Intercom equipment

Abstract

To provide an intercom device that makes it possible to operate pan / tilt of a camera even after installation on a wall or the like and adjust a camera's image angle.SOLUTION: When a front control knob 34 is operated in the vertical direction, a lever turning axial part 33 turns and a connection part 31 moves in the vertical direction, an angle adjusting base 20 tilts about the left and right direction as an axis as the connection part 31 moves, and thereby a tilt angle of a camera 10 is adjusted. When the front control knob 34 is operated in the left and right direction, the lever turning axial part 33 slides and the connection part 31 moves in the left and right direction, the angle adjusting base 20 tilts about the vertical direction as an axis as the connection part 31 moves, and thereby a pan angle of the camera 10 is adjusted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, intercom devices such as intercom handsets that are installed at entrances or the like to allow visitors to call residents are equipped with cameras for capturing images of visitors. Some of these intercom devices have cameras that can be panned and tilted. For example, the intercom device described in Patent Document 1 has an operation knob for panning and tilting the camera located on the back of the main body case, making it possible to adjust the camera orientation to suit the installation environment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-49989 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional intercom devices that allow for pan / tilt camera operation, the operation knob is provided on the back of the main body case as mentioned above, so it is naturally not possible to adjust the camera's imaging angle after installation on a wall, etc. However, even if adjustments are made and installation is done, there is still a desire to be able to change the camera's orientation after installation.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an intercom device that allows the camera to be panned / tilted even after installation on a wall surface, etc., and that allows the camera's imaging angle to be adjusted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is an intercom device in which a camera that captures images in front of the main body case and an operating structure for operating the pan / tilt angle of the camera are provided within a main body case, the operating structure comprising a base that is integrated with the camera on the rear side of the camera and a lever that is connected to the rear surface of the base via a joint part, the lever having a rotation shaft part that extends in the left-right direction, an operating knob that protrudes forward from one end of the rotation shaft part, and a connecting part that is provided on the other end of the rotation shaft part, the joint part being interposed between the base and the connecting part and configured to be able to change only the rotation angle of the lever about an axis in the up-down direction relative to the base, and further an operating window that exposes the operating knob is provided on the front of the main body case, Inside the main body case, there is provided a support section that supports the rotating shaft section around an axis in the left-right direction and allows the rotating shaft section to slide in the left-right direction. When the operating knob is operated in the up-down direction, the rotating shaft section rotates and the connecting section moves in the up-down direction, and as the connecting section moves, the base tilts around the left-right axis while the rotation angle of the lever around the up-down and front-to-back axes relative to the base remains unchanged, thereby adjusting the tilt angle of the camera. On the other hand, when the operating knob is operated in the left-right direction, the rotating shaft section slides and the connecting section moves in the left-right direction, and as the connecting section moves, the rotation angle of the lever around the up-down axis relative to the base changes relatively, causing the base to tilt around the up-down axis, thereby adjusting the pan angle of the camera.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 2 of the present invention is an intercom device in which a camera that captures an image in front of the main body case and an operating structure for operating the pan / tilt angle of the camera are provided within the main body case, and the operating structure is provided with a base that is integrated with the camera on the rear side of the camera and a lever that is connected to the rear surface of the base via a joint part, and the lever has a rotation shaft part that extends in the vertical direction, an operating knob that protrudes forward from one end side of the rotation shaft part, and a connecting part that is provided on the other end side of the rotation shaft part, and the joint part is interposed between the base and the connecting part and is configured to be able to change only the rotation angle of the lever about an axis in the left-right direction relative to the base, and further an operating window that exposes the operating knob is opened on the front side of the main body case. The main body case is provided with a support section that supports the pivot shaft section around an axis in the vertical direction and allows the pivot shaft section to slide in the vertical direction; when the operating knob is operated left or right, the pivot shaft section rotates and the connecting section moves left or right, and as the connecting section moves, the base tilts around the vertical axis without changing the rotation angle of the lever around the left-right and front-to-back axes relative to the base, thereby adjusting the pan angle of the camera; on the other hand, when the operating knob is operated up or down, the pivot shaft section slides and the connecting section moves up or down, and as the connecting section moves, the rotation angle of the lever around the left-right axis relative to the base changes relatively, causing the base to tilt around the left-right axis, thereby adjusting the tilt angle of the camera. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, when the operation knob exposed on the front of the main body case is operated in the up-down direction (claim 1) or left-right direction (claim 2), the tilt angle of the camera is adjusted, and when the operation knob is operated in the left-right direction (claim 1) or up-down direction (claim 2), the pan angle of the camera is adjusted. Therefore, even after installation on a wall or the like, it is possible to operate the pan / tilt of the camera from the front side of the main body case, and it is possible to provide an intercom device in which the imaging angle of the camera can be adjusted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the intercom handset from the front. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the main body case from the front with the decorative cover removed. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the intercom handset from the rear. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the rear side of the front case. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the front side of the rear case. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are perspective explanatory views showing the camera and operation structure in an assembled state, in which FIG. 1A shows the camera from the front side and FIG. 1B shows the camera from the rear side. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view showing the camera and the operating structure in exploded form from the front. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view showing the camera and the operating structure disassembled from the rear side. [Figure 9] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of a camera portion in a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section along line BB in FIG. [Figure 11] 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing the camera and operation structure when the camera is facing forward, where (a) shows the front, (b) shows the back, and (c) shows the top. [Figure 12] 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing the camera and operation structure when the camera is facing upward, where (a) shows the front, (b) shows the back, and (c) shows the top. [Figure 13] 12. (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section taken along line CC in FIG. 12, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section taken along line DD in FIG. [Figure 14] 10A, 10B, and 10C are explanatory diagrams showing the camera and operation structure when the camera is facing right, with (a) showing the front, (b) showing the back, and (c) showing the top. [Figure 15] 14. (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section taken along line EE in FIG. 14, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section taken along line FF in FIG. 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 an explanatory diagram showing the intercom handset 1 from the front. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the main body case from the front with the decorative cover 4 removed. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the intercom handset 1 from the rear. FIG. 4 is an explanatory perspective view showing the rear side of the front case 2. FIG. 5 is an explanatory perspective view showing the front side of the rear case 3. FIG. 6 is an explanatory perspective view showing the camera 10 and operation structure in an assembled state, with (a) showing it from the front and (b) showing it from the rear. FIG. 7 is an explanatory perspective view showing the camera 10 and operation structure disassembled and shown from the front. FIG. 8 is an explanatory perspective view showing the camera 10 and operation structure disassembled and shown from the rear. FIG. 9 is an explanatory enlarged view of the camera 10 portion in the cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 1. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the camera 10 and its operating structure when the camera 10 faces forward, with (a) showing the front, (b) showing the back, and (c) showing the top. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the camera 10 and its operating structure when the camera 10 faces upward, with (a) showing the front, (b) showing the back, and (c) showing the top. FIG. 13(a) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section taken along line CC in FIG. 12, and FIG. 13(b) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section taken along line DD in FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the camera 10 and its operating structure when the camera 10 faces right, with (a) showing the front, (b) showing the back, and (c) showing the top. FIG. 15(a) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section taken along line EE in FIG. 14, and FIG. 15(b) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section taken along line FF in FIG. 14.

[0012] The intercom handset 1 includes a main body case consisting of a front case 2 and a rear case 3, and a decorative cover 4 attached to the front of the main body case. A camera window 5 is provided at the top front of the main body case, and a camera 10 is installed inside the main body case so that a lens 6 is exposed through the camera window 5. A microphone 7 for calls is provided to the right of the camera window 5. A speaker 8 for calls and a call button 9 that a visitor operates to call the resident are provided below the camera window 5. The intercom handset 1 is mounted on a wall, such as the entrance to a residence, via a mounting base 50. When a visitor operates the call button 9, the intercom handset 1 calls an intercom master unit (not shown) installed in the residence and activates the camera 10 to capture an image of the visitor. Images captured by the camera 10 are displayed on the monitor of the intercom master unit. Reference numeral 51 denotes a camera cover attached to the decorative cover 4 so as to cover the front of the camera window 5.

[0013] Here, a structure for panning / tilting the camera 10, which is the main part of the present invention, will be described. Camera 10 has lens 6, lens holding member 19 that holds lens 6, camera holder 11 that houses lens holding member 19, and camera board 12 that has various elements mounted thereon and is screwed to lens holding member 19. The operating structure for panning and tilting camera 10 includes angle adjustment base 20 disposed on the rear side of camera board 12 and angle adjustment lever 30 attached to angle adjustment base 20.

[0014] The camera holder 11 includes a main body 13 capable of accommodating a lens holding member 19. The main body 13 is formed in a dome shape that bulges forward and is open at the rear, and a spherical portion 13a is formed on the surface of the main body 13. A lens hole 14 for exposing the lens 6 is formed in the front portion of the main body 13. The lens holding member 19 is held in a state in which the lens 6 is exposed in the lens hole 14 via an elastically deformable packing 18 (as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10). An upper pivot shaft 15a that protrudes vertically upward is provided on the periphery of the opening at the rear end of the main body 13, directly above the center of the lens hole 14, while a lower pivot shaft 15b that protrudes vertically downward is provided on the periphery of the opening at the rear end of the main body 13, directly below the center of the lens hole 14. In addition, three fixing legs 16, 16... that protrude rearward are provided at the rear end of main body 13, and when camera board 12 is screwed to lens holding member 19, each fixing leg 16 protrudes rearward beyond camera board 12 through a through-hole 17 provided in camera board 12. Note that spherical portion 13a is a sphere whose center is the point where the center line of lens 6 (which is also the center of lens hole 14) and the rotation axis of camera holder 11 in the pan direction (which coincides with the axis of upper rotation shaft 15a and lower rotation shaft 15b) intersect.

[0015] The angle adjustment base 20 is a synthetic resin member having a substantially disk-shaped base portion 21, three legs 22, 22·· protruding forward from the base portion 21, and an angle adjustment boss 23 protruding rearward from the rear surface of the base portion 21. A loose insertion hole 24 is formed on the tip surface of each leg portion 22, into which the fixed legs 16 of the camera holder 11 can be loosely inserted. The depth of each loose insertion hole 24 is deeper than the length of the fixed legs 16 that protrude rearward from the camera board 12, so that when the camera holder 11 is integrated with the base 20, a gap is formed between the bottom of the loose insertion hole 24 and the tip of the fixed leg 16. The diameter of the loose insertion hole 24 is also slightly larger than the diameter of the fixed legs 16. Furthermore, angle adjustment boss 23 is shaped like a regular square prism having an upper surface, a lower surface, both left and right side surfaces, and a back surface, and protrudes rearward from the center of base portion 21 (and therefore from the point where the center line of lens 6 intersects with base portion 21 when integrated with camera holder 11). An angle adjustment recess 25 that is recessed forward is provided on the back surface of angle adjustment boss 23 at the point where it intersects with the center line of lens 6. Furthermore, restricting protrusions 28 and 29 are provided on both the left and right sides of angle adjustment boss 23, respectively, which abut against angle adjustment lever 30 (more specifically, the front surface of connecting portion 31) when camera 10 is panned as described below, and restrict camera 10 from tilting left or right beyond a predetermined pan angle. The front surface of the base portion 21 is provided with support ribs 26, 26 that protrude forward, and when integrated with the camera holder 11, the tips of the support ribs 26, 26 come close to the rear surface of the camera board 12, stabilizing the mounting state of the angle adjustment base 20. Also, a notch 27 is provided on the left edge of the base portion 21 to prevent interference with the angle adjustment lever 30. Furthermore, the inner surface of the angle adjustment recess 25 is approximately hemispherical.

[0016] The angle adjustment lever 30 is a synthetic resin member that includes a connecting portion 31 that connects to the angle adjustment base 20, an arm portion 32 that protrudes leftward from the connecting portion and then extends forward, a lever pivot shaft portion 33 that protrudes further leftward from the front end of the arm portion 32, a front operation knob 34 that protrudes forward from the lever pivot shaft portion 33, and a rear operation knob 35 that protrudes rearward from the connecting portion 31. The lever pivot shaft portion 33 is molded in a cylindrical shape with its axial direction extending in the left-right direction, and the front operation knob 34 is provided at the front of the lever pivot shaft portion 33. The connecting portion 31 is formed in a plate shape with its thickness direction extending in the front-to-rear direction, and in particular, the rear surface of the connecting portion 31 is curved so as to bulge rearward, and this curved surface is a circumferential surface with its center line being the same axis as the axis of the lever pivot shaft portion 33. The rear surface of the connecting portion 31 is provided with the above-mentioned rear-operation knob 35 protruding therefrom, and a plurality of positioning protrusions 36, 36... protruding around the periphery of the rear-operation knob 35. Furthermore, an angle-adjustment protrusion 37 that can engage with the angle-adjustment recess 25 protrudes forward from the front surface of the connecting portion 31. Furthermore, on the front surface of the connecting portion 31, clamping pieces 38, 38 protrude forward above and below the angle-adjustment protrusion 37, which clamp the angle-adjustment boss 23 from above and below when the angle-adjustment protrusion 37 and the angle-adjustment recess 25 are engaged. The surface of the angle-adjustment protrusion 37 is approximately hemispherical.

[0017] Meanwhile, a retaining wall 40 that holds the camera holder 11 protrudes rearward along the periphery of the camera window 5 on the rear surface of the front case 2 as a structure that enables panning and tilting of the camera 10. When the camera 10 is installed in the main body case, the inner surface of the retaining wall 40 abuts against the spherical portion 13a of the camera holder 11, and the abutting state between the retaining wall 40 and the spherical portion 13a is maintained even during panning and tilting of the camera 10. A front lever bearing 41 is provided on the left side of the camera window 5 on the rear surface of the front case 2. The front lever bearing 41 is capable of abutting against the front peripheral surface of the lever pivot shaft 33, supports the rotation of the lever pivot shaft 33, and guides the left-right sliding of the angle adjustment lever 30. Furthermore, a front operation window 42 is provided on the left side of the front lever bearing 41 on the front case 2 in a location that is covered by the decorative cover 4 attached to the front case 2, for exposing the front operation knob 34. In addition, on both the top and bottom sides of the camera window 5, although they do not support the upper pivot shaft 15a or the lower pivot shaft 15b, a pair of regulating walls 43, 43 are provided protruding rearward, positioned on both the left and right sides of the upper pivot shaft 15a and the lower pivot shaft 15b when assembling the camera 10, to roughly position the camera 10.

[0018] Furthermore, a rear operation window 45 for exposing the rear operation knob 35 is opened in a location on the rear case 3 that will be behind the camera window 5 when the rear case 3 is assembled to the front case 2. A rear guide portion 46 is provided around the rear operation window 45 on the front surface of the rear case 3, as a structure that enables pan / tilt operation of the camera 10. The rear guide portion 46 has a circumferential surface (a circumferential surface with its axis in the left-right direction) on its front surface that can abut against the rear surface of the connecting portion 31, and guides the connecting portion 31 to rotate up and down in response to the rotation of the lever pivot shaft portion 33, etc., and to slide left and right in response to the sliding of the lever pivot shaft portion 33 in the left and right direction, while the rear surface of the connecting portion 31 remains in abutment therewith. Furthermore, a large number of positioning recesses 47, 47·· (more than the number of positioning protrusions 36, 36··) are provided on the front surface of the rear guide portion 46, with which the positioning protrusions 36, 36·· can be engaged. Furthermore, a pivot support step 48 that protrudes forward is provided on the left side of the rear guide part 46 on the front surface of the rear case 3. The rear peripheral surface of the lever rotation shaft 33 can come into contact with the front surface of the pivot support step 48, and such pivot support step 48 pivotally supports the rotation of the lever rotation shaft 33 and also functions as a rear lever bearing for guiding the sliding of the lever rotation shaft 33 in the left-right direction.

[0019] To install the camera 10 as described above to enable pan / tilt operation, the camera holder 11 is placed over the lens holding member 19, to which the camera board 12 has been previously screwed, from the front, and the fixed legs 16, 16·· are inserted into the through-holes 17, 17·· to house the lens holding member 19 within the main body 13, thereby constructing the camera 10. First, on the rear side of the front case 2, the upper pivot shaft 15a and the lower pivot shaft 15b are positioned between the restriction walls 43, and the spherical portion 13a of the camera holder 11 is brought into contact with the holding wall 40, thereby positioning the camera 10 so that the lens 6 is exposed within the camera window 5. Next, the fixed legs 16, 16·· that protrude rearward beyond the camera board 12 are loosely inserted into the loose insertion holes 24, 24·· to place the angle adjustment base 20 on the rear surface of the camera board 12, and the camera holder 11 and the angle adjustment base 20 are integrated together. Furthermore, while the front operation knob 34 is protruding forward from the front operation window 42, the angle adjustment protrusion 37 is engaged with the angle adjustment recess 25, and the angle adjustment lever 30 is assembled to the rear side of the angle adjustment base 20. Finally, while the rear operation knob 35 is protruding rearward from the rear operation window 45, the rear case 3 is assembled to the front case 2, and the camera 10 is installed so that it can be panned and tilted while being sandwiched from the front and rear between the front case 2 and the rear case 3. In this installed state, the lever rotation shaft 33 of the angle adjustment lever 30 is sandwiched from the front and rear between the front lever bearing 42 and the pivot support step 48, and is held so that it can rotate about an axis in the left-right direction and slide in the left-right direction.

[0020] When the camera 10 is installed, the axis of the lever pivot shaft 33 passes through the center of the spherical portion 13a of the camera holder 11 (i.e., the center line of the lens 6, the axes of the upper pivot shaft 15a and the lower pivot shaft 15b, and the axis of the lever pivot shaft 33 intersect at one point), and the axis of the lever pivot shaft 33 becomes the rotation axis in the tilt direction of the camera holder 11. Also, the positioning protrusions 36, 36... of the angle adjustment lever 30 are engaged with either of the positioning recesses 47, 47... of the rear case 3, and the camera 10 is held at a predetermined pan / tilt angle by the elastic force of the packing 18 or the like.

[0021] To adjust the pan / tilt angle of the camera 10 (i.e., to pan / tilt the camera 10), the front operation knob 34 is operated. That is, to rotate the camera 10 in the tilt direction, the front operation knob 34 is moved up or down. For example, to point the camera 10 upward, the front operation knob 34 is operated upward as shown in Fig. 12. This causes the lever rotation shaft 33, which is pivotally supported by the front lever bearing 41 and the pivot support step 48 in a manner that it is sandwiched from the front and rear, to rotate upward about an axis in the left-right direction. 13, angle adjustment boss 23 is clamped from above and below by clamping pieces 38, 38, restricting the relative change in the rotation angle of angle adjustment lever 30 about the left-right axis with respect to angle adjustment base 20, and angle adjustment base 20 also tends to move downward while maintaining the engagement between angle adjustment convex portion 37 and angle adjustment concave portion 25. As a result, while maintaining the abutment state between spherical portion 13a and holding wall 40, camera holder 11 changes position together with camera board 12 and lens holding member 19 to face upward, and the tilt angle of camera 10 is adjusted.

[0022] On the other hand, to rotate the camera 10 in the pan direction, the front operating knob 34 is moved left or right. For example, to point the camera 10 to the right, the front operating knob 34 is moved leftward, as shown in FIG. 14 . This causes the lever pivot shaft 33 to slide leftward while remaining in the pivoted state. As the lever pivot shaft 33 slides, the connecting portion 31 moves leftward along the front surface of the rear guide portion 46. However, because the angle adjustment boss 23 is not restricted by the connecting portion 31 in the left-right direction, the rotation angle of the angle adjustment lever 30 relative to the angle adjustment base 20, which is an axis extending in the vertical direction, changes. In other words, as shown in FIG. 15 , the engagement state between the angle adjustment protrusion 37 and the angle adjustment recess 25 changes, causing the angle adjustment base 20 to tilt to the right, with the axis extending in the vertical direction. At this time, because fixed legs 16, 16·· are loosely inserted into loose insertion holes 24, 24··, packing 18 is elastically deformed inside camera holder 11, and spherical portion 13a is in contact with holding wall 40, camera holder 11 rotates about the axis of upper rotation shaft 15a and lower rotation shaft 15b. Therefore, while the state of contact between spherical portion 13a and holding wall 40 is maintained, camera holder 11, together with camera board 12 and lens holding member 19, changes its position to face rightward, and the pan angle of camera 10 is adjusted.

[0023] The camera 10 does not only adjust its angle in the pan direction or tilt direction; by adjusting the angle in both the pan and tilt directions (operating diagonally), the camera 10 can be panned and tilted diagonally upward to the left or downward to the right. This diagonal operation applies a load to the angle adjustment base 20 in the direction of rotation about the front-to-rear axis. However, because the clamping pieces 38, 38 clamp the rectangular prism-shaped angle adjustment boss 23 from above and below, the angle adjustment base 20, and therefore the camera 10, do not rotate about the front-to-rear axis. Furthermore, the pan and tilt angles of the camera 10 can be adjusted in the same manner as described above by operating the rear operation knob 35 instead of the front operation knob 34. Furthermore, when the camera 10 is panned / tilted, the positioning protrusions 36, 36·· engage with the separate positioning recesses 47, 47··, holding the camera 10 at the adjusted angle. In addition, after the pan / tilt operation of the camera 10, if the decorative cover 4 is attached, the front operation knob 34 and the front operation window 42 can be covered with the decorative cover 4.

[0024] Intercom handset 1 having the above-described configuration includes an operating structure for panning and tilting camera 10, which includes angle adjustment base 20 integrated with camera holder 11 disposed in front of camera board 12 behind camera board 12, and angle adjustment lever 30 connected to angle adjustment base 20 so that only the rotation angle can be changed around the vertical axis. Furthermore, angle adjustment lever 30 includes arm 32 and lever rotation shaft 33 extending in the left-right direction, front operation knob 34 protruding forward from lever rotation shaft 33, which is one end of arm 32 and lever rotation shaft 33, and connecting portion 31 provided on the other end of arm 32 and lever rotation shaft 33. Furthermore, angle adjustment boss 23, which is shaped like a rectangular pillar and protrudes rearward, is provided at the rear surface of angle adjustment base 20 at a location where it intersects with the center line of lens 6, and angle adjustment recess 25, recessed forward, is provided on the tip surface of angle adjustment boss 23. Meanwhile, the front surface of the connecting portion 31 is provided with an angle adjustment protrusion 37 that protrudes forward, and clamping pieces 38, 38 that protrude forward from above and below the angle adjustment protrusion 37. The angle adjustment base 20 and the angle adjustment lever 30 are connected with each other in a state in which the angle adjustment protrusion 37 engages with the angle adjustment recess 25 and the angle adjustment boss 23 is sandwiched from above and below by the clamping pieces 38, 38. In addition, a front operation window 42 is opened in the front surface of the front case 2 to expose the front operation knob 34, and a front lever bearing 41 is provided on the rear surface of the front case 2, and a pivot support step 48 that protrudes forward is provided on the rear case 3, thereby supporting the lever rotation shaft 33 about an axis in the left-right direction within the main body case and providing a pivot support that allows the lever rotation shaft 33 to slide in the left-right direction.When the front operating knob 34 is operated in the up-down direction, the lever pivot shaft 33 rotates and the connecting part 31 moves in the up-down direction, and as the connecting part 31 moves, the angle of rotation of the angle adjustment lever 30 relative to the angle adjustment base 20 around the up-down and front-to-back axes remains unchanged, but the angle adjustment base 20 tilts around the left-to-right axis, thereby adjusting the tilt angle of the camera 10. On the other hand, when the front operating knob 34 is operated in the left-to-right direction, the lever pivot shaft 33 slides and the connecting part 31 moves in the left-to-right direction, and as the connecting part 31 moves, the angle of rotation of the angle adjustment lever 30 relative to the angle adjustment base 20 around the up-to-down axis changes relatively, causing the angle adjustment base 20 to tilt around the up-to-down axis, thereby adjusting the pan angle of the camera 10. Therefore, even after installation on a wall or the like, the camera 10 can be panned / tilted from the front side of the main body case, making it possible to provide an intercom slave 1 in which the imaging angle of the camera 10 can be adjusted.

[0025] Furthermore, the connection point between the angle adjustment base 20 and the angle adjustment lever 30 is made up of the angle adjustment boss 23, angle adjustment recess 25, angle adjustment protrusion 37, and clamping pieces 38, 38 as described above. Therefore, without providing a joint portion that is used in general link portions made up of metal pieces axially attached to each other, it is possible to change only the rotation angle of the angle adjustment lever 30 relative to the angle adjustment base 20 about the vertical axis (i.e., the rotation angle about the left-right and front-rear axes cannot be changed), which allows for a reduction in the cost associated with the joint portion.

[0026] 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 of the camera and the configuration related to adjusting the imaging angle, can be appropriately modified as needed within the scope of the present invention.

[0027] For example, in the above embodiment, the joint portion is configured so that only the rotation angle of the lever relative to the base can be changed around the vertical axis, and a rotation shaft portion extending in the left-right direction on the lever is supported on the main body case with the left-right axis as the axis, and a support portion is provided that allows the rotation shaft portion to slide in the left-right direction, so that when the angle is adjusted in the pan direction, the rotation angle of the lever relative to the base changes relatively, while when the angle is adjusted in the tilt direction, the rotation angle of the lever relative to the base does not change, but it is also possible to configure the relationship between the up-down direction and the left-right direction to be the exact opposite. In other words, the joint portion is configured so that only the rotation angle of the lever relative to the base can be changed around the axis in the left-right direction, and a rotation shaft portion extending in the vertical direction is supported on the lever, and the rotation shaft portion is supported on the main body case around the axis in the vertical direction, and a support portion is provided that allows the rotation shaft portion to slide in the vertical direction, so that when the angle is adjusted in the tilt direction, the rotation angle of the lever relative to the base changes relatively, but when the angle is adjusted in the pan direction, the rotation angle of the lever relative to the base does not change, and there is no problem with this configuration.

[0028] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the camera is configured to be able to be panned / tilted from the rear side of the main body case, but it may be configured so that the camera can be panned / tilted only from the front side of the main body case. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the rear surface of the connecting portion is brought into contact with the rear guide portion of the rear case to improve the stability of operation when the lever is operated, but this configuration is not necessary as long as the pivot shaft portion is supported. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a positioning protrusion is provided on the connecting portion and a positioning recess is provided on the rear guide portion as components for enabling the camera to be held at the desired pan / tilt angle, but for example, a separate member for holding the camera in a specified position may be provided near the operating knob, and the specific configuration for enabling the camera to be held at the desired pan / tilt angle may also be designed and modified as appropriate.

[0029] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the joint portion is formed by an angle adjustment boss, an angle adjustment recess, an angle adjustment protrusion, and a clamping piece, but it is of course also possible to adopt a joint portion in a general link mechanism, such as metal plates attached to each other so that they can rotate only around a specified axis. In addition, although the above embodiment describes an intercom handset, which is an example of an intercom device, the present invention can also be suitably applied to other intercom devices, such as an intercom master unit or a front door handset of an apartment building intercom system, as long as it is equipped with a camera. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1··Intercom handset (intercom device), 2··Front case (main body case), 3··Rear case (main body case), 6··Lens, 10··Camera, 11··Camera holder, 12··Camera circuit board, 20··Angle adjustment base (base), 23··Angle adjustment boss (joint part), 25··Angle adjustment recess (joint part), 30··Angle adjustment lever (lever), 31··Connecting part, 32··Arm part (rotating shaft part), lever rotating shaft part (rotating shaft part), 34··Front operating knob (operating knob), 37··Angle adjustment protrusion part (joint part), 38··Clamping piece (joint part), 41··Front lever bearing (axial support part), 48··Axis support step part (axial support part).

Claims

1. An intercom device having a camera in a main body case for capturing an image in front of the main body case and an operating structure for operating the pan / tilt angle of the camera, the operation structure includes a base that is integrated with the camera on the rear side of the camera, and a lever that is connected to the rear surface of the base via a joint portion, the lever has a rotation shaft portion extending in the left-right direction, an operation knob protruding forward from one end side of the rotation shaft portion, and a connecting portion provided on the other end side of the rotation shaft portion, the joint portion is interposed between the base and the connecting portion, and is configured to change only the rotation angle of the lever about an axis in the vertical direction relative to the base, Furthermore, an operation window is provided on the front surface of the main body case to expose the operation knob, and a support part is provided inside the main body case to support the rotation shaft part with the axis extending in the left-right direction and to allow the rotation shaft part to slide in the left-right direction, When the operation knob is operated in the up-down direction, the rotation shaft rotates and the connecting part moves in the up-down direction. As the connecting part moves, the rotation angle of the lever relative to the base about the up-down and front-rear axes remains unchanged, but the base tilts about the left-right axis, thereby adjusting the tilt angle of the camera. When the operating knob is operated left or right, the pivot shaft slides and the connecting part moves left or right, and as the connecting part moves, the pivot angle of the lever relative to the base, which is an axis extending in the vertical direction, changes, causing the base to tilt around the axis extending in the vertical direction, thereby adjusting the pan angle of the camera.

2. An intercom device having a camera in a main body case for capturing an image in front of the main body case and an operating structure for operating the pan / tilt angle of the camera, the operation structure includes a base that is integrated with the camera on the rear side of the camera, and a lever that is connected to the rear surface of the base via a joint portion, the lever has a rotation shaft portion extending in the vertical direction, an operation knob protruding forward from one end side of the rotation shaft portion, and a connecting portion provided on the other end side of the rotation shaft portion, the joint portion is interposed between the base and the connecting portion, and is configured to change only the rotation angle of the lever about an axis in the left-right direction relative to the base, Furthermore, an operation window is opened on the front surface of the main body case to expose the operation knob, and a support part is provided inside the main body case to support the rotation shaft part with an axis in the vertical direction and to allow the rotation shaft part to slide in the vertical direction, When the operation knob is operated in the left-right direction, the rotation shaft rotates and the connecting part moves in the left-right direction. As the connecting part moves, the rotation angle of the lever relative to the base about the left-right and front-back directions remains unchanged, but the base tilts about the up-down direction, thereby adjusting the pan angle of the camera. When the operating knob is operated in the up and down direction, the pivot shaft slides and the connecting part moves in the up and down direction, and as the connecting part moves, the pivot angle of the lever around the left and right axis relative to the base changes, causing the base to tilt around the left and right axis, thereby adjusting the tilt angle of the camera.

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