Camera unit in particular for surveillance in a transportation means

• US 9,030,557 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG (Deutsche Lufthansa AG)
• Original Assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG (Deutsche Lufthansa AG)
• Inventors: Wende, Gerko, Niss, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Diep, Nhon
• Application Number:
  US13/069,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20110234797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 348/144, 348/148, 348/150, 348/153, 348/156
• US Class Current: 348/144
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A camera unit (12) in particular for surveillance in a transportation means (10) includes a digital camera (30), an electronic control device (32) for controlling and reading out the camera (30), and an interface (34) for outputting image data to a digital data network (16). The camera unit (12) comprises an active network component (36) for data distribution. The control device (32) is adapted to determine an individual identification from an identification means (40) which is provided at the mounting side at the installation point of the camera unit (12), and to determine at least one network parameter from the identification.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a camera unit, wherein the camera unit comprises;

a digital camera,

an electronic control device, wherein the electronic control device controls the digital camera, wherein the electronic control device reads the image data recorded by the digital camera, and

a network interface, wherein the network interface is configured to output the image data recorded by the digital camera to a digital data network,

an internal data interface, and

an active network component, wherein the active network component is connected to the electronic control device via the internal data interface, wherein the active network component controls distribution of data between the network interface and the internal data interface,

wherein the camera unit is configured to be installed at a mounting position such that when the camera unit is installed at the mounting position there is an operative connection between the camera unit and an identification mechanism provided at the mounting position,

wherein the electronic control device is configured to determine an individual identification from the identification mechanism to which the camera unit is operatively connected when the camera unit is installed at the mounting position, and to determine one or more network parameters from the individual identification.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the active network component is a switch.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one additional network interface.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

the identification mechanism, wherein the identification is configured to be provided at the mounting position, such that when the identification mechanism is provided at the moving position and the camera unit is installed at the mounting position, an operative connection between the camera unit and the identification mechanism, and the electronic control device determines the individual identification from the identification mechanism and determines one or more network parameters from the individual identification.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the active network component is an Ethernet switch.

6. A surveillance system, comprising:

at least one camera unit;

a corresponding at least one identification mechanism, wherein the at least one identification mechanism is configured to be provided at a corresponding at least one mounting position; and

one or more monitor devices, wherein the one or more monitor devices are configured to connect to the at least one camera unit via a digital data network, wherein the one or more monitor devices are configured to receive image data recorded by the at least one camera unit from the at least one camera unit via the digital data network, wherein the one or more monitor devices are configured to display image data received from the at least one camera unit via the digital data network,

wherein each camera unit of the at least one camera unit comprises;

a digital camera,

an electronic control device, wherein the electronic control device controls the digital camera, wherein the electronic control device reads the image data recorded by the digital camera;

a network interface, wherein the network interface is configured to output image data recorded by the digital camera to the digital data network,

an internal data interface, and

an active network component, wherein the active network component is connected to the electronic control device via the internal data interface, wherein the active network component controls distribution of data between the network interface and the internal data interface,

wherein the at least one camera unit is configured to be installed at the at least one mounting position such that when the at least one camera unit is installed at the at least one mounting position there is a corresponding at least one operative connection between the at least one camera unit and the at least one identification mechanism,

wherein a corresponding at least one electronic control device of the at least one camera unit is configured to determine a corresponding at least one individual identification from the at least one identification mechanism to which the at least one camera unit is operatively connected when the at least one camera unit is installed at the at least one mounting position, and to determine a corresponding at least one one or more network parameter from the at least one individual identification.

7. The surveillance system according to claim 6,

wherein the at least one identification mechanism is formed in a corresponding at least one first portion of an electric plug mechanism,

wherein the at least one camera unit comprises a corresponding at least one second portion of the electric plug mechanism, wherein interconnection of a first portion of the electric plug mechanism of the at least one first portion of the electric plug mechanism with a second portion of the electric plug mechanism of the at least one second portion of the electric plug mechanism creates an operable connection between the corresponding identification mechanism and the corresponding camera unit,

wherein when the at least one camera unit is installed at the at least one mounting position the at least one first portion of the electric plug mechanism is connected to the at least one second portion of the electric plug mechanism of the at least one camera unit such that there is a corresponding at least one operative connection between the at least one identification mechanism formed in the at least one first portion of the electric plug mechanism and the at least one second portion of the electric plug mechanism.

8. The surveillance system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one identification mechanism is formed by a corresponding at least one coding of a corresponding at least one contact elements in the at least one first portion of the electric plug mechanism.

9. The surveillance system according to claim 6,

wherein the at least one identification mechanism comprises a corresponding at least one transponder.

10. A transportation vehicle, comprising:

a digital data network; and

a surveillance system, wherein the surveillance system comprises;

at least one camera unit;

a corresponding at least one identification mechanism, wherein the at least one identification mechanism is configured to be provided at a corresponding at least one mounting position; and

one or more monitor devices, wherein the one or more monitor devices are connected to the at least one camera unit via the digital data network, wherein the one or more monitor devices are configured to receive image data recorded by the at least one camera unit from the at least one camera unit via the digital data network, wherein the one or more monitor devices are configured to display image data received from the at least one camera unit via the digital data network,

wherein each camera unit of the at least one camera unit comprises;

a digital camera,

an electronic control device, wherein the electronic control device controls the digital camera, wherein the electronic control device reads image data recorded by the digital camera,

a network interface, wherein the network interface is configured to output image data recorded by the digital camera to the digital data network via the network interface,

an internal data interface, and

an active network component, wherein the active network component is connected to the electronic control device via the internal data interface, wherein the active network component controls distribution of data between the network interface and the internal data interface,

wherein the at least one camera unit is configured to be installed at the at least one mounting position such that when the at least one camera unit is installed at the at least one mounting position there is a corresponding at least one operative connection between the at least one camera unit and the at least one identification mechanism,

wherein a corresponding at least one electronic control device of the at least one camera unit is configured to determine a corresponding at least one individual identification from the at least one identification mechanism to which the at least one camera unit is operatively connected when the at least one camera unit is installed at the at least one mounting position, and to determine a corresponding at least one one or more network parameter from the at least one individual identification.

11. The transportation vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the transportation vehicle is a passenger aircraft.

12. The transportation vehicle according to claim 10,

wherein the at least one identification mechanism is formed in a corresponding at least one first portion of an electric plug mechanism,

wherein the at least one camera unit comprises a corresponding at least one second portion of the electric plug mechanism, wherein interconnection of a first portion of the electric plug mechanism of the at least one first portion of the electric plug mechanism with a second portion of the electric plug mechanism of the at least one second portion of the electric plug mechanism creates an operable connection between the corresponding identification mechanism and the corresponding camera unit,

wherein when the at least one camera unit is installed at the at least one mounting position the at least one first portion of the electric plug mechanism is connected to the at least one second portion of the electric plug mechanism of the at least one camera unit such that there is a corresponding at least one operative connection between the at least one identification mechanism formed in the at least one first portion of the electric plug mechanism and the at least one second portion of the electric plug mechanism.

13. The transportation vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the at least one first portion of the electric plug mechanism is an at least one electric plug receptacle,

wherein the at least one first portion of the electric plug mechanism is an at least one electric plug connector.

14. The transportation vehicle according to claim 10,

wherein the at least one camera unit comprises at least two camera units,

wherein the at least one identification mechanism comprises a corresponding at least two identification mechanisms.

15. The transportation vehicle according to claim 10,

wherein the at least one identification mechanism comprises a corresponding at least one transponder.

16. The transportation vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the at least one identification mechanism is attached to the transportation vehicle at the at least one mounting position.

17. The transportation vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the at least one individual identification contains a corresponding at least one information with respect to a corresponding at least one mounting position.

18. The transportation vehicle according to claim 10,

wherein the transportation vehicle is a passenger aircraft having a cockpit door,

wherein a first identification mechanism of the at least one identification mechanism is provided at a first mounting position of the at least one mounting position,

wherein a first camera unit of the at least one camera unit is installed at the first mounting position such that there is a first operative connection between the first camera unit and the first identification mechanism,

wherein a first electronic control device of the first camera determines a corresponding first individual identification from the first identification mechanism and determines a first one or more network parameter from the first individual identification,

wherein the first camera unit outputs image data corresponding to a space in front of the cockpit door of the passenger aircraft.

19. The transportation vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the one or more monitor devices are formed by an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB).

20. The transportation vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the digital data network is a ring type digital data network.