Television camera with a device for varying its viewing direction

• US 4,661,855 A
• Filed: 01/17/1986
• Issued: 04/28/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IBAK Helmut Hunger GmbH & Company
• Original Assignee: Ibak Helmut Hunger GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Gulck, Erich
• Primary Examiner(s): Rubinson, Gene Z.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRINICH, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US06/820,401
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 358/229, 358/225, 358/210, 358/108, 354/481, 354/94-99
• US Class Current: 348/369
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors

Abstract

A television camera with a device for varying its viewing direction includes a cylindrical housing, a camera insert disposed in the housing, a camera tube with a target of a given size disposed in the camera insert, a fixed wide angle lens at least partially disposed in the housing, the lens having a beam spread angle of at least 180° and a picture field several times larger than the given size of the target, a universal mounting supporting the camera insert in the housing, and an electrically controllable positioning motor for swiveling the camera insert in each of two mutually perpendicular planes.

Claims

1. Television camera with a device for varying its viewing direction, comprising a cylindrical housing, a camera insert disposed in said housing, a camera tube with a target of a given size disposed in said camera insert, a fixed wide angle lens at least partially disposed in said housing, said lens having a beam spread angle of at least 180°

and a picture field several times larger than said given size of said target, a universal mounting supporting said camera insert in said housing, and an electrically controllable positioning motor for swiveling said camera insert in each of two mutually perpendicular planes.

2. Television camera according to claim 1, including a hollow cylinder longitudinally movable in said housing, said universal mounting being a cardan suspension supporting said camera insert in said hollow cylinder.

3. Television camera according to claim 1, including a pull cord having two ends engaging two opposite points on said camera insert and coupling said camera insert to said positioning motor.

4. Television camera according to claim 3, wherein said positioning motor has a shaft, and including a cord pulley disposed on said shaft, said pull cord being looped around said pulley at least once.