JP4036250B2 - Camera device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera device in which a camera body is housed in a case.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, camera devices such as surveillance cameras and security cameras installed in environments exposed to outdoor wind and rain mainly on roads, rivers, public facilities, and the like have shapes described in JP-A-9-230493, etc. It has been known.
[0003]
That is, the camera body is housed in a case having a substantially rectangular frame shape that is elongated in the optical axis direction, and a transparent front glass that faces the lens of the camera body is provided on one end surface in the longitudinal direction of the case.
[0004]
The outer surface of the front glass is easily contaminated by dust, exhaust gas, rainwater, etc. in the atmosphere, and this dirt impairs the translucency, and the image taken with the camera body is dark, blurred, distorted, distorted, etc. Incurs a decline. Further, when water droplets such as rainwater adhere to the outer surface of the front glass, it is difficult to see an image photographed by the camera body due to the water droplets, and it is difficult to recognize the image. Since such camera devices are often installed at high places and cannot be easily maintained, an electric wiper is installed on the outer surface of the front glass to remove dirt and water drops, or the outer surface of the front glass In addition, a photocatalytic film is formed to decompose and remove dirt by its catalytic action, and water droplets can easily flow by its hydrophilic action.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the conventional camera device includes a case having a substantially rectangular frame shape that is elongated in the optical axis direction of the camera body, it is easily recognized as a surveillance camera or a security camera due to its shape. There are problems such as making them conscious and damaging the landscape.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a camera device that has a shape that does not make the camera device conscious, and that can prevent degradation of video quality and difficulty in video recognition due to dirt and water droplets. With the goal.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The camera device according to claim 1 has an upper cover and a lower cover , a polygonal lower surface is formed on a lower end side of the lower cover , and a polygonal peripheral surface at a side surface corresponding to each side of the lower surface. A case in which each side surface portion has a narrower inner space on the lower end side and a wider inner space on the upper end side, and a part of the side surface portion has a translucent portion made of a glass plate ; and a camera body housed in the case And a photocatalytic film formed on at least the outer surface of the translucent part of the lower cover, and it is difficult to recognize the camera device in terms of shape, and it can be used in landscapes without being aware of the camera device. In addition, even in such a case shape, the dirt on the outer surface of the light transmitting part is decomposed and removed by the catalytic action of the photocatalyst film formed on at least the outer surface of the light transmitting part, and water droplets of rainwater are obtained by the hydrophilic action. Easily flow, improve the quality and recognizability of the image.
[0008]
The camera device according to claim 2 is the camera device according to claim 1, wherein the camera body has an imaging element, and the photocatalytic film is a visible light transmitting and ultraviolet absorbing film, so that a sufficient photocatalytic action is obtained. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the transmittance of visible light and improve the image quality without impairing the sensitivity of the CCD.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the camera device according to the first or second aspect, the camera body can change the photographing direction within the case, and can shoot an arbitrary direction even when the case is installed on a construction object. Make it possible.
[0010]
The camera device according to claim 4 is the camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a heater is provided in the case, and the cover surface can be prevented from dew condensation and freezing. The camera's allowable operating temperature is ensured and it can be used in cold areas.
[0011]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the camera device according to the fourth aspect, since the heater is an infrared lamp, the heater can be easily arranged in the case.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
1 is a side view in which a part of the camera device is cut out, FIG. 2 is a front view in which a part of the camera device is cut out, FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the camera device, and FIG. 4 is a characteristic of spectral transmittance of the photocatalyst film. FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram of spectral sensitivity with respect to an input light wavelength of a monochrome CCD, and FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram of spectral sensitivity with respect to an input light wavelength of a color CCD.
[0014]
In the figure, the camera device has a camera device main body 1, and the camera device main body 1 is attached to a pole 3 installed on the ground, an outer wall of a building, or the like via a mounting bracket 2.
[0015]
The camera device main body 1 has a case 11, and the case 11 has an upper cover 12 and a lower cover 13, and the upper cover 12 and the lower cover 13 are sealed from each other via an upper ring 14 and a lower ring 15, respectively. Combined with the state, it has a shape that approximates a spherical shape.
[0016]
The upper cover 12 is made of, for example, a metal and is formed in a substantially hemispherical shape. A flat mounting portion 21 is formed on the upper portion of the mounting cover 2 by screwing, and a flange portion 22 is formed on the peripheral edge. The part 22 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper ring 14 with screws.
[0017]
The lower cover 13 is made of, for example, metal, and has a polygonal peripheral surface. That is, the lower surface portion 23 is formed in a hexagonal shape, and six side surfaces 24 are formed corresponding to the sides of the lower surface portion 23. In addition, the lower end side of the side surface portion 24 is formed so that the inner interval is narrowed and the inner interval on the upper end side is increased. A flange portion 25 is formed on the upper end periphery of the lower cover 13, and the flange portion 25 is fixed to the upper surface of the lower ring 15 with screws.
[0018]
A photographing window 26 is formed on one side surface 24 of the lower cover 13, and a glass plate 27 as a light transmitting portion made of, for example, soda lime glass is hermetically disposed inside the photographing window 26 via a packing 28. .
[0019]
A photocatalytic film of titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ) is formed on the outer surface of the glass plate 27 by, for example, applying a titanium alkoxide solution by a dip method or by physical vapor deposition (PVD method) such as vacuum deposition. ing. This photocatalyst film is formed in a film structure having light transmittance corresponding to a wavelength with good sensitivity of the CCD. Further, a photocatalytic film is formed on the outer surface of the glass plate 27 through an intermediate layer (undercoat) mainly composed of silica (SiO ₂ ), so that impurities precipitated from soda lime glass and sodium (Na) It is prevented that a photocatalyst film deteriorates by alkali components, such as. A photocatalytic film may also be formed on the inner surface of the glass plate 27.
[0020]
The photocatalyst film is, for example, a visible light transmitting film having a wavelength of 400 nm or more and an ultraviolet absorbing film having a film thickness of 400 nm or less, and has a visible light transmittance corresponding to a wavelength with a high sensitivity of the CCD described later. That is, FIG. 4 shows a characteristic diagram of spectral transmittance when the thickness of the photocatalyst film is changed when the light beam applied to the photocatalyst film is constant. Since it has a characteristic that the transmittance is reduced by being absorbed, by forming the photocatalyst film within an appropriate range, a sufficient photocatalytic action can be obtained and a decrease in the transmittance of visible light can be suppressed. . Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 to be described later, the spectral sensitivity characteristic diagram with respect to the input light wavelength of the CCD, the transmission wavelength of the photocatalyst film is set corresponding to the visible light of 400 nm or more, which is a wavelength with good sensitivity of the CCD. By setting, a sufficient photocatalytic action can be obtained, and a decrease in visible light transmittance can be suppressed.
[0021]
The upper ring 14 and the lower ring 15 are made of, for example, a resin and are formed in an annular shape. Between the upper ring 14, the upper cover 12, and the lower cover 13, an annular packing 28 is disposed over the entire circumference, and the space between them is sealed.
[0022]
A flange 29 is formed along the peripheral edge of the upper ring 14 so as to project around the case 11. The flange 29 is formed in a concave groove shape on the upper surface of the peripheral edge of the upper ring 14, and a drainage groove 30 communicating with the peripheral surface of the upper ring 14 is cut out at one location corresponding to a predetermined drainage direction. This predetermined drainage direction corresponds to the direction of the pole 3.
[0023]
A camera body 31 is housed in the case 11. The camera body 31 has a CCD (not shown) as an image sensor, and a lens 33 is disposed in front of the CCD. An image to be photographed is formed on the CCD through the lens 33 and converted into an electrical signal. . A camera cord 34 is connected to the rear part of the camera body 31. FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram of spectral sensitivity with respect to the input light wavelength of the monochrome CCD, and FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram of spectral sensitivity with respect to the input light wavelength of the color CCD. Both have good sensitivity in the wavelength range of visible light of 400 nm or more.
[0024]
The camera body 31 is supported by a support mechanism 35 so that the photographing direction can be changed. The support mechanism 35 includes a mounting base 37 that rotatably supports both sides of the camera body 31 via a rotary shaft 36, and the mounting base 37 is supported by a support base 38 that is attached to the lower surface of the upper ring 14. Has been. The mounting base 37 is rotatably attached to the support base 38 with the rotational shaft 39 as a fulcrum, and the horizontal orientation of the camera body 31 can be adjusted. The support base 38 is attached in an inclined state to the upper ring 14 in advance so as to be in a horizontal state in the installation posture of the camera apparatus body 1 to be described later.
[0025]
A bracket 41 is attached to the camera body 31, and an ultraviolet lamp (black lamp) 43 as a light source such as a cold cathode lamp is detachably attached to the bracket 41 via a plurality of lamp holders 42. The ultraviolet lamp 43 is formed in a substantially U shape disposed along the periphery of the camera body 31, that is, along the lower side and both sides, and is disposed on the rear side of the front surface of the lens 33.
[0026]
Thus, in the installation state in which the camera device body 1 is attached to the pole 3 via the mounting bracket 2, the vertical center axis S of the camera device body 1 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical line from the ground surface. . That is, the pole 3 side of the joint surface between the upper cover 12 and the lower cover 13 is inclined downward, and the side opposite to the pole 3 is inclined upward. The photographing window 26 of the lower cover 13 is arranged on the side opposite to the pole 3, and the drainage groove 30 is arranged on the pole 3 side, so that the flange 29 is inclined downward toward the drainage groove 30 that is the draining direction. The
[0027]
The shooting direction of the camera body 31 is adjusted by setting the vertical direction by rotating the camera body 31 about the rotation axis 36, and by rotating the mounting base 37 about the rotation axis 39. The horizontal direction is adjusted and set.
[0028]
An image photographed through the glass plate 27 of the lower cover 13 is formed on the CCD of the camera body 31 by the lens 33 and converted into an electric signal, and the electric signal is transmitted through the camera cord 34 and is displayed on a monitor or the like.
[0029]
Then, the camera device forms the peripheral surface shape of the lower cover 13 of the case 11 in a polygonal shape, and the case 11 as a whole is also formed in a shape that approximates a substantially spherical shape, and the camera body 31 is housed in the case 11 Therefore, it is possible to cope with the landscape without making the camera device conscious.
[0030]
The photocatalyst film formed on the outer surface of the glass plate 27 of the lower cover 13 has a band gap of about 3.0 eV when irradiated with ultraviolet rays of 410 nm or less. An electron hole is generated, and an electron transfer reaction occurs on the surface due to the movement of the electron hole. In this electron transfer reaction, the hole has a force for extracting electrons corresponding to the energy of the band gap, that is, an oxidizing power. The substance adhering to or in contact with the surface of the titania crystal is changed by the oxidizing power of.
[0031]
When the outer surface of the glass plate 27 on which the photocatalytic film is formed is irradiated with light including sunlight or ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet lamp 43, the photocatalytic film exhibits a catalytic action and a hydrophilic action. Dirt attached to the outer surface can be decomposed and removed, and water droplets such as rainwater attached to the outer surface of the glass plate 27 can easily flow due to the hydrophilic action and the inclination of the glass plate 27. As rainwater hits the photocatalyst film, the decomposed dirt is washed away. Therefore, the translucency of the glass plate 27 can be ensured against dirt and water droplets, and the quality and recognizability of an image taken by the camera body 31 through the glass plate 27 can be improved.
[0032]
In addition, rain water is directly applied to the outer surface of the glass plate 27 by increasing the inclination angle of the central axis S of the camera apparatus body 1 and installing the camera apparatus body 1 with the direction of the arrow U shown in FIG. It becomes easy to hit and can improve the cleaning effect of flowing dirt by rainwater.
[0033]
Since the photocatalyst film is a visible light transmitting and ultraviolet absorbing film, a sufficient photocatalytic action can be obtained, and a decrease in visible light transmittance can be suppressed, and image quality can be improved without degrading the sensitivity of the CCD.
[0034]
In addition, since the ultraviolet lamp 43 is disposed behind the lens 33 of the camera body 31, the light from the ultraviolet lamp 43 does not enter the lens 33 of the camera body 31 and affects the image captured by the camera body 31. Without effect, the catalytic effect can be improved by irradiating the photocatalyst film with light from the ultraviolet lamp 43.
[0035]
Since the ultraviolet lamp 43 is supported by the camera body 31, the relationship between the camera body 31 and the ultraviolet lamp 43 is constant, and the ultraviolet lamp 43 irradiates the photocatalyst film in the shooting direction of the camera body 31 with a constant ray. it can.
[0036]
Since the ultraviolet lamp 43 is formed in a substantially U shape disposed along the periphery of the camera body 31, the necessary irradiation range can be sufficiently irradiated with the light from one ultraviolet lamp 43. The shape of the ultraviolet lamp 43 may be annular.
[0037]
Since the ultraviolet lamp 43 is a small and light cold-cathode lamp, it can be placed close to the camera body 31 and the camera device can be made compact.
[0038]
In addition, the rainwater that flows down through the upper cover 12 during the rain is received by the flange 29, flows in the direction of drainage in the groove of the flange 29 due to the inclination of the flange 29, and is drained from the drain 30 to the outside. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the glass plate 27 disposed on the lower side from the flange portion 29 from being soiled by rainwater that travels through the upper cover 12, and to improve the quality and recognizability of the video imaged by the camera body 31 through the glass plate 27.
[0039]
Since the draining direction is opposite to the shooting direction of the camera body 31, it is possible to prevent rainwater drained through the collar 29 from being reflected in the image of the camera body 31.
[0040]
As the flange 29 is inclined downward toward the direction of drainage, even if the flange 29 is formed around the case 11, sunlight and rainwater can easily hit the photocatalyst film on the outer surface of the glass plate 27. In addition, the effect of disassembling the dirt on the outer surface of the glass plate 27 and the effect of cleaning the dirt can be improved.
[0041]
The case 11 includes an upper cover 12 having a flange 29 and a lower cover 13 having a glass plate 27, and the joint surface between the upper cover 12 and the lower cover 13 is inclined downward in the direction of drainage. The inclination can be easily set, and the camera body 31 can be easily adjusted by separating the upper cover 12 and the lower cover 13, and any upper cover 12 and lower cover 13 can be combined.
[0042]
In addition, since the shooting direction of the camera body 31 can be changed in the case 11, it is possible to take an image in any direction even when the case 11 is installed.
[0043]
Note that a heater or infrared lamp may be provided in the case 11, and these heater and infrared lamp can prevent dew condensation and freezing on the surface of the lower cover 13, and further ensure an allowable operating temperature of the camera body 31. And it can be used in cold areas. In particular, an infrared lamp can be easily placed in the case 11.
[0044]
Alternatively, the entire lower case 13 may be formed of a resin such as acrylic that has translucency, and the entire lower case 13 may be formed as a translucent portion.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
According to the camera device of the first aspect, since the peripheral surface shape of the lower cover of the case is formed into a polygonal shape having a translucent part at least in part and the camera body is housed in the case, the camera device is conscious. It is possible to cope with the landscape without causing the photocatalyst film to be formed on the outer surface of the translucent part due to the catalytic action of the photocatalyst film. It removes and removes dirt and makes it easy for water droplets such as rainwater to flow due to its hydrophilic action, improving the quality and recognition of images against dirt and water droplets.
[0046]
According to the camera device according to claim 2, in addition to the effect of the camera device according to claim 1, the photocatalyst film is a visible light transmitting and ultraviolet absorbing film. A decrease in light transmittance can be suppressed, and the image quality can be improved without impairing the sensitivity of the image sensor.
[0047]
According to the camera device of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the camera device of the first or second aspect, the shooting direction of the camera body can be changed in the case. You can shoot in any direction.
[0048]
According to the camera device of the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect of the camera device according to any one of the first to third aspects, since the heater is disposed in the case, it is possible to prevent dew condensation and freezing of the cover surface. In addition, the camera's operating temperature can be secured, and it can be used in cold regions.
[0049]
According to the camera device of the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect of the camera device of the fourth aspect, since the heater is an infrared lamp, it can be easily arranged in the case.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view in which a part of a camera apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention is cut away.
FIG. 2 is a front view in which a part of the camera device is cut away.
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the camera device.
FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram of spectral transmittance of the photocatalyst film.
FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram of spectral sensitivity with respect to an input light wavelength of a monochrome CCD as described above.
FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram of spectral sensitivity with respect to the input light wavelength of the color CCD.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 cases
12 Top cover
13 Bottom cover
23 Bottom surface
24 side
27 Glass plate as translucent part
31 Camera body

Claims (5)

It has an upper cover and a lower cover , a polygonal lower surface is formed on the lower end side of the lower cover , a polygonal peripheral surface is formed on the side surface corresponding to each side of the lower surface, and each side surface has a lower end A case in which the inner space on the side is narrowed and the inner space on the upper end side is widened, and a part of the side surface portion has a light-transmitting portion made of a glass plate ;
A camera body housed in a case;
A photocatalytic film formed on at least the outer surface of the light transmitting portion of the lower cover;
A camera apparatus comprising: The camera body has an image sensor,
The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the photocatalytic film is a visible light transmitting and ultraviolet absorbing film. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the camera body is capable of changing a shooting direction in a case. The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a heater is disposed in the case. The camera device according to claim 4, wherein the heater is an infrared lamp.

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