Abstract:
A surveillance camera system having a specialized camera assembly with a fixed-angle lens is provided in a housing designed to reduce the size and weight of the camera assembly and reduce the identifiability of the system as a surveillance camera. The camera assembly can include an integrated ball joint assembly to support the camera assembly at arbitrary angles. The ball joint can further provide a standard threaded mating component to secure the camera assembly. The surveillance camera system can employ a recessed housing partially shrouding the camera assembly in a ceiling installation and further reducing the observability of the camera assembly without obstructing the camera lens. Installed in the recessed housing with an integrated ball joint, the camera assembly retains pan and tilt adjustments common to current recessed dome surveillance cameras. The camera assembly supports attachment of a customizable front cover further obscuring the camera assembly.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    Surveillance system cameras are installed in many different environments and are used to monitor or record areas of interest or for general security purposes. Example systems often employ a camera attached to a support member and provide a field of view capturing areas of interest in an environment. Surveillance system cameras capture video or still imagery and store that information locally or allow it to be viewed and recorded remotely. Prior art camera systems often require a specialized mounting apparatus for the camera to be secured to a location to provide the desired view. Such prior art systems are also often easily identified as a camera apparatus, which is sometimes on purpose as a deterrent. 
         [0002]    In the video security industry, there exists a class of cameras that are rectangular and only about the size of a credit card. Sometimes cameras in this class are referred to as cube cameras. These cube cameras usually feature a fixed-mounted lens and integrated circuitry in a camera housing. They differ from two other classes of cameras, box and dome cameras, by their relatively small form factor. When box or dome cameras are mounted to a drop-down ceiling or a dry walled ceiling with a traditional security camera mount, the installation occupies a lot of space with the relatively small camera body and cabling. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    An embodiment of the present invention is a surveillance camera comprising a camera assembly and a rotary joint assembly integrated into a housing of the camera assembly. The rotary joint assembly enables rotation of the camera assembly about a spherical surface of the rotary joint assembly. The rotary joint assembly includes a first mating component adapted to couple to a standard-sized threaded second mating component. The rotary joint assembly is configured to self-support the camera assembly in arbitrary orientations relative to an orientation of the second mating component. 
         [0004]    The rotary joint assembly may be a ball joint assembly. In the embodiment, the housing of the camera assembly has a profile with a length, width, and depth; the camera assembly has a center of gravity located between a first end and a second end of the length of the camera assembly; and the rotary joint assembly may be integrated into the housing at the first end of the housing. 
         [0005]    The surveillance camera may further include a first mating feature and a second mating feature, where the mating features may be arranged to prevent rotation of the first mating component with respect to the second mating component after mating. 
         [0006]    The camera assembly may include a camera sensor having a camera lens with a viewing angle relative to a face of the camera assembly. The rotary joint assembly may be located at a first end of the camera assembly, and the viewing angle is in a direction angularly outward from a second end of the camera assembly, with the first and second ends being laterally opposed from each other. In this embodiment, the camera lens is angled approximately 68-74° relative to parallel of a face of the camera assembly spanning between the first and second ends of the camera assembly. In this embodiment, the camera sensor may have a resolution of at least 640×480 pixels. 
         [0007]    The camera assembly may also include a light emitting diode (LED) connected to said circuit board assembly, where the LED is configured to be visible, when illuminated, by an observer through a continuous portion of a front panel of the camera assembly. 
         [0008]    The camera assembly may include a camera sensor and an interface to transmit representations of images captured by the camera sensor, the interface being a wireless interface or a wired interface. 
         [0009]    The surveillance camera may also include a domeless recessed housing assembly with the second mating component, where the recessed housing assembly is configured to support the camera assembly in a ceiling hole and at least partially surrounds the camera assembly without obstructing a field of view of the lens at the camera assembly when the camera assembly is installed into the recessed housing assembly. In this embodiment, the camera assembly, in the majority, is within the domeless recessed housing assembly in an installed state, with the viewing angle of the lens being angularly downward while the camera assembly is in a vertical orientation within the domeless recessed housing assembly. 
         [0010]    The surveillance camera may alternatively include an L-bracket. The first mating component of the rotary joint assembly connects the surveillance camera to the L-bracket through use of the second mating component, with the L-bracket being configured to attach securely to a support surface through use of a fastener. 
         [0011]    In another embodiment, the surveillance camera includes a camera assembly having a housing and a fixed-angle camera lens. The fixed-angle camera lens defines a viewing angle non-perpendicular to an assembly face of the housing associated with the camera lens. 
         [0012]    The fixed-angle camera lens is angled in a direction non-perpendicular to approximately 68-74° relative to parallel of a major plane of the camera assembly. Faces of target people are visible within a field of view of the fixed-angle camera lens between 6 and 37 feet from a wall to which the camera assembly is mounted in parallel arrangement against an assembly face on an opposite side of the camera assembly from an assembly face from which the lens views the target people. 
         [0013]    In yet another embodiment, a surveillance camera comprises a camera assembly including a housing having a front panel with a port for a camera lens and includes a light emitting diode (LED), the LED being visible, when illuminated, through a thickness of a continuous material of the front panel of the camera assembly. 
         [0014]    In this embodiment, the front panel with a paintable surface may be removable. The front panel may match a color of an adjacent wall or surface. The front panel may match a texture of an adjacent wall or surface. 
         [0015]    In still a further embodiment, a surveillance camera comprises a camera assembly and a domeless recessed housing assembly. The domeless recessed housing assembly is configured to support the camera assembly in a ceiling hole, and, in an installed state, the camera assembly, in a majority, is within the domeless recessed housing assembly. The camera assembly has a lens with a viewing angle being angularly downward while the camera assembly is in a vertical orientation within the domeless recessed housing assembly. 
         [0016]    In still a further embodiment, a surveillance camera comprises a camera assembly having a front side and reverse side. The front side defines a port for a camera lens for capturing images of a scene, and the front side also includes a status indicator operable to be illuminated. The surveillance camera also includes a cover configured to attach to the camera assembly across at least a portion of at least the front side. The cover provides a port for the camera lens to view the scene unobstructed, and the cover obscures viewing of the status indicator during periods of non-illumination and enables viewing of the status indicator during periods of illumination. 
         [0017]    In this embodiment, a deface of visibility by an observer of the status indicator during illumination may be a function of thickness of the cover at the status indicator between the status indicator and the observer. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIGS. 1A-C  show embodiments of the present invention in an example environment. 
           [0020]      FIGS. 2A-B  are cut-through views of the camera assembly and recessed housing in an installed configuration. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 3A-B  are view of the camera assembly installed in a vertical orientation. 
           [0022]      FIGS. 4A-B  are external views of the camera assembly installed in the recessed housing assembly having two different flange profiles. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the camera assembly showing internal components. 
           [0024]      FIGS. 6A-C  are cut-though views of the camera assembly and rotary joint assembly. 
           [0025]      FIGS. 7A-B  are views of the front and back panel of the camera assembly showing exterior details. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 8A-D  are detailed views of the rotary joint assembly integrated into the camera assembly. 
           [0027]      FIGS. 9A-B  are views of the vertically mounted camera assembly. 
           [0028]      FIGS. 10A-B  are exterior and cut-through views of the camera assembly mounted in a recessed housing and articulated towards one side of the housing. 
           [0029]      FIGS. 11A-B  are exterior and cut-through views of the camera assembly mounted in a recessed housing and articulated opposite to the orientation shown in  FIGS. 10A-B . 
           [0030]      FIG. 12  shows an L-bracket in various orientations. 
           [0031]      FIG. 13  shows a cover attachment to the camera assembly. 
           [0032]      FIGS. 14A-B  show a camera assembly without a rotary joint. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0033]    A description of example embodiments of the invention follows. 
         [0034]    Embodiments of the invention are useful for discreetly providing surveillance monitoring in a public area, such as through mounting a surveillance camera in a ceiling and hiding part of the camera and its cabling. In some embodiments a rotary joint assembly, such as a ball joint assembly, at one end of the camera assembly allows a camera assembly to be adjusted while mounted inside a recessed housing assembly. 
         [0035]    A former approach may mount the surveillance camera directly to the ceiling with a screw without a traditional camera mount. A disadvantage of such an approach is that the surveillance camera still hangs quite low with a visible cable connected to the camera. In addition, it is not easy to adjust the surveillance camera-viewing angle without an adjustable traditional camera mount. 
         [0036]    An embodiment of the present invention is a surveillance camera able to be installed in a ceiling by way of a recessed housing assembly or against a support surface with less visually occupied space. An embodiment of the present surveillance camera system is able to hide part of the camera assembly in a drop-down ceiling or a dry-walled ceiling by recessing the mounting point using a recessed housing assembly, which is also able to hide any associated cabling. The installed camera assembly with the ceiling support accessory may be configured to look similar to a recessed lighting fixture or an automatic fire sprinkler on a ceiling. 
         [0037]      FIG. 1A  is an example application of an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 1A  shows elements of a system  100  installed in a retail environment  10 . A camera assembly  101  is installed in a recessed housing assembly  120  that is installed in a ceiling opening. The recessed housing assembly  120  is similar to those typically used for recessed lighting application. The camera assembly  101  has a lens  103  with a field of view  109  tailored to the specific application environment; in this application, the field of view observes both the employee  11  and patrons  12  in this retail environment  10 . The camera assembly  101  also includes a status indicator, such as a light emitting diode (LED)  104 . In this embodiment, the LED  104  is only visible on the camera assembly  101  when illuminated. LED  104  is able to indicate a fault with the camera assembly  101  or otherwise provide a status indication, by being illuminated or not illuminated, or by blinking. The LED  104  may be activated by a controller to enable a technician to identify a particular camera assembly  101  from among multiple camera assemblies, at a given location. 
         [0038]      FIG. 1B  shows a back view of the camera assembly  101 . The camera assembly  101  has an integrated all joint  110  (a type of rotary joint  110 , which may alternatively be a dual-axis joint or other multi-axis joint) with an associated mating component  111 . Some embodiments include an integrated adjustable ball joint assembly  110  in the camera assembly  101 . The ball joint assembly  110  mating component  111  can be a screw-threaded hole configured to attach to a standard support accessory, like a ¼-20 threaded rod or screw. The ball joint assembly can be made in any material to support a snug-fit connection that can hold (i.e., self-support) the weight of the camera assembly and the cabling without changes to the camera orientation. 
         [0039]    The ceiling support accessory can be made by molded plastic or metal similar to a recessed lighting fixture. The ball joint assembly with integrated mating component allows attachment to a corresponding mating component. Such corresponding mating components can be included in the recessed housing assembly or can allow attachment to a wall or support member (e.g., pipe) by way of an L-bracket, and still give enough room to point the camera in a wide choice of rotation or downward angles, providing pan and tilt angles options because of the integrated ball joint. 
         [0040]    The camera assembly  101  also includes, in a wired configuration, a data communications port  106  allowing sending and receiving electronic signals, as well as powering the camera assembly  101 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 1C  shows multiple camera assemblies  101  installed in multiple locations and linked by a network  20  to a central gateway  30 . In a retail environment  10 , camera assemblies  101  are installed in recessed housing assemblies  120  and configured to have fields of view  109  to observe employee  11  and customers  12  at a register  13 . The same location has a room  20  where camera assemblies  101  are mounted to the walls in a vertical orientation to have fields of view  109 . Installer  14  can use a ladder  14  and a simple tool, such as a Phillips head screwdriver, to enable adjustment and installation of the camera assemblies  101 . By way of the gateway  30  and network  40 , the camera assemblies  101  can interface with a remote location or device also connected to gateway  30 . Notably, because of such ease of installation, installation times are significantly reduced compared to current surveillance systems. In the case of the integrated rotary joint assembly embodiment, for example, installing the surveillance camera and mechanical adjustment assembly can be done through single screw-socket connection, as compared to previous installations of bulky mechanical arms with rotary joint to which the camera would be affixed. Embodiments of the present invention can be used as part of a cloud-based video surveillance management system. One such system is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/335591, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
         [0042]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are side and back views of the camera assembly installed in a recessed housing assembly.  FIG. 2A  shows a cut through of both the camera assembly  101  and the recessed housing assembly  120 . The camera assembly  101  is affixed to the recessed housing assembly  120  by means of a first mating component  111  and a second mating component  112 . The mating component  111  is integrated with the ball of the ball joint assembly  110 . The ball joint assembly  110  is integrated into one end of the camera assembly  101 , and the lens  103  and LED  104  are integrated into the opposite end of the camera assembly  101 . Also shown is the circuit board  105  of the camera assembly  101 , to which the communications port  106 , camera sensor  102 , and LED  104  are connected. The viewing angle of the camera lens is adjustable through articulation of the ball joint assembly positioning mechanism. 
         [0043]    The camera assembly  101  is simplified and able to have a slim profile by using a small camera sensor  102 , similar to those found in cellular phones, and employs a single PCB  105  board to forego any inter-board connections, which provide significant weight reduction, as well. Power can be provided to the camera assembly  101  by way of the communications port  106 . The simple design of the camera assembly allows solar cells that collect local lighting to be a viable power source. 
         [0044]      FIG. 2B  shows a cut-through view of the recessed housing assembly  120  and a back view of the camera assembly  110 . The recessed housing assembly  120  is configured to be secure in a ceiling opening or other support surface opening by means of support surface clips  121  or swing-able flaps attached to the recessed housing assembly  120 . The mating component  111  and corresponding mating component  112  affix the camera assembly  120  to the recessed housing assembly  120 . In this example, the ball joint  110  has both a threaded mating component  111  and a threaded corresponding mating component  112 . The threaded mating component may be designed to accept a standard corresponding mating component, such as a ¼-20 threaded screw or threaded rod. It should be understood that other form of mating components known in the art may be employed. The term “threaded” may be replaced with equivalent terms herein when other mating components are employed 
         [0045]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate an embodiment of the present invention in a vertical configuration.  FIG. 3A  shows the camera assembly  101  front face  140  that includes an opening  142  for the camera lens  103  and a region of thin material  108  behind which the LED  104  is visible when illuminated.  FIG. 3B  shows a side view of the camera assembly  101  and a vertical position, supported by a corresponding mating component  121  attached to the mating component  111  of the ball joint  110 . The viewing angle  109  of the camera lens is fixed with respect to the camera assembly at an angle suitable for observing standard surveillance camera environments at a standard height. The angle typically ranges between 68 and 74 degrees as measured against vertical. The camera assembly  110  has both a front panel  140  and a rear panel  141 ; the rear panel  141  provides openings for both the communications port  106  and ball joint assembly. 
         [0046]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  show the camera assembly installed in a recessed support housing assembly  120 .  FIG. 4A  is an external view of the recessed housing assembly  120  with the camera assembly  101  installed position such that the field of view  109  of the camera lens  103  of the camera assembly  101  clears the inner edge of the flange  123  of the recessed housing assembly  120 . The recessed housing assembly  120  also allows choice of pan and tilt angles when the camera assembly  101  is installed, and still hides away the cabling  130 , without requiring complex dome designs. The term “domeless” is used herein to refer to the recessed housing assembly  120 . Compared to the current practice in mechanical and electrical designs of dome cameras, this is a significantly more simple design without the need for a camera assembly designed specifically for a dome or recessed camera housing. Moreover, current ceiling mounted dome cameras require complex mounting and rotation mechanism to achieve the same functionally as the domeless embodiments disclosed herein. 
         [0047]      FIG. 4B  shows recessed housing assembly  120  and camera assembly  101  in a different configuration, whereby the flange  123  of the recessed housing assembly has a different profile. 
         [0048]      FIG. 5  shows an exploded view of the camera assembly  101 . Shown are the various components internal components of the camera assembly  101  and ball joint assembly  110 , including a camera sensor  104  and a PCB  105  with attached communications port  106 . The communications port can be an RJ45 connector or another standard connection port. The PCB receives video signals from the camera sensor  104  and is able to illuminate the LED. The camera assembly  101  circuit board  105  is contained by the front plate  140  and a rear plate  141 . The ball joint assembly includes a ball  152  with a socket  151  integrated into the rear plate  141 . The ball  152  is held into the socket  151  with socket fingers  157 . The ball joint  110  is prevented from being disassembled by way of a ball joint plate  153  affixed to the camera assembly by screws  154 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 6A  shows a cut through view of the camera assembly  101  and ball joint assembly  110 . The front plate  140  of the camera assembly  101  has an opening  142  for the camera lens  102  and a region of thin material  108  to allow the LED  104  to be observed through the front plate  140  when the LED is illuminated. The data cable  130  is connected to the communications port  106 . 
         [0050]      FIGS. 6B and 6C  are orthogonal cross-sections of the camera assembly  101  showing the position of circuit board  105 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 7A  shows the camera assembly  101  front face  140  with illuminated LED  104  visible through the region of thin material  108 .  FIG. 7B  shows the camera assembly  101  rear panel  141  including an opening to make visible a rear panel LED  144 . The rear panel  141  also includes a label region  143  for affixing device certification or network address information. 
         [0052]      FIG. 8A  shows a ball joint assembly  110  integrated into the back panel  141  of a camera assembly  101 .  FIG. 8B  shows a cross-section of the camera assembly  101  and integrated ball joint assembly  110 . A mating component  111  has threads  156  to accept a threaded corresponding mating component. 
         [0053]      FIG. 8C  is an isolated view of a ball  152  having an integrated first mating component  111  having mating features  155 , shown here as locking teeth preventing rotation of a second mating component (not shown). The mating features  155  ensure the mating components  111  and the recessed housing assembly  120  or the L-bracket  160  do not rotate relative to each other when securing a threaded second mating component  112 .  FIG. 8D  is a detailed view of a ball joint  110  with a see-through ball joint plate  153  to show fingers  157  holding a ball  152  in socket  151  with sufficient static friction to self-support the weight of the camera assembly  101  in arbitrary orientations. 
         [0054]      FIG. 9A  shows a camera assembly  101  mounted in a vertical orientation and having a field of view  109 .  FIG. 9B  shows the camera assembly  101  of  FIG. 9A  rotated to a downward angle and the resulting change in the orientation of the field of view  109 . 
         [0055]      FIG. 10A  shows a camera assembly  101  installed into a recessed housing assembly  120  in a vertical orientation.  FIG. 10B  shows a cross section of the camera assembly  101  and recessed housing assembly  120  of  FIG. 10A  rotated into a forward position. 
         [0056]      FIG. 11A  shows a camera assembly  101  and recessed housing assembly  120  of  FIG. 10A , but with the camera assembly  101  in a different orientation and the resulting change in angle of the field of view  109 .  FIG. 11B  shows a cross section of the camera assembly  101  and recessed housing assembly of  FIG. 11A . Seen here is the ball joint assembly  110  supporting the camera assembly  101  in the different orientation and fixed to the recessed housing assembly  120  by the second mating component  112  inserted into the ball joint assembly  110 . 
         [0057]      FIG. 12  shows multiple views of an L-bracket  160  having grooves  165  for mating the L-bracket  160  against a rounded support member. The L-bracket  160  also includes a circular opening  162  and slotted opening  161  for securing a camera assembly  101  (shown in  FIG. 1B ) to the L-bracket  160  with a corresponding mating component  112  (not shown). The L-bracket  160  also includes holes  163  for securing the L-bracket  160  to a support surface or rounded support member with fasteners. 
         [0058]      FIG. 13A  shows the camera assembly  101  with a front panel cover  170 . The front panel cover  170  fits on the camera assembly  101  and covers the front panel  140  with a surface able to be painted to blend the camera assembly  101  into an environment or to otherwise obscure or protect front panel  140 . Front panel cover  170  has a camera opening  173  to prevent obstructing the camera lens  103  (shown in  FIG. 2A ) and an optional LED opening  174  to allow LED  104  (shown in  FIG. 2A ) to be visible, when illuminated, when the front panel cover  170  is installed on the front panel  140 .  FIG. 13B  shows front panel cover  170  installed onto a camera assembly  101 . 
         [0059]      FIG. 14A  shows an embodiment of the camera assembly  101  without a rotary joint assembly.  FIG. 14B  shows the camera assembly  101  of  FIG. 14A  configured to send and receive representations of electronic signals  180  wirelessly without a wired communications port  106  and associated cable  130 . The camera assembly  101  can receive power wirelessly by induction, or by an attached power cable (not shown). 
         [0060]    While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.