Weatherized housing assembly for camera

• US 4,320,949 A
• Filed: 09/04/1979
• Issued: 03/23/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Videolarm, Inc. (Moog Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Raymond V. Pagano
• Inventors: Pagano, Raymond V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Donald A.
• Application Number:
  US06/071,933
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 354/74, 354/81, 354/82, 354/288, 354/293, 354/286, 362/66, 362/363, 362/373, 362/431, 362/294, 178/DIG. 38
• US Class Current: 396/427
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/02 with scanning movement of lens or cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19619 Details of casing
• 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 weatherproof housing assembly for a surveillance camera. The housing has a cover with a skirt over which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops, and fall, and a camera mount adapted to carry a camera and a camera positioning motor. A dome unidirectionally transparent to light is secured to the cover.

Claims

1. A weatherized housing assembly for a camera comprising, in combination, a laterally extending support, a cover having a flat cap carried by the end portion of said support, said cover also having an upwardly tapered skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount within said cover and adapted to carry said camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means extending through said camera mount and said cap and said support for fastening said camera mount and said cap together and to said support, a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction therethrough; and

latch means for securing said dome to said cover and surrounding said camera.

2. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 1 including electric resistance heater means disposed within said cover and thermostat means electrically connected to said heater means for energizing said heater means when the temperature drops to a prescribed level.

3. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 1 including a fan mounted on one side of said cover and thermostat means for controlling said fan, said fan being adapted to direct air into the interior of said cover.

4. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 1 including a heater means disposed within said housing and a fan mounted on said housing for directing air into the interior of said housing and thermostat means for controlling said heater means and said fan.

5. The weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination, a laterally extending support, a cover carried by the end portion of said support, said cover having a skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount within said cover and adapted to carry said surveillance camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means extending through said camera mount and said cover and said support for fastening said camera mount and said cover together and to support, a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction therethrough;

latch means for securing said dome to said cover and surrounding said camera;

electric resistance heater means disposed within said cover and thermostat means electrically connected to said heater means for energizing said heater means when the temperature drops to a prescribed level;

said heater means includes elongated members having aperture means at opposite ends thereof and wherein said fastening means also supports said elongated members.

6. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 5 wherein said thermostat means is mounted on said camera mount.

7. The weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination, a laterally extending support, a cover carried by the end portion of said support, said cover having a skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount within said cover and adapted to carry said surveillance camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means extending through said camera mount and said cover and said support for fastening said camera mount and said cover together and to said support, a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction therethrough;

latch means for securing said dome to said cover and surrounding said camera;

a switch carried by said cover;

a switch arm carried by said switch in a position to be contacted by said dome when said dome is installed on said cover; and

alarm means electrically connected to said switch for indicating when said dome has been removed from said cover.

8. A weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination, a laterally extending support, a cover carried by the end portion of said support, said cover having a skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount within said cover and adapted to carry said surveillance camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means extending through said camera mount and said cover together and to said support, a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction therethrough; and

latch means for securing said dome to said cover and surrounding said camera, said latch means including a plurality of opposed Z-shaped latches mounted respectively on the edge of said dome and said cover, said latches being adapted to be disposed adjacent to each other and rotated into overlapping relationship when said dome is installed on said cover, said latches supporting said dome from being removed except when said dome is rotated to an unlatched position.

9. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 8 including a lock having elements carried by said dome and said cover for preventing rotation of said dome with respect to said cover so as to lock the dome in its position mounted on said cover.

10. A weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination, a laterally extending support, a cover carried by the end portion of said support, said cover having a skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount within said cover and adapted to carry said surveillance camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means extending through said camera mount and said cover and said support for fastening said camera mount and said cover together and to said support, a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction therethrough; and

latch means for securing said dome to said cover and surrounding said camera, said cover including frusto-conical outwardly diverging side wall, an annular flange secured to the lower end of said side wall, said skirt being secured to the outer periphery of said annular flange, said annular flange providing a seat for the upper edge portion of said dome when said dome is installed on said cover.

11. A weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination, a laterally extending support, a cover carried by the end portion of said support, said cover having a skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount within said cover and adapted to carry said surveillance camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means extending through said camera mount and said cover together and to said support, a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction therethrough; and

latch means for securing said dome to said cover and surrounding said camera, said laterally extending support including a flat plate, said fastening means including a plurality of spaced bolts extending through said flat plate and through the top portion of said cover, and through the edge portions of said camera mount for securing the same together so that said plate and said mount sandwich the top portion of said housing therebetween.

12. A weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising in combination a unitary cover having a downwardly diverging frusto-conical wall, a flat top, and a an annular flange extending laterally outwardly from the lower end portion of said side wall, an outwardly and downwardly projecting skirt carried by the outer periphery of said annular flange, means within said housing for supporting a camera for surveillance, and a dome closing said cover, said dome having an annular flange which abutts the annular flange of said cover and means for securing the two annular flanges together.

13. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 12 including heater means within said housing and thermostat means for controlling said heater means.

14. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 12 including a fan carried by said cover for introducing air into the interior of said cover and wherein said cover includes a port for discharging the air introduced by said fan into the interior of said bracket from said cover.

15. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 12 including switch means for detecting when the aforesaid flanges are brought into abutting relationship and alarm means connected to said switch means and actuatable when said dome is removed from said cover.

16. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 15 wherein said alarm means is a strobe light.

17. The weatherized housing assembly defined in claim 12 wherein said dome is an upwardly opening hemispherical member and said skirt surrounds the upper portion of said dome and diverges downwardly and outwardly therefrom, said cover and said dome defining an air space therebetween, said dome forming an air foil for cooperating with said skirt in directing air upwardly between said skirt and said dome and through said opening into the interior of said cover.

18. Weatherproof housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination, a support, a cover, having a skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount adapted to carry a camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means for fastening said camera mount and said cover together and to said support;

a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction thereof;

means for securing said dome to said cover; and

a mounting bracket to which said cover is secured, said cover for overlying said dome, a strobe light mounted on said cover and switch means for actuating said strobe light when said dome is removed from said cover.

19. A weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination, a laterally extending support, a cover carried by the end portion of said support, said cover having a skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount within said cover and adapted to carry said surveillance camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means extending through said camera mount and said cover and said support for fastening said camera mount and said cover together and to said support, a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction therethrough; and

latch means for securing said dome to said cover and surrounding said camera;

said skirt being downwardly diverging and having a lower surface encompassing said dome in spaced relation therewith whereyb rainwater flowing onto the cover skirt is inhibited from flowing onto the dome.

20. A weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination, a laterally extending support, a cover carried by the end portion of said support, said cover having a skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount within said cover and adapted to carry said surveillance camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means extending through said camera mount and said cover and said support for fastening said camera mount and said cover together and to said support, a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction therethrough;

latch means for securing said dome to said cover and surrounding said camera;

sensing means between said dome and said cover for actuating a signal in response to sensed dismounting of said dome from said cover.

21. A weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination a bracket having bracket holes, a cover having a plurality of cover holes in an upper portion thereof adapted to receive fastening means therethrough;

a camera mount adapted to carry a camera and camera positioning motor and having a plurality of openings in an upper portion thereof adapted to be placed in alignment with said cover openings;

fastening means sized to pass through said bracket holes, said cover holes and said openings for fastening said camera mount and said cover together;

a dome sized to be secured to said cover; and

means for securing said dome to said cover;

said cover having a skirt from the bottom of which rainwater forms pendant drops and falls;

said dome being spaced from and within said skirt whereby rainwater does not flow thereonto.

22. A weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera in accordance with claim 21 wherein said means for securing said dome to said cover includes a plurality of spaced latches passing through said dome and said cover, said latches being simultaneously disengageable from said cover by rotation of said dome.

23. A weatherized housing assembly for a surveillance camera comprising, in combination, a laterally extending support, a cover carried by the end portion of said support, said cover having a skirt upon which rainwater may flow, form pendant drops and fall;

a camera mount within said cover and adapted to carry said surveillance camera and a camera positioning motor;

fastening means extending through said camera mount and said cover and said support and said support for fastening said camera mount and said cover together and to said support, a dome substantially transparent to light in at least one direction therethrough; and

latch means for securing said dome to said cover and surrounding said camera, said dome is an upwardly opening hemispherical member and said skirt surrounds the upper portion of said dome and diverges downwardly and outwardly therefrom, said cover and said dome defining an air space therebetween, said dome forming an air foil for cooperating with said skirt in directing air upwardly between said skirt and said dome and through said opening into the interior of said cover.

24. A weatherized outdoor housing assembly for a camera of the type having a stationary cover essentially closed to the weather along its upper portion with an open bottom end, a camera adjacent to said cover, a downwardly protruding dome which is transparent in at least one direction, and across said open bottom end, said cover and said dome forming an essentially open interior for housing said camera, motor means for moving said camera within said housing, said camera having a lens adjacent to said dome for surveillance by said camera through said dome, the combination therewith wherein said dome is continuous along that portion thereof through which said lense functions, and comprising thermostatic means within the interior defined by said cover and said dome for detecting the temperature within said interior and temperature control means controlled by said thermostatic means for varying said temperature within said interior, adjacent portions of said cover and said dome being spaced apart to provide a first air opening therebetween, there being provided a second air opening in said cover in spaced relationship to said first air opening, said temperature control means being in the effective path of air between said first air opening and said second air opening for altering the condition of such air, said air circulating throughout the open interior.

25. The housing assembly defined in claim 24 wherein said control means is a heater disposed in said housing for heating the air in said interior.

26. The housing assembly defined in claim 25 wherein said control means also includes a fan mounted on said cover and adjacent to said second opening for urging air through said second opening when said fan is actuated.

27. Th housing defined in claim 26 wherein said thermostatic means includes a pair of thermostats, one controlling said fan and the other controlling said heater.

28. The housing assembly defined in claim 24 wherein said control means includes a fan mounted for directing air into said interior.

29. A housing assembly of the type having a cover, with an open bottom end, a camera, a dome across said open bottom end, said cover and said dome forming an essentially open interior for housing said camera, the combination therewith of thermostatic means within the interior defined by said cover and said dome for detecting the temperature within said interior and temperature control means controlled by said thermostatic means for varying said temperature within said interior, there being provided openings in sad housing in spaced relationship to each other, for the exchange of air between the interior and exterior of said assembly, one of said openings being in spaced relationship to said temperature control means, said air circulating throughout the open interior, said control means including a heater disposed in said housing for heating the air in said interior and a fan mounted on said cover, said cover having one of said openings adjacent to said fan through which air passes when said fan is actuated, said openings being respectively in said dome adjacent to said fan and adjacent to the junction of said dome and said cover.