Surveillance device with eyeball assembly and pivotably mountable carriage assembly

• US 5,223,872 A
• Filed: 12/04/1991
• Issued: 06/29/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Miller, James W., Smith, Michael, Uhl, Steve, Anderson, Luis, Stiepel, Norbert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, David M.
• Application Number:
  US07/803,085
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 354/81, 358/108
• US Class Current: 396/427
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19619 Details of casing
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1963 Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19632 Camera support structures, e.g. attachment means, poles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A surveillance assembly in which a camera and lens assembly is surrounded by a shroud to form an eyeball assembly which is rotatable about first and second axes and which is enclosed within a housing. A carriage assembly for mounting the eyeball assembly to the housing is provided in the surveillance assembly and includes pivot and engagement parts which allow the carriage assembly to be pivoted into position. Additionally disclosed is a camera/lens mounting with a resilient annular member for permitting adjustment of the mounting along the lens axis and a cable support assembly for an electrical cable connected between a camera lens assembly and another part of a surveillance assembly in which the cable support assembly permits the cable to be wound about the pivot axis of the camera and lens assembly. Further disclosed is the use of a spherical shroud and a circular aperture in the shroud for viewing outward of the shroud and the further use of a lens member occupying the area of the circular aperture and having in the area of the aperture an outer spherical surface which follows the spherical surface of the shroud so as to complete the surface.

Claims

1. A surveillance assembly comprising:

an eyeball assembly including;

a camera and lens assembly having a viewing axis and a viewing cone;

a spherical shroud substantially totally surrounding said camera and lens assembly and having a light transmissive area comprising a circular aperture aligned with the viewing axis of said camera and lens assembly and sufficient to pass said viewing cone, whereby said camera and lens assembly can view outward of said shroud; and

a lens member affixed to said shroud so as to occupy said aperture, said lens member having over the area of said aperture an outer spherical surface configured so as to follow and substantially complete the spherical surface of said shroud so that said outer spherical surface of said lens member and said spherical surface of said shroud appear as a substantially complete sphere.

2. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the periphery of said lens is circular.

3. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 2 wherein:

the periphery of said lens has a shoulder;

and said lens is situated in said shroud with said shoulder abutting the inner surface of said shroud bordering said aperture.

4. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 3 further comprising:

an annular securing member overlapping the periphery of said lens member and the inner surface of said shroud bordering said periphery for securing the lens member to said shroud.

5. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the outer surface of said shroud is reflective to light;

and the outer surface of said lens is partially reflective to light.

6. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 5 wherein:

said outer surface of said shroud is opaque;

and said lens member is partially opaque.

7. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said outer surface of said shroud is a first color;

and the coloring of said lens includes said first color.

8. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said shroud comprises joined part-spherical shells.

9. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said lens member comprises a planar lens.

10. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said lens member comprises a non-planar lens.

11. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said eyeball assembly is further adapted to be rotatable about first and second axes so as to enable rotation of said camera and lens assembly and said shroud about said first and second axes, while said viewing axis and said viewing cone of said camera and lens assembly remain aligned with said light transmissive area of said shroud.

12. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 11 further comprising:

a housing for housing said eyeball assembly so as to permit said rotation of said eyeball assembly about said first and second axes and including a light transmissive section for passing said viewing cone of said camera and lens assembly during rotation of said eyeball assembly.

13. A surveillance assembly in accordance with claim 11 wherein:

said eyeball assembly further includes first means adjacent spaced peripheral points of said eyeball assembly and adapted to be connected to a part of a carriage assembly for carrying said eyeball assembly for rotating said eyeball assembly about said first axis, said first means being further adapted to allow said eyeball assembly to rotate about said second axis relative to said part of said carriage assembly.