Pan and tilt camera with robotic movement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9635224-B2
Application number	US-201514689852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2015
Priority date	Apr 18, 2014
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

A pan and tilt camera is described that comprises a cylindrical base. The pan and tilt camera comprises a tubular body having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a tubular side, the tubular side of the cylindrical body being transected at an angle to define a lower body and an upper body. The lower body has a bottom edge that corresponds to the bottom edge of the tubular body and a top edge corresponding to the angle of transection. The upper body has a bottom edge that corresponds to the angle of transection and a top edge that corresponds to the top edge of the tubular body. The pan and tilt camera comprises a cylindrical housing having a bottom edge that is movably attached to the top edge of the upper body. The cylindrical housing is coupled to a camera component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pan and tilt camera comprising:
a cylindrical base;
a tubular body having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a tubular side, the tubular side of the cylindrical body being transected at an angle to define a lower body and an upper body, the lower body having a bottom edge that corresponds to the bottom edge of the tubular body and a top edge corresponding to the angle of transection, and the upper body having a bottom edge that corresponds to the angle of transection and a top edge that corresponds to the top edge of the tubular body, wherein the bottom edge of the lower body is movably attached to a top of the cylindrical base such that the lower body is configured to rotate with respect to the cylindrical base about an axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body and that passes through a center of the lower body, and wherein the upper body is configured to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the angle of transection; and
a cylindrical housing having a bottom edge that is movably attached to the top edge of the upper body such that the cylindrical housing is configured to rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the cylindrical housing and that passes through a center of the cylindrical housing, and wherein the cylindrical housing is coupled to a camera component.

2. The pan and tilt camera of claim 1 , comprising:
a first shaft having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first shaft being coupled to the camera component and the second end of the first shaft being coupled to a hinge that permits rotation of the first shaft about an axis that is parallel to the top of the cylindrical base, the rotation of the first shaft about the axis that is parallel to the top of the cylindrical base corresponding to a tilt motion of the pan and tilt camera, wherein the first shaft extends through the upper body along an axis that is perpendicular to the top edge of the upper body; and
a second shaft having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second shaft being coupled to the hinge and the second end of the second shaft being movably connected to the top of the cylindrical base such that the second shaft is configured to rotate about the axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body, the rotation of the second shaft about the axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body corresponding to a pan motion of the pan and tilt camera, wherein the second shaft extends through the lower body along the axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body.

3. The pan and tilt camera of claim 2 , wherein the rotation of the first shaft about the axis that is parallel to the top of the cylindrical base corresponding to the tilt motion of the pan and tilt camera does not change an orientation of the camera component with respect to the axis that is parallel to the top of the cylindrical base, and the rotation of the second shaft about the axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body corresponding to the pan motion of the pan and tilt camera does not change an orientation of the camera component with respect to the axis that is parallel to the top of the cylindrical base.

4. The pan and tilt camera of claim 2 , wherein the second shaft is connected to the top of the cylindrical base by an electrical rotary joint such that the second shaft is configured to rotate about the axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body.

5. The pan and tilt camera of claim 1 , comprising:
a first motor configured to rotate the upper body about the axis perpendicular to the angle of transection; and
a second motor configured to rotate the lower body about the axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body and that passes through the center of the lower body.

6. The pan and tilt camera of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical base is coupled to a cord that is configured to carry electrical power or electrical signals for the pan and tilt camera.

7. The pan and tilt camera of claim 1 , wherein the camera component comprises a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor, a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, or a back-side illuminated CMOS (BSI-CMOS) image sensor.

8. The pan and tilt camera of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical housing includes a heat sink that is coupled to the camera component.

9. The pan and tilt camera of claim 1 , wherein the angle of the transection is between 45 and 55 degrees relative to the bottom edge of the lower body.

10. The pan and tilt camera of claim 1 , wherein a bottom of the cylindrical base comprises one or more threads or a bayonet mount.

11. The pan and tilt camera of claim 1 , wherein the transection passes through a middle of the tubular body.

12. The pan and tilt camera of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical housing has a top, and wherein the top of the cylindrical housing includes an aperture.

13. A computer-implemented method for controlling a pan and tilt camera comprising:
determining (i) a pan position of the pan and tilt camera, and (ii) a tilt position of the pan and tilt camera, wherein:
determining the pan position of the pan and tilt camera comprises determining an angular position of a cylindrical housing that includes a camera component, the cylindrical housing of the pan and tilt camera having a bottom edge that is movably attached to a top edge of an upper body, wherein the upper body is defined from a tubular body having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a tubular side, the tubular side of the cylindrical body being transected at an angle to form a lower body and the upper body, the lower body having a bottom edge that corresponds to the bottom edge of the tubular body and a top edge that corresponds to the angle of transection, and the upper body having a bottom edge that corresponds to the angle of transection and the top edge that corresponds to the top edge of the tubular body, wherein the lower body can rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body and that passes through a center of the lower body, and wherein the upper body can rotate about an axis that is perpendicular to the angle of transection, and wherein the angular position of the cylindrical housing is determined with respect to the axis perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body and that passes through the center of the lower body, and
determining the tilt position of the pan and tilt camera comprises determining an angle between an axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the cylindrical body and an axis that is perpendicular to the top edge of the upper body;

receiving data specifying an amount to tilt the pan and tilt camera;
determining, based at least on the tilt position of the pan and tilt camera, the angle of transection, and the amount to tilt the pan and tilt camera, a first amount to rotate the upper body about the axis that is perpendicular to the angle of transection;
determining, based at least on the first amount, a second amount to rotate the lower body about the axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body and that passes through the center of the lower body to maintain the angular position of the cylindrical housing; and
rotating the upper body about the axis that is perpendicular to the angle of transection by the first amount and rotating the lower body about the axis that is perpendicular to the bottom edge of the lower body and that passes through the center of the lower body by the second amount to tilt the pan and tilt camera by the specified amount without affecting the pan position of the p

Assignees

• Alarm Com Inc

Inventors

• Bart Gary
• Caglayan Mehmet Erdal

Classifications

• H04N23/50

  Constructional details · CPC title

• H04N23/51 Primary

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• H04N23/695

  Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects · CPC title

• Y10S901/09

  Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement · CPC title