Means and method for assisting installation of monitoring camera

• US 9,154,672 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Dunr, Henrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, NIEN
• Application Number:
  US13/315,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20120147181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces

Abstract

A monitoring camera includes at least one emitter of perceivable signals, a tilt sensor arranged to generate a signal representing a tilt value indicating a tilting angle of the monitoring camera, and an emitter driver arranged to drive the at least one emitter of perceivable signals in response to an adjustment indicating signal which is based on the tilt value signal. The monitoring camera may be arranged to perform a method including entering the camera into an installation mode, generating a tilt value signal at a tilt sensor within the monitoring camera, and indicating by means of at least one emitter of perceivable signals whether the monitoring camera is positioned in a desirable tilt or not based on the generated tilt value signal. The method may further include exiting the installation mode and entering into monitoring mode when satisfactory tilt is achieved.

Claims

1. A method for assisting installation of a stationary monitoring camera, comprising:

pre-calculating a predetermined tilt value in order to preset and tag the monitoring camera for a specific mounting or installation position;

the method further comprising in the camera;

storing the predetermined tilt value in a memory;

generating a tilt value signal at a tilt sensor within the monitoring camera;

comparing the tilt value signal from the tilt sensor with the predetermined tilt value; and

indicating, via at least one of a light emitting device and an audio emitter, whether the monitoring camera is positioned in position of a desirable tilt or not based on the comparison.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined tilt value represents a tilt angle not representing a horizontal orientation.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined tilt value represents a tilt angle around an axis transversal to the optical axis of the monitoring camera.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined tilt value represents a tilt angle around an axis parallel with the optical axis of the monitoring camera.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

entering the monitoring camera into an installation mode and when in the installation mode, performing the acts of generating, comparing and indicating; and

exiting the installation mode and entering into monitoring mode when satisfactory tilt is achieved and then when in monitoring mode, indicating, via the one of the light emitting device and the audio emitter, general monitoring camera process information/signals.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said exiting the installation mode and entering into monitoring mode is performed by operating a switch.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein a transition from installation mode to monitoring mode is initiated by a manual operation.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein a transition from installation mode to monitoring mode is initiated automatically when the monitoring camera is positioned in position of the desirable tilt.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein said entering the monitoring camera into installation mode is performed in response to the monitoring camera being powered on.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the one of the light emitting device and the audio emitter do not indicate whether the monitoring camera is positioned in position of a desirable tilt or not based on the act of comparing when the monitoring camera is in monitoring mode.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of indicating includes varying a frequency of at least one of light and sound from the at least one of the light emitting device and the audio emitter based on the act of comparing.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of indicating includes varying the color of light from the light emitting device based on the act of comparing.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the memory for storing the predetermined tilt value is comprised in the monitoring camera.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the comparing of the tilt value signal from the tilt sensor with the predetermined tilt value is performed by a comparator within the monitoring camera.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the light emitting device and the audio emitter is comprised in the monitoring camera.