Abstract:
A television camera apparatus for surveillance applications includes a television camera having a base plate to be attached to a supporting structure, a camera holder fixed to the base plate and a camera body protruding from the camera holder. The camera body includes two antipodal segments spaced from each other and fixedly attached to the camera holder and having chord planes facing to and parallel to each other and a central segment disposed between the antipodal segments and having a shape of an arcuated drum having two sides parallel to each other and a thickness slightly smaller than the distance between the chord planes of the two antipodal segments facing each other. The central segment houses a picture pickup element, a lens and a lens pane which has a curvature surface of a diameter equal to that of the central segment so that the television camera looks like a dome-shaped television camera.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a television camera apparatus used for surveillance applications. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Surveillance television cameras are commonly mounted onto a wall, pole, ceiling or other fixed base positions by using an extended arm, known as a camera mount. The extended arm or the camera mount includes a swivel joint which permits the positioning of the horizontal and vertical axis of the camera in order to direct the camera lens toward its intended observation end. Other surveillance cameras are mounted onto a remotely controlled positioning device such as pan-tilt heads consisting of a fixed body which is attached to a wall, pole or ceiling and a movable body to which a television camera is attached. The remotely controlled pan-tilt head employs motors and power transmission assemblies consisting of gears or rollers or belts and pulleys or chains and the like and such pan-tilt heads are generally constructed so that the television cameras rotate angularly about their vertical and horizontal axes. In many cases the television cameras are covered by a housing which is bulky and as a result the entire camera assembly, be it remotely controlled or fixedly positioned, becomes large and heavy and this is very disturbing to the architecture of buildings and interiors. 
     Some well-known dome housing for television cameras and and/or television cameras mounted inside dome enclosure are commonly used for concealing the camera and diminishing the damage to the building architecture or the interiors. However, such dome-shaped housing and enclosure made of plastic materials are difficult to manufacture with a perfect optical clearance, and therefore such domes cause optical distortions and introduce other optical imperfections into the optical path of the television camera lens. 
     Other well-known television cameras are fixedly mounted inside a housing having dome-shaped covers and/or dome-shaped enclosures in which the lens faces a portion of the dome which has a good optical clearance. Such dome-shaped television cameras are re-positioned by rotating the entire dome along with the television camera and thereby ensuring that the television camera lens remains positioned against the same clear optical path or portion of the dome. However, even such rotating domes do not provide a perfect clear optical path and moreover, such domes rotating with the television cameras are complicated in their structure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide television cameras that can be concealed and that are enclosed in a dome shaped enclosure having a perfect and clear optical path and which can be fixedly positioned to observe a given scene, or remotely controlled to reposition the television camera lens by angularly rotating the dome structure about its horizontal and vertical axes for observing different scenes. 
     Another object of the present invention is to mount television cameras that are enclosed in a dome shaped case so as to be concealed when mounted on wall or other vertical surfaces or recessed inside a wall or other vertical structure. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a direct drive pan and tilt motors for remotely positioning the pan and tilt axes of a television camera enclosed in a dome shaped enclosure having a perfect and clear optical path. A direct drive positioning device incorporating a slip ring assembly in the central shaft of the motor is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/112,120 filed Jul. 8, 1998. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a remotely repositioned television camera enclosed in a dome shaped case of the preferred embodiment; 
     FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of the major parts of the camera of FIG. 1A; 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B show an exploded perspective view of the camera body shown in FIG. 1A of the preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a fixedly positioned television camera enclosed in a dome shaped case of another preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3B is an exploded perspective view along axis V—V of FIG. 3A; 
     FIG. 3C is a partion exploded perspective view on axis H—H of FIG. 3A; 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B are a perspective view and an exploded view, respectively, of a center segment of the dome which incorporates the lens of the camera of the preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 5 shows a perspective view and an exploded view of a wall mounted camera body shown in FIG. 1A; 
     FIG. 5A shows another perspective view and an exploded view of a wall mounted camera body shown in FIG. 1A; 
     FIG. 5B shows yet another perspective view and an exploded view of a wall mounted camera body shown in FIG. 1A; 
     FIG. 6 shows a perspective view and an exploded view of a wall mounted fixedly positioned television camera shown in FIG. 3A; 
     FIG. 6A shows a perspective view and an exploded view an embodiment of a wall mounted fixedly positioned television camera shown in FIG. 3A; 
     FIG. 6B shows a perspective view and an exploded view of another of embodiment of a wall mounted fixedly positioned television camera shown in FIG. 3A; 
     FIGS. 7A and 7B show a perspective view and an exploded view, respectively of a drop ceiling mounted camera shown in FIG. 1A; 
     FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of an outdoor mounted camera body shown in FIG. 1A; 
     FIG. 8A shows an exploded perspective view of a modified camera body of FIG. 1A sealed for outdoor installation; 
     FIG. 9 shows an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the camera body shown in FIG. 8A enclosed into an outdoor cover and supported by a pipe; 
     FIG. 9B is an exploded perspective view of a flange assembly of the camera body of FIG. 9A; 
     FIG. 9C shows connections between the camera body, the pipe and the flange assembly of FIG. 9A; 
     FIGS. 10A-10C show exploded perspective views of a modified camera body shown in FIG. 3, enclosed in an outdoor cover and supported by a pipe; 
     FIGS. 11A-11C show another perspective view and exploded view of the camera body shown in FIG. 10, enclosed in an outdoor cover and supported by a pipe; 
     FIGS.  12 ( a-e ) respectively show perspective views of different dome-shaped covers for covering the cameras of FIG. 1, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG.  9  and FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 13 shows in detail a sealing between a camera holder and a camera body of FIG. 8A; 
     FIG. 14 shows a perspective exploded view of an outdoor mounted camera body of FIG. 8; and 
     FIG. 14A shows in detail a cable inlet of an outdoor base plate shown in FIG.  8 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A television camera apparatus  1  shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B looks like a well-known dome shaped camera enclosure used in surveillance systems comprising a portion having a transparent or semitransparent dome. The television camera  1  comprises a base plate  3  which is fixedly attached to a ceiling or a shelf or any other horizontal plane and contains electrical contacts  4 A for propagating power, control, video and other signals to a matching set of electrical contacts  4 B of the camera holder  5  and a pair of holder hooks  3 A for locking the camera holder  5  into the base plate  3 . 
     The camera holder  5  is fixedly attached to the rotor of the motor  7 D of the camera body  7  shown in FIG. 2, and as will be explained later this allows the camera body  7  to rotate freely around its horizontal axis H inside the camera holder  5 . The lower section of the camera body  7  protruding from the camera holder  5  is an elongated dome shaped enclosure; therefore when a cover  9  is locked onto the base  3  through snap hooks  3 B and a snap hook receptacle  9 B it covers the base plate  3 , the camera holder  5  and a portion of the camera body  7 ; thereby the television camera  1  looks like a well-known dome shaped television camera. FIGS. 1A and 1B enhance the camera sections and segments as well as its lens pane, however the camera body can be tinted in a darker gray level or in any tint that matches the lens pane tint, thereby the segmented lines and the lens pane are indiscernible. 
     The camera holder  5  shown in FIG. 2 comprises a set of electrical contacts  4 B, a set of protruding convexes  5 A to which the holder hooks  3 A are locked when the camera holder  5  is attached to the base plate  3  shown in FIG.  1 B and dual arms  5 D for permanently bolting the camera holder  5  onto the studs  3 C of the base plate  3 . 
     The camera body  7  consists of an upper base  7 B and an upper base cover  7 A, a panning motor  7 D and a slip ring assembly  7 C. The slip ring assembly  7 C is mounted inside the exact center hole of the rotor shaft of the panning motor  7 D and the panning motor is mounted inside the exact center of the upper base  7 B so that the center of rotation of the slip ring assembly corresponds to the horizontal axis H. The slip ring assembly  7 C per se is a well-known assembly of rotating conductive metal rings along with complementary mounted conductive metal brushes that provide pressure for a continuous current flow through the metal rings during the rotation of the metal rings. 
     The slip ring assembly  7 C is provided for feeding power, control signals and external sync. to the camera and a video signal, an audio signal and data signals from the camera through the hollow shaft  7 S of the panning motor  7 D and an opening  7 R in the upper base cover  7 A for connecting the brushes of the slip ring assembly  7 C through the conductive layer  4 C of a PCB assembly  4 P. The other end of the slip ring assembly uses a socket and plug connection (not shown) to connect the rotating rings to the inner circuits of the television camera. The aforementioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/112,120 filed Jul. 8, 1998 discloses the use of a slip assembly ring inside the center shaft of a motor for directly driving the television camera. 
     The motor  7 D is a well-known stepping motor that can be precisely controlled, to provide a very accurate positioning at electronically controlled speed. 
     The use of direct drive motor  7 D incorporating the slip ring assembly  7 C in the center of the shaft of the motor makes it possible to rotate the camera body  7  about its horizontal axis H directly without the use of gears, belts and pulleys, chains and sprockets, rollers or the like and further enables the construction of a slim cylindrical camera body, such as the camera body  7 . 
     The electrical contacts  4 B are extended through copper lines  5 C shown in dotted lines inside the camera holder  5  so that the PCB  4 P of the slip ring assembly  7 C which consists of a matching number of conductive layer  4 C will make an electrical contact with the extended copper lines  5 C of the electrical contacts  4 B. Therefore, when the camera holder  5  is attached to the rotor of the motor  7 D of the camera body  7  by the screws  5 E, the contacts  4 B become electrically connected with the slip ring assembly  7 C through the extended copper lines  5 C and the conductive layer  4 C while the camera body  7  can be freely rotated about the horizontal axis H. 
     The lower camera portion of the camera body  7  consists of left and right-handed elongated segments  8 L,  8 R of the dome enclosure and a center segment  8  of the dome having a shape of an arcuated drum or a disc. The center segment  8  contains the lens and picture pickup elements, such a well-known CCD device, and the elongated dome segments  8 L and  8 R which support the center segment  8  contain a tilt motor  8 A and bearings, shafts or other well-known pivoted rotating joint parts (not shown) which are extended together with the circular center of the center segment  8  along the V axis for rotating the center segment  8  about the V axis. 
     The left and right-hand elongated segments  8 L and  8 R are fixedly attached to the opposite sides of the body of the upper base  7 B and have identical segmented curves to match the segmented curve of the center segment and the diameter of the upper base  7 B makes the assembly of the elongated segments  8 L,  8 R, the center segment  8 , the upper base  7 B and the upper base cover  7 A form together the elongated dome structure of the camera body  7 , which can be equated to a cylindrical enclosure with a hemispheric bottom and a flat top. 
     The panning motor  7 D which rotates the television camera body  7  about the horizontal axis H directly rotates or drives the camera body  7  in a well-known panning movement, while the tilting motor  8 A which directly rotates the center segment  8  about the vertical axis V causes a well-known tilting movement of the center segment. The lens  8 Z shown in FIG. 4B which is mounted inside the center segment  8  has its optical center corresponding to the lens axis L and aligned to coincide with the V axis and the H axis. 
     The vertical axis V (tilt) which is orthogonal to the horizontal axis H (pan) along with the lens axis L (lens) which is orthogonal to the vertical axis V (tilt) and the horizontal axis H (pan) all intersect at the center core of the hemispheric or dome shaped portion of the television camera  7  so as to provide for all-around unobstructed panning and tilting movement within the television camera surrounding. 
     The fixedly positioned television camera  10  of FIGS. 3A-3C is enclosed in an elongated dome shaped camera enclosure similarly to the television camera  1 . The television camera  10  is manually positioned or directed to observe fixedly a surrounding scene, in two ways, first by adjusting the vertical inclination about the V axis and second by rotating the camera body  17  about its horizontal H axis. 
     Similarly to the television camera  1 , the television camera  10  comprises of a base plate  13  for mounting the camera on the ceiling, shelves or other horizontal surfaces, an upper base or platform  15  which attaches the camera body  17  to the base plate  13 , left and right-handed elongated segments of the dome enclosure  18 L and  18 R and a center segment  18  having a shape of an arcuated drum or a disc. 
     The center segment  18  contains the lens and the picture pickup elements such as a well-known CCD device, and the elongated dome segments  18 L and  18 R which support the center segment  18  contain shafts or other well-known pivoted rotating joint parts (not shown) which are extended together with the circular center of the center segment  18  along the V axis for providing that the center segment  18  can freely rotate about the V axis. 
     The left and right-handed elongated segments  18 L and  18 R are fixedly attached to the opposite sides of the upper base  15  and because the left and right-handed elongated dome segments  18 L and  18 R have identical segmented curves to match the segmented curve of the center segment  18  and the diameter of the base plate  13 , the assembly of the elongated segments  18 L,  18 R, the center segment  18  and the base plate  13  form together the elongated dome structure of the television camera  10  which looks like a well-known dome shaped television camera. 
     The upper base  15  comprises dual protruding hooks  15 A that match dual cutouts  13 A in a rim  13 B of the base plate shown in FIG.  3 C. The hooks  15 A can be inserted through the cutouts  13 A and slid into between the rim  13 B and the inner surface of the base plate top  13 C and thereby provide for freely rotating the television camera  10  about its horizontal axis H and positioning the lens axis L to adjust to any surrounding scene. 
     On the other hand, the center segment  18  can be manually adjusted to any inclination angle about its vertical axis V, thereby completing its all-around positioning for observing a scene surrounding the television camera  10 . 
     The upper base  15  further comprises two tongues  15 B for locking the center segment  18  to its vertical position about its horizontal axis V and two rims  15 C for locking the horizontal position of the upper base  15  about its horizontal axis H. 
     The doubling of the vertical and horizontal locking facilities is not mandatory; however such arrangement would provide the locking from two opposing sides behind the side covers  19 . 
     The locking of the horizontal and vertical set positions of the television camera  10  is the final process after the camera is installed and this mandates a simple access to the camera locking facilities; therefore the two covers  19  are locked between and onto a rim  18 Z of the elongated segments  18 L and  18 R by two snap hooks  19 A, covering the two spaces between the center segment and the base plate  13  containing locking screws  13 D and  15 D. Each cover  19  is removed by releasing the snap hooks l 9 A for providing access to the locking screws  13 D for the horizontal rim  15 C and screws  15 D for the vertical tongue  15 B. 
     The horizontal locking screws  13 D mounted onto an angle support  13 E are positioned toward the rim  15 C at an angle complementary to the angle of the rim  15 C and when the screws  13 D are fastened they lock the upper base  15  into the horizontal set position about the horizontal axis H by the pressure of the tightened screws  15 D. 
     The vertical locking screws  15 D are mounted onto holders  15 E which are parallel to the tongues  15 B and when the screws  15 D are fastened they drive the tongue onto the body of the center segment  18  by the screw pressure, thereby locking the center segment  18  into its vertical set position about the vertical axis V. 
     The center segment  8  shown in FIGS. 4A-4B consists of two half center segment covers  8 B and  8 D, a lens with a picture pickup device  8 Z and a lens pane  8 C. The diameter of the curvature of the surface of the lens pane  8 C is identical to the diameter of the elongated dome; therefore the lens pane  8 C can be installed into the half center segment cover  8 B in a perfect matching circular surface. 
     The size and shape of the lens pane  8 C is similar to commonly used sunglasses and it is very simple to produce such pane in a perfect optical clearance, with no distortion. It is also very simple to darkly tint the lens pane  8 C and the half center segments  8 B and  8 D identically; thereby the lens pane  8 C becomes inconspicuous. 
     The center segment  18  of FIGS. 3A-3C is very similar in its construction to the center segment  8  shown in FIGS. 4A-4B, except for the pivotally rotating joint parts (not shown) which in the center segment  8  are connected to a tilting motor  8 A that provides their tilting movement, while for the center segment  18  no such tie-up to a tilting motor is needed. 
     It can be clearly seen that the center segments  8  and  18  can be fixedly set or remotely rotated around their vertical axis V and that the camera body  7  of FIG.  2  and the television camera  10  of FIGS. 3A-3B are similar in their inconspicuous appearance, with the exception that the camera body  7  is longer. Both the camera body  7  and the television camera  10  look like an elongated dome or a cylinder that is domed at its lower end or the optical pickup end and is perpendicularly flat at its upper end or the mechanical attaching end, and which can be fixedly set or remotely rotated about its horizontal H axis to observe surround scenes. 
     It will also become obvious that the camera body  7  and the television camera  10  can be combined with camera holders or base plates for mounting on vertical structure such as walls, poles and the like. 
     A television camera  20  of FIG. 5 comprises the camera body  7 , a wall mounting plate  23 , a camera holder  25 , an upper cover  29  and a mounting box  21  to be embedded inside a vertical structure such as a wall or a pole. The wall mounting plate  23  uses screws  21 D or other fasteners for attaching the plate to the mounting box  21  through mounting holes  23 D; similarly screws  25 E or other fasteners may be used for attaching the camera holder  25  perpendicularly to the wall mounting plate  23 , with the camera holder  25  having its center  25 A coincide with the outer surface  23 E of the wall mounting plate; thereby the horizontal axis H of the camera body  7  is aligned with the outer surface  23 E. 
     The camera holder  25  is also fixedly attached to the rotor of the motor  7 D of the camera body  7  shown in FIG. 2, using screws  5 E, and this allows the camera body  7  to rotate freely about its horizontal axis H under the camera holder  25  and inside a cutout  23 F of the wall mounting plate  23 . 
     The camera holder  25  shown in FIG. 5 comprises a set of electrical terminals  25 B which are extended through copper lines  25 C, shown by dotted lines under the camera holder  25 , so that the top section of the slip ring assembly  7 C shown in FIG. 2 which consists of a matching number of conductive layer  4 C will make an electrical contact with the extended copper lines  25 C of electrical terminals  25 B. Therefore, when the camera holder  25  is attached to the rotor of the motor  7 D of the camera body  7  by the screws  5 E the contacts  25 B become electrically connected with the slip ring assembly  7 C through the extended copper lines  25 C and the conductive layer  4 C while the camera body  7  can be remotely rotated about the horizontal axis H. 
     When the top cover  29  which is a semicircular cover having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the camera body  7  is locked onto the camera holder  25  using screws  29 D it covers the camera holder  25  and a top portion of the camera body  7  along with the cutout area  23 G in the wall mounting plate through which wires and mounting screws are reachable and visible. Thereby the half of the television camera  20  is exposed, which looks like a half covered elongated dome shaped television camera that is mounted on a vertical surface such as a wall, to be remotely rotated to observe varying scenes in front of the wall. 
     However, the television camera  20  obviously limits the rotation of the camera body  7  about its horizontal axis H to less than 180°, or to an angle in which the lens pane  83  is not optically obstructed by the wall mounting plate  23 . 
     A television camera  20 A of FIG. 5A also comprises the camera body  7 , a wall mounting plate  23 A, camera holder  25 , an upper cover  29 A and a mounting box  21 A to be embedded inside the vertical structure such as a wall or a pole. The wall mounting plate  23 A uses screws  21 D or other fasteners for attaching the plate to the mounting box  21 A through the mounting holes  23 D. Similarly, screws  25 E or other fasteners may be used for attaching the camera holder  25  perpendicularly to the wall mounting plate  23 A with the camera holder  25  having its center  25 A protruding from the outer surface  23 H of the wall mounting plate. This enables camera body  7  to rotate 180° about the horizontal axis H of camera body  7  without having the lens pane  83  optically obstructed by the wall mounting plate  23 A. 
     The cutout  23 J in the wall mounting plate  23 A is smaller than the cutout  23 F of the wall mounting plate  23  to match the smaller segment of the camera body  7  that projects into the mounting box  21 A. Similarly, the mounting box  21 A is shallower than the mounting box  21 . 
     The wall mounting plate  23 A further comprises two rims  23 K each projected from the outer surface  23 H of the mounting plate to cover one side of the segment of the camera body  7  which extends from the outer surface  23 H and up to the semicircle line  7 L of the camera body  7  and each rim has a cutout portion  23 M through which the lens pane  83  will not be optically obstructed when the camera body is rotated to its extreme left or right position, thereby providing for an 1800 horizontal positioning angle about the horizontal H axis with no optical obstruction. 
     The elongated semicircular cover  29 A is similar to the semicircular top cover  29  of FIG. 5 but is elongated to the same extent to that the camera body  7  center protrudes from the wall mounting surface  23 H and when the top cover  29 A is locked onto the camera holder  25  it covers the camera holder  25  and the top portion of the camera body  7  along with the cutout area  23 N in the wall mounting plate  23 A through which wires and mounting screws are reachable and visible. Thereby the television camera  20 A looks as a partially covered elongated dome shaped television camera that is mounted on a vertical surface such as a wall to be freely and remotely rotated up to 180° about its horizontal axis H to any and all scenes in front of the wall. 
     The camera  20 B of FIG. 5B also looks like a partially covered elongated dome shaped television camera that can be rotated up to 180° about its horizontal axis H without obstructing its optical path, the television camera  20 B, however, can be installed flush onto a vertical surface such as a wall or a pole without the use of a mounting box to provide for mounting the television camera  20 B in places were mounting boxes cannot be buried inside the vertical structure. 
     A television camera  20 B of FIG. 5B also comprises the camera body  7 , wall mounting plate  23 B, camera holder  25  and upper cover  29 B. The wall mounting plate  23 B uses screws  23 V or other fasteners for attaching the plate directly to a vertical structure such as a wall, through the mounting holes  23 D, similarly, screws  25 E or other fasteners may be used for attaching the camera holder  25  perpendicularly to the wall mounting plate  23 B with the camera holder  25  having its center  25 A protruding from the outer surface  23 P of the wall mounting plate by such an extent to allow free rotation of the camera body  7  around its horizontal axis H, without being obstructed by the wall mounting plate  23 B. 
     Instead of two rims  23 K of the wall mounting plate  23 A projecting to cover two sides of the camera body  7 , the wall mounting  23 B comprises a single rim  23 R surrounding the camera body  7 , extending from the mounting plate outer surface  23 P up to the semicircle line  7 L of the camera body  7  and having a cutout portion  23 S through which the lens pane  83  will not be optically obstructed when the camera body is rotated to its extreme left or right position, thereby providing for an 180° horizontal positioning angle about the horizontal H axis with no optical obstruction. 
     The elongated semicircular cover  29 B is similar to the elongated semicircular top cover  29 A of FIG. 5A but is further elongated to the same extent such that the center of the camera body  7  protrudes from the wall mounting outer surface  23 P and when the top cover  29 B is locked onto the camera holder  25  it covers the camera holder  25  and the top portion of the camera body  7  along with the cutout area  23 T in the wall mounting plate  23 B, through which wires and mounting screws are reachable and visible. Thereby the television camera  20 B looks like a partially covered elongated dome shaped television camera that is mounted on a vertical surface such as a wall to be freely and remotely rotated up to 180° about its horizontal axis H to any and all scenes in front of the wall. 
     The television cameras  30 ,  30 A and  30 B of FIGS. 6,  6 A and  6 B respectively, are similar to the television cameras  20 ,  20 A and  20 B, respectively with the exception of the camera holder  25  and the camera body  7 . 
     The television cameras  30 ,  30 A and  30 B each comprises the television camera  10  of FIGS. 3A-3B, which can be fixedly positioned around its horizontal axis H and vertical axis V, but is not remotely rotated. Since the length of the television camera  10  is shorter than that of the camera body  7  the height of the wall mounting plates  33 ,  33 A and  33 B and the mounting boxes  31  and  31 A of cameras  30 ,  30 A and  30 B are shorter to fit the shorter television camera  10 . Similarly the two rims  33 K of camera  30 A and the single rim  33 R of camera  30 B are shorter than the rims  23 K of camera  20 A and  23 R of camera  20 B. 
     Camera mounts  35 ,  35 A and  35 B do not incorporate any terminals or copper lines for propagating electrical signals or power to a slip ring and each mount therefore becomes a simple mechanical holder for fixedly mounting the television camera  10  to it, using screws  35 D or other fasteners. The camera mount is perpendicularly attached to the wall mounting plates  33 ,  33 A and  33 B using screws  35 E or other fasteners. 
     Identical semicircular top cover  29  and the elongated semicircular top covers  29 A and  29 B are used to cover the camera mount  35  and the top portion of the television camera  10  along with the cutout  33 G,  33 N and  33 T of the wall mounting plates  33 ,  33 A and  33 B respectively; thereby the partly-exposed television camera  30  looks like a half covered elongated dome shaped television camera that is mounted on a vertical surface such as a wall to be fixedly set to observe scenes in front of the wall, while the television cameras  30 A and  30 B look like partially covered elongated dome shaped television cameras that are mounted on a vertical surface such as a wall to be fixedly set for up to 180° about their horizontal axis H to any and all scenes in front of the wall without optical obstruction. 
     A television camera  40  of FIG. 7 looks like another well-known television camera comprising a dome-shaped enclosure mounted onto a lowered ceiling layer known as a drop ceiling. The television camera  40  comprises a drop ceiling base  41 , camera unit  7  and a circular cover  49 . The drop ceiling base  41  is inserted into a cutout in the drop ceiling all the way up to rim  41 B and is fixedly attached to drop ceiling  42  by tightening screws  41 C of latches  41 A to lock rim  41 B of drop ceiling base  41  into the drop ceiling. The drop ceiling base  41  comprises two holder hooks  3 A, dual studs  3 C and the electrical contacts  4 A similar to the holder hooks  3 A, studs  3 C and electrical contacts  4 A of the base plate  3  of the television camera  1  of FIGS. 1A-1B. 
     The camera holder  5  is attached to the drop ceiling base  41  in the same way as it is attached to the base plate  3  of FIGS. 1A-1B and it is locked through the holder hooks  3 A and is fixedly bolted onto the studs  3 C and, when the cover ring  49  is attached to the drop ceiling base rim  41 E using screws or other fasteners the television camera  40  looks like a well-known television camera that is enclosed in a dome mounted onto a drop ceiling with only the assembled rim and the domed portion of the camera unit  7  projected under the drop ceiling. 
     A television camera  50  of FIG. 8 which looks like a well-known television camera is enclosed in a waterproof enclosure to be installed in outdoor environment exposed to rain or snow. As shown in FIG. 14, the television camera  50  comprises a base plate  51  which is fixedly attached to a ceiling or to any other horizontal plane and contains similarly to the base plate  1  of FIGS. 1A-1B an electrical contact  4 A for propagating power, control signals, video signals and other signals to the electrical contacts of the camera holder  5 , a pair of holder hooks  3 A for locking the camera holder  5  into the base plate  51  and two studs  3 C for bolting the camera holder  5  into the base plate  51 . The base plate  51  further comprises four studs  51 C for fastening a cover  59  onto the base plate  51  by four screws  59 S with each of the studs enclosing a sealing rubber washer  51 S which prevents water from entering the base plate  51  via mounting holes  59 C in the cover  59 , a water sealed cable inlet  51 D and a surrounding groove  51 F for enclosing an “O” ring seal  51 G. 
     The groove  5 F surrounding the camera holder  5  of FIG. 8 also provides for enclosing an “O” ring  5 G. The camera holder  5  of FIG. 8 is similar to the camera holder  5  of FIG.  2  and comprises a set of electrical contacts  4 B, a set of protruding convexes  5 A to which the holder hooks  3 A are locked when the camera holder  5  is attached to the base plate  51  and dual arms  5 D for bolting the camera holder  5  onto the studs  3 C of the base  51 . 
     The camera holder  5  is fixedly attached to the rotor of the motor  5 D exactly as shown in FIG. 2 of the camera body  7  using screws  5 E, thereby the camera body  70  can be freely rotated about its horizontal axis H inside the camera holder  5 , similarly to the camera body  7  with the exception that the camera body  70  is provided with “O” rings, oil seals and other seals so that the camera body  70  can be mounted in outdoor environment and can be exposed to direct rain or snow. 
     The cover  59  comprises two rims  59 A and  59 B complementary to a groove  51 F of the base plate  51  enclosing the “O” ring seal  51 G and to groove  5 F of the camera holder  5  enclosing the “O” ring seal  5 G and four screw holes with inner studs  59 C to complement the four studs  51 C each enclosing rubber washer  51 S. Therefore, when the cover  59  is fixedly attached and fastened to the base plate  51  using the screws  59 S, rims  59 A and  59 B will put pressure on the oil seals e.g. O-rings  59 G and  5 G, while the inner studs  59 C will pressure the rubber washers  51 S which together completely seal the entire inner space between the base plate  51 , the camera holder  5  and the cover  59 . 
     The camera body  70  of FIG. 8A is identical in its structure to the camera body  7  of FIG. 2, however the camera body  70  comprises two “O” rings  70 B for sealing the elongated segments  8 L and  8 R, “O” ring  70 C for sealing the center segment  8 , “O” ring  70 D for sealing the upper base  7 B, a pair of oil seals  70 E for sealing the rotating joints between the center segment  8  and the elongated segments  8 L and  8 R, an oil seal  70 G for sealing the rotating joint between the camera holder  5  and the camera body  7  (as shown in detail in FIG. 13) and two rubber seals  70 V and  70 W for sealing the fixed joints between the upper base  7 B and the elongated segments  8 L and  8 R. 
     The elongated segments  8 L and  8 R have a left-hand base  8 H, a right-hand base  8 K which is similar to the left base  8 H and two covers  8 G which are identical. The covers  8 G each have a groove  8 M each enclosing one of the “O” rings  70 B while each of the bases  8 H and  8 K comprise a rim  8 S which is complementary to the grooves  8 M for pressure the “O” rings when the covers  8 G are attached to the left-hand and right-hand bases  8 H and  8 K, thereby sealing the elongated segments  8 L and  8 R. 
     The left-hand cover  8 B of the center segment  8  has a groove  8 P enclosing the “O” ring seal  70 C while the right-hand cover  8 D has a rim  8 Q that complements the groove  8 P. The right-hand cover  8 B further has six studs  8 U each enclosing a rubber washer seal  70 F, while the left-hand cover  8 D has complementary studs  8 Y, each positioned at the center of the hole of the fastening screw  8 N, thereby when the left-hand and right-hand covers  8 B and  8 D are fastened together by screws  8 N, the rim  8 Q press on the “O” ring seal  70 C while the studs  8 Y put pressure on the rubber washer seals  70 V to thereby seal the center segment  8  against water leaks. 
     The upper base cover  7 A has a groove  70 R enclosing “O” ring seal  70 D while the rim  7 Q of upper base  7 B is complementary to the groove  70 R and thereby when the upper base cover  7 A is fastened to the upper base  7 B the rim  7 Q presses the “O” ring  70 D and seals the upper base  7 B. 
     The upper base cover  7 A further has four  4  studs  7 U each enclosing a rubber washer  70 S for sealing the screw holes  7 T of the upper base cover  7 A for preventing water from penetrating through the holes. 
     The upper base  7 B further includes four complementary studs  7 M each directed at the center of the screw holes  7 T so that when the upper base cover  7 A is tightened by screws  7 N the rubber washers  70 S are pressed upon and seal the screw holes. 
     The left-hand and right-hand elongated segments  8 L and  8 R are attached fixedly to the upper base  7 B using the rubber seals  70 V and  70 W and screws  7 Z to tighten the seals  70 V and  70 W between the bottom surface of the upper base  7 B and the top surface of the left-hand and right-hand elongated segments  8 L and  8 R, thereby sealing the entire attachment area between the upper base  7 B and the left and right-hand elongated segments  8 L and  8 R to prevent water from leaking into the elongated segments and the upper base. 
     The two rotating joints of the left and right-hand elongated segments  8 L and  8 R and the center segment  8  and the rotating joint of the camera unit  7  and the camera holder  5  use well-known oil seals for protecting the rotation joints against water leak. Each of the left and right-hand bases  8 K and  8 H of the elongated segments  8 L and  8 R has a ring  8 F surrounding the joint and extending from the surface  8 V to enclose the respective oil seal  70 E. The center segment further comprises on each of its covers  8 B and  8 D a ring  8 E to compliment the inner hole of each of the oil seals  70 E and an indentation  8 Y having a diameter larger than the diameter of ring  8 F. The indentation  8 Y is deeper than the height of ring  8 F, while the ring  8 E rises from the surface of the indentation  8 Y sufficiently to ensure a good sealing contact with the inner hole of the oil seal  70 E. It becomes apparent that the oil seal will prevent water from leaking into the rotating joints and that the protruding ring  8 F will not obstruct the rotation of the center segment  8  around its vertical axis V. 
     As shown in FIG. 13, the camera holder  5  further comprises an inner ring  5 G around its horizontal axis H, projecting from the inner surface  5 M of its top plane and enclosing the oil seal  70 G. As seen from FIG. 8A, the upper base cover  7 A further comprises a ring  7 E surrounding the PCB assembly  4 P of the slip ring assembly  7 C of FIG.  2 . The ring  7 E protrudes from the top surface of the upper base cover  7 A sufficiently to ensure a good sealing contact with the inner hole of oil seal  70 G thereby preventing water from leaking into the rotating joint between the camera holder  5  and the camera unit  7 . 
     The cable inlet  51 D of FIG. 14 which is shown in detail in FIG. 14A comprises a two-way cable feed wherein a surface laid cable can be inserted into the base plate  51  through the side wall  51 J by cutting out the cable entry  51 K for directing the surface laid cable to the cable inlet  51 D, or directing a conduit run cable through the open cavity  51 V of the rear side of the base plate and feeding the cable directly through the cable inlet  51 D. The cable inlet comprises a hole  51 L for feeding the cable  51 M, a tapered portion  51 N for accommodating the tapered cable grommet  51 Q and a thread portion  51 P for fastening a grommet locking nut  51 W and tightening the cable grommet  51 Q onto the cable  51 M, thereby sealing the cable inlet and preventing water from leaking through the cable passage. 
     It is apparent that the camera body  70  is sealed throughout the joints of its basic parts, through its cable inlet and through its rotating joints and it is also apparent that the television camera  50  can be installed in outdoor environment exposed to rain and snow, with no water leaking into the camera. 
     A television camera  60  of FIGS. 9A-9C comprises the camera unit  70  of FIG.  8 A and an outdoor cover  68 , a pipe  65  and a flange assembly  63  and looks like a well-known pendant mounted domed television camera. 
     The outdoor cover  68  has a shell  67  having a shape of a bell or of an acorn cup, a base assembly  61  and a circular cover  69 . The base assembly  61  of a similar arrangement to the base plate  51  of FIG. 8 includes an electrical contact  4 A for propagating power, control, video and other signals to the electrical contacts of the camera holder  5 , a pair of holder hooks  3 A for locking the camera holder  5  into the base assembly  61  and two studs  3 C for bolting the camera holder  5  into the base assembly  61 . 
     The base assembly  61  further comprises four studs  61 C for fastening the circular cover  69  onto the rim of the base plate  61  by four screws  69 S, and a surrounding groove  61 F for enclosing an “O” ring seal  61 G and an “O” ring seal  61 N surrounding the outer rim  61 M of the base assembly  61 . The base assembly  61  is attached to the shell  67  by four screws  61 P through mounting holes  61 D which are complementary to four studs  67 D of the shell  67 . Tightening of the screws  61 P will pressure the “O” ring  61 N between the outer rim  61 M of the base assembly  61  and the rim  67 M of the shell  67  thereby sealing the entire surrounding of the shell  67 . 
     The groove  5 F surrounding the camera holder  5  of FIG. 8A encloses an “O” ring  5 G. The camera holder  5  includes a set of electrical contacts  4 B, a set of protruding convexes  5 A to which the holder hooks  3 A are locked when the camera holder  5  is attached to the base assembly  61  and dual arms  5 D for bolting the camera holder  5  onto the studs  3 C of the base assembly  61 . 
     Similarly to the television camera  50  of FIG. 8, the camera holder  5  is fixedly attached to the rotor of the motor  5 D shown in FIG. 2 of the camera body  70  using screws  5 E, thereby the camera body  70  can be freely rotated about its horizontal axis H inside the camera holder  5  and is provided with “O” rings, oil seals and other seals so that the camera body  70  can be mounted in outdoor environment and can be exposed to direct rain or snow. 
     The circular cover  69  comprises two rims  69 A and  69 B complementary to the groove  61 F of the base plate  61  enclosing the “O” ring seal  61 G and to the groove  5 F of the camera holder  5  enclosing the “O” ring seal  5 G and four screw holes  69 C. Therefore, when the cover  69  is fixedly attached and fastened to the base assembly  61  using the screws  69 S the rims  69 A and  69 B will pressure the oil seals  69 G and  5 G to seal the base assembly  61  and the camera holder  5 . 
     The outdoor cover  68  has an opening with a thread  68 T at the center of its top end for a pipe  65 . Different shapes of pipe  65  are shown in FIG.  9 C. The pipe  65  can be straight for pendant mounting the television camera  60  under a ceiling or under other horizontal planes or structures; the pipe can be formed or bent into L shape  65 L for mounting the television camera  60  on walls or other vertical structures, or the pipe can be bent into U shape for mounting the television camera  60  on top of the pole or on top of other horizontal plane or structures. 
     The pipe  65  is threaded into an opening  68 T using a well-known plumber&#39;s sealant tape to ensure that water will not leak into the television camera  60 . The pipe  65  further comprises two nuts  65 N, one to counter lock the pipe to the outer cover  68  and the other to counter lock the pipe to the flange assembly  63 . 
     The flange assembly  63  comprises a flange body  63 A, a flange cover  63 B, a PCB assembly  63 E and a cable inlet  63 F. 
     The flange body  63 A has mounting holes  63 H for mounting the flange assembly on vertical or horizontal structures using screws  63 J. The cable inlet  63 F is a waterproof cable inlet similar to the cable inlet  51 D of the base plate  51  of FIG. 8A wherein a surface laid cable or a conduit run cable can be fed through it and sealed from the inside portion of the flange using cable grommet  51 Q and grommet locking nut  51 W. The PCB  63 E comprises terminals  63 K for connecting the cable fed through the cable inlet  63 F and a socket  63 M. 
     The cable  63 C connecting the television camera  60  with the flange assembly  63  passes through the pipe  65  and through the opening  63 Y of the flange cover  63 B and is terminated by a connector  63 N for connecting to a socket  63 M, thereby completing the connections between a cable fed to the flange assembly  63  and the television camera  60  by the cable  63 C and via the pipe  65 . 
     The flange body  63 A further has a circular seal  63 G to seal between the flange assembly top face and the flange cover  63 B when the bolts  63 S tighten the flange cover  63 B to the flange body  63 A. 
     The pipe  65  is threaded into the opening  63 Y using a well-known plumber&#39;s sealant tape to ensure that water will not leak into the flange assembly  63  and the nut  65 N is used for counter locking the pipe to the cover  63 B of the flange assembly  63 . 
     It becomes clear that the television camera  60  comprising the camera unit  70  and outdoor cover  68  supported by pipe  65  and flange assembly  63  can be mounted outdoors exposed to rain or snow and that water will not leak into the camera unit, the pipe or the flange assembly. 
     If the television camera  60  is installed indoors all the seals used for the television camera  60  and camera unit  70  become unnecessary. Similarly, the flange assembly  63  may be replaced by other type of flanges for attaching the pipe to a ceiling, wall or pole, be it indoors or outdoors. 
     The television camera  80  of FIGS. 10A-10C comprises a camera  85  which is a modified television camera  17  of FIGS. 3A-3C, an outdoor cover  88 , pipe  65  and flange assembly  63  and looks like a well-known pendant mounted domed television camera. 
     The outdoor cover  88  comprises a shell  87  having a shape of a bell or of an acorn cup and a base assembly  81  to which the elongated segments  18 L and  18 R are attached. The base assembly  81  is attached to the shell  87  by four. screws  81 A and comprises an outer rim  81 B and a groove  81 C enclosing an “O” ring seal  81 D. When the base assembly is attached to the outer shell  87  and fastened by the screws  81 A into studs  87 A of the outer shell  87  the “O” ring seal  81 D is pressure against the bottom rim  87 B thereby sealing the entire surrounding of the outer shell  87 . 
     The outdoor cover  88  comprises an opening with a thread  88 T at the center of its top end for pipe  65 . Different shapes of pipe  65  are shown in FIG.  20 C. The pipe  65  can be straight for pendant mounting the television camera  80  under horizontal structures or it can be formed or bent into L shape  65 L or U shape  65 U for mounting the television camera  80  the same way the camera  60  is mounted. 
     The pipe  65  is threaded into opening  88 T using a well-known plumber&#39;s sealant tape to ensure that the water will not leak into the television camera  80  in exactly the same manner as television camera  60 ; however the fixedly positioned television camera  80  can be rotated about its horizontal axis H by rotating the outdoor cover  88  about the pipe  65  and counter locking the television camera  80  into position by the nut  65 N. This makes the horizontal positioning setting method of the television camera  17  unnecessary and the elongated segments  18 L and  18 R of the camera  85  are therefore attached directly to the base assembly  81  instead of to the upper base  15  of the embodiment of FIGS. 3A-3C and the upper base  15  of FIGS. 3A-3C is not needed and not used with the camera  85 . 
     The camera  85  of FIG. 10 is identical in its structure to having the camera elongated segments  8 L and  8 R and the center segment  8  of FIG. 8A, with the exception of the cable inlets  85 L. The camera comprises two “O” rings  70 B for sealing the elongated segments  8 L and  8 R, “O” ring  70 C for sealing the center segment  8  and two oil seals  70 E for sealing the rotating joints between the center segment  8  and the elongated segments  8 L and  8 R. 
     The left and right-hand elongated segments  8 L and  8 R are attached fixedly to the base assembly  81  using screws  81 Z and by this arrangement the seals ensure that water will not leak into the elongated segment  8 L and  8 R, nor to the center segment  8  or to the rotating joints between the elongated segments and the center segment. 
     The camera  85  comprises its electronic parts, assemblies and connectors inside the sealed cavities of the elongated segments  8 L and  8 R while the sealed cavity of the center segment  8  houses optical parts and assemblies and the remaining electronic parts and assemblies; thereby the feeding of the electrical cable or cables for connecting the camera  85  directly to one of the elongated segments  8 L or  8 R or both through the water sealed cable inlets  85 L ensures that no water may leak into the camera through the cable passage as well. The cable inlet  85  is similar to the cable inlet  51 D of the base plate  51  of FIG.  8  and has a hole  51 L for feeding a cable, a tapered portion  51 N for accommodating the tapered cable grommet  51 Q and a thread portion  51 P for fastening the grommet locking nut  51 W and tightening the cable grommet  51 Q onto the cable, thereby sealing the cable inlet. 
     The base assembly  81  further comprises a tongue  81 E to lock the vertical setting of the center segment  8  about its vertical axis V. The flexible tongue supported by a locking screw  81 F which pushes the tongue onto the center segment by tightening the screw  81 F, thereby locking the center segment into position. 
     The flange assembly  63  used for the television camera  80  is identical to the flange assembly  63  used for the television camera  60 . 
     It becomes clear that the television camera  80  comprising the camera  85  and outdoor cover  88  supported by pipe  65  and flange assembly  63  can be mounted outdoors exposed to rain or snow and that water will not leak into the camera, pipe or flange assembly. 
     A television camera  90  of FIG. 11A-11C comprises a camera unit  95  which combines the camera unit  85  of FIG. 10 mounted onto the upper base  15  along with the base plate  13  of FIG.  3 C and an outdoor cover  98 , pipe  65  and flange assembly  63  and looks like a pendant mounted domed television camera having an oval or acorn shape. 
     The outdoor cover  98  having an outer diameter and a circumference identical to the diameter and circumference of the camera  85  of FIG. 10A comprises a groove  98 A for enclosing an “O” ring seal  98 B and four studs  98 C for attaching the base plate  13  to the outdoor cover  98  using four screws  98 D. Tightening of the screws  98 D will pressure the “O” ring  98 B between the outer rim  13 E of the base plate  13  and the rim  98 A of the outdoor cover  98  thereby sealing the entire surrounding of the outer cover  98 . 
     The outdoor cover  98  further has an opening with a thread  98 T at the center of its top end for pipe  65 . The pipe  65  can be straight for a pendant mounting of the television camera  80  under horizontal structures or it can be formed or bent into L shape  65 L or U shape  65 U for mounting the television camera  80  the same way as the camera  60  is mounted. 
     The pipe  65  is threaded into the opening  88 T using a well-known plumber&#39;s sealant tape to ensure that water will not leak into the television camera  90  in exactly the same manner the television camera  60  is mounted; however the fixedly positioned television camera  90  can be rotated about its horizontal axis H by rotating the outdoor cover  98  about the pipe  65  and counter locking the television camera  90  into position by the nut  65 N. This makes the horizontal positioning setting method of the television camera  90  superfluous because the elongated segments  18 L and  18 R of the camera  95  are mounted onto the upper base  15  of the embodiment of FIGS. 3A-3C which can also be used for the horizontal positioning. 
     The camera  95  of FIG. 11B is identical in its structure to the camera having elongated segments  8 L and  8 R and the center segment  8  of FIG. 8A, with the exception of the cable inlets  85 L. The camera comprises two “O” rings  70 B for sealing the elongated segments  18 L and  18 R, an “O” ring  70 C for sealing the center segment  18  and two oil seals  70 E for sealing the rotating joints between the center segment  18  and the elongated segments  18 L and  18 R. 
     The setup of the center segment  18  supported by the left and right-hand elongated segments  18 L and  18 R which are attached fixedly to the upper base  15  instead of to the base assembly  81  of the camera  80  of FIG. 10 similarly ensures that water will not leak into the elongated segments  18 L and  18 R, nor to the center segment  18  or to the rotating joints between the elongated segments  18 L and  18 R and the center segment  18 . 
     It becomes clear that the television camera  90  having a shape of an acorn and comprising the camera  95  mounted onto the upper base  15  and the base plate  13  and outdoor cover  98  supported by pipe  65  and flange assembly  63  can be mounted outdoors exposed to rain or snow and that water will not leak into the camera, the pipe or the flange assembly. 
     Shown in FIGS.  12 ( a-e ) are clear, tinted or semitransparent dome covers  99  attached to the cover  9  of FIGS. 1A-1B as shown in  12   a , to the circular cover  49  of FIG. 7 as shown in FIG. 12 c , to the cover  59  of FIG. 8 as shown in FIG. 12 b , to the circular cover  69  of FIG. 9 as shown in FIG. 12 d  and to the base assembly  81  of FIG. 10 as shown in FIG. 12 e . The hemispherical dome covers  99  having their center core intersect with the center core of the television cameras  1 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60  and  80  are attached by means of bonding or supersonic welding to the covers, circular covers or to the base assembly or the hemispherical dome cover and the covers may be made by injection molding to form a single molded part. In cases when the dome cover  99  with the cover  9  or  59 , or the dome cover  99  with the circular covers  49  and  69  or the dome cover  99  with the base assembly  81  are attached to the television cameras  1 ,  40 ,  50 ,  60  and  80  instead of the covers, circular covers or the base assembly the television cameras will look like well-known hemispherical covered dome cameras. 
     It will of course, be understood by those skilled in the art that the particular embodiment of the invention here presented is by way of illustration only, and is meant to be in no way restrictive, therefore, numerous changes and modifications may be made, and the full use of equivalents resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.