Intercom equipment

Abstract

To provide an intercom device that can be manufactured more simply than before regarding a structure related to damage suppression of a camera, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.SOLUTION: A camera holder 13 comprises a first holder member 14A and a second holder member 14B. Each of the holder members 14A and 14B is provided with a part of a circular hole 18 for holding a part of a camera 10, a part of a recess 17, and a screw clamping piece 16. When a lens 5 is subjected to an impact in a direction where it is pushed into a body case, the screw clamping piece 16 of each of the holder members 14A and 14B bends, allowing the camera 10 to move inside the body case while being held by a camera holding part 15, thereby alleviating the impact. Therefore, damage to the camera 10 can be suppressed when an impact is applied to the lens 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an intercom device such as an intercom slave that is equipped with a camera for capturing an image of a visitor. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, intercom devices, such as intercom handsets installed at entrances, are equipped with cameras for capturing images of visitors and the like. Such intercom devices are sometimes provided with a structure for minimizing damage to the camera when an impact is applied to the camera lens. For example, in the intercom device described in Patent Document 1, the camera is installed in a state where it is biased toward the outside of the main body case by a coil spring, and when an impact is applied to the lens in a direction that pushes it toward the inside of the main body case, the camera moves toward the inside of the main body case, thereby minimizing damage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-185924 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the configuration described in Patent Document 1 requires the installation of components, such as coil springs, that are specialized to prevent damage to the camera, which leads to problems such as the complexity of the work involved in manufacturing the intercom equipment and higher costs due to the increased number of parts.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an intercom device that can be manufactured more easily than conventional devices in terms of a structure for preventing damage to the camera, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above objectives, Akira is The intercom device is configured such that a camera having a lens is installed inside the main body case via a camera holder that holds the camera with the lens exposed on the surface of the main body case, and the camera holder has a camera holding part that holds the camera, and a fixing piece that protrudes from the camera holding part in a predetermined direction and fixes the camera holder to the main body case. and the camera is made up of a plurality of holder members, each of which is a part of a camera holding part and includes a partial holding part for holding at least a part of the camera, and a fixing piece protruding from the partial holding part, If the lens is subjected to an impact in the direction that pushes it into the body case, In each holder member The fixing piece is bent, allowing the camera to move toward the inside of the main body case while still being held by the camera holding part. Book According to the invention, the camera holder includes a camera holding portion and a fixing piece that protrudes in a predetermined direction from the camera holding portion and fixes the camera holder to the main body case. The camera is made up of a plurality of holder members, each of which is a part of a camera holding section and has a partial holding section for holding at least a part of the camera, and a fixing piece protruding from the partial holding section. If the lens receives an impact in the direction that pushes it into the body case, In each holder member When the fixing piece bends, the camera moves toward the inside of the main body case while still being held by the camera holding part, thereby absorbing the impact. It can smoothly absorb shock, This reduces damage to the camera when an impact is applied to the lens. Also, unlike conventional systems, there is no need to install a separate component, such as a coil spring, specifically designed to prevent damage to the camera. Simply installing the camera holder, as in conventional systems, allows for the structure to be established to prevent damage to the camera. This simplifies manufacturing and reduces the number of different parts, thereby reducing costs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the camera holder includes a camera holding portion and a fixing piece that protrudes in a predetermined direction from the camera holding portion and fixes the camera holder to the main body case. The camera is made up of a plurality of holder members, each of which is a part of a camera holding section and has a partial holding section for holding at least a part of the camera, and a fixing piece protruding from the partial holding section. If the lens receives an impact in the direction that pushes it into the body case, In each holder member When the fixing piece bends, the camera moves toward the inside of the main body case while still being held by the camera holding part, thereby absorbing the impact. It can smoothly absorb shock, This reduces damage to the camera when an impact is applied to the lens. Also, unlike conventional systems, there is no need to install a separate component, such as a coil spring, specifically designed to prevent damage to the camera. Simply installing the camera holder, as in conventional systems, allows for the structure to be established to prevent damage to the camera. This simplifies manufacturing and reduces the number of different parts, thereby reducing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the intercom handset from the front side. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the location where the camera is installed inside the main body case, as viewed from the rear. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a perspective explanatory view showing a state in which the camera and the camera holder are removed from the front case. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are explanatory perspective views showing the camera holder in a disassembled state, in which FIG. 1A shows the camera holder from the front side and FIG. 1B shows the camera holder from the rear side. [Figure 5] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a horizontal cross section of the camera part from below under normal conditions, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a horizontal cross section of the camera part from below when an impact is applied to the lens. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective explanatory view showing, from the rear side, the location where the camera is installed inside the main body case in the intercom device according to the modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory perspective view showing a state in which the camera and the camera holder are removed from the front case in the intercom device according to the modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An intercom slave unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective explanatory view showing the intercom slave unit 1 from the front side. Intercom handset 1 has a main body case consisting of a front case 2 located at the front and a rear case 3 located at the rear. A circular camera window 4 is opened at the top front of this main body case, and a camera 10 (shown in FIG. 2) is installed inside the main body case so that a lens 5 is exposed through the camera window 4. A microphone 6 for calls is located above and to the right of the camera window 4. A speaker 7 for calls is located at the center of the front of the main body case, and a call button 8 that a visitor operates to call the resident is located below the speaker 7. Such intercom handset 1 is installed on a wall, such as at the entrance of a residence. When a visitor operates the call button 8, it calls an intercom master unit (not shown) installed in the residence and activates camera 10 to capture an image of the visitor. The image captured by camera 10 is displayed on a monitor attached to the intercom master unit. Reference numeral 9 denotes a mounting stand for installing intercom handset 1 on a wall or the like.

[0012] Here, the structure relating to the installation of camera 10, which is the main part of the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Fig. 2 is an explanatory perspective view showing the installation location of the camera 10 in the main body case from the rear side. Fig. 3 is an explanatory perspective view showing the state in which the camera 10 and camera holder 13 have been removed from the front case 2. Fig. 4 is an explanatory perspective view showing the camera holder 13 in a disassembled state, with (a) showing it from the front side and (b) showing it from the rear side. Fig. 5(a) is an explanatory view showing a horizontal cross section of the camera 10 from the bottom side in a normal state, and Fig. 5(b) is an explanatory view showing a horizontal cross section of the camera 10 from the bottom side when an impact is applied to the lens 5.

[0013] Camera 10 includes lens holder 11, which holds lens 5 with the lens 5 exposed at its tip, and circuit board 12, which is mounted with an imaging element (not shown) and fixed to the rear side of lens holder 11. Camera holder 13 is installed in a main body case. Camera holder 13 includes camera holding portion 15, which can hold camera 10 with the cylindrical portion of lens holder 11 inserted therethrough, and screw fastening pieces 16, 16, which protrude outward to the left and right from camera holding portion 15 and are elastically deformable so as to bend in the front-to-rear direction. A recess 17, which is recessed forward and capable of accommodating base portion 11A of lens holder 11, is provided on the rear surface of camera holding portion 15. A circular hole 18, which penetrates recess 17 in the front-to-rear direction, is formed within recess 17. The diameter of circular hole 18 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the base end of the cylindrical portion of lens holder 11. Camera holder 13 is capable of holding camera 10 with base 11A of lens holder 11 housed in recess 17, the base end side of the cylindrical portion of lens holder 11 positioned within circular hole 18, and the tip side of the cylindrical portion of lens holder 11 protruding forward beyond camera holding portion 15. The tip side of the cylindrical portion of lens holder 11 is provided with anti-slip portion 11B having a diameter larger than that of circular hole 18.

[0014] Furthermore, the camera holder 13 can be separated into left and right halves at the center in the left-right direction, i.e., the circular hole 18 can be separated into a right semicircular portion 18A and a left semicircular portion 18B. The right-side member is a first holder member 14A that has a right semicircular portion 18A (partial holding portion) that opens to the left, the right half of the recess 17 (partial holding portion), and a screw fastening piece 16 that protrudes to the right, while the left-side member is a second holder member 14B that has a left semicircular portion 18B (partial holding portion) that opens to the right, the left half of the recess 17 (partial holding portion), and a screw fastening piece 16 that protrudes to the left. Furthermore, a protrusion 19 that protrudes to the left is provided on the lower side of the right semicircular portion 18A on the left end surface of the first holder member 14A (the surface that faces the second holder 14B when the camera holder 13 is assembled) Furthermore, an insertion hole 20 into which the protrusion 19 of the second holder member 14B can be loosely inserted is provided above the right semicircular portion 18A on the left end surface of the first holder member 14A when the camera holder 13 is assembled. Meanwhile, the second holder member 14B has the same shape as the first holder member 14A rotated 180 degrees around the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the second holder member 14B also has the protrusion 19 and the insertion hole 20, and the protrusion 19 is located above the left semicircular portion 18B on the right end surface of the second holder member 14B (the surface facing the first holder 14A when the camera holder 13 is assembled), and the insertion hole 20 is located below the left semicircular portion 18B on the right end surface of the second holder member 14B.

[0015] The camera holder 13 can be assembled at the same time as holding the camera 10. After arranging the first holder member 14A and the second holder member 14B so that they sandwich the base end side of the lens holder 11 of the camera 10 on both the left and right sides, the left end face of the first holder member 14A and the right end face of the second holder member 14B are abutted against each other while inserting each other's protrusions 19, 19 into the other's loose insertion holes 20, 20, forming a series of recesses 17 and circular holes 18, and the base 11A of the lens holder 11 is stored in the recess 17 while the base end side of the tubular portion of the lens holder 11 is positioned within the circular hole 18. The camera holder 13 assembled in this manner is fixed by using screws 30 to screw in the screw fastening pieces 16 that correspond to the screw fastening portions 31 provided on the inner surface of the front case 2, and with the camera holder 13 fixed, the camera 10 is installed with the lens 5 exposed in the camera window 4. The loose insertion holes 20 are holes whose diameter increases toward the end faces, which allows the screw fastening pieces 16 to bend as described below, and also maintains the loose insertion state of the protrusions 19 in the loose insertion holes 20 when the screw fastening pieces 16 are bent.

[0016] When a strong impact is applied to the intercom handset 1 as described above, pushing the lens 5 toward the inside of the main body case, as shown in FIG. 5 , the screw fastening pieces 16, 16 bend backward, causing the camera 10 to move toward the inside of the main body case while still held by the camera holding portion 15. At this time, the screw fastening pieces 16, 16 protrude from the camera holding portion 15 in the left-right direction, which is perpendicular to the direction in which the lens 5 is pushed toward the inside of the main body case. Therefore, the deformation of the screw fastening pieces 16, 16 and the movement of the camera 10 absorb the impact and prevent damage to the camera 10. Furthermore, once the camera 10 has moved into the main body case, the elastic force of the screw fastening pieces 16, 16 causes it to move toward the outside of the main body case (the side where the lens 5 is exposed) and return to its initial position. Furthermore, since the protrusions 19, 19 are maintained loosely inserted into the insertion holes 20, 20 when the camera 10 moves forward or backward, the positional relationship between the first holder member 14A and the second holder member 14B in the camera holder 13 is maintained appropriate even after the camera 10 returns to its initial position. Therefore, for example, when the camera 10 returns to its initial position, a problem such as one of the holder members not being in an appropriate position and the camera 10 rattling in the initial position does not occur.

[0017] According to the intercom handset 1 having the above-described configuration, the camera holder 13 is composed of a first holder member 14A and a second holder member 14B. Each of the holder members 14A and 14B includes a portion of the circular hole 18 for holding a portion of the camera 10, a portion of the recess 17, and a screw-fastening piece 16. When an impact is applied to the lens 5 in a direction that pushes the lens 5 into the main body case, the screw-fastening piece 16 in each of the holder members 14A and 14B bends, causing the camera 10 to move toward the inside of the main body case while still being held by the camera holding portion 15, thereby absorbing the impact. This reduces damage to the camera 10 when an impact is applied to the lens 5. Furthermore, unlike conventional intercom handset 1, there is no need to separately install a component, such as a coil spring, specifically designed to prevent damage to the camera 10. Simply installing the camera holder 13, as in conventional intercom handset 1, allows the structure required to prevent damage to the camera 10 to be established. This simplifies manufacturing and reduces the number of required parts, thereby reducing costs.

[0018] Furthermore, first holder member 14A and second holder member 14B are each provided with a protrusion 19 and a loose insertion hole 20, and when camera holder 13 is assembled, each protrusion 19 is loosely inserted into the other's loose insertion hole 20, and the loose insertion state of protrusions 19, 19 in loose insertion holes 20, 20 is maintained even when camera 10 is moved. Therefore, when camera 10 moves toward the inside of the main body case due to the application of an impact and then returns to the initial position due to the elastic force of screw fastening pieces 16, 16, the positional relationship between first holder member 14A and second holder member 14B in camera holder 13 is maintained as is. Therefore, for example, when camera 10 returns to the initial position, a problem such as first holder member 14A (or second holder member 14B) not being in the appropriate position and causing camera 10 to rattle in the initial position does not occur.

[0019] The intercom device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the overall configuration of the intercom device as well as the configuration related to preventing damage to the camera can be modified as needed within the scope of the present invention.

[0020] For example, in the above embodiment, the camera holder is configured to be composed of multiple holder members, but instead of such a divided camera holder, it is also possible to employ a camera holder 23 composed of a single member as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Regarding this camera holder 23, the camera holder 23 includes a camera holding portion 25 and a screw fastening piece 26. The camera holding portion 25 is provided with a recess 17 for receiving the base portion 11A of the lens holder 11 and a circular hole 18 through which the base end side of the cylindrical portion of the lens holder 11 passes. The camera 10 is held by the camera holder 23 in the same state as in the above embodiment, and the camera holder 23 is fixed to the screw fastening portion 31 using a screw 30. Note that in Figures 6 and 7, the same components as in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0021] In an intercom device employing the camera holder 23, if an impact is applied to the lens 5 in a direction that pushes it into the main body case, the screw fastening piece 26 of the camera holder 23 bends, causing the camera 10 to move toward the inside of the main body case while still held by the camera holding portion 25, thereby absorbing the impact. Therefore, as with the intercom handset 1 of the embodiment, damage to the camera 10 when an impact is applied to the lens 5 can be reduced. Furthermore, unlike the conventional intercom handset 1, there is no need to separately install a member, such as a coil spring, that is specialized for preventing damage to the camera 10. A structure for preventing damage to the camera 10 can be provided simply by installing the camera holder 23, as in the conventional case. This simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces the number of types of parts, thereby reducing costs.

[0022] As another modification, in the above embodiment, the camera holder is made up of two holder members, but it may of course be made up of three or more holder members, and the shape of each holder member can also be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the end faces of the two holder members are in contact with each other, but it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a gap is created between the holder members (the two holder members do not come into contact with each other). Furthermore, it is also possible to provide multiple fixing pieces on each holder member (for example, providing the first holder member with a first screw-fastening piece that protrudes upward and to the right, and a second screw-fastening piece that protrudes downward and to the right). It goes without saying that multiple fixing pieces may also be provided on a camera holder made of a single member such as in the above modified example.

[0023] Furthermore, the protruding direction of the fixing piece does not have to be the left-right direction, and it may protrude not only up-down but also forward-backward, and the design can be modified as appropriate to determine the shape and direction of the protruding fixing piece. As described in the embodiment, the most effective protruding direction of the fixing piece is the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the lens is pushed into the main body case when the camera holder is fixed inside the main body case (which can also be said to be the direction parallel to the surface of the main body case). In addition, although the above embodiment describes an intercom handset, the present invention can also be suitably adopted for other intercom devices such as an intercom master unit or a collective entrance unit, as long as a camera with a lens is installed inside the main body case via a camera holder with the lens exposed on the surface of the main body case. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 1··Intercom handset (intercom device), 2··Front case (main body case), 3··Rear case (main body case), 4··Camera window, 5··Lens, 10··Camera, 13··Camera holder, 14A··First holder member, 14B··Second holder member, 15··Camera holding portion, 16··Screw fastening piece (fixing piece), 17··Concave portion (camera holding portion, partial holding portion), 18··Circular hole (camera holding portion), 18A··Right semicircular portion (partial holding portion), 18B··Left semicircular portion (partial holding portion), 19··Protrusion, 20··Loose insertion hole.

Claims

[Claim 1] An intercom device in which a camera having a lens is installed inside a main body case via a camera holder that holds the camera, with the lens exposed on a surface of the main body case, the camera holder comprises a camera holding portion for holding the camera, and a fixing piece protruding in a predetermined direction from the camera holding portion for fixing the camera holder to the main body case, and is made up of a plurality of holder members, each of which comprises a partial holding portion that is a part of the camera holding portion and holds at least a part of the camera, and the fixing piece protruding from the partial holding portion; This intercom device is characterized in that when an impact is applied to the lens in a direction that pushes it into the main body case, the fixing pieces in each holder member bend, allowing the camera to move inside the main body case while remaining held in the camera holding portion.

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