CN1228744C - Anti-theft monitor and connecting unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a theft preventing monitoring device and a connecting unit. The theft preventing monitoring device comprises a connecting unit and an alarm device. The connecting unit is provided with a connecting surface which can be connected with an object. The connecting unit comprises a detecting element used for detecting whether the connecting unit is connected with the object. A first part which can be spirally matched onto screw threads of the object is arranged at the connecting surface of the connecting unit. The connecting unit can be connected to the object by spirally matching the first part of the connecting unit onto the screw threads of the object. An alarm is sent out by the alarm device according to information which represents that the connecting unit is not connected with the object, but the information is detected by the detecting element.

Description

Anti-theft monitoring device and connection unit

related application

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-189421 filed in Japan on June 22, 2001 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-218610 filed in Japan on July 18, 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference Reference.

technical field

The invention relates to an anti-theft monitoring device for preventing or stopping items (monitoring target items) or goods in a store from being stolen.

The present invention also relates to a connection unit used in an anti-theft monitoring device, which is connected to a monitoring object.

Background technique

There are various anti-theft monitoring devices to prevent or prevent the items displayed in the store from being stolen.

For example, there is an anti-theft monitoring device which detects theft of an article in the following manner and issues an alarm when the theft of the article is detected.

For example, such an attachment unit as described below can be attached to an article. The connection unit has a detection element for detecting whether the connection unit is connected to the object. According to the connection state of the connection device and the object detected by the detection element, the alarm is sounded. The connecting unit is connected to the article, for example, with a double-sided adhesive tape. The detection element can be, for example, a switch with contacts that are opened or closed according to the connection state of the connection unit and the object.

However, such a problem arises in some cases if the connecting unit is attached to the article with a double-sided adhesive tape. For example, in some cases it is difficult to attach the connecting unit to the article with a double-sided adhesive tape, depending on the surface condition of the article. In some cases, double-sided adhesive tape can stain items. If the connecting unit is attached to or removed from the article several times, the adhesive force of the double-sided adhesive tape decreases, so that eventually the connecting unit can no longer be attached to the article in some cases. If the connecting unit is attached to the article for a long time, the adhesive force of the double-sided adhesive tape is lowered, so that the connecting unit may come off or separate from the article in some cases.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide an anti-theft monitoring device, in which the connection unit can be connected with the object to be monitored, and an alarm will be issued according to the state of connection between the connection unit and the object. More specifically, the present invention provides such a An anti-theft monitoring device, in which a connecting unit can be conveniently and precisely connected with a monitoring target item.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connection unit that can be used in an anti-theft monitoring device, and the connection unit can be easily and precisely connected to a monitoring object.

(1) Anti-theft monitoring device

The invention provides an anti-theft monitoring device, which comprises:

A connection unit, the connection unit has a connection surface that can be connected to the object, the connection unit includes a detection element, and the detection element is used to detect whether the connection unit is connected to the object; and

An alarm device that sends an alarm based on information indicating that the connection unit is not connected to the article, and the information is detected by the detection element; wherein

the connection surface of the connection unit is provided with a first portion screw-fittable to the thread of the article; and

The connection unit may be connected to the article by screw-fitting a first part of the connection unit onto a thread of the article,

The detection element is a switch, which includes a movable part and a contact,

The contacts are open or closed depending on the position of the movable part,

The movable member is biased towards the outside of the connecting surface,

When the movable part is pushed to the inside of the connection surface, the contacts are in a closed state, so that the movable part can be located inside a standard position,

When the movable part is in the standard position or outside the standard position, the contact is in an open state;

The connection unit can be connected to the article so that the movable part is pushed to the inside of the connection surface, the movable part is located inside the standard position, and thus the contacts are set in the closed state; and

At least when the contacts of the switch are open, the alarm device sounds an alarm,

The first part of the connection unit is a male thread,

A small hole extending longitudinally along the male thread is provided in the male thread, and

At least a part of the movable part of the switch is arranged in the small hole of the male thread.

(2) Connection unit

The present invention also provides a connection unit used in an anti-theft monitoring device, and the connection unit has a connection surface that can be connected with an article, and the connection unit includes:

a detection element, the detection element is used to detect whether the connection unit is connected to the object; and

a first portion screw-fittable to the threads of the article and disposed at the connection surface; wherein

The connection unit can be connected to the article by screw fitting the first part of the connection unit to the thread of the article;

The detection element is a switch, which includes a movable part and a contact,

The contacts are open or closed depending on the position of the movable part,

The movable part is pressed against the outside of the connecting surface,

When the movable part is pushed to the inside of the connection surface, the contacts are in a closed state, so that the movable part can be located inside a standard position,

The contacts are open when the movable member is in the standard position or outside the standard position, and

The connection unit can be connected to the article so that the movable part is pushed to the inside of the connection surface, and the movable part is located inside the standard position, whereby the contacts are set in the closed state,

The first part of the connection unit is a male thread,

The male thread is provided with a small hole extending longitudinally along the male thread, and

At least a part of the movable part of the switch is arranged in the small hole of the male thread.

The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an embodiment of an anti-theft monitoring device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the connection unit before being connected to the monitoring target item; and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the same connecting unit after being connected to the monitoring target item.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connection unit in FIG. 2A .

Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram of the contacts of the connection unit.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the connection unit.

6A is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the connection unit before being connected with the monitoring target item; and FIG. 6B is a sectional view showing the connecting unit after being connected with the monitoring target item.

7A is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the connection unit before being connected with the monitoring target item; and FIG. 7B is a sectional view showing the connecting unit after being connected with the monitoring target item.

FIG. 8 shows a case where a thin plate is inserted between the monitoring target item of FIG. 2A connected to the item and the connection unit.

9A is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the connection unit before being connected with the monitoring target item; and FIG. 9B is a sectional view showing the connecting unit after being connected with the monitoring target item.

10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing still another embodiment of the connection unit, respectively.

11A and 11B are cross-sectional views showing still another embodiment of the connection unit, respectively.

Fig. 12 shows a circuit diagram of an embodiment of an alarm device.

Detailed ways

In the following description, an anti-theft monitoring device with various advantages described below is introduced.

§1.1

The anti-theft monitoring device is provided with a connection unit and an alarm device. A predetermined surface of the connection unit is connected with the monitoring target item. More specifically, the connection unit is attached to the monitoring target item such that a predetermined surface of the connection unit faces the item. This predetermined surface of the connection unit is hereinafter referred to as "connection surface".

The connection unit includes a detection element for detecting the state of connection between the connection unit and the object to be monitored, that is, the detection element is used to detect whether the connection unit is connected to the object. The connection unit may also comprise a hollow housing (housing), in which case at least a part of the detection element may be arranged inside the housing.

The detection element may be a switch as described below. The switch has a movable member and a contact. Depending on the position of the movable member, and more specifically the position of the movable member relative to the switch body, the contacts can be selectively in an open or closed state. The movable part is pressed towards the outside of the connection surface, usually, the movable part is pressed against the outside of the connection surface. The outer side and the inner side of the connection surface respectively refer to the sides close to or away from the connection surface of the article when the connection unit is connected to the article.

The movable part can be pressed towards the outside of the connecting surface, for example by means of elastic members. The elastic member may be a spring or a rubber member such as a coil spring or a leaf spring (leaf spring). The movable member may be rod-shaped, and may be configured to be linearly movable between the inner side and the outer side of the connecting surface. Besides, the movable member may be configured to be rotatable about a predetermined axis between the inner side and the outer side of the connection surface.

When the movable part is pushed to the inner side of the connecting surface so that the movable part is located or positioned inside the standard position (initial position), the contacts of the switch are in the closed state. On the other hand, when the movable member is positioned at or outside the standard position, the contacts of the switch are in an open state. When the connection unit is connected to the object, the movable member is pushed by the object to the inside of the connection surface, and thereby the movable member is positioned inside the standard position to close the contacts of the switch. When the connection unit thus connected to the item is removed from the monitored object, the force that pushes the movable part to the inside of the connection surface no longer acts on the movable part, so that the movable part can move to the standard position under the action of pressure or the outside of the standard position and thereby open the contacts of the switch. Based on these, the switch can detect whether the connection unit is connected to the monitoring target item.

In addition to such a switch as described above, the detection element may be an optical sensor which faces the object to be monitored when the connection unit is connected to the object. The optical sensor can detect, for example, whether the connection unit is connected to the object in the following manner. The connection unit is connected to the object so that the light receiving part of the optical sensor can detect the light emitted by the light emitting part of the optical sensor and reflected by the surface of the object. If the connection unit is removed from the article after the connection unit is connected to the article, the luminous intensity, luminescence amount, and other characteristics of the light received by the light receiving portion of the optical sensor will change, and therefore, the connection unit can be detected by the optical sensor connection status.

The alarm device issues an alarm according to the information detected by the detection element. More specifically, the alarm means issues an alarm based on detection information indicating that the connection unit is not connected to the article. The detection information indicating that the connection unit is not connected to the item includes information indicating that the connection unit is completely or partially removed from the item, and may also include information indicating that the connection state of the connection unit and the item is abnormal, that is, although the connection unit is still partially connected to the item connected, but the connected unit may still be removed from the article. At least when the removal of the connection unit from the object is detected by the detection element, the alarm device can issue an alarm. Even if the connection unit is connected to the object again after the connection unit is detected to be removed from the object, the alarm device can continue to sound the alarm. If a switch is used as the detection element, the alarm device can at least issue an alarm when the contacts of the switch are in an open state.

The alarm sent by the alarm device can be sound, light and/or others. The warning device may include a buzzer that emits a sound as an alarm, a light that emits a light as an alarm, and/or others. Alarm elements such as a buzzer and a lamp may be provided at the connection unit.

§1.2

In the anti-theft monitoring device, the connecting unit further includes a first part as described below.

The first part of the connection unit is configured to connect the connection unit to the object to be monitored. The first part of the connection unit can be screw-fitted onto the thread of the article. This first part is referred to hereinafter as "threaded part".

In the case where the monitoring target item has a female thread, the threaded portion of the connection unit is a male thread screw-fittable to the female thread of the item. In the case where the article has a male thread, the threaded portion of the connection unit is a female thread screw-fittable to the male thread of the article.

The connection unit can be connected to the object to be monitored by screw-fitting or screw-engaging the threaded portion of the connection unit to the thread of the object.

Examples of articles having threads may be cameras (including digital cameras) and video cameras (including digital video cameras), but are not limited thereto. Many types of cameras and video cameras have threads (usually female threads) that are used to attach a tripod to the camera or video camera to support the camera. If the connection unit has a threaded portion (usually a male thread) that can be screw-fitted onto the thread of the camera or video camera originally provided for connection to a tripod, the connection unit can be easily connected to the object (camera or video camera). In this case, the anti-theft monitoring device can be used to monitor the camera or video camera.

The connection unit can be attached to the article by screw-fitting the threaded portion of the connection unit to the thread of the above-mentioned monitoring target article, which makes it easy to connect the connection unit to the article. Since the connection unit is not attached with double-sided adhesive tape, the connection of the connection unit does not stain the article. Even if the connection unit is connected to the object for a long time, the connection state or condition of the connection unit and the monitoring target object hardly changes. Even if the connection unit is connected to the object again after the connection unit is removed from the object, the connection unit can be conveniently connected to the monitored object without failure. Even if the connection unit is connected to the object several times and then removed, the connection unit can be connected to the monitored object without failure. Even when the item is picked up by hand, the connection unit hardly moves or separates from the monitoring target item.

Hereinafter, the anti-theft monitoring device will be further described.

(a) In the case where the article has a female thread, the threaded portion of the connection unit may be a male thread (male thread portion) screw-fittable to the female threaded portion of the above article.

In this case, the male thread of the connection unit has a small hole extending in the longitudinal direction (axis direction) of the male thread of the connection unit, at least a part of the above-mentioned switch as the detection element may be provided in the small hole of the male thread, and In addition, the movable part of the switch can be configured to move in the small hole of the male thread. As described above, when the connecting unit is connected to the article, the movable member is pushed inwardly from the surface of the connecting unit through the bottom surface of the female screw hole of the article, whereby the movable member can be positioned inside the standard position.

As described above, when the connection unit is connected to the object, one end of the movable member of the switch is located inside the threaded hole of the object.

When the connecting unit is connected to the monitoring target item, it is possible to eliminate the situation that the movable member is held by a thin plate or the like, and thus the movable member cannot be moved to the standard position or outside. That is, it is possible to eliminate the situation that the movable member is held, whereby the contacts of the switch are not opened, and more specifically, whereby the alarm device does not sound an alarm. In this way, the connection state of the connection unit with the monitoring target can be accurately detected by the switch.

In the case where the movable piece of the switch is provided in the small hole of the male thread of the connection unit as described above, the structure described in the following item (a1) or (a2) and others may also be employed.

(a1) The connecting unit may further include an extension rod that moves together with the movable member of the switch, and when the connecting unit is connected to the object, the movable member may be pushed toward the inner side of the connecting surface by the extending rod.

The length of the movable part of the switch on the market is usually not very long, so in some cases, when the female screw hole of the item is deep, the connecting unit is connected with the item, and the movable part cannot be pushed to the inside of the connecting surface , and thus the contacts of the switch cannot close under these conditions. By adopting the above-mentioned extension rod, even in the case where the threaded hole of the article is deep, the movable member can be pushed to the inner side of the connecting surface by the extension rod, so that the contacts of the switch can be closed.

The extension rod may be positioned at the end of the movable member so that it faces the item. The movable member and the extension rod may be connected to each other directly or indirectly, for example by adhesive material, such that the movable member and the extension rod can move together with each other.

(a2) The connection unit may further include an elastic member that moves with the movable part of the switch, and when the connection unit is connected to the article, the movable part may be pushed toward the inner side of the connection surface by the elastic member.

As described above, since the elastic member having elasticity can expand and compress according to the depth of the threaded hole of the article, the connection unit can be used for various articles having threaded holes of different depths.

The elastic member may be a spring such as a coil spring or a rubber member. The elastic member may be disposed at an end of the movable piece of the switch so as to face the object. The movable part and the elastic member can be directly or indirectly connected to each other, for example by means of an adhesive material, so that the movable part and the elastic member can move together with each other. In the case where the movable member is pressed toward the outside of the connecting surface by a spring (referred to as a first spring), and another second spring is provided at the connecting unit together with the movable member, the spring modulus of the second spring can be compared to The first spring's big.

(b) In the case where the threaded portion of the connection unit is a male thread, the male thread of the connection unit has a small hole extending longitudinally of the male thread, and at least a part of the switch may be disposed in the small hole of the male thread.

In the above structure, the switch itself may be configured to be movable within the small hole of the male thread of the connection unit, and the switch itself may be biased toward the outside of the connection surface. The switch can for example be pressed towards the outside of the connection surface by means of a resilient member. The elastic member may be a spring such as a coil spring and a leaf spring or a rubber member. When the connection unit is connected to an object, the movable part of the switch can usually be pushed directly to the inside of the connection surface by the object.

As described above, since the elastic member can expand and compress according to the depth of the threaded hole of the article, the connection unit can be used for various articles having threaded holes of different depths. In the case where the movable part of the switch is pressed towards the outside of the connecting surface by a spring (called the first spring), and the switch itself is also biased towards the outside of the connecting surface by a second spring, the spring modulus of the second spring The amount can be greater than that of the first spring.

(c) The threaded portion of the connecting unit may be threaded initially so that the threaded portion can be screw-fitted onto the threads of the article.

Alternatively, when the threaded part of the connecting unit is connected to the article for the first time, the thread is formed by the threaded part of the threaded connecting unit of the article, so that the connecting unit becomes connectable to the thread of the article. From this point of view, the threaded part (first part) of the connection unit can be considered to be a part or a member which is threadably fitted onto the thread of the article. As described above, the connection unit can be connected to the article by screw-fitting the threaded portion of the connection unit to the thread of the article regardless of the pitch of the thread of the article and others.

(d) The above structures, methods and others can be applied in combination.

§2

In the following description, a connection unit is described for use in a theft monitoring device.

The connection unit is: a connection unit, which is applied in an anti-theft monitoring device and has a connection surface connected to an object, and the connection unit includes:

a detection element for detecting whether the connection unit is connected to the article; and

a first part which is screw-fittable to the threads of the article and which part is provided at the connection surface; wherein

The connection unit may be connected to the item by screw-fitting the first part of the connection unit onto the thread of the item.

What is described in section §1 on connection units also applies to the above connection units. The connection unit can be easily and error-free connected to the monitoring object. The connection unit may also include an electric wire (cable) for transmitting the information detected by the detection element to the alarm device.

§3

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the anti-theft monitoring device and the connection unit will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of an embodiment of an anti-theft monitoring device.

The antitheft monitoring device A1 shown in FIG. 1 has an alarm device AD and a connection unit (connection part) AU1. In this example, the device A1 has two connection units AU1.

2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of the connection unit AU1, respectively. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connection unit AU1. Some parts of the connection unit are not shown in FIG. 3 .

The connection unit AU1 can be respectively connected with items (monitoring target items) G1 and G2, thereby monitoring the items to prevent them from being stolen.

In this embodiment, the monitored objects G1 and G2 are cameras and video cameras respectively. The camera G1 as a monitoring target has a female thread G1s for attaching a tripod (not shown) to the camera G1. Similarly, the camera G2 as the monitoring target has a female thread G2s for connecting a tripod (not shown) to the camera G2. As will be described in detail hereinafter, the connection unit AU1 connects the item with the monitoring target item by using the female thread of the item.

The alarm device AD issues an alarm based on the information detected by the connection unit AU1. As will be described in detail below, for example, when the connection unit AU1 is removed from the object, the alarm device AD will send out an alarm. The detection information of the connection unit AU1 is transmitted to the alarm device AD through a wire 2 extending from the connection unit AU1.

The connection unit AU1 has a switch 3 for detecting whether the connection unit AU1 is connected to the monitored object. The switch 3 is arranged inside the hollow housing 5 . As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 5 is composed of upper and lower housing parts 5u and 5b. When the switch 3 is set in a predetermined position inside the lower housing part 5b, the upper and lower housing parts 5u and 5b are fixed together by an adhesive material. In the present embodiment, the switch 3 is fixed in the lower housing part 5b by means of an adhesive material.

The switch 3 has a movable member 31 and a contact 3c (see FIG. 4 ), which can be opened or closed according to the position of the movable member 31 relative to the switch body 3b. The contact 3c can be opened or closed by a known mechanism (not shown) according to the position of the movable member 31 . In FIG. 2A and other figures except FIG. 4, the contact 3c of the switch is not shown. The contacts 3c are provided in the switch body 3b.

The movable member 31 is movable between the inner side and the outer side of the housing 5 through the small hole 5a. A small hole 5a is provided at a surface (attachment surface) 5s so as to be attached to a monitoring target item. The movable member 31 is urged by a coil spring 33 to the outside of the connecting surface 5s, that is, to the outside of the housing 5. As shown in FIG. Due to the pressure of the spring 33 , the movable part can protrude outwards from the housing 5 .

When the movable member 31 is located inside the predetermined standard position, the contact 3c of the switch 3 is in a closed state. The inner side of the standard position is the side of the proximity switch body 3b. When the movable member 31 is in the standard position or out of the standard position, the contact 3c of the switch is in an open state.

The opposite ends of the contact 3c of the switch 3 are connected to external leads 321 and 322 . The information of the open-close state of the contact 3c is sent to the alarm device AD through the leads 21 and 22 of the electric wire 2 connected to the external leads 321 and 322, respectively.

The connection unit AU1 is provided with a threaded portion 4 for connecting the connection unit with a monitoring target item (see FIGS. 2A, 2B and others). The threaded portion 4 of the connection unit AU1 is a male thread which can be screw-fitted to the female thread G1s of the monitoring target item G1. As mentioned above, the thread G1s is originally used to connect the tripod to the object (camera) G1. The threaded portion 4 is also screw-fitted to the female thread G2s of the monitoring target item G2. As mentioned above, this thread G2s is originally used to connect the tripod to the object (camera).

The connection unit AU1 can be connected to the monitoring target item by screw-fitting the male thread portion 4 to the female screw G1s of the monitoring target item G1 (or to the female screw G2s of the item G2).

Hereinafter, the usage of the anti-theft monitoring device A1 will be described.

The two connection units AU1 are respectively connected to the monitoring target items G1 and G2 by screw-fitting the male screw portion 4 to the female screw portion of the monitoring target item. In this operation, the object pushes the movable piece 31 of the switch 3 of the connection unit AU1 towards the inside of the housing 5 and thereby sets the contact 3c of the switch 3 in the closed state. This state is called the initial state.

In the initial state, the contact 3c of the switch 3 of each connection unit AU1 is in a closed state. In the initial state, the alarm device will not sound an alarm.

From the initial state, if at least one connection unit AU1 is removed from the monitored object, the alarm device issues an alarm in the following steps. Due to the pressure of the spring 33 , the movable part 31 of the connection unit removed from the object protrudes toward the outside of the housing 5 . Thus, when the connection unit AU1 is removed or detached from the monitoring target article, the contact 3c of the switch of the connection unit AU1 removed from the article is opened. As described above, when the connection unit AU1 is removed or detached from the monitoring target item, the open-close state of the contact 3c of the switch 3 is changed from the closed state to the open state, which means that the switch 3 detects that the connection unit AU1 and the Monitors the connection status of the target item.

The information detected by the switch 3 is sent to the alarm device AD through the leads 21 and 22 of the electric line 2 . According to the information detected by the switch 3, the alarm device AD will issue an alarm. When the contact 3c of at least one connection unit AU1 is in an open state, the alarm device AD will sound an alarm. In this embodiment, the alarm device AD sends out light and sound alarms. The resulting sounds and lights can deter or eliminate deterring item theft. An example of a circuit diagram of the alarm device AD will be described below.

In the anti-theft monitoring device A1, the connection unit AU1 can be connected to the monitoring target item by screw-fitting the male thread portion 4 to the female screw portion of the monitoring target item. In this way, the connection unit AU1 can be conveniently connected to the monitoring object. Since the connecting unit is not connected to the article through the double-sided adhesive tape as in the conventional manner, the connecting unit AU1 does not soil the monitoring target article. Even when the connection unit AU1 is connected to the monitoring target item for a long time, the connection state or condition of the connection unit to the item hardly changes. Even after the connection unit is removed from the monitoring target item, the connection unit AU1 can be reconnected to the monitoring target item without error. Even after the connection unit AU1 is connected to and removed from the monitoring target item several times, the connection unit AU1 can be precisely connected to the monitoring target item. Even when the customer holds the monitoring target item, the connection unit AU1 is hardly separated from the item.

Since the connecting unit AU1 is connected to the monitoring target article through the above-mentioned screw fit, compared with the case where the connecting unit is connected to the monitoring target article by a double-sided adhesive tape, it takes a longer time for the thief to connect the connection unit in order to steal the article. Unit AU1 is removed from the item. This can deter the thief from stealing the item, and it also makes it easier for the shop assistant to notice that the thief removes the connection unit AU1 from the item.

§4

In the connection unit AU1 of FIG. 2A, the housing 5 of the threaded portion 4 is a member. Besides, like the connection unit AU2 shown in FIG. 5 , the threaded portion 41 and the housing screw-fittable to the female thread G1s of the monitoring target article G1 (or the female thread G2s of the article G2 ) are separate members. In this embodiment, the threaded portion 41 is fixed on the casing 5 by adhesive material, so that the threaded portion 41 will not move or rotate relative to the casing 5 .

Like the connection unit AU3 shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B , the threaded portion 42 screw-fittable to the female thread G1s of the monitoring target article G1 (the female thread G2s of the article G2) can be screw-fitted to the female thread of the article, At the same time the threaded portion 42 is threaded through the female threaded portion of the article. In this way, no matter what pitch and other requirements the article has, the threaded portion 42 can be screw-fitted on the thread of the article, and as shown in FIG. Unit AU3 can be connected to an item.

§5

Another embodiment of the connection unit is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B .

7A and 7B show that in the connection unit AU4, one small hole 4a is provided in the male threaded portion 4 in the longitudinal direction of the threaded portion 4 (axis direction). A part of the movable member 31 of the switch 3 is disposed in the small hole 4a, and the movable member 31 is configured to be movable in the small hole 4a.

Compared with the above-mentioned connection unit AU1 of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the connection unit AU4 of FIGS. 7A and 7b has the following advantages.

In each of the connection units AU1 and AU4, a switch 3 is provided to detect whether the connection unit is connected to the object to be monitored, and when the switch 3 detects that the connection unit is removed from the object, the alarm device AD issues an alarm.

However, detachment of the connection unit from the monitoring target item cannot be detected by the switch 3 if someone performs the following malicious act.

As shown in FIG. 8, if a thin plate TP is inserted between the connecting unit AU1 and the monitoring target article G1, even when the connecting unit is detached from the article, the movable part 31 of the switch 3 will be held by the thin plate TP without protruding from the housing 5, in other words, if the movable part 31 is held so that even if the connection unit is detached from the object, the contact 3c of the switch 3 will not open, so that when the movable part is held as described above After that, even if the connection unit is detached from the article, the switch 3 cannot detect that the connection unit AU1 is detached from the article.

Contrary to the above, when the connecting unit AU4 of Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B is connected with the monitoring object, the end of the movable part 31 is located in the threaded hole G1h (or G2h) of the article, and the threaded part 4 surrounds the movable part 31 . In this way, it is possible to prevent the movable member 31 from being held by the thin plate so that the contacts of the switch cannot be opened, in other words, the alarm cannot be issued. In this way, the switch 3 of the connection unit AU4 can more accurately detect whether the connection unit AU4 is connected to the monitored object.

9A and 9B show another embodiment of the connection unit.

In the connection unit AU5 of FIGS. 9A and 9B , an extension rod 34 is provided at the end of the movable piece 31 of the switch 3 . In this embodiment, the extension rod 34 and the movable member 31 are fixed to each other by adhesive material. In this way, the movable member 31 and the extension rod 34 can move together. Since the extension rod 34 can move together with the movable part, it can be considered that the extension rod 34 is a part of the movable part of the switch 3 .

In order to prevent the movable part from breaking or for other purposes, the length of the movable part of the switch on the market is not very long. Therefore, in some cases, when the connection unit is connected to the article, the movable member 31 cannot reach the bottom surface of the threaded hole G1h (or G2h) of the monitoring target article G1 (or G2) according to the depth of the threaded hole G1h (or G2h) . In that case, even after the connection unit is connected to the monitoring target item, the movable member 31 cannot be pushed toward the inside of the housing, and thus the contacts of the switch 3 are not closed. Thus, the switch cannot detect whether the connection unit is connected to the item.

In the above case or in some other cases, by extending the length of the movable member 31 by providing an extension member such as an extension rod 34 at the end of the movable member, the switch can be used for items having a deep threaded hole.

In addition to fixing the extension rod 34 and the movable member 31 with an adhesive material, the extension rod and the movable member may be detachably connected or fitted to each other by means such as screw fit. Thus, by preparing a plurality of extension rods of various lengths, the switch can be used for items having threaded holes of different depths.

§7

10A and 10B show another embodiment of the connection unit.

In the connection unit AU6 of FIGS. 10A and 10B , a coil spring 35 is connected to the movable member 31 of the switch so that the spring 35 moves together with the movable member 31 . The coil spring 35 is fixed around a rod 36 which is fixed to the movable member 31 by adhesive material, and the spring 35 is fixed to the rod 36 by adhesive material. In this way, the movable member 31, the rod 36 and the spring 35 can move together. The spring 35 extends beyond one end of the rod 36 .

By providing the spring 35 as described above, in the case where the connection unit AU6 shown in FIG. In the case where the monitoring target item of the threaded hole is connected, as the spring 35 expands or compresses according to the depth of the threaded hole of the item, the movable member 31 can be pushed to the inside of the housing by the spring, and thereby the contact of the switch is set at closed state. That is, the difference in the depth of the threaded hole can be absorbed by the extension and compression of the spring 35 .

In this embodiment, the spring modulus of the spring 35 can be set larger than that of the spring 33 that pushes the movable part 31 to the outside of the surface of the connecting unit, so that the spring 33 is first compressed to a greater degree than the spring 35. In other words, the spring 35 begins to compress to a greater extent only after the movable member 31 has been pushed towards the switch body 3b, and thus after the switch contacts have closed.

According to the inventor's investigation, cameras (including digital cameras) and video cameras of eleven manufacturers have threaded holes, each threaded hole was originally used to connect a tripod, wherein the minimum depth is 5.6mm and the maximum depth is 7.0mm . If the depths of the threaded holes differ to the above-mentioned extent, the spring 35 can absorb these differences.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the spring 35 is fixed to the movable part 31 of the switch 3 through the rod 36 , otherwise, the spring 35 can be directly fixed to the movable part 31 . In any case, since the spring 35 can move with the movable part 31, the spring 35 can be considered as part of the movable part of the switch.

§8

11A and 11B show another embodiment of the connection unit.

In the connection unit AU7 of FIGS. 11A and 11B , the switch 3 is provided in the small hole 4 a of the male screw portion 4 of the connection unit. The small hole 4 a has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the switch 3 . When the switch 3 is guided by the inner surface of the small hole 4a, the switch 3 can move within the small hole 4a in the direction from the inside to the outside of the connection unit 5s and its opposite direction. The switch 3 is urged by a coil spring 6 to the outside of the connection surface 5s. In this embodiment, the switch 3 and the spring 6 are fixed to each other by an adhesive material, and the spring 6 and the inner wall of the housing 5 are also fixed to each other by an adhesive material.

By providing the spring 6 as described above, similar to the connection unit AU6 of FIGS. 10A and 10B , in the case where the connection unit AU7 shown in FIG. In the case where the unit AU7 is connected to a monitoring target item having a threaded hole of depth D2 (D2<D1), as the spring 6 expands or compresses according to the depth of the threaded hole of the item, the movable member 31 can be pushed toward the housing by the spring inside, and thereby set the contacts of the switch 3 in the closed state. That is, the difference in the depth of the threaded hole can be absorbed by the extension and compression of the spring 6 .

In this embodiment, the spring modulus of the spring 6 can be set to be larger than that of the spring 33 that presses the movable part 31 to the outside of the surface of the connecting unit, so that when the connecting unit AU7 is connected with the article, and thus the movable part When 31 is pushed towards the inside of the connecting surface, spring 33 is first compressed to a greater extent than spring 6 .

§9

FIG. 12 shows an exemplary embodiment of a circuit diagram of an alarm device AD.

The alarm device AD of FIG. 12 has a buzzer BZ1 and a light emitting diode LP1 available for the alarm element and a driving circuit for driving the alarm element according to the information sent from the connection unit.

In FIG. 12, the connection unit AU1 is used as the connection unit.

In this embodiment, the alarm device AD has five female connectors 81, and each connector is used to connect with the electric wire 2 extending from the connection unit AU1. One end of the electric wire 2 can be provided with a male connector (not shown) that can cooperate with the female connector 81, so that it is connected with the alarm device AD, so that the wire 2 can be easily connected with the alarm device AD. A short circuit 82 is connected to the connector 81 to which the electric wire 2 is not connected.

In this alarm device AD, the activation state of the relay coil RC and the contact state of the transistor Tr1 are controlled according to the contact state of each connection unit AU1. In this way, the open-closed state of the relay contacts RS1 and RS2 can be controlled by applying a voltage from the power supply PS to the alarm element. Relay contacts RS1 and RS2 can be opened or closed depending on the activation state of relay coil RC. The relay contact RS1 has three terminals RS1a, RS1b and RS1c. Terminal RS1c is a common terminal. A normally open contact is formed by terminals RS1a and RS1c, and a normally closed contact is formed by terminals RS1b and RS1c. The relay contact RS2 is a normally open contact.

To put the alarm device AD into use, each connection unit AU1 is connected to the object, so that the switching contact 3c is closed, after which a main switch MSW is closed. In the initial state, the transistor Tr1 is closed, the relay circuit TC is inactive and the relay contact RS2 is open. Thus, no voltage from the power supply PS is applied to the buzzer BZ1 and diode LP1 serving as alarm elements, so that the alarm is not issued.

When the contact 3c in at least one connection unit AU1 is opened in the initial state, then the transistor Tr1 is opened, and the relay coil RC is activated, the relay contact RS2 is closed, and finally, the voltage is applied to the buzzer BZ1 and the diode LP1. In this way, the buzzer BZ1 and the diode LP1 start to sound the alarm. Once the relay coil RC is activated, the buzzer BZ1 and diode LP1 will continue to sound the alarm even if the transistor Tra is disconnected. This is because the activated state of the relay coil RC can be maintained through the contact RS2 connected in series with the relay coil and the power supply PS. The alarm device will continue to issue an alarm until the main switch MSW is turned off.

For example, when the lead wires 21 and/or 22 of the cable 2 are cut in the initial state, or when the cable 2 is pulled out of the connecting piece 81 of the alarm device AD in the initial state, an alarm will also be issued.

Like the rightmost connection unit AU1 in FIG. 12 , an alarm element (in this embodiment, a buzzer BZ2 ) can be connected in parallel with the contact 3c. In this way, when the contact 3c is closed, the voltage will not be applied to the buzzer BZ2, therefore, the buzzer BZ2 will not sound an alarm. When the contact 3c is opened, the voltage is applied from the power supply PS to the buzzer BZ2 through a resistor R2, whereby the buzzer BZ2 issues an alarm.

If the alarm element is set as described above, an alarm will be given at the place of theft. More specifically, an alarm will sound on the hands of a thief who has detached the connecting unit from the item. Having the alarm in the thief's hand is more likely to deter theft of the item than if the alarm is at a distance from the thief. In addition, the alarm can make the thief aware that the theft has been detected.

Of course, the alarm can also be issued in a location where the thief is not aware of the alarm, for example in a location away from the area of the displayed item.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it will be clearly understood that this is done by way of illustration and example only and not of limitation, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. An anti-theft monitoring device, the device comprising: A connection unit, the connection unit has a connection surface that can be connected to the object, and the connection unit includes a detection element for detecting whether the connection unit is connected to the object; and an alarm device that issues an alarm based on information indicating that the connection unit is not connected to the item, the information being detected by the detection element; wherein The connecting surface of the connecting unit is provided with a first part which can be screw-engaged with the thread of the article; and The connection unit can be connected to the article by screw-fitting the first part of the connection unit onto the thread of the article, The detection element is a switch, which includes a movable part and a contact, The contacts are open or closed depending on the position of the movable part, The movable member is biased towards the outside of the connecting surface, When the movable part is pushed to the inside of the connection surface, the contacts are in a closed state, so that the movable part can be located inside a standard position, When the movable part is in the standard position or outside the standard position, the contact is in an open state; The connection unit can be connected to the article so that the movable part is pushed to the inside of the connection surface, the movable part is located inside the standard position, and thus the contacts are set in the closed state; and At least when the contacts of the switch are open, the alarm device sounds an alarm, The first part of the connection unit is a male thread, A small hole extending longitudinally along the male thread is provided in the male thread, and At least a part of the movable part of the switch is arranged in the small hole of the male thread. 2. The anti-theft monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the item connected to the connection unit is a camera or a video camera. 3. The anti-theft monitoring device according to claim 2, wherein the first part of the connection unit can be screw-fitted on the thread of the article, and the thread of the article provided on the article is used to connect the tripod to the article. 4. The anti-theft monitoring device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The link unit also includes an extension rod movable with the movable member of the switch; and When the connecting unit is connected with the object, the movable part is pushed to the inner side of the connecting surface through the extension rod. 5. The anti-theft monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connection unit also includes an elastic member movable with the movable part of the switch; and When the connecting unit is connected with the article, the movable part is pushed to the inner side of the connecting surface by the elastic member. 6. A connection unit for use in an anti-theft monitoring device and having a connection surface to connect to an item, the connection unit comprising: a detection element, the detection element is used to detect whether the connection unit is connected to the object; and a first portion screw-fittable to the threads of the article and disposed at the connection surface; wherein The connection unit may be connected to the article by screw-fitting a first part of the connection unit onto a thread of the article, The detection element is a switch, which includes a movable part and a contact, The contacts are open or closed depending on the position of the movable part, The movable member is biased towards the outside of the connecting surface, When the movable part is pushed to the inside of the connection surface, the contacts are in a closed state, so that the movable part can be located inside a standard position, The contacts are open when the movable member is in the standard position or outside the standard position, and The connection unit can be connected to the article so that the movable part is pushed to the inside of the connection surface, and the movable part is located inside the standard position, whereby the contacts are set in the closed state, The first part of the connection unit is a male thread, A small hole extending longitudinally along the male thread is provided in the male thread, and At least a part of the movable part of the switch is arranged in the small hole of the male thread. 7. The connection unit according to claim 6, wherein the object connected to the connection unit is a camera or a video camera. 8. A connection unit according to claim 7, wherein the first part of the connection unit is screw-fittable to a thread of the article provided on the article for connecting the tripod to the article. 9. The connecting unit according to claim 6, characterized in that, The link unit also includes an extension rod movable with the movable member of the switch; and When the connecting unit is connected with the object, the movable part is pushed to the inner side of the connecting surface through the extension rod. 10. The connecting unit according to claim 6, characterized in that, The connection unit also includes an elastic member movable with the movable part of the switch; and When the connecting unit is connected with the article, the movable part is pushed to the inner side of the connecting surface by the elastic member.

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