the peripheral wall of the cover so that the optical axis of the camera is maintained at a constant angle with respect to the normal direction of the peripheral wall of the cover. Surveillance camera device. The guide rail is formed to have a cross-sectional shape whose inside is wider than the opening portion, and a runner provided on the camera is fixed to a string-shaped transmission body disposed in the guide rail through an opening of the guide rail. The surveillance camera device according to claim 1. An image capturing unit that captures images at a plurality of locations when the camera is moved along the guide rail, an image combining unit that combines the plurality of images captured by the image capturing unit, and an image combined by the image combining unit. an image extracting means for cutting the required site, the monitoring camera equipment according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the image extracted by the image extracting unit and an image display means for display.

Images