Patent Publication Number: US-2011052179-A1

Title: Mounting device for security camera

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) the benefit of Korean Application No. 10-2009-0079936 filed on Aug. 27, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to mounting devices for security cameras and, more particularly, to a mounting device for a security camera, wherein a mounting plate means is first fastened and then a cover means is fitted into the mounting plate means when the security camera is mounted to the wall or ceiling of a building, thus enabling the security camera to be easily and conveniently mounted. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Generally, security cameras (including CCTV cameras) are installed for surveillance in specific places and then used to monitor images from a remote place. These security cameras are mainly installed in or outside areas that may need surveillance such as offices, houses, hospitals, banks, and public establishments and are used to control people&#39;s entry or prevent crimes. In recent years, the installation of the security cameras is increasing in underground parking lots where the number of crimes is on the rise, roads for illegal parking control, or residential areas where various accidents frequently take place. 
     In order to meet the purpose of the security cameras, the security cameras must be mounted in a position and a direction that need the most careful surveillance. In the case where the security camera is mounted to the ceiling, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a support member  10  is fastened to the ceiling, and a coupling pipe  20  is rotatably coupled to the support member  10 , with an electric wire passing through the coupling pipe  20 . An upper bracket  30  is attached to the lower end of the coupling pipe  20 , and a lower bracket  40  is provided under the upper bracket  30 . The upper and lower brackets  30  and  40  are coupled to rotate relative to each other. Arc-shaped guide grooves are formed in opposite sides of the upper bracket  30 , each guide groove having a rotating shaft at a center thereof. Thus, with the lower bracket  40  rotating along the guide grooves, the lower bracket  40  may be secured using fastening screws. The lower part of a camera housing and the lower bracket  40  are screwed to each other such that the camera housing is disposed in a rectangular space defined by the lower bracket  40  and the upper bracket  30 . The camera housing comprises an upper housing  50  and a lower housing  60 . A connection member is fitted into a lower portion inside the lower housing  60  so as to connect all of the lower bracket  40 , the lower housing  60 , and the lower side of a security camera C to each other. With the camera C secured to the lower housing  60 , it is covered by the upper housing  50  and then is secured at opposite sides thereof by fastening screws. 
     In the case of mounting the security camera on a sidewall, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a support member  10  is fastened to the sidewall, a mounting plate  20 ′ is provided on the front end of the support member  10 , and a camera housing accommodating the security camera C therein is rotatably positioned above the mounting plate  20 ′. The camera housing comprises an upper housing  50  and a lower housing  60 , so that the upper and lower housings  50  and  60  are connected at predetermined portions on opposite sides thereof by means of fastening screws  61 . An upper rotary part  30 ′ and a lower rotary part  40 ′ are provided between the bottom of the lower housing  60  and the mounting plate  20 ′ in such a way as to rotate in a vertical direction. Also, the bottom of the lower rotary part  40 ′ and the mounting plate  20 ′ are rotatably coupled to each other. 
     Further, a connection member is fitted into a lower portion inside the lower housing  60  so as to connect all of the upper rotary part  30 ′, the lower housing  60 , and the lower side of the security camera C to each other. With the camera C secured to the lower housing  60 , it is covered by the upper housing  50  and then is secured at opposite sides thereof by fastening screws. 
     Thus, in the aforesaid general mounting structure for the security camera, it is possible to adjust the tilt angle and the planar rotation angle of the security camera C. However, when a user desires to adjust the frontal rotation angle of the security camera C, that is, the rotation angle of the security camera C itself, no structure for adjusting this rotation angle is provided, so that there is never a method that adjusts the rotation angle. Further, a cable is exposed to the outside, so that an invader may cut the exposed cable, and thus the function of the camera may be lost. 
     Meanwhile, in order to solve the aforesaid problems, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a coupling means S for coupling a security camera C with a mounting plate T may be coupled to the mounting plate T, and then the mounting plate T may be fastened to a wall or ceiling. However, this makes the use of a tool H inconvenient, so that installation work requires a long time. Further, bolts and screws cannot be completely tightened, so that the fastening force is not strong, and thereby the camera may fall and break, after a long time has passed and the fastening means (bolts and screws) become loose. 
     Further, the fastening means (bolts and screws) securing the mounting plate T to the wall or ceiling are exposed to the outside (frontal direction), so that it is poor in appearance and an invader may loosen the fastening means (bolts and screws) to eliminate the function of the camera. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mounting device for a security camera, wherein a mounting plate is first fastened and then a main body is installed when the security camera is mounted to the wall or ceiling of a building, thus enabling the security camera to be easily and conveniently mounted, and fastening means (bolts and screws) are not exposed to the outside (frontal direction), thus providing a good appearance, and preventing the camera from falling down to the bottom even though the fastening means (bolts and screws) become loose, therefore preventing the camera from being broken. 
     In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a mounting device for a security camera, including a mounting plate means including a mounting plate which has a plurality of mounting holes to mount the mounting plate means to a wall, and a pocket part which is integrally provided on a predetermined portion of the mounting plate and has an insert space; and a cover means including a body which has on a central portion thereof a coupling sleeve, with a camera coupling means being coupled to the coupling sleeve, and an insert part which is integrally provided on the body and fitted into the insert space. 
     A mounting hole located at an uppermost position may have a shape of   and a drain hole may be formed in a bottom of the pocket part. 
     A coupling piece may be integrally provided on the bottom of the pocket part and fitted into a coupling hole of the cover means. A drain recess may be provided on the insert part of the body. 
     A step may be provided on the insert part of the body to allow the pocket part and the body to be on the same plane when the mounting plate means is coupled with the cover means. 
     A groove may be provided to prevent the insert part fitted into the pocket part from being caught by a bolt and a screw when the mounting plate means is secured to a wall or ceiling using the bolt and the screw. 
     Further, fastening holes having a common center may be formed, respectively, in the pocket part and the insert part. The mounting device may further include sticker means on which a marker is indicated, a center of the marker being aligned with a center of a corresponding mounting hole before the mounting plate means is secured to the wall or ceiling. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  are perspective views showing conventional mounting structures for security cameras; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view showing another mounting structure for a security camera; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the structure of a mounting device for a security camera according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the mounting device for the security camera according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view showing the structure of the mounting device for the security camera according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view showing the state in which a coupling piece of a pocket part that is the important part of the present invention is fitted into a coupling hole of a cover means; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing a coupling structure of the cover means that is the important part of the present invention with a mounting plate means; 
         FIG. 9  is a view illustrating a method of installing the mounting device for the security camera according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a view illustrating another method of installing the mounting device for the security camera according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a mounting device for a security camera according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing the structure of a mounting device for a security camera according to an embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the mounting device for the security camera according to the present invention, and  FIG. 6  is a sectional view showing the structure of the mounting device for the security camera according to the present invention. Referring to the drawings, the mounting device for the security camera C according to the present invention includes a mounting plate means  200  and a cover means  100 . The mounting plate means  200  includes a mounting plate  220 . A plurality of mounting holes  210  and  210   a  is provided at regular intervals on the mounting plate  220  and used to mount the mounting plate means  200  to a wall. A pocket part  240  having an insert space  230  is integrally provided on a predetermined portion of the mounting plate  220 . The cover means  100  includes a body  120  having on a central portion thereof a coupling sleeve  110 , so that a camera coupling means is coupled to the coupling sleeve  110 . An insert part  130  which is to be fitted into the insert space  230  is integrally provided on the body  120 . 
     Among the mounting holes  210  and  210   a , the mounting hole  210  located at the uppermost position preferably has the shape of   The reason is for a simple installation. That is, fastening means (bolt and screw) are first installed, and then the mounting plate means  200  is temporarily installed using the  -shaped mounting hole  210 . Thereafter, the fastening means (bolt and screw) are inserted into the remaining mounting holes  210   a . In this way, the mounting plate means  200  can be simply installed. 
     On the one hand, a drain hole  250  is preferably formed in the bottom of the pocket part  240 . The reason is as follows. That is, when the security camera C is installed in a building, moisture such as rainwater will hardly at all enter the security camera C. However, if the security camera C is installed to the outside, rainwater may enter the security camera C. Thus, the drain hole  250  formed in the bottom of the pocket part  240  serves to drain the rainwater. 
     Preferably, a drain recess  140  is formed in the insert part  130  of the body  120 . The drain recess  140  prevents the insert part  130  of the cover means  100  from blocking the drain hole  250  when the mounting plate means  200  is coupled with the cover means  100 . Further, the drain recess  140  and the drain hole  250  are used even when a cable inevitably enters from the exterior to the camera. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 to 7 , coupling pieces  260  are integrally provided on the bottom of the pocket part  240  and are fitted into coupling holes  150  of the cover means  100 , thus positioning the cover means  100  when the cover means  100  is inserted into the mounting plate means  200 , and preventing the cover means  100  from shaking, in addition to preventing the cover means  100  from being undesirably separated from the pocket part  240 . Therefore, this prevents the camera from falling down to the bottom even if the fastening means (bolt and screw) are loosened, thus preventing the camera from being broken. 
     A step  130   a  is provided on a junction between the body  120  and the insert part  130  to be lower than the body  120 . Such a construction allows the pocket part  240  and the body  120  to be on the same plane when the mounting plate means  200  and the cover means  100  are coupled with each other. Meanwhile, the step  130   a  also functions to prevent the camera from falling down to the bottom even if the fastening means (bolt and screw) become loose. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , when the mounting plate means  200  is secured to the wall or ceiling using bolts and screws, a groove  160  prevents the insert part  130  fitted into the insert space  230  of the pocket part  240  from being caught by the bolts and screws. The groove  160  functions to prevent the mounting plate means  200  from being spaced apart from the cover means  100  when they are coupled to each other. 
     Meanwhile, when the security camera C is mounted to the wall or ceiling of the building, the mounting plate means  200  is first mounted, and then the cover means  100  is fitted into the mounting plate means  200 . This enables easy and convenient installation. Fastening holes  170  and  270  having the common center are formed, respectively, in the side surfaces of the pocket part  240  and the insert part  130 , thus preventing the mounting plate means  200  and the cover means  100  from being separated from each other. 
     The method of installing the security camera C using the mounting device of the present invention will be described below. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the fastening means (bolts and screws) are first installed, and then the mounting plate means  200  is temporarily installed using the  -shaped mounting hole  210 . Next, the fastening means (bolt and screw) are inserted into the remaining mounting holes  210   a.    
     The insert part  130  of the cover means  100  is inserted into the insert space  230  defined in the pocket part  240  of the mounting plate means  200  mounted to the wall or ceiling. Thereafter, the camera coupling member S or the camera coupling member S which is equipped with the security camera C is coupled to the coupling sleeve  110  of the cover means  100 . Although not shown in the drawings, after the camera coupling member S equipped with the security camera C is previously coupled to the cover means  100 , the cover means  100  may be inserted into the pocket part  240  of the mounting plate means  200  to be coupled thereto. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 10 , before the mounting plate means  200  is mounted to the wall or ceiling, the security camera C can be easily and conveniently installed by using a sticker means  300  having a marker  310  which corresponds to the center of each mounting hole  210  or  210   a.    
       FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to the drawing, a coupling protrusion  140   a  may be integrally provided on the cover means  100  to be fitted into the drain hole  250  which is formed in the bottom of the pocket part  240 . 
     When the mounting plate means  200  is coupled to the cover means  100 , the coupling protrusion  140   a  prevents the insert part  130  of the cover means  100  from blocking the drain hole  250 . Further, the coupling protrusion is used even when a cable inevitably enters from the exterior to the camera. 
     Further, a protruding rim  130 - 1  may be provided on the insert part  130  of the cover means  100 . The pocket part  240  of the mounting plate means  200  may further include a groove  240   a  so that protruding rim  130 - 1  is fitted into the groove  240   a.    
     As described above, the present invention provides a mounting device for a security camera, wherein a mounting plate is first fastened and then a main body is installed when the security camera is mounted to the wall or ceiling of a building, thus enabling the security camera to be easily and conveniently mounted, and fastening means (bolts and screws) are not exposed to the outside (frontal direction), thus providing a good appearance, and preventing the camera from falling down to the bottom even though the fastening means (bolts and screws) become loose, therefore preventing the camera from being broken. 
     Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.