WO2000024199A1

WO2000024199A1 - Digital peekhole system

Info

Publication number: WO2000024199A1
Application number: PCT/US1999/022717
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jory Tsai
Original assignee: M3 Electronics, Inc.
Priority date: 1998-10-16
Filing date: 1999-09-30
Publication date: 2000-04-27
Also published as: AU6278599A

Abstract

A self-contained peekhole system (100) utilizes compact electronic video components mounted directly on or near a door (5). One embodiment utilizes a small video camera (1), an LCD display (6), and a power control switch (9). The video camera (1) mounted on the outside of the door (5) generates a video signal that is transmitted to the LCD display (6) located on the inside surface of the door or to a television set (61). The peekhole system (100) alternatively includes an embedded controller (62) which stores video image data on storage media (69) and a remote sensor (72) for actuating display and recording of the video signal.

Description

DIGITAL PEEKHOLE SYSTEM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to peekholes, wickets, viewing ports, and the like, and more particularly, to a self- contained door-mounted security peekhole providing an undistorted view over a relatively large area.

2. Background Information Peekholes, wickets, viewing ports and the like have long been utilized to as security devices to enable occupants of a building, room or apartment, etc. to view the area adjacent a structure such as a door without having to open the door. Examples of applications for such devices include: warehouses, (locked room inspection) ; laboratories, (activity inspection) ; jails (cell activity monitoring) ; military (exterior view/inspection) ; and secured vehicles (monitoring of outside activities) . Another common use for such devices is in apartment buildings, hotels and resorts. For example, apartment buildings or condominium complexes commonly employ an intercom system at the front gate or front entrance. After a visitor passes the front entrance, the visitor is generally able to move within the complex without restriction. In such an instance, the front door of each apartment/condominium unit becomes the primary security gate or entry barrier to strangers. It is often important from a security standpoint to not permit a visitor to easily ascertain whether there is an occupant within the unit.

Existing peekholes generally use a lens mounted in an aperture on the door. A disadvantage of such devices is that the visitor may detect the occupant within the unit by observing light emitted through the peekhole. For example, under normal conditions, the center of such a peekhole is bright, transmitting light from within the premises. When an occupant of the premises approaches the peekhole to view the visitor, light is blocked and the bright spot at the center of the peekhole turns dark. Disadvantageously, this phenomenon permits a visitor to determine that there is an occupant within the premises.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance systems, including one or more discrete video cameras and a remote video monitor may be employed to enable an occupant to view visitors without detection. However, such systems are generally complex, utilizing several discrete components, and generally require trained technicians to install. The complexity of these systems and their installation tend to make them prohibitively expensive for many applications, such as apartment buildings, etc.

A need thus exists for an improved, easy to install, peekhole system that does not alert a visitor of the presence of an occupant within the protected premises. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an embodiment of this invention, a digital peekhole system includes a video camera; a display module; and video signal processing circuitry coupled with the video camera and the display module to display an image captured by the video camera on the display module. A power supply coupling is provided to connect to a power supply. A housing is adapted to integrally retain the video camera, the display module, the video signal processing circuitry, the power supply coupling and the actuator coupling, so that the digital peekhole system is a self-contained unit.

In another aspect of the present invention, a digital peekhole system includes a video camera, a display module, and video signal processing circuitry coupled with the video camera and the display module to display an image captured by the video camera on the display module. The peekhole system also includes a power supply, an actuator adapted to selectively activate the video signal processing circuitry, and a housing adapted for being mounted to an aperture extending through a door. The housing also integrally retains the video camera, the display module, the video signal processing circuitry, the power supply and the actuator therein, so that the digital peekhole system is a self-contained unit.

In a still further aspect of the present invention, a method of fabricating a digital peekhole system includes the steps of: providing a video camera; providing a display module; coupling video signal processing circuitry with the video camera and the display module, to display an image captured by the video camera on the display module; providing a power supply coupling adapted to couple with a power supply; providing an actuator coupling adapted to couple with an actuator to selectively activate the video signal processing circuitry; disposing the video camera, display module, video signal processing circuitry, power supply coupling and actuator coupling within a housing, wherein the digital peekhole system is a self-contained unit.

The above and other features and advantages of this invention will be more readily apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1A is a front elevational view of a digital peekhole system of the present invention, which includes an extended lens with video camera and LCD display module; Fig. IB is a side elevational view of the digital peekhole system of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 1C is a rear elevational view of the digital peekhole system of Fig. IB; Fig. 2A is a is a front elevational view of an alternate embodiment of a digital peekhole system of the present invention, which utilizes a form factor video camera and LCD display module;

Fig. 2B is a side elevational view of the digital peekhole system of Fig. 2A; Fig. 2C is a rear elevational view of the digital peekhole system of Fig. 2B;

Fig. 3A is an exploded partially elevational, partially perspective, view of the digital peekhole system of Figs. 2A-2C; Figs. 3B and 3C are exploded, perspective views of components of the peekhole system of Figs. 2A-2C;

Fig. 3D is a perspective view of a component of the peekhole system of Fig. 3C;

Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of the digital peekhole system of Figs. 1A-2C;

Fig. 5 is a schematic, partially perspective, partially block diagram of an alternate embodiment of a digital peekhole system of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of portions of a further embodiment of a digital peekhole system of the present invention; and

Figs. 7A-7B are schematic plan views of fields of view of digital peekhole systems of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the figures set forth in the accompanying Drawings, the illustrative embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail hereinbelow. For clarity of exposition, like features shown in the accompanying Drawings shall be indicated with like reference numerals and similar features as shown in alternate embodiments in the Drawings shall be indicated with similar reference numerals.

Briefly described, the present invention includes a self-contained peekhole system, which enables a user to monitor a relatively large viewing area without conveying the presence of the occupant to the visitor. The system utilizes compact electronic video components mounted directly on or near a door 5. In one embodiment, a digital peek hole system 100 (Figs. 1A-1C) consists of a small video camera 1, a LCD display 6 and a power control switch or push bar 9. The video camera 1 is mounted on an outside surface of a door 5. The video signal generated by camera 1 is transmitted to the LCD display 6 located on the inside surface of the door, or may be transmitted to a television set 61 via hard wire or RF module 59. In an alternate embodiment, a digital peek hole system includes an embedded controller 62 (Fig. 4) within the unit which can store the video image on storage media 69 (such as a PCMCIA storage card 69) , and a door bell 72 or other remote sensor which switches power to the LCD display module 6 and the image recording signal. As used herein, the term ^xdoor' refers to a conventional door, door frame, partition, wall portion or the like. Similarly, the terms indoor' and outdoor' refer to areas on opposite sides, respectively, of such a door, whether or not the areas are exposed to the elements. For example, an outdoor side of a door may include a hall of a building, or another room, etc. Referring now to the drawings in detail, as shown in Fig. 1, a small video camera 1 having a lens 2, delivers the visitor's image through a hard wire 3 to a LCD display module 6 disposed within a rear housing 14. The camera 1 and wire 3 are preferably disposed within an outdoor housing portion 19. The wire 3 is connected through an aperture or hole 4 on the door 5 or wall, etc. The hole 4 is preferably a pre-existing hole of the type used for conventional fisheye lens peekholes. The digital peek hole system 100 uses batteries for its power supply, which are inserted into housing 14 through a battery door 7. An LED display 10 of a low-battery indicator 8 is provided to warn the user when the battery capacity is low. To save energy and to increase the life of the batteries, the digital peek hole system 100 is preferably deactivated until a trigger or switch device is actuated. One example of such a trigger device is push bar 9, which may be actuated by the user when desired. Use of this push bar 9, or similar switching device to activate the digital peekhole 100 advantageously extends the battery life by limiting energy consumption by relatively power hunger components, such as the video camera 1 and the LCD display module 6. The digital peekhole system 100 is thus an integrated, self-contained device, which is easily installed, and requires no connection to an external power supply. Turning now to Fig. 2, an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown as digital peekhole system 200. This digital peekhole system utilizes an extended lens 12 to acquire the visitor's image and pass the image through the hole 4 on the door 5 to a video camera sensor 13 disposed on the housing 14 of the system 100. A nut 11 is used to secure the lens 12 to maintain proper alignment of the lens 12 relative to the video camera sensor 13.

Portions of a housing and assembly of the digital peekhole system of the present invention are shown in greater detail in Figs. 3A-3C. For illustrative purposes, the peekhole system 100 of Figs. 1A-1C, which utilizes a video camera 1 such as part # OV75 10 available from Omnivision of California. Turning to Fig. 3A, the housing portions 14 and 19 enable the peekhole system to be mounted securely onto a door 5. In one embodiment, the outdoor portion 19 of the housing includes a top front door housing 15, lens cover 16, a bottom front door housing 17, and a hollow screw 18. This outdoor portion 19 is assembled by inserting the screw 18 through an aperture in the bottom front door housing 17, which is sized to receive the screw. The lens cover 16 is then inserted into an opening within housing 15, which is sized and shaped to receive it, preferably in a snap-fit arrangement. The video camera 1 (shown in phantom) is then inserted upwards into the top front door housing 15, while feeding wires 3 through the screw 18. After this insertion, the sub-assembled bottom front door housing 17 is fastened onto the top front door housing 15, such as by a snap-fit retention, or other suitable fastening means such as detents, welding, screws, and the like, to enclose the camera 1 and lens cover 16 therein. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the front door housing assembly may be water proofed by sealing any gap between the top front door housing 15 and the lens cover 16, any gap between housings 15 and 17, and any gap between top front door housing 15 and the through door screw 18. At this stage, the front door sub-assembly is completed. In a preferred embodiment, double sided tape or pads configured as either an annulus 21 or discrete strips, is placed concentrically about the screw 18 on the housing portion 19. The screw 19 is then extended through a hole on the door until the pad 21 is adhered onto the door to help maintain the housing portion 19 in position until the back housing 14 is fastened to screw 18. In this regard, back housing 14 is placed on the inside surface of the door (Figs. 1A-2C) , with screw 18 extending through a key lock hole 25 thereof. A key lock washer 26 is inserted onto the screw 18, the washer having an inner key 28 that matches and is received by a cut off slot or key 34 on the screw. The washer 26 may also include outer keys 27 that are receivable into similarly sized recesses spaced along the periphery of lock hole 25. Keys 27 and 28 thus tend to add to the rigidity of the housing, by helping to prevent the housing 14 from rotating relative to the outdoor housing portion 19. A nut 29 is threadably engaged with the screw 18 to secure the front and back door sub-assemblies onto the door. Any excess length of screw 18 may be removed by breaking the screw 18 at one of several notches, cuts or grooves 20 extending transversely at spaced locations along the length of the screw 18. These precut threads 20 thus advantageously enable a single screw 18 to be used to fit doors 5 of various thickness . Turning now to Fig. 3B, the back door housing 14 is assembled with various components to form sub-assembly 24. The sub-assembled components of this embodiment include: battery housing 30, DC-to-DC converter 32, battery door 31, and trigger control circuit board 33. Various additional components may be included within sub-assembly 24 in additional embodiments, as will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow.

The trigger control circuit board 33 connects the power inputs from DC-to-DC converter 32, video camera power and signal wire 3 (Fig. 1A) , and trigger control signals 42 (Fig. 4) from the push bar 9. All these signals can be connected through various connection means, such as jumper pins 35 and 36.

As shown in Figs. 3C and 3D, back housing 14 also includes a back door cover 37 which is assembled with various componentry. For example, battery capacity indicator 8, including an LCD display protection cover 46, is fastened by any convenient means, such as, for example, double sided tape 45, disposed along the inside of the back door cover. The LCD display protection cover 46 is pressed onto the housing and another layer of double sided tape 47 may be applied to the front of LCD display module 6 to secure the LCD display onto the protection cover 46. The LCD display module 6 may be further secured to back door cover 37 in any convenient manner, such as by screws 39. The push bar 9 may be installed onto the housing 37 using a similar process, including double sided tape 43 and screws 41. Assembly of the peekhole system is completed by coupling the components using conventional electrical connectors 40, 42, 44, to the trigger control circuit board 33, and fastening the inside door cover 37 onto the sub-assembly 24 already on the door. Cover 37 and sub-assembly 24 may be fastened using any convenient means, such as screws or by matching snap elements, such as snap lock keys 48 (Fig. 3D) and 49 (Fig. 3B) .

Turning to Fig. 4, a functional block diagram is shown for a digital peek hole system of the present invention, including various components, which may be utilized individually or in various combinations, in alternate embodiments of the present invention. The elements described hereinabove are shown, namely, video camera 1, lens 2, trigger control circuit board 33, push bar 9, battery capacity indicator 8, DC/DC converter 3°, battery 30, LCD display 6, door mounting elements 21, 18, 26, 29 and enclosure housings 15, 17, 37, 14.

In alternate embodiments, various triggering mechanisms can be utilized in addition to, or in lieu of push bar 9. For example, an infrared sensor with timer 51, a magnetic sensor 52, or audio activation sensor 53 may be utilized to activate the peekhole system 100 (Fig. 1), 200 (Fig. 2), 300 (Fig. 6), etc. These sensors are preferably integrally disposed within housing portion 19. Pushbar 9 may be of any suitable construction, such as a conventional mechanical or digital/electronic device. Examples of a digital push bar include tactile touch screens or remote control push buttons. Signals 42 from all of these sensor/trigger devices are coupled to the trigger control circuit board 33, which activates the LCD display and CCD camera and other initialization procedures within the system as defined by the circuitry within the board 33.

In a further embodiment, an AC power supply may be utilized instead of, or in combination to re-charge, the DC power supply. The AC power supply may be particularly advantageous in applications in which it is desirable to activate the LCD display and video camera for relatively long periods of time. Such an AC power supply includes a suitable AC power plug 55, an AC-to-DC (AC/DC) converter 56, and a battery charging circuit board 57 to convert the AC power to DC power for use by the system. As an additional alternate embodiment, a composite video signal 58 may be transmitted by a wireless video transmitter module 59, or similar transmitter, to a TV channel controller 60 coupled with a television 61 to display the visitor's image at a predetermined channel on the television. This approach may be utilized instead of, or in combination with, the LCD display 6.

In still another embodiment, the video signal 58 may be transmitted to an embedded system 62 to record the visitor's image onto a storage media 69. The embedded system 62 collects visitor's image by converting composite video signal 58 and storing the image onto embedded memory module 64 through a video capture module 63, I/O controller 65, and microprocessor 66. Suitable examples of these devices include Hitachi's SH3 Series of digital signal processing devices. The embedded system 62 may also be used to store the image onto the removable storage media 69 through a storage I/O slot 67. The embedded system 62 also may display the stored image on the LCD display module 6 by sending the image to a display controller 68 connected to the LCD display module 6. The peekhole system may also include a connector, such as a conventional serial port 71, to couple the embedded system 62 to an external user input control device such as an external keyboard 70 and/or computer for additional functionality such as embedded system control and diagnostics. In one example, port 71 may be utilized to connect the peekhole system to a security system or network.

In a still further embodiment, the peekhole system may include a door bell 72, digital door bell circuit board 74, chime setting switches 76, and a speaker 77.

All of these components are preferably disposed integrally within the housing, either within outdoor housing portion 19 or indoor housing portion 14. The power for the digital door bell circuit board 74 is supplied by DC/DC converter module 32. The return signal 73 feeds back to the circuit board 74 then activates the speaker 77. Chime setting switches 76 may be provided to enable multiple chime settings.

Turning to Fig. 5, a door bell subsystem 90 includes a push button which may be integrally disposed within the front door housing 15 and connected to the digital door bell circuit board 74 by wires 73. Two small push buttons 76 may be mounted on cover 37 of indoor housing 14 for use as chime setting switches. The digital door bell circuit board also connects to power supply source 32, a speaker 77, and trigger control circuit board 33. The peekhole system may be activated and/or record the image when the doorbell 72 is activated.

As shown in Fig. 6, a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically as peekhole system 300. This embodiment includes the digital door bell sub-system 90 of Fig. 5, adapted for use in combination with a television set 61. This embodiment does not require LCD display module 6, for an advantageous decrease in power consumption relative to the systems 100 and 200 described hereinabove. The DC/DC converter 32 and AC/DC converter 56 may be disposed integrally within the housing or may be disposed remotely to simplify door mounted componentry as shown. In the latter approach, the only components mounted on the door are the video camera 1 and associated housing components 15, 16, 17 and 21, using a simple back mounting plate 78 fastened with a nut 29, and a back cover housing 79 used to cover the nut 29 and provide a finished appearance. The visitor's image is passed to a TV channel controller 60 through a hard wire 58 or a wireless video transmitter module 59. Controller 60 and/or wireless video transmitter module 59 may be disposed within or attached to housing 79 in the manner described hereinabove with respect to various other componentry, or may be disposed remotely, i.e. by hard wire, etc. The user may view a visitor's image on a preset channel on the television set or monitor 61.

Turning to Fig. 7A, one example of a video camera 1, provides an approximately 150 degree field of view angle from the center of the door. As shown in Fig. 7B, the 150 degree field of viewing angle of the camera 1 may be offset in the event a magnetic door sensor 52, or the like, is utilized. In this instance, the angled mounting of the video camera 1 enables a camera to capture the image of the visitor as the door is opened outwardly. All of the components described hereinabove with respect to alternate embodiments of the peekhole system of the present invention, including doorbells, speakers and circuitry, (with the exception of external power supplies or remote televisions) are preferably mounted within the housing, i.e. either within out door housing 19, including components 15 or 17, or indoor housing, including components 14 and 37. For example, while a doorbell 72 is disposed within out door housing 19, speaker 77, serial port 71 and embedded system 62, etc., are preferably disposed within indoor housing sub-assembly 24. Mounting of these components may be accomplished in any convenient manner known to those skilled in the art of electronic packaging, including the techniques described hereinabove with respect to peekhole systems 100, 200 and 300, etc. Moreover, the housing components, including outdoor portion 19, and indoor portions 14 and 37, may be fabricated from any suitable materials, including steel, aluminum, metal alloys, or high impact plastics such as ABS, polycarbonate, etc. As described hereinabove, the peekhole system of the present invention is versatile and may be used in many configurations, such as with a door bell, an LCD display module or television display. An embedded microprocessor may be utilized for storing an image on a removable storage card, or may be connected to a central security office as part of a personnel access system in which records of all authorized personnel may be stored and/or compared to the image of the visitor. Any number of various trigger sensors may be used to activate system. The foregoing description is intended primarily for purposes of illustration. Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to an exemplary embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions, and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

Claims

1. A digital peekhole system comprising: a video camera; a display module; video signal processing circuitry coupled with said video camera and said display module, to display an image captured by said video camera on said display module; a power supply coupling adapted to couple with a power supply; and a housing adapted to integrally retain said video camera, said display module, said video signal processing circuitry, said power supply coupling and said actuator coupling; wherein said digital peekhole system is a self- contained unit.

2. The peekhole system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator coupling adapted to couple with an actuator to selectively activate said video signal processing circuitry.

3. The peekhole system of claim 1, wherein said video signal processing circuitry further comprises a display controller.

4. The peekhole system of claim 1, further comprising a DC-DC converter disposed within said housing and coupled to said video signal processing circuitry.

5. The peekhole system of claim 1, further comprising an AC-DC converter disposed within said housing and coupled to said video signal processing circuitry.

6. The peekhole system of claim 1, wherein said housing is adapted for being mounted to an aperture extending through a door.

7. The peekhole system of claim 6, wherein said housing is adapted for being mounted to apertures of a plurality of lengths extending through a door.

8. The peekhole system of claim 7, wherein said housing further comprises a screw portion adapted to extend through the aperture, said screw portion having a threaded portion with plurality of notches disposed in spaced relation along a length thereof, wherein excess length of said screw is removable by breaking said screw at one of said notches.

9. The peekhole system of claim 1, wherein said housing further comprises an indoor portion adapted for being disposed on an indoor surface of a door, and an outdoor portion adapted for being disposed on an outdoor portion of a door.

10. The peekhole system of claim 9, wherein said video camera is disposed on an outdoor portion of said housing.

11. The peekhole system of claim 10, wherein said video camera is disposed on a portion of said housing adapted to extend through an aperture within a door.

12. The peekhole system of claim 1, further comprising a power source disposed within said housing.

13. The peekhole system of claim 2, further comprising an actuator integrally disposed within said housing, said actuator being coupled with said actuator coupling.

14. The peekhole system of claim 13, wherein said actuator comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of an optical sensor, an audio sensor, a proximity sensor, a magnetic sensor, and a doorbell.

15. The peekhole system of claim 1, wherein said actuator coupling is adapted to couple with a remote actuator.

16. The peekhole system of claim 15, further comprising a remote actuator.

17. The peekhole system of claim 16, wherein said remote actuator comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of an optical sensor, an audio sensor, a proximity sensor, a magnetic sensor, and a doorbell.

18. The peekhole system of claim 1, further comprising a memory device adapted to store an image captured by said video camera.

19. The peekhole system of claim 18, wherein said memory device is disposed within said housing.

20. The peekhole system of claim 18, wherein said memory device comprises a module adapted for alternate pluggable engagement with and removal from said housing.

21. The peekhole system of claim 1, wherein said power supply coupling is adapted to couple with a remote power supply.

22. The peekhole system of claim 21, further comprising a remote power supply.

23. The peekhole system of claim 1, further comprising an output device adapted to couple said video camera with a remote display module.

24. The peekhole system of claim 23, wherein said remote display module is a television, said peekhole system further comprising a channel controller adapted to select a channel of the television.

25. The peekhole system of claim 1, further comprising an I/O port adapted for coupling with an external user input device .

26. The peekhole system of claim 1, further comprising an I/O port adapted for coupling with a security system.

27. The peekhole system of claim 1, wherein said video signal processing circuitry further comprises an embedded controller including a display controller, video capture module, I/O controller, memory and a microprocessor.

28. A digital peekhole system comprising: a video camera; a display module; video signal processing circuitry coupled with said video camera and said display module, to display an image captured by said video camera on said display module; a power supply; an actuator adapted to selectively activate said video signal processing circuitry; and a housing adapted for being mounted to an aperture extending through a door, said housing integrally retaining said video camera, said display module, said video signal processing circuitry, said power supply and said actuator therein; wherein said digital peekhole system is a self- contained unit.

29. A method of fabricating a digital peekhole system, comprising the steps of: providing a video camera; providing a display module; coupling video signal processing circuitry with the video camera and the display module, to display an image captured by said video camera on said display module; providing a power supply coupling adapted to couple with a power supply; providing an actuator coupling adapted to couple with an actuator to selectively activate said video signal processing circuitry; disposing the video camera, display module, video signal processing circuitry, power supply coupling and actuator coupling within a housing, wherein the digital peekhole system is a self-contained unit.