JPH10136234A - Vertical monitor camera incorporating visual angle deciding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the monitor camera by which the volume of the camera is minimized, the front face image of an object person is picked up independently of its installed position, the danger of an exposed rotating body is excluded and a conspicuous camera form is avoided. SOLUTION: A transparent window W1 is provided in an opaque case B1 , an image pickup device C1 , an azimuth angle rotary reflection mirror M1 , a tilt angle rotary reflection mirror M2 and motors m1 , m2 to drive the mirrors M1 , M2 are placed in the case B1 . A luminous flux I from an object visual field passes through the window W1 , is reflected in the mirror M1 regularly and reflected further in the mirror M2 , an object image is restored to an erected image and the erected object image is made incident onto the image pickup device C1 .

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technical field of a surveillance television camera or a surveillance video camera having a function of determining a viewing angle of a field of view to be imaged, that is, a surveillance active camera. The present invention relates to a surveillance active camera in which an image pickup device is combined in an improved manner and integrated into a single vertical housing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional active camera for surveillance, a television camera or a video camera is mounted on an electric mechanism device called an automatic pan head or a swivel head, and its rotating mechanism is rotated in an azimuth direction (usually, "pan"). ) Or a tilt angle rotation operation (usually called “tilt”) to obtain a visual angle to be imaged (the angle of the imaging direction =
viewing angle).

[0003]

In this system,
The camera and the swivel table were originally designed and manufactured as a single unit, and were provided with the function of an active surveillance camera by temporarily combining them for monitoring purposes. Therefore, the conventional surveillance active camera has the following disadvantages. (1) Since the occupied volume of the device becomes large and the installation place is limited to the ceiling or the like, it is impossible to image the front of the face of the target person. (2) The danger caused by rotating heavy solids was great. (3) The form of the camera is explicit, causing caution and discomfort.

On the other hand, in order to alleviate the above problem, a so-called "dome camera" in which a surveillance camera is covered with a hemispherical translucent cover has been conventionally performed. After all, the installation place was limited, and it was common to mount it indoors on the ceiling. Also, outside the room, special poles like outdoor lights must be installed, and in any case it is easy to get noticed because of its peculiar form, so once you learn it, you will be exposed to a surveillance camera installed It was a form that induces vigilance and discomfort without any change.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and has as its object to provide a surveillance camera that solves the following technical problems i to iii. (I) Minimizing the volume of the device, releasing restrictions on the installation location, enabling installation at any height, such as on a shelf or on a wall, and enabling front imaging of the target person's face. To do. (Ii) Eliminate the danger of exposed rotating bodies. (Iii) Alleviate explicit camera configurations.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, a vertical surveillance camera with a built-in viewing angle determining device according to the present invention comprises a viewing angle determining device for positioning an imaging field of view and an imaging device for imaging a target image. A monitoring camera that determines a viewing angle in a direction of a target by a viewing angle determining device and captures an image by an imaging device, wherein the viewing angle determining device determines an imaging viewing angle with respect to an azimuth dimension and / or a tilt angle dimension. A mirror rotating device that rotates a mirror provided in front of the imaging device and optically determines a light receiving angle of the imaging device by mirror reflection to determine a viewing angle, or an imaging device that mechanically rotates the imaging device to determine a viewing angle A rotating device is provided, and the viewing angle determining device and the imaging device are incorporated in one vertical housing.

In this surveillance camera, the above technical problems i to iii are solved because a viewing angle determining device having a mirror rotating device or an image capturing device rotating device and an image capturing device are built in one vertical housing. Can be solved.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on embodiments. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical monitoring camera with a built-in viewing angle determining device according to the first embodiment. This monitoring camera 10 integrates a viewing angle determination device having a mirror rotation device having a mirror rotation device that determines a viewing angle by rotating a mirror provided in front of the imaging device and optically determining a light receiving angle of the imaging device by mirror reflection. Are housed in _one vertical housing B1. Housing B ₁ represents are prepared in optically opaque material (made of metal or resin), rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing B ₁ is installed upright at the place of use, that is, in a vertical shape with the U surface being the upper surface of the six surfaces (however, FIG. 1 shows a state in which the housing B ₁ is placed horizontally for convenience. ing).

[0009] Among the six sides of the housing B _1, the front (one side) is the numerical aperture surface having a window W _1, the window W
Only ₁ is light transmissive, and the light flux I from the target field of view is
It is incident on only the housing B ₁ through the window W _1. The window W ₁ is made of, for example, a half mirror or smoke resin, or is formed by bonding a translucent film to flat glass, and the like.
Care has been taken to make the internal structure invisible.

An imaging device C ₁ is disposed in the housing B ₁ , and an azimuth rotation reflecting mirror M which is a rectangular flat mirror is provided.
With ₁ is rotatably supported, directly facing, the inclination angle rotation reflector M ₂ short rectangular or square long side than the mirror M ₁ is rotatably supported by the imaging device C _1. The mirror M ₁ is rotated around a vertical (vertical) rotation axis by a motor m ₁ (for convenience, only the equipment parts are shown), and the mirror M ₂ is a motor m ₂ (for convenience, only the equipment parts are shown). To rotate around the horizontal rotation axis. That is, since the housing B ₁ is installed with the U surface as the upper surface, the mirror M ₁ performs a rotation operation (“pan” scanning) for scanning the field of view in the azimuth dimension, and the mirror M ₂
A rotation operation (“tilt” scanning) for scanning the field of view in the tilt angle dimension is performed.

In the monitoring camera 10, the motor m ₁ ,
When m ₂ is rotated by a desired angle, the two mirrors M ₁ and M ₂ determine the desired viewing angle in the azimuth and tilt angles, respectively, and the target visual field image to be observed is captured by the imaging device C _1.
Incident on. Two mirrors M ₁ and M ₂ and two motors m
₁ and m ₂ constitute a viewing angle determining device of the monitoring camera 10 including two motor drivers (not shown), a power supply thereof, and a control device.

The image pickup device C ₁ has a built-in image forming optical system (not shown) including a lens system, and the image forming optical system includes a mirror M _2.
, And forms a target image of a desired size on a light receiving surface of a built-in image sensor (not shown) by adjusting the zoom optical system. The imaging device C _1, the addition to the auto-focus function, white balance function, bright control function, the exposure time adjustment function, iris adjustment function, electronic shutter adjustment function, an electronic circuit for operating the gain control function and the like (circuit board) 41 is built in. In Figure 1, the electronic circuit 41 is in the form in close contact with the lens optical system, and interspersed in the housing B _1, but may be connected by their harnesses.

In order to operate the monitoring camera 10 from a remote position, a remote control device 30 as shown in FIG.
Use The remote control device 30 has various functions as shown in the drawing on the front panel 31, and transmits a signal from the optical transmission unit 32 using infrared light as a medium. Signal from the remote control device 30 is received by the optical receiving unit R ₁ provided in the housing B _1, each feature is controlled based on the received signal. As shown in FIG. 1, the number of the light receiving units R ₁ and the attachment parts are one, and the attachment parts are not limited to the right side surface of the housing B _1. Depending on the system, a plurality of light receiving units may be provided, and the mounting portion may be provided on any surface other than the rear surface or the bottom surface such as the front surface, the left side surface, or the like.

The operation of the monitoring camera 10 configured as described above will be described. Light beam I from the target field of view, passes through the window W ₁ of the housing B _1, it is specularly reflected by the azimuthal rotation reflector M _1, the inclination angle rotation reflector M ₂
Hit. Target image reflected by the mirror M ₁ is an image left and right are reversed when the light beam is reflected against the mirror M _2, the subject image is returned to orthotopically image, positive position image of the subject to the imaging device C ₁ Is incident.

In the above embodiment, the method of controlling the operation of the surveillance camera 10 using the remote control device 30 shown in FIG. 3 has been described as an example. Camera 10 and camera 1
Of course, it is also possible to connect a cable to another control device (not shown) installed at a location distant from 0 and control the operation of the monitoring camera 10 by operating the control device. Alternatively, it is also possible to transmit a digital signal from a computer or the like, receive the signal, convert it into an analog control signal via an interface board, and control the operation of the monitoring camera 10.

[0016] Note that the the monitoring camera 10, the light beam I passing through the window W ₁ is the azimuthal rotation reflector M
_1, is reflected in the order of the inclination angle rotation reflector M _2, the inclination angle rotation reflector M _2, as reflected in the order of azimuthal rotation reflector M _1, by changing the arrangement of the mirrors M _1, M ₂ Is also good. Further, the housing B ₁ represents, although the placing of the U plane as the upper surface, the way of installation can be variously modified. For example, the right side of the U plane, the surface provided with the light receiving unit R ₁ may be installed as a bottom surface. However, in this case, the imaging device C _1, as the bottom surface of the housing B ₁ 1 is a lower surface, the relative orientation of the housing B ₁ is rotated 90 degrees.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical monitoring camera with a built-in viewing angle determining device according to a second embodiment. The monitoring camera 20, which is accommodated in and mechanically rotates the imaging device viewing angle determined device and the imaging device and one of the vertical housing B in ₂ by integrating with the image pickup device rotary device for determining the viewing angle It is. In this monitoring camera 20, become the open surface only the front surface of the housing B ₂ made of a light impermeable material (one surface) having a light transmissive window W _2, the window W ₂
The imaging device C ₂ are arranged directly opposite to.

In the monitoring camera 20, the imaging device C ₂
The robot itself rotates in the azimuth dimension and the tilt angle dimension. Here, the motor (first motor) m ₃ is fixed in the housing B ₂ so that its rotation axis is oriented vertically,
Motor (second motor) m ₄ is attached to a rotating shaft of the motor m _3, the motor m ₄ is itself a possible rotation, its rotation axis is oriented horizontally. The imaging device C ₂ is attached to the rotation shaft of the motor m _4. Therefore, when the motor m ₃ is rotated, the image pickup device C ₂ is rotated in the horizontal direction together with the motor m _4, the motor m ₄ is rotated, the image pickup device C
₂ rotates vertically. In other words, the rotation of the motor m ₃ causes the viewing angle of the imaging device C ₂ to scan in the azimuth dimension (“pan” scanning), and the rotation of the motor m ₄ causes the viewing angle of the imaging device C ₂ to become the tilt angle dimension. ("Tilt" scanning).

In this monitoring camera 20, the motor m ₃ ,
is rotated m ₄ only desired angle, a desired viewing angle determined by the inclination angle dimensions and azimuth dimension is performed, the target field image to be observed is incident on the imaging device C _2. Two motors m ₃ and m ₄
Constitutes a viewing angle determining device for the monitoring camera 20 including two motor drivers (not shown), a power supply thereof, and a control device. Other configurations and functions are the same as those of the surveillance camera 10 of FIG. 1, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the surveillance camera 20, the target
The luminous flux I from the world_TwoWindow W_TwoPass through
After that, the imaging device C_TwoDirectly incident on. Of course, for this monitoring
Operate the camera 20 with the remote control device 30
Instead of using a separate controller connected by a cable.
May be operated by a computer or the like. In addition,
In the monitoring camera 20, the imaging device C_TwoRunning in azimuth
Motor to inspect _ThreeIs case B_TwoFixed to scan the tilt angle
Motor m_FourImaging device C₁Is installed,
Motor for tilt angle scanning m_FourTo Case B_TwoFixed to the motor
m_FourMotor for azimuth scanning on the rotation axis_ThreeAnd attach
Data_ThreeImaging device C on the rotation axis of_TwoMay be attached.

[0021]

As described above, according to the vertical monitoring camera with a built-in visual angle determining device of the present invention, a visual angle determining device having a mirror rotating device or an image capturing device rotating device in one vertical housing. The following effects (a) to (c) can be obtained since the imaging device is incorporated. (A) The minimization of the volume of the monitoring camera is realized, the restriction on the installation location is released, and the camera can be installed in any place such as a shelf or a wall, and the front face of the target person can be imaged. . (B) The danger of the exposure rotating body of the conventional active camera for monitoring can be eliminated. (C) The explicit camera form of the conventional surveillance camera can be greatly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a monitoring camera according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a monitoring camera according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a front panel of a remote control device that controls the operation of the monitoring camera according to the first and second embodiments.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 20 monitoring camera 30 the remote control device B _1, B ₂ casing C _1, C ₂ imaging apparatus W _1, W ₂ windows M _1, M ₂ mirror m _1, m ₂ motor m _3, m ₄ Motor R ₁ , R ₂ light receiver I beam

Claims (3)

[Claims] A viewing angle determining device for positioning an imaging field of view;
A monitoring camera that includes an imaging device that captures a target image, determines a viewing angle in the direction of the target with a viewing angle determining device, and captures an image with the imaging device, wherein the viewing angle determining device has an azimuth dimension and / or a tilt angle dimension. A mirror rotation device for rotating a mirror provided in front of the imaging device, optically determining a light receiving angle of the imaging device by mirror reflection, and determining a viewing angle, or a mechanical rotation of the imaging device. A vertical surveillance camera with a built-in viewing angle determining device, comprising: an imaging device rotating device that determines the viewing angle by rotating the viewing angle determining device, wherein the viewing angle determining device and the imaging device are incorporated in one vertical housing. 2. The mirror rotating device according to claim 1, wherein said mirror rotating device mirror-reflects the luminous flux incident on said housing by a regular azimuth (or tilt angle) rotating mirror. 2. The vertical type built-in viewing angle determining device according to claim 1, further comprising a tilt angle (or azimuth angle) rotating reflection mirror for reflecting a light beam and entering the image pickup device, and a motor for rotating each of these mirrors. Surveillance camera. 3. The image pickup device rotating device according to claim 1, wherein the first motor fixed in the housing so that the rotation axis is in a vertical direction (or horizontal direction), and the rotation axis is in a horizontal direction (or vertical direction). A second motor attached to a rotation axis of the first motor so that the imaging device is attached to the rotation axis of the second motor. Vertical surveillance camera with built-in deciding device.