Omnibus camera

• US 9,165,445 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobotix AG (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mobotix AG (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Hinkel, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj, Dave
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman, Mohammad J
• Application Number:
  US13/133,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20120002048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,127 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19626 optical details, e.g. lenses, mirrors or multiple lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19628 of wide angled cameras and camera groups, e.g. omni-directional cameras, fish eye, single units having multiple cameras achieving a wide angle view
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19647 Systems specially adapted for intrusion detection in or around a vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a camera arrangement having at least one wide-angle camera for monitoring an elongated space, and to a mount for the camera. It is provided in this case that the mount is designed for directing the wide-angle camera with a field of view of low distortion onto distant parts of space, and for directing the wide-angle camera with a field of view of higher distortion onto closer parts of space.

Claims

1. A camera arrangement having at least one wide angle camera for continuous surveillance of passengers in an elongated space of a bus or train corridor, comprising:

a first wide angle camera;

a second wide angle camera; and

a mount configured to mount the first and second wide angle cameras on a ceiling of the elongated space such that the cameras are arranged back to back, are not aligned on one and the same axis and with each wide angle camera directed onto a respective distant area of the elongated space such that each wide-angle camera has a field of view of low distortion directed onto distant parts of space to detect objects with small angular distance to obtain good image quality without the need for equalization, and has a field of view of higher distortion directed onto closer parts of the elongated space to detect objects with large angular distance using a comparatively large numbers of pixels sufficient to obtain good image quality by equalization of said distortion, wherein the field of view of the first wide angle camera overlaps the field of view of the second wide angle camera in an area below the camera arrangement to allow for generation of one seamless image from two single images.

2. The camera arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the mount is configured to be fastened near the middle of the elongated space.

3. The camera arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the mount is configured to direct an axis of each camera at an inclined angle.