SURVEILLANCE UNIT FOR SCANNING AN AREA UNDER SURVEILLANCE

• US 3,732,368 A
• Filed: 04/23/1971
• Issued: 05/08/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Salim S. Mahlab
• Original Assignee: Salim S. Mahlab
• Inventors: Mahlab, Salim S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stellar, George G.
• Application Number:
  US05/136,737
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 178/7.81,7.9,7.91,DIG.38 D26/14.4 D61/14.4 95/15 181/26
• US Class Current: 348/151
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1963 Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19632 Camera support structures, e.g. attachment means, poles

Abstract

A generally spherical surveillance unit is disclosed which is supported from the ceiling by a vertically oriented surveillance unit support shaft which rotates the entire surveillance unit in the panning mode either manually or automatically and which supports the weight of the surveillance unit. A TV camera or other surveillance subunit is coupled to a tilting motor which is mounted inside a spherical enclosure and which in turn is supported by the support shaft. The tilting motor tilts the camera along with the spherical enclosure surrounding the surveillance unit to provide for tilting of the unit along with panning of the unit for maximum coverage. The entire unit is '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'mod'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' in appearance and is unobtrusive in the performance of its scanning functions.

Claims

1. A surveillance unit comprising:

an elongated surveillance unit support means;

a surveillance subunit for examining an area under surveillance;

a surveillance subunit support means coupled between said surveillance subunit and said surveillance unit support means for supporting said surveillance subunit;

a tilting motor for tilting said surveillance subunit in a first direction to increase the surveillance capability thereof;

a panning motor for causing said surveillance subunit to pan in a second direction transverse to said first direction;

an enclosure substantially surrounding said surveillance subunit, said tilting motor, and said surveillance subunit support means; and

enclosure support means for supporting said enclosure and for causing said enclosure to move along with said surveillance subunit in said first and second directions to minimize the appearance of tilting and panning motions of said surveillance unit to an observer present in said area under surveillance.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said enclosure is substantially spherical to further minimize the appearance of motion of said surveillance unit.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said enclosure has a cutout positioned adjacent said elongated support means for permitting said enclosure to tilt in response to the actuation of said tilting motor notwithstanding the presence of said elongated surveillance unit support means.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3 further including air passages formed within a portion of said enclosure remote from said cutout for permitting air currents to pass through said passages and said cutout to cool the interior of said enclosure.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein said enclosure is substantially spherical to further minimize the appearance of motion of said surveillance unit.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said surveillance subunit support means is rotatably coupled to said tilting motor at a point centrally positioned with respect to the interior of said enclosure thereby to minimize enclosure motion during the actuation of said tilting motor.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 6 wherein said enclosure support means is directly and rigidly coupled to said surveillance subunit support means to provide for tilting of said enclosure during actuation of said tilting motor and panning of said enclosure during actuation of said panning motor.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 7 wherein said enclosure has a substantially spherical shape.

9. The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein said enclosure support means comprises a disc affixed to the inner surface of said enclosure, said disc having means associated therewith for rigidly coupling said disc to said subunit.

10. The combination as set forth in claim 1 further including a searchlight positioned within said enclosure for illuminating said area under surveillance.

11. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein an active viewport is positioned within said enclosure at a first portion thereof substantially aligned with said surveillance subunit and another viewport is positioned within said enclosure at a portion thereof widely separated from said first portion so that an observer in the area under surveillance cannot ascertain the field of view of said surveillance subunit.

12. A sUrveillance unit comprising:

a rotatable elongated surveillance unit support means for supporting said surveillance unit;

a surveillance subunit coupled to said elongated surveillance unit support means for examining said area under surveillance;

a substantially spherical housing substantially surrounding said surveillance subunit;

means for rotating said elongated surveillance unit support means for panning said surveillance subunit;

means for tilting said surveillance subunit to increase the surveillance capability of said surveillance subunit;

means for rigidly coupling said substantially spherical housing to said surveillance subunit for causing said spherical housing to tilt and pan along with said surveillance subunit.

13. The combination as set forth in claim 12 wherein said substantially spherical housing includes a cutout formed therein adjacent said elongated rotatable surveillance unit support means for permitting tilting of said housing with respect to said elongated rotatable surveillance unit support means.

14. The combination as set forth in claim 13 further including air passages formed within a portion of said enclosure remote from said cutout for permitting air currents to pass through said passages and said cutout to cool the interior of said enclosure.

15. The combination as set forth in claim 13 wherein an active viewport is positioned within said enclosure at a first portion thereof substantially aligned with said surveillance subunit and another viewport is positioned within said enclosure at a portion thereof widely separated from said first portion so that an observer in the area of surveillance cannot ascertain the field of view of said surveillance subunit.

16. A surveillance unit suspended from a ceiling of an area under surveillance comprising:

a panning motor;

an elongated, vertically oriented, rotatable surveillance unit support shaft rotated by said panning motor;

a tilting motor having a first and second drive shaft extending from opposite sides of said tilting motor;

tilting motor support means coupled between said tilting motor and said rotatable surveillance unit support shaft for causing said vertically oriented support shaft to support the weight of said tilting motor;

a surveillance subunit for examining an area under surveillance;

first and second surveillance subunit support means coupled between said surveillance subunit and said first and second tilting motor drive shafts for producing tilting of said surveillance subunit upon the rotation of said drive shafts;

a substantially spherical enclosure substantially surrounding said surveillance subunit and said tilting motor, and;

means for rigidly coupling said spherical enclosure to said surveillance unit for causing said enclosure to pan along with rotation of said vertically oriented surveillance unit support shaft and to tilt along with the tilting of said surveillance subunit, thereby to provide a substantially spherical surveillance unit which minimizes the appearance of tilting and panning motions of said subunit to an observer present in an area under surveillance.

17. The combination set forth in claim 16 wherein a first viewport is positioned within said spherical enclosure, said first viewport being aligned with a viewing axis of said surveillance subunit, and a second viewport is positioned within said enclosure at a portion thereof remote from said first viewport so that an observer within said area under surveillance cannot ascertain whether he is in the field of view of said surveillance subunit.

18. The combination set forth in claim 17 wherein a cutout is included within the upper portion of said spherical enclosure and which surrounds said vertically oriented surveillance unit support shaft to provide for tilting of said spherical enclosure without interference of said support shaft.

19. The combination as set forth in claim 18 further including air passages formed within a portiOn of said enclosure remote from said cutout for permitting air currents to pass through said passages and said cutout to cool the interior of said enclosure.

20. The combination as set forth in claim 16 wherein said drive shafts of said tilting motor are centrally located with respect to said spherical enclosure so that said subunit and said enclosure tilts about an axis centrally located with respect to said spherical enclosure.