Imaging device

Abstract

The objective is to provide a structure that reduces vibrations in the remote camera's outer cover and camera support, prevents unintended interference between components, and solves noise problems. [Solution] The positional relationship in the tilt rotation axis direction between the first elastic member and the camera support portion that contacts the first elastic member is such that the first elastic member is on the outer circumference side of the imaging device and the camera support portion is on the inner circumference side. The positional relationship in the tilt rotation axis direction between the second elastic member and the camera support portion that contacts the second elastic member is such that the second elastic member is on the outer circumference side of the imaging device and the camera support portion is on the inner circumference side.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in a PTZ camera (pan-tilt-zoom camera) driven by pan and tilt, the number of products assumed to be used for video production has been increasing. In order to realize pan and tilt driving by remote operation, a motor is built into the device. Further, a PTZ camera for video production determines the pan and tilt speed according to the purpose. For example, when shooting video during pan and tilt driving as shooting material, it operates at a low speed. On the other hand, when performing pan and tilt driving so as to move to a plurality of preset locations, it operates at a high speed. Thus, since the user arbitrarily determines the driving speed, the motor vibrates at a wide range of frequencies. When the motor vibrates at a wide range of frequencies, the PTZ camera is likely to resonate with the vibration of the motor, and noise due to resonance caused by the vibration of the motor occurs. For example, when the exterior cover of a remote camera, which is a remotely operated PTZ camera, is greatly displaced by vibration, it may come into contact with other components and generate noise.

[0003] In order to solve this, if the clearance between the exterior cover of the remote camera and other components including the camera support part is increased, it will lead to an increase in the size of the remote camera. Further, as a measure to improve the vibration prevention of the exterior cover by using a lot of screws to improve the rigidity, it is desirable to avoid it from the viewpoint of the aesthetic appearance of the remote camera. In Patent Document 1, in order to solve such a noise problem, a vibration prevention structure of an exterior cover utilizing an elastic member is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The vibration isolation structure described in Patent Document 1 comprises a pair of metal plates sandwiching an elastic body, with one metal plate fixed to the internal structure and the other serving as the mounting part for the outer cover. This reduces vibrations transmitted from the internal structure containing the vibration source to the outer cover. However, the vibration isolation structure in Patent Document 1 was a structure that only targeted the outer cover, such as reducing the noise amplification function of the outer cover. Therefore, vibrations of internal components such as the camera support part of the remote camera, and noise caused by interference between the outer cover and internal components, were not taken into consideration.

[0006] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a structure that reduces vibration of the outer cover and camera support of a remote camera, prevents unintended interference between components, and solves the noise problem. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An imaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a camera unit, a camera support unit that supports the camera unit so as to be tiltable and rotatable, a motor disposed on the camera support unit for tilting and rotating the camera unit, an outer cover, a first elastic member that abuts the outer cover and the camera support unit, a second elastic member disposed on the opposite side of the camera unit from the first elastic member and abuts the outer cover and the camera support unit, and a third elastic member that abuts the camera support unit and the camera unit, wherein the positional relationship in the tilt rotation axis direction between the first elastic member and the camera support unit abutting the first elastic member is such that the first elastic member is on the outer circumference side of the imaging device and the camera support unit is on the inner circumference side, and the positional relationship in the tilt rotation axis direction between the second elastic member and the camera support unit abutting the second elastic member is such that the second elastic member is on the outer circumference side of the imaging device and the camera support unit is on the inner circumference side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, vibrations of the remote camera's outer cover and camera support can be reduced, unintended interference between components can be prevented, and the noise problem of the remote camera can be solved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of an imaging device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging device 100. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the imaging device 100. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a plan view of the imaging device 100 when it is tilted at a +90° angle. [Figure 5] This figure shows a magnified view of the vicinity of the second elastic member 22 of the imaging device 100 in Figure 1. [Figure 6] This is an exploded perspective view of the imaging device 1000 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Figure 7] This figure shows a magnified view of the vicinity of the second elastic member 220 of the imaging device 1000 shown in Figure 6. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Parts not directly related to the present invention will be omitted and not shown. Furthermore, the configurations shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not limited to those shown.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) The imaging device 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The imaging device 100 is an example of a remote camera.

[0012] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an imaging device 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the imaging device 100 includes a base portion 1, a movable portion 2 that can rotate around the P axis relative to the base portion 1, and a camera portion 3 that is held by the movable portion 2 and can rotate around the T axis relative to the movable portion 2. The rotation of the movable portion 2 around the P axis is called pan rotation. The rotation of the camera portion 3 around the T axis is called tilt rotation. The P axis may be referred to as the pan rotation center axis, and the T axis may be referred to as the tilt rotation center axis. The camera portion 3 is equipped with a lens group, an image sensor, etc., and can capture an image in a desired direction by performing at least one of pan rotation and tilt rotation. In the following description, the pan-tilt state of the imaging device 100 shown in Figure 1 is considered the positive position, and the phase is set to 0°.

[0013] The base section 1 has a base section cover 11. The movable section 2 has a movable section cover 12. The movable section cover 12 is an example of an exterior cover. The camera section 3 has a camera cover 13. Each of these cover components covers the internal components of the imaging device 100 and has functions such as preventing the user from touching the internal components, preventing malfunction of the imaging device 100 due to dust, moisture, or impact, and improving the aesthetic appearance.

[0014] Generally, cover components of conventional imaging devices tend to be large parts because they need to cover the internal components of the device. Therefore, since using metal for cover components would significantly increase costs, they are often made of resin. In imaging device 100, the base cover 11, movable part cover 12, and camera cover 13 are made of resin. However, the base cover 11 could be made of metal from the standpoint of strength and heat dissipation.

[0015] Furthermore, from an aesthetic standpoint, it is desirable to avoid using too many screws on the cover components of the imaging device. As will be described later, the base cover 11 of the imaging device 100 has a movable part cover fastening part 14 (see Figure 4) in a location that is not easily visible to the user, and fastens to the movable part base 61 using screws.

[0016] The pedestal portion 1 has a pedestal cover 11 and a back metal plate (not shown) located on the back side of the imaging device 100. Connectors for power supply and various wirings are fixed to the back metal plate, enabling power supply to the imaging device 100 and allowing the imaging device 100 to communicate with the external.

[0017] FIG. 2(A) and FIG. 2(B) are exploded perspective views of the imaging device 100, showing the state where the movable part cover 12 is removed from the imaging device 100. FIG. 2(A) is a perspective view from the front, plane, and right side of the imaging device 100, and FIG. 2(B) is a perspective view from the front, plane, and left side of the imaging device 100. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the imaging device 100. More specifically, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the imaging device 100 cut along a plane passing through the pan rotation center axis (P axis) and parallel to the tilt rotation center axis (T axis). FIG. 4 is a plan view of the imaging device 100 in the state of tilt +90°.

[0018] The configuration of the movable part 2 will be described using FIGS. 2(A), FIG. 2(B), FIG. 3, and FIG. 4. The movable part 2 has a movable part cover 12, a camera left support part 31a, and a camera right support part 31b. The camera left support part 31a and the camera right support part 31b may be referred to as the camera support part 31 in the following description. The camera support part 31 is an example of a camera support part that supports the camera part 3 so as to be tilt-rotatable.

[0019] The movable part 2 has a movable part base 61. A pan rotation shaft 71 is provided on the movable part base 61. The P axis is defined by the pan rotation shaft 71. Further, the camera support part 31 has a camera support part fastening part 33 that fastens to the movable part base 61, and the camera left support part 31a and the camera right support part 31b are fixed so as to face each other around the pan rotation shaft 71. In the following description, the side of the movable part base 61 is referred to as the lower part of the component, and the side of the camera part 3 is referred to as the upper part of the component.

[0020] The camera support part 31 has a tilt rotation shaft 72 provided at the upper part. The T axis in FIG. 1 is defined by the tilt rotation shaft 72. The camera left support part 31a and the camera right support part 31b hold the tilt rotation shaft 72 at the same height and on the same straight line.

[0021] A pan motor 41 for pan rotation is attached to the movable part base 61, and a tilt motor 42 for tilt rotation is attached to the camera left support part 31a. The tilt motor 42 is disposed in the camera support part 31 and is an example of a motor that tilts and rotates the camera part 3. The movable part 2 is panned and rotated about the pan rotation axis 71 by the pan motor 41. The camera part 3 is tilted and rotated about the tilt rotation axis 72 by the tilt motor 42. However, the pan motor 41 may be disposed on the pedestal part 1. The pan motor 41 and the tilt motor 42 are vibration sources in the first embodiment, and vibrations generated from each motor are propagated to the movable part cover 12 and the camera right support part 31b via the movable part base 61. These vibrations may cause the movable part cover 12 and the camera support part 31 to be displaced and interfere with each other, leading to a noise problem in the imaging device 100. A substrate 51 on which a driver or the like for controlling the driving of the pan motor 41 and the tilt motor 42 is mounted is attached to the camera right support part 31b.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the imaging device 100 in a state where the tilt is +90°, that is, a state where the camera part 3 faces upward by +90° in the tilt rotation direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the movable part cover 12 is fastened to the movable part base 61 at the movable part cover fastening part 14. The movable part cover fastening part 14 has a countersunk shape, and the screw head does not protrude from the appearance. Also, when the imaging device 100 is in the correct position, the movable part cover fastening part 14 overlaps with the camera part 3 when viewed from above, so it is difficult to be visually recognized. These improve the aesthetic appearance of the imaging device 100.

[0023] As shown in Figures 2(A), 2(B), and 3, a first elastic member 21 and a second elastic member 22 are attached to the movable part cover 12. The first elastic member 21 is an example of a first elastic member that contacts the movable part cover 12 and the camera support part 31. The second elastic member 22 is positioned on the opposite side of the camera part 3 from the first elastic member 21 and is an example of a second elastic member that contacts the movable part cover 12 and the camera support part 31. As shown in Figure 3, a third elastic member 23 is positioned on the tilt rotation axis 72 held on the upper part of the left camera support part 31a. The third elastic member 23 is an example of a third elastic member that contacts the camera support part 31 and the camera part 3.

[0024] Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the location where the second elastic member 22 is attached to the movable part cover 12. The movable part cover 12 has an elastic member fastening portion 24, and the second elastic member 22 is fastened to it with screws. The first elastic member 21 and the second elastic member 22 are elastic members such as elastomers, and it is desirable that they be made of materials that have the same properties, such as the same damping properties.

[0025] The first elastic member 21 contacts the first contact portion 32a of the left camera support portion 31a, and the second elastic member 22 contacts the second contact portion 32b of the right camera support portion 31b. The first contact portion 32a and the second contact portion 32b are planar surfaces located on the upper part of the camera support portion 31, and are surfaces substantially perpendicular to the tilt rotation axis direction. However, the first contact portion 32a and the second contact portion 32b may have an inclined shape to improve assembly workability.

[0026] The first elastic member 21 and the second elastic member 22 are positioned between the camera support 31 and the movable part cover 12 to maintain clearance, thereby preventing interference between the camera support 31 and the movable part cover 12.

[0027] Furthermore, the tilt motor 42, which is the vibration source, is positioned in the height direction between the first contact portion 32a and the camera support fastening portion 33. This limits the displacement of the left camera support portion 31a to which the tilt motor 42 is attached, both above and below, preventing unintended interference with other components. The camera support portion 31 and the movable part cover 12 each have fastening portions. Specifically, the camera support portion 31 has a camera support fastening portion 33 that fastens to the movable part base 61, and the movable part cover 12 has a movable part cover fastening portion 14 that fastens to the movable part base 61. In the height direction of the imaging device 100, the first contact portion 32a and the second contact portion 32b are positioned on the opposite side of the tilt motor 42 from the camera support fastening portion 33 and the movable part cover fastening portion 14. The first contact portion 32a is the contact portion where the first elastic member 21 and the camera support portion 31 come into contact, and the second contact portion 32b is the contact portion where the second elastic member 22 and the camera support portion 31 come into contact.

[0028] The third elastic member 23 is, for example, a compression spring, and is positioned on the tilt rotation axis 72 in a pressurized state, contacting the camera unit 3 and the left camera support unit 31a. The third elastic member 23 is also positioned on the side of the left camera support unit 31a where the tilt motor 42 is located. The pressurized third elastic member 23 has the function of shifting the camera unit 3 to one side by elastic force, thereby improving the positional accuracy of the camera unit 3 of the imaging device 100 by shifting the camera unit 3 towards the right camera support unit 31b side. By improving the positional accuracy of the camera unit 3, it has the effect of preventing unintended interference between the camera unit 3 and the movable part cover 12, etc.

[0029] In a configuration without the first elastic member 21 and the second elastic member 22, the camera support 31 is fastened to the movable base 61 only at the lower part of the component, making the position of the upper part of the camera support 31 prone to variation. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the elastic force of the third elastic member 23 causes the upper part of the camera support 31 to displace in the opening direction, making the position of the camera 3 prone to shifting. Therefore, the first elastic member 21 and the second elastic member 22 are arranged to improve the positional accuracy of the upper part of the camera support 31.

[0030] The T-axis positional relationship between the first elastic member 21 and the first contact portion 32a of the left camera support portion 31a that abuts the first elastic member 21 is such that the first elastic member 21 is positioned on the outer circumference side of the imaging device 100 and the first contact portion 32a is positioned on the inner circumference side. The T-axis positional relationship between the second elastic member 22 and the second contact portion 32b of the right camera support portion 31b that abuts the second elastic member 22 is such that the second elastic member 22 is positioned on the outer circumference side of the imaging device 100 and the second contact portion 32b is positioned on the inner circumference side. Furthermore, as described above, the first contact portion 32a and the second contact portion 32b are planes substantially perpendicular to the tilt rotation axis direction. As a result, the first elastic member 21 and the second elastic member 22 can suppress displacement in the opening direction of the upper part of the camera support portion 31, thereby improving the positional accuracy of the camera portion 3.

[0031] Furthermore, since the elastic force of the third elastic member 23 is equally received by the camera support portions 31 on both sides, the first elastic member 21 and the second elastic member 22 are made of the same material, eliminating the possibility of one of the camera support portions 31 being displaced.

[0032] The configuration described above provides a structure that reduces vibration of the outer cover (movable part cover 12) and camera support part (camera support part 31) of the remote camera (imaging device 100), prevents unintended interference between parts, and reduces noise.

[0033] (Embodiment 2) The configuration of the imaging device 1000 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 6 and 7. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for components and parts that are the same as those shown in Embodiment 1, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0034] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging device 1000 according to Embodiment 2, and corresponds to Figure 2(A) of Embodiment 1. Figure 7 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the second elastic member 220 of the imaging device 1000 in Figure 6. Figure 7(A) is an enlarged view of the location where the second elastic member 220 is attached to the movable part cover 120, and corresponds to Figure 5 of Embodiment 1. Figure 7(B) is a bottom view of the movable part cover 120.

[0035] As shown in Figure 6, the left camera support portion 310a of the imaging device 1000 according to Embodiment 2 has first contact portions 320a at both ends of the upper part of the component. The first elastic member 210, which is arranged on the movable part cover 120, comes into contact with the first contact portions 320a.

[0036] As shown in Figures 7(A) and 7(B), the movable part cover 120 in Embodiment 2 is made of resin material, similar to the movable part cover 12 in Embodiment 1, and the movable part cover 120, the first elastic member 210, and the second elastic member 220 are integrally molded. In Embodiment 1, the movable part cover 12 is fastened to the first elastic member 21 and the second elastic member 22 at the elastic member fastening portion 24, but in Embodiment 2, since they are molded together, the fastening work can be omitted.

[0037] (Other embodiments) Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples of how the present invention can be implemented, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited by them. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical concept or its main features. For example, combinations of the embodiments are also included in the disclosure of this specification.

[0038] This embodiment includes the following configuration. (Composition 1) Camera section, A camera support unit that supports the aforementioned camera unit so that it can be tilted and rotated, A motor is positioned in the camera support section and tilts and rotates the camera section, The outer cover and The exterior cover and the first elastic member that contacts the camera support portion, A second elastic member is positioned on the opposite side of the camera section from the first elastic member and contacts the outer cover and the camera support section. The camera support portion and the third elastic member that contacts the camera portion, An imaging device comprising, The positional relationship between the first elastic member and the camera support portion that contacts the first elastic member in the tilt rotation axis direction is such that the first elastic member is on the outer circumference side of the imaging device and the camera support portion is on the inner circumference side. The positional relationship between the second elastic member and the camera support portion that contacts the second elastic member in the tilt rotation axis direction is such that the second elastic member is on the outer circumference side of the imaging device and the camera support portion is on the inner circumference side. An imaging device characterized by the following features. (Configuration 2) The third elastic member is a compression spring, which, when pressurized, contacts the camera support and the camera. The imaging apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized by the features described above. (Composition 3) The first elastic member and the second elastic member are elastomers and have the same properties. An imaging device according to configuration 1 or configuration 2, characterized by the above. (Composition 4) The camera support and the outer cover each have fastening portions that fasten to the movable base, and in the height direction of the imaging device, the first contact portion and the second contact portion, where the first elastic member and the second elastic member abut against the camera support, are positioned on the opposite side of the motor from the fastening portion. An imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized by the features described above. (Composition 5) The first and second contact portions are surfaces substantially perpendicular to the tilt rotation axis. The imaging apparatus according to configuration 4, characterized by the features described above. (Composition 6) The aforementioned outer cover is made of resin material, The outer cover, the first elastic member, and the second elastic member are integrally molded. An imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized by the above. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0039] 100: Imaging device 1: Base 2: Moving part 3: Camera Department 11: Base cover 12: Movable part cover 13: Camera cover 14: Movable part cover fastening part 21: First elastic member 22: Second elastic member 23: Third elastic member 24: Elastic member fastening section 31a: Camera left support 31b: Right camera support 32a: First contact portion 32b: Second contact part 33: Camera support fastening section 41: Pan motor 42: Tilt motor 51: Circuit board 61: Movable part base 71: Pan rotation axis 72: Tilt rotation axis

Claims

1. Camera section, A camera support unit that supports the aforementioned camera unit so that it can be tilted and rotated, A motor is positioned in the camera support section and tilts and rotates the camera section, The outer cover and The outer cover and the first elastic member that contacts the camera support portion, A second elastic member is positioned on the opposite side of the camera section from the first elastic member and contacts the outer cover and the camera support section. The camera support portion and the third elastic member that contacts the camera portion, An imaging device comprising, The positional relationship between the first elastic member and the camera support portion that contacts the first elastic member in the tilt rotation axis direction is such that the first elastic member is on the outer circumference side of the imaging device and the camera support portion is on the inner circumference side. The positional relationship between the second elastic member and the camera support portion that contacts the second elastic member in the tilt rotation axis direction is such that the second elastic member is on the outer circumference side of the imaging device and the camera support portion is on the inner circumference side. An imaging device characterized by the following features.

2. The third elastic member is a compression spring, which, when pressurized, contacts the camera support and the camera. The imaging apparatus according to feature 1.

3. The first elastic member and the second elastic member are elastomers and have the same properties. The imaging apparatus according to feature 1.

4. The camera support and the outer cover each have fastening portions that fasten to the movable base, and in the height direction of the imaging device, the first contact portion and the second contact portion where the first elastic member and the second elastic member abut against the camera support portion are positioned on the opposite side of the motor from the fastening portion. The imaging apparatus according to feature 1.

5. The first contact portion and the second contact portion are surfaces substantially perpendicular to the tilt rotation axis direction. The imaging apparatus according to feature 4.

6. The aforementioned outer cover is made of resin material, The outer cover, the first elastic member, and the second elastic member are integrally molded. The imaging apparatus according to feature 1.

Images