Patent Application
20120008041
The invention pertains to housings for closed circuit television-like camera modules. More particularly, the invention pertains to such modules which include a camera housing where the housing includes a window of glass in the field of view of the camera.
Currently, known domes (bubbles) used as housings on PTZ (Pan/Tilt/Zoom) cameras are made of some sort of clear plastic material. Plastic is advantageous from the point of view of weight, manufacturing complexity, cost and strength.
Unfortunately, the best of the clear plastic materials available currently fall short on image quality when it comes to high definition and high zoom cameras. The plastic material is not clear enough and limits how high resolution and high zoom one can go. This poses a serious problem as we try to incorporate regular and high definition cameras with zoom ranges of 35× and more specially when these are becoming more main stream.
There is a need to improve image quality, especially in connection with high definition and high magnification, zoom, cameras.
While embodiments of this invention can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention, as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated.
In one embodiment of the invention a hybrid housing, which could be shaped as a dome, is made of metal or opaque plastic. The housing incorporates a glass window that a camera can look through the window. Direct benefits of such an implementation include crystal clear images and any resolution and zoom.
Since the embodiment is a hybrid, the strength of metal or the light weight of plastic material can be obtained in the foundation of the housing. Further, the cost is more manageable as the size of the glass is limited to the viewing window.
A heating element could be incorporated in the glass window to prevent any moisture build up inside. This will eliminate the use of a heater and blower assembly thereby making the product more robust and reliable Indirect benefits:
In another aspect, the housing can be provided in any color without compromising the optical quality. Cleaning of the scratch resistant glass surface is easier than cleaning plastic. A broader operating temperature range is also available in PTZ applications
Those of skill in the art will recognize that housings and associated optical windows having other shapes can embody and come within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, windows having cylindrical, conic or flat shapes could be used with appropriately shaped housings all without limitation.
The glass window 12 provides a high quality, optical, observation port for a camera 18 carried in the dome 10, see
Because the window 12 is in the field of view FOV, see
A base unit 22, which could be mounted on a ceiling C, or a pendant mount or a Soffit mount, contains a pan mechanism 22 which rotates the tilt/zoom mechanism 20 in combination with the housing 10. Control circuits 24 can be coupled to camera 18 to process image information and to carry out some or all of the zoom function as would be understood by those of skill in the art.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
