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EP-4670004-B1 - APPARATUS FOR A SECURITY CAMERA

EP4670004B1EP 4670004 B1EP4670004 B1EP 4670004B1EP-4670004-B1

Inventors

  • NANDA, AMAR
  • URSAN, NATALIA ELENA
  • MOHAN, SUDEEP
  • STARK, ANDREW

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240123

Claims (12)

  1. A security camera assembly (100), comprising: a camera lens assembly (102); a lens tilt locking mechanism (104) coupled to the camera lens assembly (102) for setting a field of view (FOV) for a camera lens (106) of the camera lens assembly (102); and a grab handle (114) having LEDs (108) mounted thereon, the grab handle (114) being pivotally coupled to the camera lens assembly (102) via a pivoting mechanism (110), the grab handle (114) having LEDs (108) mounted thereon providing independent pivoting control of illumination to the FOV without shifting the FOV.
  2. The security camera assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a housing having a removable cover with transparent dome (154), the camera lens assembly (102) being mounted internally within the housing, wherein the removable cover provides user access to the lens tilt locking mechanism (104) and grab handle (114) for in-field adjustment of reflections within the FOV.
  3. The security camera assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a mounting base (116) coupled to the camera lens assembly (102), the lens tilt locking mechanism (104) setting a lens optical axis (302) for the FOV for the camera lens (106), the FOV being set relative to the mounting base (116); and the grab handle (114) pivoting the LEDs (108) mounted thereon along an LED illumination axis adjusted relative to the lens optical axis (302) of the camera lens (106).
  4. The security camera assembly of claim 1, wherein the grab handle (114) comprises first and second side walls (514) extending therefrom, the first and second side walls (514) respectively comprising first and second substrates (508) upon which the LEDs (108) are mounted.
  5. The security camera assembly of claim 1, further comprising a lenslet (506) covering each LED (108).
  6. The security camera assembly of claim 1, wherein pivoting the grab handle (114) having LEDs (108) mounted thereon provides adjustable control of reflections in the FOV.
  7. The security camera assembly of claim 1, wherein the pivoting mechanism (110) comprises detents (212) positioned at predetermined degrees of rotation.
  8. The security camera assembly of claim 1, wherein the pivoting mechanism (110) provides continuous rotation.
  9. The security camera assembly of claim 1, further comprising: an antenna (520) embedded within the grab handle (114).
  10. The security camera assembly of claim 1, further comprising: an antenna (520) embedded within the grab handle (114), the antenna (520) pivoting in response to the grab handle (114) being pivoted.
  11. A security camera (150), comprising: the security camera assembly (100) of claim 1, a housing having a removable cover with transparent dome (154); a mounting base (116) coupled within the housing; wherein the grab handle (114) is a part of a shroud (112) coupled to the lens assembly (102), and wherein the plurality of LEDs (108) is mounted to a printed circuit board, PCB, (522).
  12. The security camera of claim 11, wherein the security camera (105) is a surface mountable security camera, and wherein the mounting base (116) couples the surface mountable security camera to a ceiling or wall.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Security cameras are increasingly being deployed in homes, businesses, and public spaces. Security cameras are often mounted to a wall or ceiling for capturing still images or video within a particular environment. A camera's field of view (FOV) refers to what is visible through the camera lens. The camera's FOV may be negatively impacted by reflective surfaces. For example, a moderately reflective surface or object can cause hot spots within the camera's FOV. A hot spot is a region of clipped whites which cannot, by most means, be recovered. These hot spots affect obtaining useful image sectors. DE202010017528U1 discloses an adjustment device for a camera and an illumination device with IR LEDs, comprising: a housing with a front cover, wherein an inclined flat surface with an opening is provided at the front inside the housing, which is formed at an angle to the front cover, wherein the flat surface has a projection directed towards the front cover, and wherein IR LED illumination is arranged on each side of the projection between the inclined surface and the front cover; an arcuate recess formed in the housing behind the inclined surface and the projection for receiving a camera; the camera with a foot on its underside, which fits into the arcuate recess and is displaceable therein, wherein the camera can be moved by displacement pivotable in the trough in a vertical plane. CN115685649A and US10488737B2 disclose cameras with a tilt and lock mechanisms. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved security camera that can minimize reflection in the camera's field of view (FOV). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying figures similar or the same reference numerals may be repeated to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. These figures, together with the detailed description, below are incorporated in and form part of the specification and serve to further illustrate various embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and to explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments. FIG. 1A depicts a security camera assembly in accordance with various embodiments.FIG. 1B depicts a housing enclosing the security camera assembly of FIG. 1A in accordance with various embodiments.FIG. 2A depicts a side view of the security camera assembly in accordance with some embodiments.FIG. 2B depicts a front view of the security camera assembly in accordance with some embodiments.FIGs. 3A, 3B, 3C show illumination LEDs angular position relative to the position of the lens optical axis in accordance with some embodiments.FIG. 3A depicts the security camera assembly in a first illumination position.FIG. 3B depicts the security camera assembly in a second illumination position.FIG. 3C depicts the security camera assembly in a third illumination position.FIG. 4 depicts a partially exploded view of the camera assembly including the camera lens and shroud in accordance with some embodiments.FIG. 5A shows a more detailed exploded view of the shroud in accordance with some embodiments.FIG. 5B shows a perspective view a shroud handle portion with antenna embedded therein portion in accordance with a further embodiment.FIGs. 6A, 6B show images comparing movement of the hotspot, in accordance with some examples. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. The system, apparatus, and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION As mentioned previously, a security camera may often be exposed to reflections that can negatively obscure images in the camera's field of view (FOV). Currently, illuminating light-emitting diodes (LEDs) used on a security camera point in the same, fixed direction as the axis of the camera lens. Generally, illumination is brighter in the center than towards the edges of the FOV. However, the fixed direction of the LEDs can lead to illumination issues caused by light being reflected from surrounding objects, where such surrounding objects are located closer to the camera than the target area of interest. These reflections may cause hot spots (also referred to as bright spots) affecting useful image sectors. Briefly, there is provided herein a security camera assembly for a security camera. The embodiments include a security camera that includes a camera lens assembly, a lens tilt locking mec