Surveillance camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10614686-B2
Application number	US-201916428071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2019
Priority date	Feb 26, 2018
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

A dome type surveillance camera includes a planar base, and a plurality of cameras. Each of the plurality of cameras is connected to the base to be movable along a circumference on the base. The plurality of cameras includes three or more cameras. Each of the plurality of cameras is rotatable in both right and left directions with an imaging direction. The imaging direction is an optical axis direction of each of the plurality of cameras as an axis such that a panoramic image formed by images captured by each of the plurality of cameras is continuous in a horizontal direction when the plurality of cameras are disposed so as to be equidistant to each other on a semicircular arc.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dome type surveillance camera comprising:
a planar base; and
four cameras, each of the four cameras connected to the base to be movable along an entirety of a circumference on the base,
wherein each of the four cameras is rotatable in both right and left directions with an imaging direction, the imaging direction being an optical axis direction of each of the four cameras, as an axis such that a panoramic image formed by images captured by each of the four cameras is continuous in a horizontal direction when the four cameras are disposed so as to be equidistant to each other on a semicircular arc, and
wherein each of the images captured by the four cameras are independently rotatable after being aligned in the horizontal direction.

2. The surveillance camera of claim 1 ,
wherein the four cameras are connected to the base through a connecting member, and
each of the four cameras has a stopper mechanism such that each of the four cameras does not rotate beyond a predetermined rotation angle with respect to the connecting member.

3. The surveillance camera of claim 1 , further comprising:
a dome type cover fixed to the base so as to cover the four cameras,
wherein one camera, out of the four cameras, moves such that the imaging direction of the one camera is aligned with a top of the cover.

4. The surveillance camera of claim 1 ,
wherein at least one image among the images captured is rotated to linearly align an object included in the one image with an object included in an adjacent image.

5. The surveillance camera of claim 1 ,
wherein each of the images captured is independently rotatable by rotating a corresponding camera along its optical axis.

6. The surveillance camera of claim 1 ,
wherein each of the four cameras is configured move along an entirety of a contiguous circular rail that is connected to the four cameras.

7. The surveillance camera of claim 6 ,
wherein the rail is located at a center of the base.

8. The surveillance camera of claim 1 ,
wherein all of the four cameras are positioned on a half of the planar base when the four cameras are positioned to capture the images forming the panoramic image.

9. The surveillance camera of claim 5 ,
wherein at least one of the images captured is rotated with respect to an adjacent image so that an object included in the rotated image is linearly aligned with an object included in the adjacent image.

Assignees

• Panasonic I Pro Sensing Solutions Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kondou Masayoshi
• Yoshikuni Yuki
• Jojima Yu
• Saito Takashi

Classifications

• G08B13/19617

  Surveillance camera constructional details · CPC title

• G08B13/19619

  Details of casing · CPC title

• G08B13/19632 Primary

  Camera support structures, e.g. attachment means, poles · CPC title

• G03B17/00 Primary

  Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor (lens hoods or caps G03B11/04) · CPC title

• G08B13/1963

  Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ] · CPC title