Closed circuit television apparatus with a remote control television camera

• US 4,954,886 A
• Filed: 11/14/1988
• Issued: 09/04/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elbex Video Limited (Elbex Japan Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Elbex Video Limited (Elbex Japan Ltd.)
• Inventors: Elberbaum, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US07/270,576
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 358/85, 358/86, 358/108, 358/210, 358/181, 379/102, 379/104, 379/105, 455/4, 455/5
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19634 Electrical details of the system, e.g. component blocks for carrying out specific functions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19645 Multiple cameras, each having view on one of a plurality of scenes, e.g. multiple cameras for multi-room surveillance or for tracking an object by view hand-over
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19658 Telephone systems used to communicate with a camera, e.g. PSTN, GSM, POTS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19663 Surveillance related processing done local to the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A closed circuit television apparatus comprises a remote-controllable television camera including an image pick-up device for generating a video signal, a plurality of controlling devices each having an operating circuit for generating a plurality of control signals to control the television camera, and a displaying device which receives the video signal and displays a picture or image corresponding to the received video signal, and a distributing device which connects the displaying devices of the respective controlling devices to the television camera for distributing the video signal from the television camera to the controlling devices. Each operating circuit outputs a modulated control signal of a carrier frequency higher than the frequency of the video signal, to a circuit portion connecting the distributing device to the displaying devices. The television camera also includes a driving circuit which receives the control signals, extract a separated control signal, demodulates and decodes the extracted signal and operates the television camera based on the decoded control signal.

Claims

1. A closed circuit television apparatus comprising:

a remote-controllable television camera including an image pick-up device for generating a video signal;

a plurality of controlling devices each including an operating means for generating a plurality of control signals to control said television camera, and a displaying means for receiving the video signal and displaying a picture corresponding to the received video signal; and

a distributing device for connecting said displaying means of the respective controlling devices to the television camera to distribute the video signal outputted from said television camera to the respective controlling devices;

said operating means including a circuit for generating a plurality of composite signals each composed of two signals having different frequencies commensurate with the kind of control, a circuit for generating a carrier signal having a frequency higher than the frequency of the video signal, and a circuit for modulating the carrier signal by the composite signal, and outputting the control signals to a circuit portion connecting said distributing device to said displaying means;

said television camera further including a driving means for receiving the control signals, said driving means including a filter for extracting a modulated carrier signal outputted from said driving means, a decoder for demodulating the composite signal from the extracted signal and for outputting a signal corresponding to a demodulated signal, a driver for actuating said television camera, and a controller for controlling said driver based on the signal outputted from said decoder;

said distributing device including a main circuit portion connected to a transmission line, a plurality of branching circuit portions branching off from said main circuit portion and individually connected to said displaying means, at least one processing circuit having input and output terminals and disposed in one of said main circuit portion and said branching circuit portions, so that the input and output terminals of said processing circuit are disposed at a television camera side and a controlling device side, respectively, said processing circuit outputting the video signal and preventing the control signals from being outputted therefrom, and a plurality of bypass circuits having input and output terminals and connecting across said main circuit portion and said branching circuit portions so as to bypass said processing circuit, so that the input and output terminals of said bypass circuits are disposed at each of the television camera side and the controlling device side, respectively, said bypass circuits outputting the control signals and preventing the video signal from being outputted therefrom.

2. A closed circuit television apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in each of said main circuit portion and said branching circuit portions, said processing circuit is disposed respectively.

3. A closed circuit television apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing circuit includes a video signal amplifier which responds to the video signal and does not respond to the control signals and each of the bypass circuits includes a filter which allows the control signals to pass and prevents the video signal from passing.

4. A closed circuit television apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing circuit includes a filter which allows the video signal to pass and prevents the control signals from passing, and an amplifier for amplifying the output signal of said filter, and each of the bypass circuits includes a filter which allows the control signals to pass and prevents the video signal from passing, and an amplifier for amplifying the output signal of said filter.

5. A closed circuit television apparatus comprising:

a remote-controllable television camera including an image pick-up device for generating a video signal;

a controlling device including an operating means for generating a plurality of control signals to control said television camera, and a displaying means for receiving the video signal and displaying a picture corresponding to the received video signal; and

a compensating device disposed at a transmission line for connecting said displaying means of said controlling device to the television camera so as to compensate the loss of the video signal, outputted from said television camera to the controlling device;

said operating means including a circuit for generating a plurality of composite signals each composed of two signals having different frequencies commensurate with the kind of control, a circuit for generating a carrier signal having a frequency higher than the frequency of the video signal, and a circuit for modulating the carrier signal by the composite signal, and outputting the control signals to a circuit portion connecting said transmission line to said displaying means;

said television camera further including a driving means for receiving the control signals, said driving means including a filter for extracting a modulated carrier signal outputted from said driving means, a decoder for demodulating the composite signal from the extracted signal and for outputting a signal corresponding to a demodulated signal, a driver for actuating said television camera, and a controller for controlling said driver based on the signal outputted from said decoder;

said compensating device including a video signal amplifier which responds to the video signal and does not respond to the control signals and a bypass circuit across the video signal amplifier including a high-pass filter which allows the control signals to pass and prevent the video signal from passing.

6. A closed circuit television apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said compensating device further includes a low-pass filter which allows the video signal to pass to said video signal amplifier and prevents the control signals from passing, and wherein said bypass circuit further includes a control signal amplifier for amplifying the output signal of said high-pass filter

7. A closed circuit television apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said video signal amplifier is a transmitter for transmitting the output signal of said low-pass filter.

8. A closed circuit television apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said video signal amplifier is a receiver for receiving the output signal of said low-pass filter.

9. A closed circuit television apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said video signal amplifier is a relay for relaying the output signal of said low-pass filter. PG,35

10. A closed circuit television apparatus comprising;

a remote-controllable television camera including an image pick-up device for generating a video signal;

a control device including an operating means for generating a plurality of control signals to control said television camera through a telephone network, and a displaying means for receiving the video signal and displaying a picture corresponding to the received video signal;

a transmission line extending from said television camera to said displaying means;

a signal processing device disposed at said transmission line for connecting said transmission line to the telephone network to transfer to the television camera the control signals generated by said operating means;

said operating means including a circuit for generating said control signals consisting of a composite signal composed of two signals having different frequencies commensurate with the kind of control, and for sending the composite signal to the television camera through the telephone network;

said signal processing device including an interface connected to the telephone network to receive the control signals, a circuit for decoding the control signals received by the interface and for generating a composite signal composed of two signals having different frequencies commensurate with the decoded control signals, a circuit for generating a carrier signal having a frequency higher than the frequency of the video signal, and a circuit for modulating the carrier signal by the composite signal, and outputting the modulated carrier signal to the transmission line;

said television camera further including a driving means for receiving the control signals, said driving means including a filter for extracting the modulated carrier signal outputted from said driving means, a decoder for demodulating the composite signal from the extracted signal and for outputting a signal corresponding to the demodulated signal, a driver for actuating said television camera, and a controller for controlling said driver based on the signal outputted from said decoder.