Camera for indoor/outdoor use

• US 10,382,725 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanwha Vision Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Hanwha Techwin Co., Ltd. (Hanwha Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Sung Chan, Bae, Ji Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Cutler, Albert H
• Application Number:
  US15/714,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20180091775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 348373, 348374
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19619 Details of casing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19636 pertaining to the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/04 Pins or blades for co-operation with sockets
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/52 Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Provided is a camera used both outdoors and indoors and including a camera assembly, which is an indoor camera, a camera external package coupled to the indoor camera, and an outdoor camera, which is a camera used outdoors. The outdoor camera is formed by coupling the camera assembly and the camera external package. It is possible to extend functions of the camera assembly by coupling the camera assembly and the camera external package. Functions of using power over Ethernet (PoE) power, adding a video analytics (VA) function, being used outdoors, and the like are examples of such extended functions. Since the outdoor camera is provided with a configuration for coupling the camera assembly and the camera external package, it is unnecessary to separately provide a camera used indoors and a camera used outdoors. Also, it is possible to maintain a small size of the camera assembly adequate for being used both indoors and outdoors.

Claims

1. A camera external package configured to be coupled to and separated from a camera assembly and to provide an extension of functions of the camera assembly when coupled to the camera assembly, the camera external package comprising:

a cable junction to which a cable extended from the outside is connectable;

a network board electrically connected to the cable junction, and configured to receive power and transmit and receive data to and from the outside through the cable junction;

a housing configured to include the network board;

a junction connector electrically connected to the network board and coupled to an intermediate connector formed at the camera assembly to supply the power to the camera assembly and transmit and receive the data to and from the camera assembly when the camera assembly and the camera external package are coupled;

a heat sink configured to come into contact with the network board to discharge heat generated by the network board to the outside; and

a contact member configured to come into contact with an insert formed at one side of the camera assembly and to transfer heat generated by the camera assembly to the outside when the camera assembly and the camera external package are coupled.

2. The camera external package of claim 1, wherein the network board is a circuit board configured to support power over Ethernet (PoE) and performs the supply of the power and the transmitting and receiving of the data through the PoE.

3. The camera external package of claim 1, wherein the contact member has a bar shape, is extended from the heat sink, and passes through a through hole formed in the network board to protrude forward.

4. The camera external package of claim 3, further comprising a bracket configured to come into contact with the heat sink to discharge heat of the heat sink to the outside and to fix the camera external package to an installation place.

5. The camera external package of claim 4, wherein the bracket comprises a through path formed at a center thereof such that the cable junction is extended to the outside through the through path.

6. The camera external package of claim 5, wherein the bracket further comprises an angle adjustment joint configured to adjust an angle of the camera external package to adjust a direction which the camera external package faces, and at least a part of the through path is provided in the angle adjustment joint.

7. The camera external package of claim 1, further comprising an inner cover attachable to and detachable from a rear of the camera assembly, and configured to accommodate the network board and expose the junction connector and the contact member to the outside.

8. The camera external package of claim 7, wherein a side of the inner cover is extended frontward to surround a side of the camera assembly to protect the camera assembly from external factors.

9. The camera external package of claim 7, further comprising an outer cover coupled to the housing to form an accommodation space that accommodates the camera assembly with the inner cover,

wherein the outer cover comprises an opening that exposes a lens part of the camera assembly frontward.

10. The camera external package of claim 1, wherein the network board comprises a video analytics (VA) processor configured to provide a VA function that extends functions of the camera assembly, and extensively provide the VA function in addition to a basic camera function of the camera assembly when the camera assembly and the camera external package are coupled.