Patent ID: 7071971
Filing Date: 2006-07-04
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A remotely operated television camera system for identifying a viewed scene, the system comprising: a first television camera including narrow angle lens selected from a group consisting of fixed focal lens, vary focal lens and zoom lens adapted to be remotely operated for observing said viewed scene; a second television camera joined to said first television camera including wide angle lens selected from a group consisting of fixed focal lens, vary focal lens and zoom lens, said first and said second television cameras are optically targeted toward same scene; a pan and tilt device for positioning said first and second television cameras jointly; said first television camera including at least one imaging device selected from a group consisting of imager with smaller diagonal size, imager with larger diagonal size, black and white imager, color imager, IR imager, color and black and white dual imager, color and IR dual imager, black and white and IR dual imager and at least one optical filter selected from a group consisting of color pass filter, IR cut filter, neutral filter; Said first television camera including a mechanical device for repositioning a combination of said imaging device and said optical filter into the optical path of said narrow angle lens for switching-over the viewing modes selected from a group consisting of color to black and white mode, color to IR mode, color to black and white to IR mode, color to IR to black and white mode, black and white to IR mode, black and white to color mode, black and white to color to IR mode, black and white to IR to color mode, IR to color mode, IR to black and white mode, IR to black and white to color mode, and IR to color to black and white mode; said processor including signal combining circuit for processing and combining video signals generated by said first television camera and by said second television camera for outputting a combined video signal composed of a wide angle sub-picture of said scene viewed by said second television camera inside a arrow angle main picture of said scene viewed by said first television camera, wherein said sub-picture occupies a small area inside said main picture; said processor including a sensing and comparing circuit for said video signals generated by said first television camera and said second television camera, for detecting one of a low comparative video signal and a high comparative video signal by comparing said video signals to reference signals, wherein said processor activates said switching-over to a selected viewing mode selected from a group consisting of from color to black and white, from color to IR and from black and white to IR when said sensing and comparing circuit detects a low comparative video signal generated by said first television camera, and switching-back to the prior selected viewing mode selected from a group consisting of back to color from black and white, back to color from IR end back to black and white from IR when said sensing and comparing circuit detects a high comparative video signal generated by said second television camera.