Panhead camera device

Abstract

To secure maintainability and cooling performance in a unit of a pedestal part replaceable for connection with an external apparatus.SOLUTION: A panhead camera device includes a camera section, a turning section that holds the camera section and causes the camera section to perform a pan operation and a tilt operation, a base section that connects the turning section and an installation surface to each other, an information processing board that processes information of the camera section and the turning section, a replaceable replacement unit that contains the information processing board, and a case section that is connected to the replacement unit, is contained in the base section, and holds wires from the camera section and the turning section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pan head camera device, and more particularly to the structure of a base part that connects to an external device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, in order to improve portability and maintainability of camera pan head devices, there have been some that have a replaceable unit that is housed in a base that fixes the camera pan head device and connects to external devices. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a base for AC power and a base for DC power are interchangeable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-159884 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, as the resolution of camera head devices increases and communication speeds with external devices improve, the substrate held in the unit of the base unit generates more heat. With the conventional technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, it becomes difficult to maintain the improvement of cooling performance to actively cool the substrate that has generated more heat, and the ease of replacing the unit, taking into consideration portability and maintainability.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pan-head camera device that ensures maintainability and cooling performance for a replaceable base unit for connection to external devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A pan-and-tilt camera device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a camera unit, a swivel unit that holds the camera unit and allows the camera unit to perform pan and tilt operations, a base unit that connects the swivel unit to an installation surface, an information processing board that processes information from the camera unit and the swivel unit, a replaceable replacement unit that contains the information processing board, and a case unit that is connected to the replacement unit and is contained in the base unit and holds wiring from the camera unit and the swivel unit, and is characterized in that the replacement unit holds a board cooling means that cools the information processing board. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pan head camera device that can ensure maintainability and cooling performance for a replaceable base unit for connection to an external device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a base part of a pan head camera device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a pan head camera device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the replacement unit 3. [Figure 5] 10 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a state in which a replacement unit 3 is inserted into a case portion 2, taken along a plane perpendicular to the X-axis. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a state in which a replacement unit 3 is inserted into a case portion 2, taken along a plane perpendicular to the X-axis. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the camera unit 200. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the present embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. In each drawing, the same members or elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted or simplified.

[0010] <Embodiment 1> Fig. 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a base unit of a pan head camera device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pan head camera device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of base unit 10. Fig. 1 shows base unit 10 cut along a plane perpendicular to the X-axis in the coordinate system shown in Fig. 2.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 2, the pan head camera device 100 is configured to include a camera unit 200, a swivel unit 300 that holds the camera unit 200, and a base unit 10 that holds the swivel unit 300. The swivel unit 300 moves the camera unit 200 that it holds in a tilt direction 301 and a pan direction 302. Here, the tilt direction 301 is the direction of rotation around the X axis, and the pan direction 302 is the direction of rotation around the Z axis. The base unit 10 is installed on an installation surface such as the ground, and serves as a seat for the pan head camera device 100. The base unit 10 connects the swivel unit 300 to the installation surface.

[0012] 1, the base part 10 has a base 1, a case part 2, a replacement unit 3, and a bottom plate 4. Also, as shown in Fig. 3, the base part 10 has a shading member 5 that is held at a certain distance from the base 1 and blocks sunlight, a hose part 6 that protects cables and the like connected to external devices, and a lid part 7 that protects cable connectors and the like.

[0013] The case part 2 is contained within and held by the base 1, and holds a communication and power cable 22 from the swivel part 300 via a connector 21. The replacement unit 3 is a unit that can be inserted into and removed from the base part 10 for replacement. The replacement unit 3 is contained within the base 1 and held by the case part 2 when the pan head camera device 100 is operating.

[0014] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the replacement unit 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the replacement unit 3 has an IC board 311 and an optical communication board 312 as information processing boards. The replacement unit 3 also has a fan 32, which is an axial fan, as board cooling means for cooling the IC board 311 and the optical communication board 312, and an internal connector 33 that connects a cable from the IC board 311 to the connector 22 of the case 2. In addition, the replacement unit 3 has an external connector metal plate 34 as an external connector unit, an IC metal plate 35, an optical communication metal plate 36, and a holding metal plate 37. The IC metal plate 35 holds the IC board 311. The optical communication metal plate 36 holds the optical communication board 312. The holding metal plate 37 holds the fan 32 and the internal connector 33. That is, the fan 32 is held on the same surface as the surface of the replacement unit 3 on which the internal connector 33 is arranged.

[0015] An IC 3111 as an integrated circuit is mounted on IC board 311 as a first board, which processes image capture information from camera unit 200 as an image signal processing unit and performs communication processing with external devices as a communication processing unit. Part of the communication processing is performed by optical connector unit 3121 as optical communication processing means disposed on optical communication board 312 as a second board.

[0016] The IC 3111 and the optical connector section 3121 are provided with a heat sink 3112 and a heat sink section 3122 that diffuse and dissipate heat generated from the IC 3111 and the optical connector section 3121. In this embodiment, the heat sink 3112 and the heat sink section 3122 are used for the IC 3111 and the optical connector section 3121, but it is sufficient if the heat from the heat source is diffused after being transferred, and the heat may also be transferred to the replacement unit 3 using materials or means such as copper plate or graphite sheet.

[0017] Fig. 5 is a perspective cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the X-axis, showing how the replacement unit 3 is inserted into the case 2. Fig. 6 is a perspective cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the X-axis, showing how the replacement unit 3 is inserted into the case 2. The cross-sectional view in Fig. 6 is shifted from that in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the camera unit 200.

[0018] 5, the external connector metal plate 34 holds a plurality of external connectors 38 to which cables for connecting to external devices are attached. The external connectors 38 are connected to the IC board 311 and the optical communication board 312 by cables.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the external connector metal plate 34 is fastened to the holding metal plate 37 with screws. The IC metal plate 35 and the optical communication metal plate 36 are also fastened to the holding metal plate 37 with screws. These form the skeleton structure of the replacement unit 3. The IC board 311, the optical communication board 312, and the corresponding heat sink 3112 and heat sink portion 3122 are housed within the replacement unit 3.

[0020] The fan 32 is disposed on the outside of the replacement unit 3, which is the outside of the holding metal plate 37, on a surface 372 of the holding metal plate 37 that faces the external connector metal plate 34 with the configuration housed in the replacement unit 3 sandwiched between them. The holding metal plate 37 has an air intake 371 on the surface 372 that supplies air from the fan 32 into the replacement unit 3. The replacement unit 3 has the fan 32, internal connector 33, and air intake 371 disposed on the surface 372. Therefore, the IC board 311 and the optical communication board 312 are disposed between the external connector metal plate 34 and the fan 32.

[0021] An insertion direction 3a in which the replacement unit 3 is attached to the case part 2 contained in the base part 10 is a direction from the external connector 38 toward the internal connector 33. As shown in FIG. 6 , the case part 2 has an opening 23 through which the fan 32 attached to the outside of the replacement unit 3 passes when the fan 32 is attached to the case part 2. When the replacement unit 3 is attached to the case part 2, the connector 21 and the internal connector 33 are connected.

[0022] 7, camera unit 200 has camera 201 as an imaging device that captures an image of a subject, and lens 202 as an optical system attached to camera 201. Camera 201 and lens 202 are housed and held in a substantially sealed camera case 206 made up of metal sheet 203 and glass window 204.

[0023] Camera 201, to which lens 202 is attached, captures an image of a subject through glass window 204. Camera unit 200 also has a light shielding plate 205 arranged on the outside of metal sheet metal 203 of camera case 206 at a fixed distance from the top plate of metal sheet metal 203. Light shielding plate 205 blocks light from sunlight. Camera unit 200 can protect the camera 201 and lens 202 inside and improve environmental resistance by suppressing the effects of rain and wind through its nearly sealed structure and by suppressing the effects of sunlight through light shielding plate 205.

[0024] 2 has drive mechanisms such as motors, gears, and belts (not shown) inside for panning and tilting, and a drive board (not shown) controls the position and speed of the operations. The rotation unit 300 causes the camera unit 200 to perform panning and tilting operations, changing the direction in which the camera unit 200 takes pictures.

[0025] Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, the operation and effect of improving the cooling performance while maintaining ease of maintenance in the pan head camera device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0026] The camera platform camera device 100 according to this embodiment is intended for outdoor installation, and is therefore required to be robust, have a long product life, and be capable of being used in harsh environments. With the increasing volume and speed of communication associated with the recent trend toward higher resolution images, the IC 3111 becomes a heat source and generates high heat. Furthermore, since part of the optical communication processing is performed by the optical communication board 312 as a means of achieving high-speed communication, the optical communication board 312 also generates high heat as a heat source, and the components mounted on the optical communication board 312 have a short lifespan, requiring cooling and maintenance of the heat source.

[0027] 5 and 6, in the pan head camera device 100 according to this embodiment, the replacement unit 3 includes the optical communication board 312, IC board 311, and fan 32, which are maintenance targets. This allows these maintenance targets to be removed from the base 10 and replaced together to extend the product life of the pan head camera device 100, improving maintainability.

[0028] It is also possible to easily accommodate changes to the specifications of the IC board 311 or the multiple external connectors 38 provided on the external connector metal plate 34. That is, the replacement unit 3 with the changed IC board 311 or the multiple external connectors 38 provided on the external connector metal plate 34 can be easily replaced by simply inserting or removing it from the base 1. In addition, by arranging the replacement unit 3 inside the base 1, it is possible to cool the heat sources of the optical communication board 312 and IC board 311 that have generated high heat.

[0029] 1, 5, and 6, when the replacement unit 3 is inserted into and attached to the case part 2 in the base 1, the metal plate of the case part 2 and the holding metal plate 37 of the replacement unit 3 are combined to form a duct shape with approximately four sides. This allows the air from the fan 32 to be efficiently guided to the optical communication board 312 and the IC board 311, improving cooling efficiency.

[0030] 5, in the replacement unit 3, multiple external connectors 38 are arranged on the external connector metal plate 34, and therefore, if the fan 32 is arranged on the same surface, the external connector metal plate 34 will become larger, and the replacement unit will also become larger. For this reason, it is desirable to arrange the fan 32 on the outside of the replacement unit 3, which is on the outside of the holding metal plate 37, on surface 372, which is the surface of the holding metal plate 37 that faces the external connector metal plate 34 with the configuration housed in the replacement unit 3 in between.

[0031] 6, to improve maintainability, it is desirable that the internal connector 33 be disposed on the surface in the insertion direction 3a along which the replacement unit 3 is inserted. To reduce size, it is desirable that the internal connector 33 be disposed on the opposing surface 372 rather than on the surface 341 of the external connector sheet metal 34. For this reason, the connector 21 of the case 2 that is connected to the internal connector 33, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, requires space 10a for the excess length of the wiring, and space 10a is generated between the inner wall surface of the base 1 and the connector 21. Therefore, by disposing the fan 32 in the excess space 10a, that is, on the surface 372 that faces the external connector sheet metal 34, it is possible to reduce the size of the base 10 and improve maintainability and cooling performance.

[0032] More preferably, the case part 2 has an opening 23 through which the fan 32 held in the replacement unit 3 passes when inserted. This allows the fan 32 to be placed in a marginal part of the space 10a, and the fan 32 can draw in air outside the case part 2 from outside the duct shape that contains the heat source, thereby improving cooling capacity.

[0033] The IC board 311 and the optical communication board 312 are disposed between the external connector metal plate 34 and the fan 32, and are disposed inside a duct-shaped structure formed by the case 2 and the holding metal plate 37. This allows for a short distance from the fan 32, and allows for compact and efficient cooling.

[0034] In this embodiment, the optical communication board 312 and the IC board 311 in the replacement unit 3 are arranged on a plane parallel to the direction of gravity, which allows the base 10 to have a shape that is roughly conical, thereby making it smaller. This has the effect of allowing the camera unit 200 to rotate in the pan direction and increase the tilt angle, particularly in the case of a pan head camera device 100 in which the camera unit 200 is long in the imaging direction.

[0035] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0036] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0037] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration. (Configuration 1) The camera section and a rotation unit that holds the camera unit and allows the camera unit to perform panning and tilting operations; a base portion connecting the swivel portion and an installation surface; an information processing board that processes information from the camera unit and the swivel unit; a replaceable replacement unit containing the information processing board; a case portion connected to the replacement unit, contained in the base portion, and holding wiring from the camera portion and the swivel portion; and The replacement unit holds a substrate cooling means for cooling the information processing substrate. A camera platform device characterized by: (Configuration 2) the replacement unit has an external connector portion for connecting an external device to the camera platform; The substrate cooling means is held on a surface different from the surface to which the external connector portion is connected. 2. The pan head camera device according to configuration 1, (Configuration 3) the substrate cooling means is a fan, The replacement unit and the case are connected to form a duct that guides the air from the fan to the information processing board. 3. The pan head camera device according to configuration 1 or 2, (Configuration 4) The case portion has an opening, When the replacement unit is attached to the case, the substrate cooling means passes through the opening. 4. The pan head camera device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, (Configuration 5) the replacement unit has an internal connector that connects to the case portion, The substrate cooling means is held on the same surface as the surface on which the internal connector of the replacement unit is arranged. 5. The pan head camera device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, (Configuration 6) the replacement unit has an external connector portion for connecting an external device to the camera platform; The internal connector is disposed on a surface opposite to the surface on which the external connector portion is disposed. 6. The pan head camera device according to configuration 5. (Configuration 7) The information processing board is disposed between the external connector portion and the board cooling means. 7. The pan head camera device according to any one of configurations 2 to 6, (Configuration 8) The information processing board has an image signal processing unit and a communication processing unit. 8. The pan head camera device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, (Configuration 9) the information processing board has a first board and a second board, the first substrate has an image signal processing unit, The second substrate has an optical communication processing means. 9. The pan head camera device according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 pedestal 2 Case part 10 Base 10a space 100 camera platform 200 Camera Department 201 Camera 202 Lens 300 Swivel section 301 Tilt direction 302 Pan Direction

Claims

1. The camera section and a rotation unit that holds the camera unit and allows the camera unit to perform panning and tilting operations; a base portion connecting the swivel portion and an installation surface; an information processing board that processes information from the camera unit and the swivel unit; a replaceable replacement unit containing the information processing board; a case portion connected to the replacement unit, contained in the base portion, and holding wiring from the camera portion and the swivel portion; and The replacement unit holds a substrate cooling means for cooling the information processing substrate. A camera platform device characterized by:

2. the replacement unit has an external connector portion for connecting an external device to the camera platform; The substrate cooling means is held on a surface different from the surface to which the external connector portion is connected.

2. The camera platform device according to claim 1.

3. the substrate cooling means is a fan, The replacement unit and the case are connected to form a duct that guides the air from the fan to the information processing board.

2. The camera platform device according to claim 1.

4. The case portion has an opening, When the replacement unit is attached to the case, the substrate cooling means passes through the opening.

2. The camera platform device according to claim 1.

5. the replacement unit has an internal connector that connects to the case portion, The substrate cooling means is held on the same surface as the surface on which the internal connector of the replacement unit is arranged.

2. The camera platform device according to claim 1.

6. the replacement unit has an external connector portion for connecting an external device to the camera platform; The internal connector is disposed on a surface opposite to the surface on which the external connector portion is disposed.

6. The camera platform device according to claim 5.

7. The information processing board is disposed between the external connector portion and the board cooling means.

3. The camera platform device according to claim 2.

8. The information processing board has an image signal processing unit and a communication processing unit.

2. The camera platform device according to claim 1.

9. the information processing board has a first board and a second board, the first substrate has an image signal processing unit, The second substrate has an optical communication processing means.

2. The camera platform device according to claim 1.

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