Video camera utilizing power line modulation

• US 6,812,970 B1
• Filed: 05/15/2000
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sofaer Capital, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Powerlinx Incorporated
• Inventors: McBride, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Application Number:
  US09/570,978
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 348/142, 348/143, 348/151, 348/207.1, 348/211.2, 348/211.99, 348/373, 348/375, 348/372, 348/211.1, D16/203, 725/79, 307/80
• US Class Current: 348/372
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19619 Details of casing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19636 pertaining to the camera
• 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 13/19693 using multiple video sources viewed on a single or compound screen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/001 Concealed systems, e.g. disguised alarm systems to make covert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/06 using power transmission lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/545 Audio/video application, e.g. interphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A video camera system employs a standard flood lamp housing enclosing a video camera, an AC powerline encoder, a power supply and a single conductor screw-in type AC electrical fitting. The video camera is surrounded by a plurality of white infrared light emitting diodes for illuminating the environment in front of the video camera in low and no light situations. The AC electrical fitting engages an AC screw-in type receptacle. The video camera captures a video signal. The encoder modulates the video signal upon the AC powerline. A video signal decoder located at a remote location receives the modulated signal over the AC powerline, demodulates the signal and directs its output to a video monitor. The video monitor coupled to an AC outlet common to the powerline scheme in which the video camera is connected displays the captured video signal.

Claims

1. A video camera concealed surveillance system capable of capturing a video signal at a first location and directing the video signal to a video monitor located at a second location within a common AC powerline scheme, the video camera system comprising:

a) a housing having a front and back end and an inner enclosed cavity, the front end having a larger circumference than the back end, the front end closed by a cover permitting light to pass therethrough, the back end supporting a single conductor screw-in type AC electrical fitting, the AC electrical fitting engaging an AC receptacle along the AC powerline scheme,

b) a first circuit board enclosed within the housing cavity having a video camera mounted thereupon, the video camera disposed within the housing such that a lens of the video camera is directed towards the front end thereof,

c) a second circuit board enclosed within the housing cavity having a video signal encoder mounted thereupon, the second circuit board electrically coupled to the first circuit board, the video signal encoder modulating the captured video signal upon the AC powerline,

d) a power supply circuit enclosed within the housing cavity and electrically coupled to the first and second circuit boards and the AC electrical fitting,

e) a video signal decoder electrically coupled to the video monitor at the second location, the video signal decoder capable of demodulating the captured video signal modulated upon the AC powerline by the video signal encoder and directing the captured video signal to the video monitor, and

f) a plurality of white infrared light emitting diodes mounted upon the first circuit board around the video camera lens, the white infrared light emitting diodes illuminating the first location visible by the video camera in low or no light situations.

2. The video camera system of claim 1, wherein the housing is cone-shaped.

3. The video camera system of claim 1, wherein the second circuit board has a front and back side, the video signal encoder mounted upon the second circuit board front side and the power supply circuit mounted upon the second circuit board back side.

4. The video camera system of claim 1, wherein the power supply circuit comprises:

a) a transformer for reducing the AC voltage,

b) a bridge rectifier coupled to the transformer and having a DC voltage output, the bridge rectifier converting the reduced AC voltage to a DC voltage,

c) a voltage regulator coupled to the bridge rectifier DC voltage output and having a DC voltage output, the voltage regulator providing a steady positive logic voltage for the camera system,

d) a voltage converter coupled to the voltage regulator DC voltage output, the voltage converter providing a steady negative logic voltage for the camera system by inverting the positive logic voltage, and

e) means for filtering parasitic high frequency oscillations introduced into the power supply circuit.

5. The video camera system of claim 4, wherein the power supply transformer is a dual primary, dual secondary, center taped transformer.

6. The video camera system of claim 5, wherein the transformer dual primary voltage is rated at 115/230 volts and the dual secondary voltage is rated at 5 volts each.

7. The video camera system of claim 6, wherein the transformer connects at its dual primaries to 120 volts AC supplied by the AC electrical fitting and outputs 10 volts DC at its dual secondaries.

8. The video camera system of claim 1, wherein the video monitor comprises a housing, a picture tube, and a receiver, the picture tube and receiver enclosed within the video monitor housing, the video signal decoder electrically coupled to the video monitor receiver within the video monitor housing.

9. The video camera system of claim 1 wherein the video monitor comprises a housing, a picture tube, and a receiver, the picture tube and receiver enclosed within the video monitor housing, the video signal decoder enclosed within a box separate from the video monitor housing, the video signal decoder electrically coupled to the video monitor receiver.

10. A video camera concealed surveillance system capable of capturing a video signal at a first location and directing the video signal to a video monitor located at a second location within a common AC powerline scheme, the video camera system comprising:

a) at least one housing having circular front and back ends and an inner enclosed cavity, the front end having a larger circumference than the back end, the front end closed by an opaque cover, the back end supporting a single conductor screw-in type AC electrical fitting, the AC electrical fitting engaging an AC receptacle along the AC powerline scheme,

b) a first circuit board enclosed within the at least one housing enclosed cavity and having a video camera and a plurality of white infrared light emitting diodes mounted thereupon, the video camera disposed within the at least one housing such that a lens of the video camera is directed towards the front end thereof, the plurality of white infrared light emitting diodes surrounding the video camera lens,

c) a second circuit board enclosed within the at least one housing enclosed cavity and having a video signal encoder mounted thereupon, the second circuit board electrically coupled to the first circuit board, the video signal encoder modulating the captured video signal upon the AC powerline,

d) a power supply circuit enclosed within the at least one housing enclosed cavity and electrically coupled to the first and second circuit boards and the AC electrical fitting, and

e) a video signal decoder electrically coupled to the video monitor at the second location, the video signal decoder capable of demodulating the captured video signal modulated upon the AC powerline by the video signal encoder and directing the captured video signal to the video monitor.

11. The video camera system of claim 10, wherein four housings are employed, each housing enclosing its own video camera, each video camera capturing its own discrete video signal, the video monitor capable of receiving a plurality of captured video signals.

12. The video camera system of claim 11, wherein the video monitor displays the plurality of received video signals in successive order over a period of time.

13. The video camera system of claim 11, wherein the video monitor displays all of the plurality of received video signals simultaneously.

14. The video camera system of claim 10, wherein the video signal decoder is mounted on a circuit board enclosed within a PC.

15. The video camera system of claim 14, wherein the video monitor is a PC monitor.

16. The video camera system of claim 10, wherein the power supply supply circuit comprises:

a) a transformer for reducing the AC voltage,

b) a bridge rectifier coupled to the transformer and having a DC voltage output, the bridge rectifier converting the reduced AC voltage to a DC voltage,

c) a voltage regulator coupled to the bridge rectifier DC voltage output and having a DC voltage output, the voltage regulator providing a steady positive logic voltage for the camera system,

d) a voltage converter coupled to the voltage regulator DC voltage output, the voltage converter providing a steady negative logic voltage for the camera system by inverting the positive logic voltage, and

e) means for filtering parasitic high frequency oscillations introduced into the power supply circuit.

17. The video camera system of claim 10, wherein the at least one housing is a standard PAR 38 flood lamp housing.

18. A video camera concealed surveillance system capable of capturing a video signal at a first location and directing the video signal to a second location over a common AC powerline scheme, the AC powerline scheme having at least one standard screw-in type AC receptacle and at least one standard three prong AC outlet, the video camera system comprising:

a) a housing having front and back ends and an inner enclosed cavity, the front end having a larger circumference than the back end, the front end closed by an opaque cover, the back end supporting a single conductor screw-in type AC electrical fitting, the AC electrical fitting engaging the at least one AC receptacle along the AC powerline scheme, the housing proximally disposed to the first location,

b) a first circuit board enclosed within the housing cavity and having a video camera and a plurality of white infrared light emitting diodes mounted thereupon, the video camera disposed within the housing such that a lens of the video camera is directed towards the front end thereof, the plurality of white infrared light emitting diodes surrounding the video camera lens,

c) a second circuit board enclosed within the housing cavity and having a video signal encoder mounted thereupon, the second circuit board electrically coupled to the first circuit board, the video signal encoder modulating the captured video signal upon the AC powerline,

d) a power supply circuit enclosed within the housing cavity and electrically coupled to the first and second circuit boards and the AC electrical fitting,

e) a video signal decoder disposed at the second location and capable of demodulating the captured video-signal modulated upon the AC powerline by the video signal encoder, and

f) a video monitor electrically coupled to the at least one three prong AC outlet and the video signal decoder, the video monitor capable of displaying the captured video signal demodulated by the video signal decoder.

19. The video camera system of claim 18, wherein the power supply circuit comprises:

a) a transformer for reducing the AC voltage,

b) a bridge rectifier coupled to the transformer and having a DC voltage output, the bridge rectifier converging the reduced AC voltage to a DC voltage,

c) a voltage regulator coupled to the bridge rectifier DC voltage output and having a DC voltage output, the voltage regulator providing a steady positive logic voltage for the camera system,

d) a voltage converter coupled to the voltage regulator DC voltage output, the voltage converter providing a steady negative logic voltage for the camera system by inverting the positive logic voltage, and

e) means for filtering parasitic high frequency oscillations introduced into the power supply circuit.