Monitoring apparatus

• US 4,665,430 A
• Filed: 01/15/1985
• Issued: 05/12/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hiroyasu, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Application Number:
  US06/691,703
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 358/87, 358/108, 358/210, 350/540, 350/541, 354/81
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/101 using cameras with adjustable capturing direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/08 Periscopes arrangements on floating structures of underwater viewing devices B63C11/49; arrangement of visual watch equipment on submarines B63G8/38
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/08 for controlling the direction of light in light guides G02B6/35
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/021 for more than one lens

Abstract

A monitoring apparatus comprising a lens structure includes lenses and a reflector element which reflects the light rays passing through these lenses, thereby changing the first optical axis along which the light rays pass before being reflected into the second optical axis and which is further equipped with a camera element for taking the picture image of the object body which has been reflected from the reflector element and a drive for rotating the lens structure, with this second optical axis extending along its center, to enable monitoring of a wide field of vision.

Claims

1. A monitoring apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a lens structure rotatably mounted to said housing for transmitting a monitored image, said lens structure comprising a rotatable support means rotatably mounted to said housing about an axis of rotation, a first lens means fixed to one end of said rotatable support means and through which the monitored image initially passes along a first optical axis of said first lens means, and a reflector element fixed to said rotatable support means adjacent said first lens means for reflecting the monitored image passing along said first optical axis through said first lens means along said axis of rotation;

a drive means mounted to said housing and operatively connected to said rotatable support means of said lens structure for rotating said lens structure about said axis of rotation;

a camera element for receiving the monitored image transmitted by said lens structure after it is reflected along said axis of rotation by said reflector element;

an electronic circuit means operatively connected to said camera element for converting said monitored image received by said camera element into image signals which correspond to a correct upright image of said monitored image;

position detecting means operatively connected to said rotatable lens structure for detecting the rotational position of said lens structure and issuing a position signal indicative of said rotational position; and

control means operatively connected between said position detecting means and said electronic circuit means for receiving said position signal to establish a converting mode for said electronic circuit means such that said electronic circuit means issues said image signals which correspond to a correct upright image of said monitored image based on said position signal received from said position detecting means.

2. A monitoring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein,

said electronic circuit means comprises a horizontal deflection circuit for transmitting image signals based on a horizontal scan of said monitored image received by said camera element and a vertical deflection circuit for transmitting image signals based on a vertical scan of said monitored image received by said camera element;

and

said control means comprises means for reversing the current flow in said horizontal and vertical deflection circuits based on said position signal received from said position detecting means.