Robert Boschgmbh

Bastiaan Rothengatter

Antonius Maria Rijken

Ralph Wierikx

Surveillance networks are used to observe large areas, like public places, streets, public buildings or private houses, privates premises etc. The surveillance networks often comprise a plurality of surveillance cameras. Such surveillance cameras should be small, robust, trouble-free and have low-maintenance requirements. Subject-matter of the invention is a linear actuator () for a linear motion of a component of a camera (), the linear actuator comprising a supporting structure (), a motor () arranged on the supporting structure for generating a rotational movement, a component carrier () for carrying the component and for performing the linear motion relative to the supporting structure, a gear mechanism () for transmitting the rotational movement, whereby the last gear of the gear mechanism before the component carrier is a transfer gear (), whereby the transfer gear comprises a guide way () extending in rotational direction of the transfer gear with a slope along the guide way whereby the component carrier is coupled with the guide way by resting means (), so that the component carrier is displaced in the linear direction () by a rotational movement of the transfer gear due to the slope of the guide way.

Linear actuator and camera with a motorized back focus module with the linear actuator

Surveillance cameras are for example used in surveillance networks for observing areas of public places, schools, universities, private households, prisons etc. Usually such a surveillance networks comprises a plurality of cameras and a surveillance control center, whereby the cameras are connected by public or private network with the surveillance control center, so that images, captured y the cameras can be transferred to the surveillance control center. A camera () comprising a motorized object lens adjusting module () for adjusting the object lens or parts thereof, an image processing module () for processing the images captured by the camera (), an interface module () for providing Signal interfaces and an external housing enclosing the modules (), is disclosed, with an internal assembly frame () for holding the said modules () as a unit () independently from the external housing.

Camera with internal assembly frame and process for assembling the camera

The invention concerns a Back focus adjusting module () for a camera comprising a supporting structure (), a linear actuator () with a motor (), a gear mechanism () and a component carrier (), whereby the gear mechanism () converts a rotational movement of the motor () into a linear motion and displaces the component carrier in a linear direction (), a spring component () for biasing the component carrier () in a direction opposite to the linear direction (), a slider () with at least one optical filter (), whereby the slider () can be () slid in a guiding slot () of the back focus adjusting module () between at least two sliding positions in a sliding direction (), whereby the spring component () provides a guiding surface () of the guiding slot () for the slider ().

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Rotterdam, Netherlands

Bastiaan Rothengatter