Camera system

Abstract

To provide a camera system capable of changing the direction of a microphone according to the imaging direction of a camera.SOLUTION: A camera device 2 including a body case 10 accommodating a camera and a microphone and a communication device 3 including a body case 20 accommodating a speaker are connected by an angle adjustment mechanism part 6 capable of at least performing a rotation operation around a vertical direction serving as a rotation axis. Thus, the direction of the microphone can be changed according to the imaging direction of the camera, to prevent a situation where a video imaged by the camera does not match the audio collected by the microphone and an environmental sound.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a camera system including a camera, a microphone, and a speaker. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a camera system having a camera whose imaging direction is adjustable may be equipped with a microphone and a speaker (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-164670 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional camera systems, the orientation of the microphone does not change according to the imaging direction of the camera, and there is a problem that the image captured by the camera does not match the audio and environmental sounds collected by the microphone depending on the imaging direction of the camera. Also, in conventional camera systems, the microphone and speaker are installed in the same case, which causes a problem that sounds and voices emitted from the speaker are easily transmitted to the microphone through the inside of the case.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a camera system in which the orientation of the microphone can be changed to match the imaging direction of the camera, and in which sounds and voices emitted from the speaker are less likely to be transmitted to the microphone through the inside of the case body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is a camera system that includes a camera, a microphone, and a speaker, and that can adjust the imaging direction of the camera by rotating the camera around an axis in a predetermined direction, and is characterized in that it has a first case that includes a camera and a microphone, and a second case that includes a speaker, and the first case and the second case are connected by an angle adjustment mechanism that can rotate the camera around an axis in a predetermined direction. According to the present invention, there is a first case equipped with a camera and a microphone, and a second case equipped with a speaker, and the first case and second case are connected by an angle adjustment mechanism that can rotate around an axis in a predetermined direction, so that the direction of the microphone can be changed to match the imaging direction of the camera, and a situation does not occur in which the image captured by the camera does not match the audio or environmental sounds collected by the microphone.

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, a connection cable that electrically connects the first board built into the first case and the second board built into the second case is arranged through the angle adjustment mechanism from the first case to the second case. According to the invention described in claim 2, the connection cable that electrically connects the first board built into the first case and the second board built into the second case is arranged through the angle adjustment mechanism from the first case to the second case, thereby reducing the exposure of the connection cable to the outside and making it less likely that the connection cable will be accidentally damaged when adjusting the camera's imaging angle.

[0008] The invention of claim 3 is the invention of claim 2, characterized in that in at least one of the first case, the second case, and the angle adjustment mechanism, the connection cable is inserted into a cable holding member made of rubber or synthetic resin, the cable holding member is attached in a state where it is inserted into a predetermined mounting hole, and a ridge portion is provided on the circumferential surface of the cable holding member to close a gap between the circumferential surface of the cable holding member and the inner surface of the mounting hole. According to the invention of claim 3, in at least one location within the first case, the second case, and the angle adjustment mechanism, the connection cable is inserted into a cable holding member made of rubber or synthetic resin, and the cable holding member is attached in a state where it is inserted into a predetermined mounting hole, and the circumferential surface of the cable holding member is provided with a convex portion that closes the gap between the circumferential surface of the cable holding member and the inner surface of the mounting hole, making it difficult for sound emitted from the speaker to reach the first case from within the second case through the angle adjustment mechanism. In other words, a camera system can be achieved in which sound emitted from the speaker is unlikely to affect sound collection by the microphone. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a camera system has a first case equipped with a camera and a microphone, and a second case equipped with a speaker, and the first and second cases are connected by an angle adjustment mechanism that allows rotation around a predetermined axis. Therefore, the orientation of the microphone can be changed to match the imaging direction of the camera, and a situation where the image captured by the camera does not match the audio or environmental sound collected by the microphone can be avoided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective explanatory view showing the appearance of a surveillance camera. [Figure 2] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the main body case of the camera device from which the decorative panel has been removed, viewed from the front side. FIG. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the communication device from the front side. [Figure 4] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the main body case of the communication device from which the decorative cover has been removed, viewed from the front side; FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is an explanatory perspective view showing the state in which the rear metal fitting has been separated from the main body case in the state of FIG. 4, viewed obliquely from the upper front left. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is an explanatory perspective view showing the main body case and the rear metal fitting in the same state as in FIG. 5, viewed from the front diagonally lower left. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory perspective view showing the rear fitting in a disassembled state, viewed obliquely from the upper front left. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory perspective view showing the rear fitting in a disassembled state from the front lower left. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory perspective view showing the rear fitting in a disassembled state from the front lower right. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the connecting fitting from above. [Figure 11] 1A and 1B are explanatory views showing the case holding member, in which FIG. 1A shows the case holding member from the front side and FIG. 1B shows the case holding member from the top side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A surveillance camera according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is an explanatory perspective view showing the exterior of a surveillance camera 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the main body case 10 of the camera device 2 from the front side with the decorative panel 13 removed. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the communication device 3 from the front side. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the main body case 20 of the communication device 3 from the front side with the decorative cover 23 removed. FIG. 5 is an explanatory perspective view showing the main body case 20 in the state shown in FIG. 4 from the upper left front diagonal, with the rear metal fitting 30 separated. FIG. 6 is an explanatory perspective view showing the main body case 20 and rear metal fitting 30 in the same state as in FIG. 5 from the lower left front diagonal. FIG. 7 is an explanatory perspective view showing the rear metal fitting 30 in a disassembled state from the upper left front diagonal. FIG. 8 is an explanatory perspective view showing the rear metal fitting 30 in a disassembled state from the lower left front diagonal. FIG. 9 is an explanatory perspective view showing the rear metal fitting 30 in a disassembled state from the lower right front diagonal. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the connecting metal fitting 34 from above. 11A and 11B are explanatory views showing the case holding member 57, with (a) showing it from the front side and (b) showing it from above.

[0013] The surveillance camera 1 comprises a camera device 2 having a camera unit 4 and a microphone unit 5, and a communication device 3 having a speaker unit 7 and transmitting and receiving images captured by the camera unit 4 to and from other devices. The communication device 3 is connected to the rear of the camera device 2 via an angle adjustment mechanism 6. The attitude of the camera device 2 relative to the communication device 3, i.e., the imaging direction of the camera, can be adjusted by rotating the angle adjustment mechanism 6 about an axis in the vertical direction and an axis in the horizontal direction. Such a surveillance camera 1 is installed with the rear surface of the main body case 20 of the communication device 3 facing the installation surface, such as a wall, and the camera device 2 positioned in front of the communication device 3.

[0014] First, the camera device 2 will be described. The camera device 2 comprises a main body case 10 having a substantially plate-shaped front case 11, a box-shaped rear case 12 that is open at the front and is attached to the rear side of the front case 11, and a decorative panel 13 that is attached to cover the front of the front case 11. A camera window 14 is provided at the upper front surface of the front case 11 as a component of the camera unit 4, for exposing the lens of a camera (not shown) built into the main body case 10. Meanwhile, a sound collection unit 15 is provided at the lower front surface of the front case 11 as a component of the microphone unit 5, for efficiently collecting sound for a microphone (not shown) built into the main body case 10. Furthermore, a front metal fitting 16, which is a component of the angle adjustment mechanism 6, is screwed to the lower rear surface of the main body case 10 (the lower rear surface of the rear case 12).

[0015] Next, the communication device 3 will be described. The communication device 3 comprises a main body case 20 including a box-shaped front case 21 that opens to the rear, a rear case (not shown) that is assembled to close the rear opening of the front case 21, and a decorative cover 23 that is attached to cover the front surface of the front case 21. A speaker hole 24 is provided at the upper front surface of the front case 21 as a component of the speaker unit 7, for transmitting sound emitted from a speaker (not shown) built into the main body case 20 to the outside of the main body case 20. In addition, a draw-out port 25 is provided at the bottom of the main body case 20, for drawing out a power cable (not shown) and a communication cable (not shown) extending from the wall side to the front of the main body case 20.

[0016] Furthermore, rear metal fitting 30, which is a component of angle adjustment mechanism 6 and is integrated with front metal fitting 16 by connecting screws 31, is screwed to the bottom of main body case 20. A connection cable 32 is wired from communication device 3 to camera device 2, electrically connecting a control board (not shown) of camera device 2 with a control board (not shown) of communication device 3, and this connection cable 32 runs from main body case 20 through angle adjustment mechanism 6, i.e., through the inside of rear metal fitting 30 and the inside of front metal fitting 16, and reaches the inside of main body case 10.

[0017] The rear metal fitting 30 includes a retaining metal fitting 33 that is screwed to the main body case 20, and a connecting metal fitting 34 that is rotatably held relative to the retaining metal fitting 33. The retaining metal fitting 33 is integrally provided with a plate-shaped fixing portion 35 whose thickness direction is the front-to-rear direction, and a holding portion 36 that protrudes forward from the fixing portion 35. The fixing portion 35 is provided at its left and right ends with fixing holes 37, 37 for screwing to the main body case 20, and a positioning hole 38 for determining the fixing position relative to the main body case 20.

[0018] A storage recess 39 that is circular in top view is provided on the upper surface of the holding portion 36, and a shaft support hole 40 for supporting a shaft 44 of the connecting fitting 34 in an inserted state is opened within the storage recess 39. The shaft support hole 40 passes through the holding portion 36 in the vertical direction and is a circular hole that is concentric with the storage recess 39. Furthermore, a restriction hole 42 is provided on the underside of the holding portion 36 near the shaft support hole 40, into which a restriction screw 41 that restricts the rotatable range of the connecting fitting 34 can be screwed from below.

[0019] On the other hand, the connecting fitting 34 integrally comprises a flange 43 that is disc-shaped when viewed from above, a shaft 44 that protrudes upward from the flange 43, and a connecting portion 45 that protrudes downward from the flange 43. The shaft 44 is a convex portion that is circular when viewed from above, and can be inserted into the shaft support hole 40 with its outer circumferential surface abutting the inner surface of the shaft support hole 40. The upper end surface of the shaft 44 is provided with retaining holes 47, 47 into which screws 46, 46 can be threaded from above to hold the connecting fitting 34 to the retaining fitting 33, and guide ribs 48, 48 that protrude upward and position a stop plate 56, which will be described later.

[0020] The flange 43 is a circular plate concentric with the shaft 44, and a restriction slit 49 into which the shaft of the restriction screw 41 can be loosely inserted is formed in a location of the flange 43 closer to the outer periphery than the shaft 44 and where no connecting portion 45 is provided. The restriction slit 49 penetrates the flange 43 in the vertical direction and extends along a circumference that is concentric with the shaft 44. A drain hole 50 is also formed in the flange 43 at a location closer to the outer periphery than the shaft 44 and at a different position from the restriction slit 49.

[0021] Furthermore, a connecting surface 51 to which the front fitting 16 is connected is provided at a location on the circumferential surface of the connecting portion 45 that does not overlap with the restricting slit 49 in a top view. One end of a connecting hole 52, into which a connecting screw 31 can be inserted and which is provided so as to penetrate the connecting portion 45 in the horizontal direction, opens at the connecting surface 51. Furthermore, a series of spaces is formed in the connecting fitting 34 that open to the upper end surface of the shaft portion 44 and the connecting surface 51, and this space serves as a wiring space 53 for wiring the connection cable 32.

[0022] The retaining metal fitting 33 and the connecting metal fitting 34 are then integrated as follows, and the rear metal fitting 30 is assembled. First, the shaft portion 44 of the connecting fitting 34 is inserted into the shaft support hole 40 from below the holding portion 36 of the retaining fitting 33, with the upper end side of the shaft portion 44 protruding into the storage recess 39. Next, a protective ring 54 made of synthetic resin is placed inside the storage recess 39, and a wave washer 55 is placed on the protective ring 54, after which a retaining plate 56 is screwed to the upper end surface of the shaft portion 44 with screws 46, 46. Finally, by threading a restricting screw 41 into the restricting hole 42 from below the connecting fitting 34 through the restricting slit 49, the connecting fitting 34 is held relative to the retaining fitting 33 so that it can rotate around the shaft portion 44; in other words, the retaining fitting 33 and the connecting fitting 34 are integrated, and the assembly of the rear fitting 30 is complete.

[0023] The protective ring 54 and the wave washer 55 are ring-shaped with a diameter larger than the shaft support hole 40, and are disposed in the storage recess 39 so that the shaft 44 passes through the protective ring 54 and the wave washer 55. The retaining plate 56 is formed in a circular plate shape with a diameter larger than that of the shaft 44. The retaining plate 56 is provided with a large opening 60 that exposes the opening on the upper end surface of the shaft 44 in the wiring space 53. The guide ribs 48, 48 can be inserted into the large opening 60, and when the shaft 44 is screwed to the large opening 60, the outer peripheral surfaces of the guide ribs 48, 48 abut against the edge of the large opening 60. Furthermore, notches 61, 61 are provided that extend radially outward from the edge of the large opening 60 to allow screwing with the screws 46, 46. Therefore, by screwing the retaining plate 56 to the upper end surface of the shaft portion 44, the shaft portion 44 is prevented from coming off from the shaft support hole 40.

[0024] Furthermore, due to the weight of the connecting fitting 34 and ultimately the weight of the camera device 2 connected to the rear fitting 30, the wave washer 55 is sandwiched and crushed from above and below by the protective ring 54 and the retaining plate 56. Therefore, when no load is applied in the rotational direction about the vertical axis, the rotational orientation of the connecting fitting 34 relative to the retaining fitting 33 is maintained unchanged by the frictional force generated between the retaining plate 56 and the retaining portion 36 due to the weight of the camera device 2. On the other hand, when a load of a certain level or more is applied, the connecting fitting 34 rotates about the shaft portion 44 relative to the retaining fitting 33, i.e., the rotational orientation of the connecting fitting 34 relative to the retaining fitting 33 changes. At this time, the wave washer 55 creates a gap between the retaining plate 56 and the storage recess 39 side (specifically, the protective ring 54), thereby reducing the frictional force. Therefore, the load required to change the orientation of the connecting fitting 34 is small enough that tools are not required. However, such a change in rotational orientation is limited within a predetermined range by the restricting screw 41 and the restricting slit 49. In other words, rotation of the connecting fitting 34 is permitted only between a first rotational position in which the regulating screw 41 is positioned at one end of the regulating slit 49 and a second rotational position in which the regulating screw 41 is positioned at the other end of the regulating slit 49.

[0025] When wiring the connection cable 32 in the wiring space 53 of the rear fitting 30 assembled as described above, the connection cable 32 is passed through the cable holding member 57 on the opening side of the upper end surface of the shaft portion 44, and the cable holding member 57 is attached to the opening on the upper end surface side of the shaft portion 44 in the wiring space 53. The cable holding member 57 is shaped like a rubber plug that can be inserted into the aforementioned opening, and is provided with a cable insertion hole 58 through which the connection cable 32 can be inserted so that it passes vertically through the cable holding member 57. In addition, the peripheral surface of the cable holding member 57 is provided with a circumferentially extending ridge 59 that protrudes outward. Therefore, when the cable holding member 57 is inserted into the opening, the ridge 59 elastically deforms, preventing the cable holding member 57 from accidentally falling out of the opening. Furthermore, since the cable holding member 57 and the inner surface of the wiring space 53 are in close contact with each other at the protruding portion 59, the situation in which sound emitted from the speaker of the communication device 3 is transmitted from inside the main body case 20 through the wiring space 53 to the camera device 2 side and ultimately to the microphone unit 5, which would affect the sound collection of the microphone unit 5, is reduced.

[0026] Furthermore, by screwing the front metal fitting 16 to the rear metal fitting 30 (particularly the connecting surface 51 of the connecting metal fitting 34), the camera device 2 can change its rotational attitude to the left and right about the vertical axis relative to the communication device 3, in accordance with the rotational movement of the connecting metal fitting 34 of the rear metal fitting 30 about the vertical axis. In other words, the pan angle of the camera and the sound collection direction of the microphone can be adjusted.

[0027] In the surveillance camera 1 having the above-described configuration, the camera device 2 having the main body case 10 with a built-in camera and microphone and the communication device 3 having the main body case 20 with a built-in speaker are connected by an angle adjustment mechanism 6 that can rotate at least around an axis in the vertical direction, so that the orientation of the microphone can be changed to match the imaging direction of the camera, and a situation where the image captured by the camera does not match the audio or environmental sounds collected by the microphone does not occur.

[0028] Furthermore, connection cable 32, which electrically connects the control board of camera device 2 and the control board of communication device 3, is routed from main body case 20 of communication device 3 into angle adjustment mechanism 6, i.e., through the inside of rear metal fitting 30 and the inside of front metal fitting 16, and then into main body case 10 of camera device 2, thereby reducing the amount of connection cable 32 exposed to the outside. Therefore, when changing the rotational attitude of camera device 2, connection cable 32 is less likely to come into contact with the surroundings or to interfere with angle adjustment mechanism 6 from the outside, making it less likely that connection cable 32 will be accidentally damaged.

[0029] Furthermore, within angle adjustment mechanism 6, connection cable 32 is inserted into rubber cable holding member 57, which is attached while inserted into wiring space 53 of connecting fitting 34, and a ridge 59 is provided on the circumferential surface of cable holding member 57 to close the gap between the circumferential surface of cable holding member 57 and the inner surface of wiring space 53, making it difficult for sound emitted from the speaker to pass through angle adjustment mechanism 6 from main body case 20 of communication device 3 and reach main body case 10 of camera device 2. In other words, surveillance camera 1 can be achieved in which sound emitted from the speaker is less likely to affect sound collection by the microphone.

[0030] The camera system according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the overall configuration of the camera system as well as the configuration relating to the connection between the first case and the second case can be modified as needed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0031] For example, in the above embodiment, the angle adjustment mechanism is formed by holding the connecting fitting to the retaining fitting in the rear fitting and connecting the front fitting to the connecting fitting, but the configuration of the angle adjustment mechanism is not limited to such a configuration, and it is of course possible to adopt a different angle adjustment mechanism using gears, etc. In addition, in the above embodiment, the connection cable is wired through the angle adjustment mechanism, but there is no problem if the connection cable is wired so that it is exposed to the outside between the first case and the second case without passing through the angle adjustment mechanism.

[0032] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the connection cable is passed through a cable holding member, but such a cable holding member may not be provided, or the connection cable may be passed through a cable holding member in the first case or the second case rather than in the angle adjustment mechanism, or the connection cable may be passed through a cable holding member at multiple locations.Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a rubber cable holding member is used, but it goes without saying that a cable holding member made of elastic synthetic resin may also be used. In addition, in the above embodiment, the second case is the main case of the communication device, but as long as it is equipped with a speaker, the second case does not need to have a communication function, and there is no problem in providing a separate third case with a communication function. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 Surveillance camera (camera system), 2 Camera device, 3 Communication device, 4 Camera unit, 5 Microphone unit, 6 Angle adjustment mechanism unit, 7 Speaker unit, 10 Main body case (first case), 16 Front bracket, 20 Main body case (second case), 30 Rear bracket, 32 Connection cable, 53 Wiring space (mounting hole), 57 Cable holding member, 59 Convex strip portion.

Claims

1. A camera system including a camera, a microphone, and a speaker, and capable of adjusting the imaging direction of the camera by rotating the camera around a predetermined axis, a first case in which the camera and the microphone are provided, and a second case in which the speaker is provided; A camera system characterized in that the first case and the second case are connected by an angle adjustment mechanism that allows rotational movement around an axis in the predetermined direction.

2. The camera system according to claim 1, characterized in that a connection cable electrically connecting a first board built into the first case and a second board built into the second case is arranged through the angle adjustment mechanism from the first case to the second case.

3. In at least one of the first case, the second case, and the angle adjustment mechanism, the connection cable is inserted into a cable holding member made of rubber or synthetic resin, and the cable holding member is attached in a state of being inserted into a predetermined mounting hole; 3. The camera system according to claim 2, wherein a ridge portion is provided on the peripheral surface of the cable holding member to close a gap between the peripheral surface of the cable holding member and the inner surface of the mounting hole.

Images