Imaging device

Abstract

The present invention provides an imaging device that can suppress image blur caused by the inertial force of pan or tilt rotation while suppressing vibration transmission to the lens barrel. [Means for solving the problem] [0086] An imaging device in which the imaging unit is rotatable in the pan or tilt direction, wherein the imaging unit comprises a lens barrel, a holding member for holding the lens barrel, and a plurality of vibration-damping members interposed between the lens barrel and the holding member, and wherein when a mutually orthogonal XYZ coordinate system is defined with the center of gravity of the lens barrel as the origin and the XZ plane passing through the center of the rotation axis of the pan or tilt rotation, and the direction of the rotation is the YZ plane, the sum of the Z coordinates of the plurality of vibration-damping members is approximately 0, and the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged in positions approximately symmetrical with respect to the YZ plane.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device capable of pan rotation or tilt rotation. [Background Art]

[0002] In recent years, in the field of video production, PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) cameras, which allow remote control of the imaging unit of a camera in pan and tilt directions, have been used. In PTZ cameras, vibration caused by motor driving for pan rotation and tilt rotation propagates through the housing, which may generate noise and cause a problem. In particular, the lens barrel portion of a PTZ camera often becomes a source of noise because it has many movable parts and components, so countermeasures to prevent vibration from propagating to the lens barrel have been required. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-114521 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that suppresses vibration transmitted from the housing to the lens barrel by interposing a vibration-proof member between the lens barrel and a lens barrel holding structure to softly support the lens barrel. However, in a PTZ camera, inertial force is generated in the lens barrel due to acceleration and deceleration of pan-tilt rotation operation. Therefore, when the lens barrel is softly supported, there arises a problem that the lens barrel tilts due to the inertial force, causing image blur during shooting.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device capable of suppressing image blur caused by inertial force from pan or tilt rotation operation while suppressing vibration propagation to the lens barrel. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0006] An imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: An imaging device in which the imaging unit is capable of rotating in the pan or tilt direction, The imaging unit comprises a lens barrel and A retaining member for holding the lens barrel, It has a plurality of vibration-damping members interposed between the lens barrel and the holding member, When defining a mutually orthogonal XYZ coordinate system where the center of gravity of the aforementioned telescope tube is the origin, the XZ plane passes through the center of the rotation axis of the pan or tilt rotation, and the direction of the rotation is the YZ plane, The plurality of vibration-damping members are characterized in that the sum of the Z coordinates of each member is approximately 0, and the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged in positions that are approximately symmetrical with respect to the YZ plane. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an imaging device that can suppress image blur caused by the inertial force of pan or tilt rotation while suppressing vibration transmission to the lens barrel. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the appearance of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a functional block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 3A] This is a perspective view from the front top side showing the camera unit 110 and pan rotation unit 150 of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention with their exteriors removed. [Figure 3B] This is a perspective view from the rear bottom side showing the camera unit 110 and pan rotation unit 150 of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention with their exteriors removed. [Figure 3C] This is an external view showing the camera unit 110 and pan rotation unit 150 of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, with their outer casings removed, as seen from the side. [Figure 3D]This is an external view showing the camera unit 110 and pan rotation unit 150 of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, with their outer casings removed, as seen from above. [Figure 4A] This is an exploded perspective view, taken from the front and above, illustrating the internal structure of the camera unit 110. [Figure 4B] This is an exploded perspective view, taken from the rear and lower side, illustrating the internal structure of the camera unit 110. [Figure 5A] Figure 3D shows a cross-sectional view AA illustrating the structure of the lens barrel 120, which is softly supported by the lens barrel support member 112. [Figure 5B] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the camera unit 110, with its outer casing removed, is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating. [Figure 6] This is a detailed diagram showing the shape around the vibration-damping member 130a in Figure 5A. [Figure 7A] Figure 3C shows a schematic diagram of the AA cross-sectional view of the camera unit 110 with the outer casing removed, in the case of a conventional PTZ camera 100 where the sum of za, zc, ze, and zg is not zero. [Figure 7B] This schematic diagram shows the state in which the camera unit 110, with its outer casing removed, is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating, as shown in Figure 5A. [Figure 8A] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration in Embodiment 2, showing a cross-sectional view AA of the camera unit 110 with the outer casing removed, as shown in Figure 3C. [Figure 8B] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the camera unit 110, with its outer casing removed, is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating. [Figure 9A] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration in Embodiment 3, showing a cross-sectional view AA of the camera unit 110 with the outer casing removed, as shown in Figure 3C. [Figure 9B] Figure 9A is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the camera unit 110, with its outer casing removed, is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating. [Figure 10A] It is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating the configuration according to Embodiment 4 in the A-A cross-sectional view of the camera unit 110 with the exterior removed as shown in FIG. 3C. [Figure 10B] It is a schematic diagram showing a state where, starting from the state in FIG. 10A, the camera unit 110 with the exterior removed is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating.

Mode for Carrying Out 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. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same members or elements, and overlapping descriptions are omitted or simplified.

[0010] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. First, the configuration of a PTZ camera 100 as an image pickup apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of the PTZ camera 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The PTZ camera 100 is, for example, a network camera, and includes a camera unit 110 serving as an image pickup unit, a pan rotation unit 150, and a base unit 180.

[0012] The camera unit 110 images a subject and is rotatable in a tilt direction. The pan rotation unit 150 can rotate the camera unit 110 in a pan direction. By directing the camera unit 110 toward the subject through pan and tilt rotation, the PTZ camera 100 enables video shooting for video production, shooting for live distribution, and the like.

[0013] Note that in the present embodiment, the PTZ camera 100 serving as an image pickup apparatus is capable of pan rotation and tilt rotation, but does not necessarily have a zoom function. Furthermore, the PTZ camera 100 may be capable of only one of pan rotation and tilt rotation. That is, in the image pickup apparatus of the present embodiment, the image pickup unit can be rotationally driven in the pan direction or the tilt direction.

[0014] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the PTZ camera 100 includes a lens barrel 120, a tilt motor 151, a pan motor 181, a system control unit 160, and a communication unit 190. The lens barrel 120 has multiple lenses and an image sensor, has an optical or electronic zoom function, and allows for adjustment of the field of view.

[0015] The tilt motor 151 and pan motor 181 are actuators. The tilt motor 151 tilts and rotates the camera unit 110, and the pan motor 181 pans and rotates the pan rotation unit 150, thereby allowing adjustment of the field of view.

[0016] The system control unit 160 is composed of a CPU, MPU, and other components of a computer, and controls the entire PTZ camera 100 by executing computer programs stored in memory (not shown). The communication unit 190 communicates with external devices using a wired or wireless network.

[0017] Next, the internal configuration of the camera unit 110 and the pan rotation unit 150 will be explained using Figures 3A to 3D, 4A, and 4B.

[0018] Figure 3A is a perspective view from the front top side showing the camera unit 110 and pan rotation unit 150 of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention with their outer casings removed. Figure 3B is a perspective view from the rear bottom side showing the camera unit 110 and pan rotation unit 150 of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention with their outer casings removed.

[0019] Figure 3C is a side view showing the camera unit 110 and pan rotation unit 150 of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention with their outer casings removed. Figure 3D is a top view showing the camera unit 110 and pan rotation unit 150 of the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention with their outer casings removed.

[0020] Figure 4A is an exploded perspective view from the front upper side illustrating the internal structure of the camera unit 110, and Figure 4B is an exploded perspective view from the rear lower side illustrating the internal structure of the camera unit 110.

[0021] As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the components of the camera unit 110 with the outer casing removed are arranged from top to bottom in the following order: lens barrel support member 112, lens barrel 120, and bottom support member 114.

[0022] The lens barrel support member 112 is made of resin or metal and has a tilt rotation axis 113 that extends in the left-right direction. It also has vibration-damping members 130a to 130d on its upper side. The bottom support member 114 is made of resin or metal and has vibration-damping members 130e to 130h, similar to the lens barrel support member 112.

[0023] As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the lens barrel 120 has female threaded portions 121a to 121d on its upper side and female threaded portions 121e to 121h on its lower side, with the positions of the female threaded portions 121a to 121h corresponding to the positions of the vibration-damping members 130a to 130h, respectively. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the female threaded portions 121a to 121h are arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical axis of the lens barrel 120.

[0024] The vibration-damping members 130a to 130h are made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber and are assembled by fitting them to the lens barrel support member 112 and the bottom support member 114. The same material is used for the multiple vibration-damping members 130a to 130h so that their elastic properties (elastic modulus, etc.) are approximately the same.

[0025] The vibration-damping members 130a to 130h have a vibration-damping function that absorbs vibrations from the tilt motor 151 and pan motor 181 transmitted to the telescope tube support member 112 by softly supporting the telescope tube 120. The structure by which the vibration-damping members 130a to 130h softly support the telescope tube 120 will be explained later.

[0026] Thus, the camera unit 110 as the imaging unit in this embodiment includes a lens barrel 120, a lens barrel support member 112 and a bottom support member 114 as holding members for the lens barrel 120, and a plurality of vibration damping members 130e to 130h interposed between the lens barrel and the holding members.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3A, the camera unit 110 is supported by the pan rotation unit 150 around the tilt rotation axis 113 of the lens barrel support member 112. The tilt rotation of the camera unit 110 is performed by the tilt motor 151 acting as an actuator, as described above. The tilt motor 151 (not shown) is connected to the tilt rotation axis 113 and can drive the camera unit 110 to tilt.

[0028] Next, a method for softly supporting the lens barrel 120 with respect to the lens barrel support member 112 will be explained using Figures 5 and 6.

[0029] Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view AA in Figure 3D illustrating the structure of the lens barrel 120 softly supported by the lens barrel support member 112. Figure 6 is a detailed view showing the shape around the vibration damping member 130a in Figure 5A.

[0030] As shown in Figure 6, the vibration-damping member 130a is formed in a cylindrical shape with a circumferential mounting groove 131, and the mounting groove 131 is fitted into the insertion hole of the lens barrel support member 112.

[0031] When the telescope tube 120 is softly supported, the vibration-damping members 130a to 130d correspond to the female threaded portions 121a to 121d of the telescope tube 120, respectively. Screws 115a to 115h are inserted from above through the vibration-damping members 130a to 130d, respectively, and screwed into the female threaded portions 121a to 121d.

[0032] As a result, when vibrations are transmitted to the telescope tube support member 112 and the telescope tube support member 112 moves upward, the upper part of the vibration damping members 130a to 130d is compressed, and when it moves downward, the lower part of the vibration damping members 130a to 130d is compressed. Therefore, vibrations transmitted to the telescope tube 120 can be reduced.

[0033] In this way, the lens barrel 120 is softly supported by the lens barrel support member 112, reducing vibrations transmitted to the lens barrel 120.

[0034] As described above, in this embodiment, the lens barrel 120 is softly supported by the lens barrel support member 112. Therefore, when the PTZ camera 100 accelerates and decelerates its tilting motion, an inertial force Fi, as shown in Figure 5B, is applied to the lens barrel 120, causing the vibration damping members 130a to 130d to be compressed and the lens barrel 120 to move. The behavior when this inertial force Fi is applied will be described in detail below.

[0035] As mentioned above, Figure 5A shows a cross-sectional view AA of the camera unit 110 with the outer casing removed, as shown in Figure 3C. Furthermore, Figure 5B shows the state in which the camera unit 110, with the outer casing removed, is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating, compared to the state in Figure 5A.

[0036] In Figure 5A, the center of gravity Gr of the lens barrel 120 is used as the origin, the Z-axis passing through the tilt rotation center T, the left-right direction of the PTZ camera 100 is defined as the X-axis, and the Y-axis is perpendicular to the X-axis and Z-axis. In other words, in this embodiment, a mutually orthogonal XYZ coordinate system is defined, where the XZ plane passes through the rotation axis center of the pan rotation or tilt rotation, and the direction of rotation is the YZ plane.

[0037] Next, the arrangement of vibration-damping members 130a to 130h will be explained. As mentioned above, the arrangement of vibration-damping members 130a to 130h corresponds to the arrangement of female threaded portions 121a to h of the lens barrel 120. Also, as shown in Figure 5A, the center points of female threaded portions 121a, 121c, 121e, and 121g are defined as points A, C, E, and G, respectively, and the Z coordinates of points A, C, E, and G in the ZY plane are defined as za, zc, ze, and zg.

[0038] As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the female screw portions 121a to 121h are arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical axis and the YZ plane. That is, since the same number of vibration-damping members are arranged above and below the lens barrel 120 and are arranged on either side of the XY plane, the Z coordinates of the center points of the female screw portions 121b, 121d, 121f, and 121h are za, zc, ze, and zg, respectively.

[0039] In this embodiment, the PTZ camera 100 is arranged such that the female screw portions 121a to 121h and the vibration-damping members 130a to 130h are arranged such that the sum of their respective Z coordinates za, zc, ze, and zg is 0.

[0040] In other words, in this embodiment, the sum of the Z coordinates of the multiple vibration-damping members is approximately 0, and the multiple vibration-damping members are arranged in positions that are approximately symmetrical with respect to the YZ plane. The reason for this will be explained later.

[0041] Next, the behavior of the telescope tube 120 while the camera unit 110 is rotating in the tilt-up direction and decelerating will be explained using Figure 5B.

[0042] At this time, an inertial force Fi acts on the center of gravity position Gr of the telescope tube 120 in the positive Y-axis direction as shown in Figure 5B. Since the telescope tube 120 is softly supported by the telescope tube support member 112, it moves slightly in the positive Y-axis direction as shown in Figure 5B, and the upper parts of the vibration damping members 130a, 130c, 130e, and 130g are compressed.

[0043] As a result, elastic forces Fa, Fc, Fe, and Fg act on the telescope tube 120 at points A, C, E, and G, respectively. If we let the resultant force of the elastic forces Fa, Fc, Fe, and Fg be the resultant force Fr, then an inertial force Fi and the resultant force Fr act on the telescope tube 120. Due to this inertial force Fi and the resultant force Fr, a rotational moment Ms is about to be generated around the center of gravity position Gr of the telescope tube 120.

[0044] However, in the PTZ camera 100 of this embodiment, as mentioned above, the sum of the Z coordinates of points A to H is 0, so the point of application of the resultant force Fr is the center of gravity position Gr. Therefore, the inertial force Fi and the rotational moment Ms generated by the resultant force Fr are both 0.

[0045] In other words, as the tilting motion of the camera unit 110 accelerates and decelerates, at the moment an inertial force Fi acts on the lens barrel 120, the lens barrel 120 does not rotate due to the rotational moment Ms, as shown in Figure 5B, but only moves slightly in the positive Y-axis direction.

[0046] Next, we will explain the case where the sum of za, zc, ze, and zg is not zero, as in the conventional example, using Figures 7A and 7B.

[0047] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of the AA cross-sectional view of the camera unit 110 in the state shown in Figure 3C with the outer casing removed, for a conventional PTZ camera 100 in which the sum of za, zc, ze, and zg is not zero. Figure 7B is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the camera unit 110, with the outer casing removed, is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating, starting from the state in Figure 5A.

[0048] As shown in Figure 7B, if the sum of za, zc, ze, and zg is not zero, the resultant force Fr acts at a point different from the center of gravity Gr. This generates a rotational moment Ms at the center of gravity Gr of the telescope tube 120, causing the telescope tube 120 to rotate upward. Consequently, the tilting of the telescope tube 120 causes blurring in the image being captured.

[0049] Thus, in the PTZ camera 100 of this embodiment, even if the lens barrel 120 is softly supported by an elastic member, it will not tilt as in the conventional technology due to the inertial force Fi generated by the acceleration and deceleration of the tilt rotation operation.

[0050] Therefore, in the PTZ camera 100 in the embodiment of the present invention, vibration transmission is reduced by softly supporting the lens barrel, and the rotation of the lens barrel and resulting tilt and blurring of the image due to the inertial force generated by the acceleration and deceleration of the tilt operation can be suppressed.

[0051] <Embodiment 2> Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figure 8. The configuration of the PTZ camera 100 in this embodiment is the same as in Embodiment 1, so its description will be omitted.

[0052] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional view AA of the camera unit 110 with the outer casing removed, as shown in Figure 3D. Figure 8B is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the camera unit 110, with the outer casing removed, is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating, compared to the state in Figure 8A.

[0053] In the PTZ camera 100 of this embodiment, the lens barrel support member 112 is equipped with vibration-damping members 130a and 130b, and the bottom support member 114 is equipped with vibration-damping members 130e and 130f. The vibration-damping members 130a and 130b, and the vibration-damping members 130e and 130f are each arranged symmetrically in the ZY plane. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8A, the vibration-damping members 130a and 130b and the vibration-damping members 130e and 130f are arranged on the Y axis. In other words, in this embodiment, multiple vibration-damping members are arranged in equal numbers above and below the lens barrel 120 and are arranged in the XY plane.

[0054] Next, the behavior of the PTZ camera 100 in this embodiment when it rotates in the tilt-up direction and decelerates will be explained using Figure 8B.

[0055] At this time, the sum of the Z coordinates of the female screw portions 121a, 121e and the vibration-damping members 130a, 130e is 0. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8B, the resultant force Fr acts on the center of gravity position Gr. Consequently, the rotational moment Ms generated by the inertial force Fi and the resultant force Fr is 0.

[0056] In other words, as the tilting motion of the camera unit 110 accelerates and decelerates, at the moment an inertial force Fi acts on the lens barrel 120, the lens barrel 120 does not rotate due to the rotational moment Ms, as shown in Figure 8B, but only moves slightly in the positive Y-axis direction.

[0057] Thus, in the PTZ camera 100 of this embodiment, even if the lens barrel 120 is softly supported by an elastic member, it will not tilt due to the inertial force Fi generated by the acceleration and deceleration of the tilt rotation operation.

[0058] Therefore, in the PTZ camera 100 in the embodiment of the present invention, vibration transmission is reduced by softly supporting the lens barrel, while preventing the lens barrel from rotating and tilting due to the inertial force generated by the acceleration and deceleration of the tilt operation.

[0059] <Embodiment 3> Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 9A and 9B. The configuration of the PTZ camera 100 in this embodiment is the same as in Embodiment 1, so its description will be omitted.

[0060] Figure 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration in Embodiment 3 of the AA cross-sectional view of the camera unit 110 with the outer casing removed, as shown in Figure 3D. Figure 9B is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the camera unit 110, with the outer casing removed, is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating, compared to the state in Figure 9A.

[0061] In the PTZ camera 100 of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9A, the lens barrel support member 112 is equipped with vibration-damping members 130a, 130b, 130c, and 130d. Furthermore, vibration-damping members 130a, 130b and vibration-damping members 130c, 130d are arranged symmetrically in the YZ plane and symmetrically in the XY plane, respectively. Note that the bottom support member 114 is not equipped with vibration-damping members.

[0062] In this embodiment 3, the multiple vibration-damping members are arranged on the upper or lower side of the lens barrel 120, and are positioned across the XY plane.

[0063] Next, the behavior of the PTZ camera 100 in this embodiment when it rotates in the tilt-up direction and decelerates will be explained using Figure 9B.

[0064] At this time, the sum of the Z coordinates of the female screw portions 121a, 121c and the vibration-damping members 130a, 130c is 0, so as shown in Figure 9B, the resultant force Fr acts on the center of gravity position Gr. Therefore, the rotational moment Ms generated by the inertial force Fi and the resultant force Fr is 0.

[0065] In other words, as the tilting motion of the camera unit 110 accelerates and decelerates, at the moment an inertial force Fi acts on the lens barrel 120, the lens barrel 120 does not rotate due to the rotational moment Ms, as shown in Figure 9B, but only moves slightly in the positive Y-axis direction.

[0066] Thus, in the PTZ camera 100 of this embodiment, even if the lens barrel 120 is softly supported by an elastic member, it will not tilt due to the inertial force Fi generated by the acceleration and deceleration of the tilt rotation operation.

[0067] Therefore, in the PTZ camera 100 in the embodiment of the present invention, vibration transmission is reduced by softly supporting the lens barrel, while preventing the lens barrel from rotating and tilting due to the inertial force generated by the acceleration and deceleration of the tilt operation.

[0068] <Embodiment 4> Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 10A and 10B. The configuration of the PTZ camera 100 in this embodiment is the same as in Embodiment 1, so its description will be omitted.

[0069] Figure 10A is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration in Embodiment 4 of the AA cross-sectional view of the camera unit 110 with the outer casing removed, as shown in Figure 3D. Figure 10B is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the camera unit 110, with the outer casing removed, is rotating upward around the tilt rotation center T while decelerating, compared to the state in Figure 10A.

[0070] As shown in Figure 10A, in this embodiment, the mounting surfaces 140a to 140h of the female threaded portions 121a to 121h and the vibration-damping members 130a to 130h of the lens barrel 120 of the PTZ camera 100 are inclined with respect to the optical axis, and the mounting surfaces 140a to 140h are parallel to the XZ plane.

[0071] In other words, in Embodiment 4, the mounting surfaces of the multiple vibration-damping members to the lens barrel are arranged at an inclination with respect to the optical axis of the imaging unit and are substantially parallel to the XZ plane. The reason for this will be explained later.

[0072] Next, the behavior of the PTZ camera 100 in this embodiment when it rotates in the tilt-up direction and decelerates will be described. At this time, since the sum of the Z coordinates of the female screw portions 121a, 121c and the vibration-damping members 130a, 130c is 0, the resultant force Fr acts on the center of gravity position Gr, as shown in Figure 10B.

[0073] Therefore, the rotational moment Ms generated by the inertial force Fi and the resultant force Fr becomes 0. That is, at the moment the inertial force Fi acts on the lens barrel 120 due to the acceleration and deceleration of the tilting motion of the camera unit 110, the lens barrel 120 does not rotate due to the rotational moment Ms as shown in Figure 10B, but only moves slightly in the positive Y-axis direction.

[0074] Furthermore, as mentioned above, in the PTZ camera 100 of this embodiment, the vibration isolation members 130a to 130h are inclined parallel to the XZ plane. Therefore, the vibration isolation members 130a to 130h can receive a force perpendicular to the inertial force Fi.

[0075] As a result, the PTZ camera 100 in this embodiment can more efficiently utilize the vibration damping function of the vibration damping members 130a to 130h compared to the PTZ camera 100 in Embodiment 1. Therefore, the shaking of the lens barrel 120 due to the inertial force Fi is reduced, enabling more stable imaging.

[0076] Thus, in this embodiment, the PTZ camera 100 does not tilt due to the inertial force Fi of the lens barrel 120. Therefore, in the PTZ camera 100 in the embodiment of the present invention, by softly supporting the lens barrel, vibration transmission can be suppressed, and the rotation and tilting of the lens barrel due to the inertial force generated by the acceleration and deceleration of the tilt operation can be suppressed.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vibration-damping member is arranged parallel to the XZ plane, and by receiving the inertial force Fi perpendicularly, more stable shooting is possible. Although the above embodiment describes an example configuration for tilt rotation, the same configuration is used for pan rotation.

[0078] Although the present invention has been described in detail above based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and combinations of the above embodiments are possible in accordance with the spirit of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, some of the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate. The present invention includes the following combinations.

[0079] (Configuration 1) An imaging device in which the imaging unit is rotatable in the pan direction or tilt direction, wherein the imaging unit comprises a lens barrel, a holding member for holding the lens barrel, and a plurality of vibration-damping members interposed between the lens barrel and the holding member, and when a mutually orthogonal XYZ coordinate system is defined with the center of gravity of the lens barrel as the origin and passing through the center of the rotation axis of the pan rotation or tilt rotation, and the direction of the rotation being the YZ plane, the sum of the Z coordinates of the plurality of vibration-damping members is approximately 0, and the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged in positions approximately symmetrical with respect to the YZ plane.

[0080] (Configuration 2) The imaging device according to Configuration 1, characterized in that the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged in equal numbers above and below the lens barrel and are arranged across the XY plane.

[0081] (Configuration 3) The imaging device according to Configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged in equal numbers above and below the lens barrel and are arranged on the XY plane.

[0082] (Configuration 4) An imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged on the upper or lower side of the lens barrel and are arranged across the XY plane.

[0083] (Configuration 5) An imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that the mounting surfaces of the plurality of vibration-damping members to the lens barrel are inclined with respect to the optical axis of the imaging unit and are substantially parallel to the XZ plane.

[0084] (Configuration 6) An imaging device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that the elastic properties of the plurality of vibration-damping members are substantially the same. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0085] 100: PTZ Camera 110: Camera Department 150: Bread rotating part 180: Base part 180

Claims

1. An imaging device in which the imaging unit is capable of rotating in the pan or tilt direction, The imaging unit comprises a lens barrel and A retaining member for holding the lens barrel, It has a plurality of vibration-damping members interposed between the lens barrel and the holding member, When defining a coordinate system of mutually orthogonal XYZ coordinates, where the center of gravity of the aforementioned telescope tube is the origin, and the XZ plane passes through the center of the rotation axis of the pan or tilt rotation, and the direction of the rotation is the YZ plane, An imaging device characterized in that the sum of the Z coordinates of the plurality of vibration-damping members is approximately 0, and the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged in positions that are approximately symmetrical with respect to the YZ plane.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged in equal numbers above and below the lens barrel and are arranged across the XY plane.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged in equal numbers above and below the lens barrel and are arranged on the XY plane.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of vibration-damping members are arranged on the upper or lower side of the lens barrel and are arranged across the XY plane.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the mounting surfaces of the plurality of vibration-damping members to the lens barrel are inclined with respect to the optical axis of the imaging unit and are substantially parallel to the XZ plane.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic properties of the plurality of vibration-damping members are substantially the same.

Images