Imaging apparatuses and enclosures

• US 10,582,095 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2017
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Calumino
• Original Assignee: MP High Tech Solutions Pty Ltd.
• Inventors: Steffanson, Marek, Halstead, Mark, Bone, Donald James
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US15/643,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20180109703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• 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 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

An enclosure having: a base face that is opaque or translucent to human eyes viewing from outside of the enclosure and transparent to infrared radiation; and at least two flat, orthogonal mounting faces configured to be overlaid respectively on at least two surfaces of walls and ceiling of a room. A thermal imaging apparatus configured to image based on infrared radiation and mounted within the enclosure with a predetermined orientation relative to the base face to have a designed imaging direction with respect to the room when the enclosure is mounted in the room to have the at least two orthogonal mounting faces overlaid respectively on the at least two surfaces.

Claims

1. An assembly, comprising:

an enclosure having;

a base face opaque or translucent to human eyes viewing from outside of the enclosure and transparent to infrared radiation; and

two flat, orthogonal mounting faces configured to be overlaid respectively on a surface of a first wall of a room and a surface of a second wall of the room, wherein the first wall and the second wall meet at a vertical edge of the room,

wherein each of the mounting faces includes a peal-away adhesive attachment element, the adhesive attachment elements configured to connect the mounting faces to the first wall and second wall and support a weight of the enclosure when installed; and

a thermal imaging apparatus mounted within the enclosure with a predetermined orientation relative to the base face to have a designed imaging direction with respect to the room when the enclosure is mounted in the room to have the at least two orthogonal mounting faces overlaid respectively on the at least two surfaces.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein when the enclosure is mounted in the room to have the at least two orthogonal mounting faces overlaid respectively on the at least two surfaces, the base face of the enclosure faces a predetermined center portion of the room;

and the thermal imaging apparatus is configured to capture thermal images of the predetermined center portion of the room through the base face of the enclosure.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein at least two orthogonal mounting faces are 85 to 95 degrees with respect to each other.

4. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the thermal imaging apparatus has a resolution lower than required to determine an identity of a person in the room imaged by the imaging apparatus.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the thermal imaging apparatus has a frame rate less than 9 frames per second.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the thermal imaging apparatus has a frame rate of one frame per second.

7. The assembly of claim 6, further comprising:

a wireless transmitter to communicate the thermal images captured by the imaging apparatus to a separate device for processing.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the wireless transmitter transmits wireless signals using a protocol for one of:

a wireless local area network;

a personal area network;

a radio transmission link; and

a cellular communication network.

9. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the thermal imaging apparatus and the wireless transmitter are battery powered;

and the enclosed apparatus has no cable connecting from inside of the enclosure to outside of the enclosure.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein at least one of the mounting faces of the enclosure has an orientation marker;

and at least one of the mounting faces of the enclosure has an attachment element for securing to one of;

the surface of the first wall, the surface of the second wall, and the surface of the ceiling.

11. An assembly for imaging, comprising:

an enclosure having;

one base face which is visually opaque from a field of view that is outside of the enclosure and that is designed to be imaged by the assembly, and

at least two flat, orthogonal mounting faces, wherein each of the mounting faces has a first and second edge, the first edge connected to the base face and the second edges connected to each other, and wherein each of the mounting faces includes a peal-away adhesive attachment element, the adhesive attachment elements configured to connect the mounting faces to the first wall and second wall and support a weight of the enclosure when installed; and

at least one imaging apparatus mounted within the enclosure before the enclosure is installed to image the field of view, the imaging apparatus mounted within the enclosure with an optical axis in predetermined angle with respect to the base face, the optical axis of the imaging apparatus going through the base face to allow the imaging apparatus to image the field of view having a predetermined geometrical relation with respect to at least two flat surfaces to which the at least two flat mounting faces are aligned in installation of the assembly.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the at least two flat surfaces are selected from:

a surface of a first wall of a room;

a surface of a second wall of the room;

a surface of a ceiling of the room; and

wherein the field of view is a predetermined center portion of the room.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the base face is one of:

a material transparent to infrared radiation, wherein the imaging apparatus is configured to image based on infrared radiation;

a partially transparent mirror;

a visually transparent material coated with an exterior metallic layer;

a one-way mirror; and

a two way mirror.

14. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the base face is made of:

polyethylene;

polypropylene;

Germanium;

or Silicon.

15. The assembly of claim 12, further comprising:

a battery unit detachable from the enclosure without demounting the enclosure from the at least two flat surfaces.

16. An enclosure of an assembly for imaging, the enclosure comprising:

no more than four external faces, including;

one base face which is visually opaque from a field of view that is outside of the enclosure and that is designed to be imaged by the assembly, and

at least two flat, orthogonal mounting faces, wherein each of the mounting faces has a first and second edge, the first edge connected to the base face and the second edges connected to each other, and wherein each of the mounting faces includes a peal-away adhesive attachment element, the adhesive attachment elements configured to connect the mounting faces to the first wall and second wall and support a weight of the enclosure when installed; and

wherein the enclosure is configured to house at least one imaging apparatus mounted within the enclosure before the enclosure is installed to image the field of view, the imaging apparatus mounted within the enclosure with an optical axis in predetermined angle with respect to the base face, the optical axis of the imaging apparatus going through the base face to allow the imaging apparatus to image the field of view having a predetermined geometrical relation with respect to at least two flat surfaces to which the at least two flat mounting faces are aligned in installation of the assembly.

17. The enclosure of claim 16, wherein the enclosure has a shape of one of:

a tetrahedron;

one eighth of a ball; and

a quarter of a ball.

18. The enclosure of claim 16, wherein the base face is a curved surface;

and except the base face, the no more than four external faces are flat faces orthogonal to each other.

19. The enclosure of claim 16, wherein the enclosure has no opening for cable connections.