William J Mcelroy

US Patent:

48558389, Aug 8, 1989

Filed:

May 27, 1988

Appl. No.:

7/199425

Inventors:

David P. Jones - North Falmouth MA
William D. McElroy - Falmouth MA

Assignee:

Cues, Inc. - Orlando FL

International Classification:

H04N 718
H04N 530

US Classification:

358229

Abstract:

An elongated remotely controlled pan and tilt television camera, ideally suitable for inspecting pipeline interiors, is able to be constructed with extremely small transverse dimensions due to compact packaging of control mechanisms disposed in the camera front end inside an optical dome. An outer gimbal is rotatable (i. e. , panned) relative to the camera front end and is in the form of a frame within which an inner gimbal is mounted to be rotatable (i. e. , tilted) relative to the outer gimbal. A lens, a lens focus control motor and a tilt motor are all mounted on the inner gimbal so as to be movable therewith. The pan motor is positionally fixed in the camera housing and rotates the outer gimbal by means of a drive cable and pulley secured to the outer gimbal. A CCD detector is located remotely from its associated electronics circuitry on a CCD circuit board secured to the inner gimbal so that the detector is movable with the lens and receives an optical image therefrom. The electrical signals representing the image and produced by the detector are processed into appropriate video format by circuitry disposed in fixed position within the camera housing.