CAMERA UNIT IN PARTICULAR FOR SURVEILLANCE IN A TRANSPORTATION MEANS

• US 20110234797A1
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG (Deutsche Lufthansa AG)
• Original Assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG (Deutsche Lufthansa AG)
• Inventors: WENDE, Gerko, NISS, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 9,030,557 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/144
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A camera unit (12) in particular for surveillance in a transportation means (10) includes a digital camera (30), an electronic control device (32) for controlling and reading out the camera (30), and an interface (34) for outputting image data to a digital data network (16). The camera unit (12) comprises an active network component (36) for data distribution. The control device (32) is adapted to determine an individual identification from an identification means (40) which is provided at the mounting side at the installation point of the camera unit (12), and to determine at least one network parameter from the identification.

Claims

1. A camera unit in particular for surveillance in a transportation means, including a digital camera, an electronic control device for controlling and reading out the camera, an interface for outputting image data to a digital data network, and an active network component for data distribution, wherein the control device is adapted to determine an individual identification from an identification means which is provided at the mounting side at the installation point of the camera unit, and to determine at least one network parameter from the identification.

2. The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein the active network component is a switch.

3. The camera unit according to claim 1, including a plurality of network interfaces.

4. A surveillance system in particular for surveillance in a transportation means, including at least one camera unit and at least one monitor device which is connected to the camera unit via a data line for displaying images recorded by the camera unit, said camera unit including a digital camera, an electronic control device for controlling and reading out the camera, an interface for outputting image data to a digital data network, and an active network component for data distribution, wherein the control device is adapted to determine an individual identification from an identification means which is provided at the mounting side at the installation point of the camera unit, and to determine at least one network parameter from the identification.

5. The surveillance system according to claim 4, characterized in that at the mounting side of the installation point of every camera unit an identification means defining an individual identification is provided.

6. The surveillance system according to claim 5, wherein the identification means is formed in an electric plug means which is to be connected to the respective camera unit.

7. The surveillance system according to claim 6, wherein the identification is formed by an individual coding of contact elements in the electric plug means at the mounting side.

8. The surveillance system according to claim 4 for cockpit door surveillance in a passenger aircraft.

9. The surveillance system according to claim 8, wherein the at least one monitor device is formed by an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB).

10. The surveillance system according to claim 4, including a plurality of monitor devices.

11. The surveillance system according to claim 10, wherein the at least one camera unit and the plurality of monitor devices are connected to each other via a ring type data network.

12. A transportation means, in particular a passenger aircraft, including a surveillance system with at least one camera unit and at least one monitor device which is connected to the camera unit via a data line for displaying images recorded by the camera unit, said camera unit including a digital camera, an electronic control device for controlling and reading out the camera, an interface for outputting image data to a digital data network, and an active network component for data distribution, wherein the control device is adapted to determine an individual identification from an identification means which is provided at the mounting side at the installation point of the camera unit, and to determine at least one network parameter from the identification.