Vehicular mounted surveillance and recording system

• US 5,111,289 A
• Filed: 04/27/1990
• Issued: 05/05/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Design Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Design Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Brewer, Tracy E., Lucas, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HSIA, SHERRIE Y
• Application Number:
  US07/515,104
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 358/108, 358/103, 358/125, 358/310, 358/229, 358/245, 358/248, 360/5, 346/107 VP, 445/346
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0891 Video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules

Abstract

A vehicular surveillance system comprising a video recorder and monitor in a housing mounted within the passenger compartment of the vehicle to a bracket and a small camera rotatably mounted to the windshield of the vehicle. An FM microphone transmits audio signals to the vehicle'"'"'s antenna whence it is carried to the recorder by a cable and added to the video images. Date and time information is superimposed on the video image on the top right of the image so as to interfere as little as possible with the image being recorded. The video recorder has a locking mechanism to prevent ejecting the video cassette by unauthorized personnel and its on/off switch is combined with the start record/stop recording function so that one button applies power to the system and starts the recording after a short delay. The housing may be removed from the vehicle for portable use in presenting recorded events as evidence and both video recorder and monitor may operate on the car battery or standard household current.

Claims

1. In a vehicle having a passenger compartment and a standard radio antenna, said vehicle having a source of electrical power, a surveillance system comprising:

camera means for obtaining motion picture images, said camera means attached to said vehicle;

a bracket attached to said vehicle within said passenger compartment;

a housing releasably attached to said bracket;

means for recording said images onto removable information storage units within said housing;

means for monitoring said images as said images are being recorded or monitoring said information storage units, said monitoring means located within said housing; and

a switch carried by said housing and in electrical communication with said source of power, said switch activating said monitoring means, said camera means and said recording means, said switch activating said recording means after said switch activates monitoring and said camera means are activated.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for superimposing date and time information on said images so that said date and time information will appear in the upper right corner of said image.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for preventing said information storage units from being removed from said housing.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

means for transmitting an audio signal to said radio antenna; and

means for imposing said audio signal received by said radio antenna onto said information storage units to correspond with said images.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

means for superimposing date and time information on said image;

means for imposing an audio signal onto said information storage units to correspond with said images.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

means for preventing said information storage units from being removed from said housing; and

means for superimposing date and time information on said images.

7. In a vehicle having a passenger compartment and a standard radio antenna and a source of electrical power, a surveillance system comprising:

camera means for obtaining motion picture images, said camera means attached to said vehicle;

a bracket attached to said vehicle within said passenger compartment;

a housing releasably attached to said bracket;

means for recording said images onto removable information storage units within said housing;

means for monitoring said images as said images are being recorded or monitoring said information storage units, said monitoring means located within said housing;

means for preventing said information storage units from being removed from said housing;

means for transmitting an audio signal to said radio antenna;

means for carrying said audio signals received by said radio antenna and imposing said audio signal onto said information storage units to correspond with said images;

means for superimposing date and time information on said image so that said date and time information will appear in the upper right corner of said image; and

switching means for applying said electrical power to said system and activating said camera means, said monitoring means and said recording means, said switching means having circuitry means for delaying activation of said recording means until after said electrical power source is applied to said camera means and said monitoring means.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said camera means further comprises a camera having a lens with an iris responding automatically to changes in the amount of ambient light.

9. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said camera means further comprises a camera rated at half lux or lower.

10. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein said camera means further comprises a camera rated at half lux or lower.

11. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said monitoring means further comprises a switch so that said monitor may be turned off when said recording means is recording.

12. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said monitoring and said recording means is operated off a source of household current.

13. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said recording means is a video recorder having a means for ejecting said information storing units and said preventing means inhibits said ejecting means from ejecting said information storing units from said housing.

14. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said switching means having circuitry means for delaying activation of said recording means until after said electrical power source is applied to said system.