Patent ID: 6268882
Filing Date: 2001-07-31
Classification: G08B,H04N

Abstract:
A television camera comprising a picture pickup element and a lens enclosed in a cylindrical body with a hemispherical bottom and a flat top which have a platform and attachment means for said cylindrical body, wherein diameters of said cylindrical body and said hemispherical bottom are equal so as to provide for said cylindrical body to be rotatable about a first axis which is a central axis along the length of said cylindrical body and said lens is rotatable about a second axis of said hemispherical bottom which is orthogonal to said first axis and to a third axis which is an axis of said lens and wherein said first axis, said second axis and said third axis intersect at a center of said cylindrical body and said hemispherical bottom, the television camera further comprising:two antipodal segments and a center segment forming said cylindrical body, said antipodal segments being fixedly attached to said platform and having chord planes parallel to each other; pivot joint means positioned at a center of said hemispherical bottom along said second axis and supported by said chord planes of said two antipodal segments; andsaid center segment being positioned between said chord planes of said antipodal segments and having a substantially spheric body having a diameter equal to a diameter of said cylindrical body and a shape of an arcuated drum having planes parallel to each other and a thickness slightly smaller than a distance between said chord planes of said antipodal segments and including complementary joints at the center of said planes for mounting said center segment onto said pivot joint means so as to make said center segment rotatable about said second axis, wherein said center segment contains said lens and said picture pickup element and a lens pane having a curvative surface of a diameter equal to said diameter of said spheric body and wherein said lens is positioned toward said lens pane along said third axis; said center segment including two center segment covers each having a curved surface having a curve of a diameter equal to said diameter of said cylindrical body, said two center segment covers having a width equal to said thickness of said arcuated drum for attachment to said platform for covering two opposite portions on two sides of said cylindrical body extending between said flat top and said hemispherical bottom and between said two antipodal segments, andwherein said attachment means is structured to provide an attachment of said television camera to one of a camera mount and a base which are to be fixedly attached to a supporting structure selected from a ceiling or a wall and to allow said cylindrical body to be rotatable about said first axis.