Patent ID: 7649547
Filing Date: 2010-01-19
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A surveillance video camera to be operative in combination with a surveillance system for watching an object, comprising: image information producing means for producing image information indicative of said object; video signal producing means for producing a video signal on the basis of said image information produced by said image information producing means; and controlling means for controlling each of said image information producing means and said video signal producing means to ensure that said object is watched by said surveillance system through said video signal produced by said video signal producing means, wherein said image information producing means includes: an optical section having passed therethrough light to be provided as an image indicative of said object; a converting section having a sensitivity to said light, said converting section being constituted by a plurality of pixel units classified into a plurality of pixel groups, each of which is constituted by at least two pixels adjacent to each other, said pixel units are exposed to said light provided through said optical section over an exposure period to sense said image; and a plurality of sensitivity enhancing units for enhancing said sensitivity of said converting section, said sensitivity enhancing units includes: a first sensitivity enhancing unit for allowing each of said pixel groups to function as one pixel; a second sensitivity enhancing unit for extending said exposure period to have said converting section sense said image under the condition that said pixel units are exposed to light passed through said optical section over an extended exposure period; and a third sensitivity enhancing unit for removing an infrared light elimination filter located on an optical path between said optical section and said converting section, said controlling means includes: a surveillance mode selecting section for selectively setting at least two surveillance modes including a motion priority mode and a resolution priority mode, and an executing section for allowing said first to third sensitivity enhancing units to start and stop in predetermined sequences, in said motion priority mode, said third enhancing unit starts before said first enhancing unit starts, and said first enhancing unit starts before said second enhancing unit starts, when the illumination intensity of said object decreases, in said resolution priority mode, said second enhancing unit starts before said third enhancing unit starts, and said third enhancing unit starts before said first enhancing unit starts, when the illumination intensity of said object decreases.