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AssigneePhilips Electronics North America Corporation
InventorsRonald G. Sergeant, Scott A. Corbin, Theodore L. Jones, Gopi N. Mehrotra, Jennifer L. Randall
Estimating the term…
A camera module for use in a surveillance camera system is provided. The camera module includes a housing and a pan-and-tilt mechanism that is mounted to the housing. The pan-and-tilt mechanism includes a pan motor for panning a camera and a tilt motor for tilting the camera. The pan motor is mounted on the pan-and-tile mechanism so as to be stationary relative to the housing. A slip ring, mounted to the pan-and-tilt mechanism, provides electrical connections to the tilt motor and the camera and a flex cable connects the camera to the slip ring. Also provided are methods for controlling unique functions of the surveillance camera system. Calibration of a home pan position for the camera is achieved by monitoring an optical homing sensor. Calibration of a home tilt position for the camera is accomplished by driving the camera against a stop. Thereafter, pan and tilt positions of the camera are tracked relative to the home pan and tilt positions. The electric current for energizing the tilt and pan motors is controlled in relation to the motor speed. In addition, an auto-pivot feature provides automatic pivoting of the camera when the camera is in a vertical position. A tour feature is included for playing back a recorded sequence of camera pan and tilt positions. A speed scaling feature automatically adjusts panning and tilting speeds of the camera based on the distance of a target from the camera.
In a surveillance camera system, a camera module for monitoring a selected area comprising:
In a surveillance camera system, a camera module for monitoring a selected area comprising:
A method for monitoring a selected area using a surveillance camera system, the system including a camera module and a monitoring station, the camera module including a camera and a pan-and-tilt mechanism having a tilt motor for tilting the camera and a pan motor for panning the camera, said method comprising the steps of:
A method of monitoring a selected area using a surveillance camera system, the system including a camera module and a monitoring station, the camera module including a camera, a focusable lens affixed to the camera, and a pan-and-tilt mechanism having a pan motor for panning the camera, said method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.