Imaging device and axial deviation adjustment mechanism

Abstract

An imaging device (10) is provided with a body section (11), a lens unit (12), an imaging element (13), a roll axis (14a), a motor (14), and pan / tilt direction adjustment mechanisms (15, 16). The lens unit (12) is embedded in the body section (11) and has an optical axis (12a). The imaging element (13) converts the light that has entered from the subject-side through the lens unit (12) into an electrical signal, and outputs image data. The roll axis (14a) serves as the rotation center when the body section (11) is rotated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the subject. The motor (14) causes the body section (11) to rotate about the roll axis (14a). The pan / tilt direction adjustment mechanisms (15, 16) adjust the orientation of the body section (11) in the pan direction and the tilt direction such that the optical axis (12a) of the lens unit (12) substantially matches the roll axis (14a).

Description

Imaging device and axis deviation adjustment mechanism

[0001] The present disclosure relates to, for example, an imaging device that captures images and the like, and an axis deviation adjustment mechanism.

[0002] In recent years, remote cameras that take pictures while changing the shooting direction or shooting position by remote control have been used in, for example, photography studios, conference halls, event venues, sports facilities, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an imaging device in which an imaging lens is fixed to a mount unit that includes an imaging section that is rotatable around its optical axis, and the mount unit is rotated by a motor.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-344774

[0004] However, the conventional imaging device has the following problems. Specifically, with the imaging device disclosed in the publication, if the roll axis and the optical axis do not coincide with each other, the image captured during roll axis rotation may be misaligned with the center of image rotation, resulting in an unnatural image. The present disclosure aims to provide an imaging device and an axis misalignment adjustment mechanism that are capable of providing natural-looking images without any awkwardness during rotation, in an imaging device equipped with a mechanism for rotating around the roll axis. (Means for Solving the Problems) The imaging device according to the present disclosure includes a main body, a lens unit, an imaging element, a roll axis, a rotation mechanism, and an attitude adjustment mechanism. The lens unit is housed within the main body and has an optical axis. The imaging element converts light incident from the subject through the lens unit into an electrical signal and outputs image data. The roll axis serves as the center of rotation when the main body is rotated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the subject. The rotation mechanism rotates the main body around the roll axis. The attitude adjustment mechanism adjusts the orientation of the main body in the pan direction and tilt direction so that the optical axis of the lens unit is approximately aligned with the roll axis. (Effects of the Invention) According to the imaging device of the present disclosure, an imaging device equipped with a mechanism for rotating around the roll axis can provide natural images that do not look unnatural when rotated.

[0005] 1. An overall perspective view showing the configuration of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A conceptual diagram showing a positional deviation between the roll axis of the imaging device of FIG. 1 and an axis passing through the center of the imaging element. A conceptual diagram showing a state in which the center of a screen displaying an image captured by the imaging element of the imaging device of FIG. 1 does not coincide with the center position of the roll axis. A conceptual diagram showing a state in which the center of a screen displaying an image captured by the imaging element of the imaging device of FIG. 1 coincides with the center position of the roll axis. A side view showing the rotation center, etc. in the tilt direction of the imaging device of FIG. 1. A front view of the imaging device of FIG. 1 as seen from the subject side in the optical axis direction. A bottom view showing the rotation center in the pan direction of the imaging device of FIG. 1. A top view showing the rotation centers in the pan direction and the tilt direction of the imaging device of FIG. 1 with the main body removed. A side view showing an adjustment mechanism in the shift direction included in the imaging device of FIG. 1. A rear view of the imaging device of FIG. 1 as seen from the opposite side from the subject side in the optical axis direction. A control block diagram showing the configuration of an imaging device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. A conceptual diagram showing the positional relationship between the range captured by the imaging element of the imaging device of FIG. 10, the range of an image displayed, and its center position, and the roll axis. Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of adjusting a rotation axis misalignment by the imaging device of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of adjusting a rotation axis misalignment by the imaging device of Fig. 10. Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of adjusting a rotation axis misalignment by the imaging device of Fig. 10. Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of adjusting a rotation axis misalignment by the imaging device of Fig. 10.

[0006] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed description of already well-known matters or redundant description of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the applicant provides the accompanying drawings and the following description to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0007] (Embodiment 1) An imaging device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 9. The imaging device 10 according to this embodiment is a camera that is installed in, for example, a photography studio, a conference hall, an event venue, a sports facility, etc., and performs various types of imaging, and as shown in Figure 1, performs imaging while switching the imaging direction in the pan direction, tilt direction, and roll direction. The imaging device 10 also has a built-in lens unit 12 that includes multiple optical lenses, and performs imaging by changing the imaging range and focus position by controlling the optical lenses to change their relative positions.

[0008] As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging device 10 includes a main body 11, a lens unit 12, an imaging element 13 (see FIG. 2), a motor (rotation mechanism) 14, a pan direction adjustment mechanism (attitude adjustment mechanism) 15, a tilt direction adjustment mechanism (attitude adjustment mechanism) 16, a horizontal shift adjustment mechanism (shift adjustment mechanism) 17, a vertical shift adjustment mechanism (shift adjustment mechanism) 18, a base member (holding portion) 19, and a motor lens base 20.

[0009] The main body 11 is a box-shaped member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and contains a lens unit 12 including a plurality of optical lenses and an image sensor 13. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the main body 11 is fixed at its bottom side to a base member 19. The lens unit 12 includes a plurality of optical lenses, and has an optical axis 12a formed along a straight line connecting the centers of the optical lenses.

[0010] Optical axis 12a is a virtual axis passing through the center of lens unit 12, and as shown in Fig. 2, lens unit 12 is disposed so as to point toward the center position of image sensor 13. Image sensor 13 is disposed inside main body 11 and converts light incident from the subject side through lens unit 12 into a signal to generate digital image data of the subject. Motor (rotation mechanism) 14 rotates main body 11, which houses lens unit 12 and image sensor 13, about roll axis 14a.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2 , the roll axis 14a is a virtual axis formed along the rotation axis of the motor 14. Here, if the roll axis 14a and the optical axis 12a do not coincide with each other when the main body 11 is rotated around the roll axis 14a, as shown in FIG. 2 , the center position of the image data converted by the image sensor 13 will be misaligned with the center position of the roll axis 14a, as shown in FIG. 3A . If the main body 11 is rotated around the roll axis 14a in this state, the image may not appear natural and unnatural. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3B , it is necessary to approximately align the optical axis 12a and the roll axis 14a so that the main body 11 is rotated in the roll direction with the center of the screen and the roll axis 14a approximately aligned.

[0012] Therefore, the imaging device 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a pan direction adjustment mechanism 15 and a tilt direction adjustment mechanism 16 as attitude adjustment mechanisms. The pan direction adjustment mechanism 15 changes the orientation of the main body 11, which houses the lens unit 12 and the imaging element 13, in the pan direction shown in FIG. 1 so as to approximately align the optical axis 12a and the roll axis 14a. The pan direction adjustment mechanism 15 is disposed on the side of the main body 11, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The pan direction adjustment mechanism 15 has a rotation center 15a (see FIG. 6), an adjustment screw 15b, and a spring (biasing member) 15d.

[0013] 6, the rotation center 15a is provided on the bottom side of the main body 11, and serves as the center when the main body 11 is rotated in the direction of the two-dot chain arrow in the figure relative to the base member 19. As shown in Fig. 5, the adjustment screw 15b is provided on the side of the main body 11, and is attached so as to screw into a screw hole 15c provided in one arm of a substantially U-shaped portion formed by bending a part of the plate 16a.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 5, a portion of plate 16a is bent to form a generally U-shaped portion. One arm of the generally U-shaped portion is provided with a screw hole 15c into which adjustment screw 15b is threaded. Furthermore, a spring 15d is disposed between the other arm of the generally U-shaped portion and the side surface of main body 11. Note that the generally U-shaped portion does not have to be formed by bending a portion of plate 16a, and may be provided as a separate member from plate 16a.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 5, spring (biasing member) 15d is disposed between the other arm of the substantially U-shaped portion of plate 16a and the side surface of main body 11, and biases main body 11 in the left-right direction in the figure. As a result, by changing the length by which adjustment screw 15b is threaded into screw hole 15c, spring 15d, disposed on the side surface on the opposite side of main body 11, expands and contracts, and main body 11 rotates about rotation center 15a, and the orientation of main body 11 in the pan direction can be changed as shown in Fig. 6.

[0016] 1 of main body 11, which houses lens unit 12 and image sensor 13, in order to align optical axis 12a and roll axis 14a. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, tilt direction adjustment mechanism 16 has tilt plate (leaf spring portion) 16a, rotation center 16aa (see FIG. 7), adjustment screw 16b, screw hole 16ba, and spring (biasing member) 16c.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 4, the gate plate (leaf spring portion) 16a is fixed by fixing screws 16ab to the upper surface of a stepped portion 19b on the motor 14 side of the upper surface of the base member 19. The gate plate 16a deforms in the vertical direction in the drawing depending on the length of an adjustment screw 16b (described later) that is threaded into a screw hole 16ba. As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the main body 11 is fixed to the upper surface of the gate plate 16a by four fixing screws 16ac.

[0018] 7, the rotation center 16aa is the center of deformation when the tilt plate 16a deforms according to the length of engagement of the adjustment screw 16b, and is formed at a position corresponding to a step portion 19b of the base member 19. The adjustment screw 16b is provided on the bottom side of the base member 19, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and is attached so as to thread into a screw hole 16ba provided in the base member 19.

[0019] 4 and 5, spring (biasing member) 16c is disposed at a position sandwiched between the upper surface of base member 19 and plate 16a that holds the bottom surface of main body 11, and biases main body 11 upward in the drawings. Spring 16c is also disposed so as to be located on the outer periphery of adjustment screw 16b, that is, so that adjustment screw 16b is inserted into the inner periphery of spring 16c.

[0020] As a result, by changing the length by which the adjustment screw 16b is threaded into the screw hole 16ba, the tilt plate 16a deforms in the up-down direction (approximately vertical direction), causing the main body 11 to rotate about the rotation center 16aa, thereby changing the orientation of the main body 11 in the tilt direction, as shown in FIG. 4 . The horizontal shift adjustment mechanism (shift adjustment mechanism) 17 is a mechanism that changes the position of the main body 11, which houses the lens unit 12 and the image sensor 13, in the approximately horizontal direction (X direction in FIG. 1 ). As shown in FIG. 1 , it is disposed on the rear side of the main body 11, on an extension of the side surface of the main body 11. More specifically, the horizontal shift adjustment mechanism 17 moves the approximately L-shaped base member 19 to which the main body 11 is fixed, in the approximately horizontal direction. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the horizontal shift adjustment mechanism 17 includes an adjustment screw 17a, a shift guide 17b, a guide base 17c, a spring (biasing member) 17d, and a spring retainer 17e.

[0021] 8 and 9, the adjustment screw 17a is attached so as to thread into a threaded hole 17ba formed in the shift guide 17b. By adjusting the length of the adjustment screw 17a that threads into the threaded hole 17ba of the shift guide 17b, the base member 19 to which the main body 11 is fixed can be moved in a substantially horizontal direction relative to the motor lens base 20 to which the motor 14 is fixed.

[0022] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the shift guide 17b is attached to the motor lens base 20 and has a screw hole 17ba provided in a substantially horizontal direction. The guide base 17c is a substantially T-shaped member connected to the tip of the adjustment screw 17a and abuts against a portion of the substantially L-shaped base member 19 that is disposed in a substantially vertical direction. As shown in Figure 9, the guide base 17c presses against the base member 19 in accordance with the threaded length of the adjustment screw 17a, thereby changing the position of the main body 11 in the substantially horizontal direction.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 9 , spring (biasing member) 17d is disposed on the opposite side from the side where adjustment screw 17a and the like are provided, and is fixed by spring retainer 17e. Spring 17d presses a portion of substantially L-shaped base member 19, which is disposed substantially vertically, toward adjustment screw 17a, toward the left in the figure. This causes the tilt plate 16a, to which main body 11 is fixed via base member 19, to move substantially horizontally relative to motor lens base 20 by changing the length by which adjustment screw 17a is threaded into screw hole 17ba, thereby moving main body 11 in the X direction shown in FIG. 1 . In other words, by moving main body 11 in the substantially horizontal direction from a state in which optical axis 12a of lens unit 12 contained in main body 11 is parallel to roll axis 14a, the optical axis 12a can be substantially aligned with the roll axis 14a in the substantially horizontal direction.

[0024] The vertical shift adjustment mechanism (shift adjustment mechanism) 18 is a mechanism that changes the position of the main body 11, which houses the lens unit 12 and the image sensor 13, in the approximately vertical direction (the Y direction in FIG. 1 ), and is disposed on the rear side of the main body 11, on an extension of the side surface of the main body 11, as shown in FIG. 1 . More specifically, the vertical shift adjustment mechanism 18 moves, in the approximately vertical direction, a substantially L-shaped base member 19 to which the main body 11 is fixed. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the vertical shift adjustment mechanism 18 has an adjustment screw 18a, a shift guide 18b, a guide base 18c, a spring (biasing member) 18d, and a spring retainer 18e.

[0025] 8 and 9, the adjustment screw 18a is attached so as to thread into a threaded hole 18ba formed in the shift guide 18b. By adjusting the length of the adjustment screw 18a that threads into the threaded hole 18ba of the shift guide 18b, the base member 19 to which the main body 11 is fixed moves in the approximately vertical direction relative to the motor lens base 20 to which the motor 14 is fixed.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 9, the shift guide 18b is attached to the motor lens base 20 and has a screw hole 18ba provided in a substantially vertical direction. The guide base 18c is a substantially T-shaped member connected to the tip of the adjustment screw 18a and abuts against a portion of the substantially L-shaped base member 19 that is disposed in a substantially vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 9, the guide base 18c presses against the base member 19 in accordance with the threaded length of the adjustment screw 18a, thereby changing the position of the main body 11 in a substantially vertical direction.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 9 , spring (biasing member) 18d is disposed on the side opposite to the side where adjustment screw 18a and the like are provided, and is fixed by spring retainer 18e. Spring 18d presses a portion of substantially L-shaped base member 19, which is disposed along the substantially vertical direction, upward in the figure toward adjustment screw 18a. By changing the length by which adjustment screw 18a is threaded into screw hole 18ba, gate plate 16a, to which main body 11 is fixed via base member 19, moves in the substantially horizontal direction relative to motor lens base 20, thereby moving main body 11 in the Y direction shown in FIG. 1 . In other words, by moving main body 11 in the substantially vertical direction from a state in which optical axis 12a of lens unit 12 contained in main body 11 is parallel to roll axis 14a, the position of optical axis 12a can be substantially aligned with the position of roll axis 14a in the substantially vertical direction.

[0028] 8, the base member (holding portion) 19 is a substantially L-shaped member in a side view, and a gate plate 16a that holds the main body portion 11 is fixed to the upper surface of the substantially horizontal portion. The base member 19 is disposed so as to abut against the motor lens base 20 on the rear side of the substantially vertical portion, and the horizontal / vertical shift adjustment mechanisms 17, 18 described above change the relative position of the base member 19 to the motor lens base 20, i.e., the roll axis 14a, in the horizontal / vertical directions.

[0029] 4, the motor lens base 20 is a plate-like member arranged in a substantially vertical direction, and the motor 14 is fixed to the rear side thereof. Because the motor lens base 20 is integrated with the motor 14, by moving the base member 19 relative to the motor lens base 20, the main body 11 can be moved so that the optical axis 12a is substantially aligned with the rotation axis (roll axis 14a) of the motor 14.

[0030] <Alignment of Optical Axis 12a to Roll Axis 14a> An example of a process for aligning the optical axis 12a of the lens unit 12, which includes multiple optical lenses housed in the main body 11, to the center of rotation in the roll direction (roll axis 14a) for the imaging device 10 of this embodiment will be described below. First, since the roll axis 14a, which coincides with the rotation axis of the motor 14 described above, is a virtual axis and is invisible, the center position of the image data converted by the imaging element 13 is displayed on a chart.

[0031] A point is marked on the chart displayed on the screen, and the imaging device 10 is rotated from there around the roll axis 14a in increments of, for example, 90 degrees. At this time, the positions of the mark when rotated 90 degrees, the positions of the mark when rotated 180 degrees, and the positions of the mark when rotated 270 degrees are marked, and the center of a circle passing through the four marks is assumed to be the position of the roll axis 14a.

[0032] Here, as shown in the above-described FIG. 3A , if the position of the screen center (center (optical axis 12 a) of the image sensor 13) is misaligned with the position of the roll axis 14 a (center of roll rotation), adjustments are made using the pan / tilt direction adjustment mechanisms 15 and 16 and the horizontal / vertical direction shift adjustment mechanisms 17 and 18 to eliminate this misalignment. In this way, by changing the attitude and relative position of the main body 11 with respect to the position of the roll axis 14 a, it is possible to approximately align the position of the screen center (center (optical axis 12 a) of the image sensor 13) with the position of the roll axis 14 a (center of roll rotation), as shown in FIG. 3B .

[0033] <Major Features> The imaging device 10 of this embodiment includes a main body 11, a lens unit 12, an image sensor 13, a roll axis 14a, a motor 14, a pan direction adjustment mechanism 15, and a tilt direction adjustment mechanism 16. The lens unit 12 is housed within the main body 11 and has an optical axis 12a. The image sensor 13 converts light incident from the subject side through the lens unit 12 into an electrical signal and outputs image data. The roll axis 14a serves as the center of rotation when the main body 11 is rotated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the subject. The motor 14 rotates the main body 11 around the roll axis 14a. The pan direction adjustment mechanism 15 and the tilt direction adjustment mechanism 16 adjust the orientation of the main body 11 in the pan direction and tilt direction so that the optical axis 12a of the lens unit 12 substantially coincides with the roll axis 14a.

[0034] This allows the imaging device 10, which is equipped with a mechanism (motor 14) for rotating the main body 11 in the roll direction, to adjust the optical axis 12a of the lens unit 12 of the main body 11 to align with the roll axis 14a. As a result, the imaging device 10, which is equipped with a mechanism for rotating around the roll axis 14a, can provide natural images that do not look unnatural when rotating.

[0035] 10 to 13B, an imaging device 30 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. The imaging device 30 according to this embodiment differs from the imaging device 10 of the first embodiment in that, as a configuration for performing shift adjustment in the horizontal and vertical directions, the imaging device 30 includes a control unit 23 that performs shift adjustment electronically instead of a mechanism that performs shift adjustment mechanically.

[0036] 10, the imaging device 30 includes an imaging element 21, a signal processing unit 22, a control unit 23, a storage unit 24, a display control unit 25, and a display unit 26.

[0037] The image sensor 21 is disposed inside the main body 11 and converts light incident from the subject side via the lens unit 12 into a signal to generate digital image data of the subject. The signal processing unit 22 performs predetermined signal processing on the image data sent from the image sensor 21 and sends the processed image to the control unit 23. The control unit 23 mainly controls the display position of the image displayed on the display unit 26.

[0038] In the imaging device 30 of this embodiment, the image data converted by the imaging element 21 has a range larger than the range displayed on the display unit 26. The storage unit 24 stores image data, etc., whose display position has been controlled by the control unit 23. The display control unit 25 transmits, from the image data received from the control unit 23, data corresponding to the display position to the display unit 26.

[0039] The display unit 26 is controlled by the display control unit 25 so as to display a desired image. In the imaging device 30 of this embodiment, for example, after the adjustment in the pan / tilt direction described in the first embodiment is performed, shift adjustment in the horizontal / vertical direction is performed by electronically controlling the position of the image displayed on the display unit 26. That is, in the imaging device 30 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 11 , the position of the range (cropping range) displayed on the display unit 26 out of the image data converted by the imaging element 21 is controlled to align the center of the image display unit (screen center) with the center of the roll axis.

[0040] Specifically, the control unit 23 defines the center position of the display screen as coordinates (0, 0), the horizontal direction as the X direction, and the vertical direction as the Y direction. Here, the imaging device 30 captures an image of the chart with a rotation angle of 0° in the roll direction, and adjusts the chart so that the center of the chart coincides with the center of the screen (0, 0), as shown in Fig. 12A.

[0041] Next, the rotation angle in the roll direction is set to 180°, and the imaging device 30 captures an image of the chart, while measuring the horizontal distance X and vertical distance Y from the center position of the display screen to the center of the chart, as shown in Fig. 12B, and obtaining the screen center coordinates (X, Y) at 180° rotation. Next, the rotation angle in the roll direction is returned to 0°, and the imaging device 30 captures an image of the chart, while adjusting the pan / tilt direction adjustment mechanisms 15 and 16 so that the coordinates of the chart center become (-X / 2, -Y / 2), as shown in Fig. 13A.

[0042] In the imaging device 30 of this embodiment, as described above, if the center position of the display screen is defined as coordinate (0,0), the chart position at the 0° position of the rotation axis is (0,0), and the 180° position is (X,Y), the coordinates of the rotation center before adjustment are (X / 2,Y / 2). Here, in order to set the coordinates of the rotation center after adjustment to (0,0) (to make the optical axis 12a approximately coincident with the roll axis 14a), the 0° position is simply changed from (0,0) to (-X / 2,-Y / 2), as shown in FIG. 13B .

[0043] 13B by (X / 2, Y / 2) to move the range of image data converted by the image sensor 21 that is displayed on the display unit 26, the control unit 23 can electronically perform the mechanical horizontal / vertical shift adjustment that was performed in the first embodiment. As a result, the optical axis 12a can be made to substantially coincide with the roll axis 14a, and therefore, in the image capture device 30 that has a mechanism for rotating around the roll axis 14a, it is possible to provide natural images that do not look unnatural during rotation.

[0044] [Other Embodiments] While one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. (A) In the above embodiment, the imaging device 10 is described as an example, including pan / tilt direction adjustment mechanisms 15 and 16 that adjust the attitude of the main body 11 in the pan / tilt directions, and horizontal / vertical shift adjustment mechanisms 17 and 18 that shift the main body 11 in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0045] For example, an imaging device may be configured with only a pan / tilt direction adjustment mechanism that adjusts the attitude of the main body in the pan / tilt direction, without having a horizontal / vertical direction shift adjustment mechanism that shifts the main body in the horizontal / vertical direction, respectively. In this case, by making adjustments only in the pan / tilt direction, it is possible to eliminate to some extent the unnaturalness of the image display when rotating in the roll direction.

[0046] However, to completely eliminate the unnaturalness of the image display when rotating in the roll direction, it is more preferable to also provide a shift adjustment mechanism in the horizontal and vertical directions, as in the above embodiment. (B) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the pan / tilt direction adjustment mechanisms 15, 16 serving as attitude adjustment mechanisms adjust the attitude of the main body 11 by changing the length at which the adjustment screws 15b, 16b are threaded into the screw holes 15c, 16ba to expand and contract the springs 15d, 16c. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0047] For example, a structure for changing the attitude of the main body unit may be adopted using a configuration other than an adjustment screw as the attitude adjustment mechanism. (C) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the horizontal / vertical shift adjustment mechanisms 17, 18 serving as shift adjustment mechanisms adjust the attitude of the main body unit 11 by changing the length at which the adjustment screws 17a, 18a are threaded into the screw holes 17ba, 18ba to expand and contract the springs 17d, 18d. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0048] For example, the shift adjustment mechanism may be configured to adjust the position of the main body in the substantially horizontal and vertical directions using a configuration other than an adjustment screw. (D) In ​​the above embodiment, the tilt direction adjustment mechanism 16 is configured to deform the tilt plate 16a by changing the threaded length of the adjustment screw 16b. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0049] For example, a mechanism for adjusting the attitude of the main body in the tilt direction may be employed without using a leaf spring such as a tilt plate. (E) In the above embodiment, the imaging device 10 has been described as including the pan / tilt direction adjustment mechanisms 15, 16 and the horizontal / vertical shift adjustment mechanisms 17, 18. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0050] For example, the axis deviation adjustment mechanism may be provided with at least one of a pan / tilt direction adjustment mechanism and a horizontal / vertical direction shift adjustment mechanism. In this case, the same effect as above can be obtained by adjusting the attitude and position of the holding part that holds the imaging device such as a camera. <Note> The following technology is disclosed by the description of the above embodiment.

[0051] (Technology 1) An imaging device according to Technology 1 includes a main body, a lens unit contained within the main body and having an optical axis, an imaging element that converts light incident from the subject side through the lens unit into an electrical signal and outputs image data, a roll axis that serves as the center of rotation when the main body is rotated in a direction approximately perpendicular to the subject, a rotation mechanism that rotates the main body around the roll axis, and an attitude adjustment mechanism that adjusts the orientation of the main body in the pan direction and tilt direction so that the optical axis of the lens unit approximately coincides with the roll axis.

[0052] (Technology 2) An imaging device according to Technology 2 is the imaging device according to Technology 1, further comprising a shift direction adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the optical axis in the approximately horizontal direction and the approximately vertical direction. (Technology 3) An imaging device according to Technology 3 is the imaging device according to Technology 1 or 2, wherein the attitude adjustment mechanism has a screw hole provided in the main body, a screw that screws into the screw hole, and a biasing member that applies a biasing force to the main body in the screwing direction of the screw that screws into the screw hole, and when the length that the screw is screwed into the screw hole is changed, the orientation of the main body in the pan direction and / or tilt direction changes.

[0053] (Technology 4) An imaging device according to Technology 4 is the imaging device according to Technology 3, wherein the main body includes a leaf spring, and when the length of the screw threaded into the screw hole is changed, the leaf spring is deformed in the tilt direction, thereby changing the orientation of the main body in the tilt direction.

[0054] (Technology 5) An imaging device according to Technology 5 is the imaging device according to Technology 2, wherein the shift direction adjustment mechanism has a screw hole provided in the main body portion along an approximately horizontal direction, a screw that screws into the screw hole, and a biasing member that applies a biasing force to the main body portion in the screwing direction of the screw that screws into the screw hole, and when the length by which the screw is screwed into the screw hole is changed, the position of the main body portion in the approximately horizontal direction changes.

[0055] (Technology 6) An imaging device according to Technology 6 is the imaging device according to Technology 2, wherein the shift direction adjustment mechanism has a screw hole provided in the main body along a substantially vertical direction, a screw that screws into the screw hole, and a biasing member that applies a biasing force to the main body in the screwing direction of the screw that screws into the screw hole, and when the length by which the screw is screwed into the screw hole is changed, the position of the main body in the substantially vertical direction changes.

[0056] (Technology 7) The imaging device according to Technology 7 is the imaging device according to Technology 2, wherein the shift direction adjustment mechanism has a control unit that adjusts the center position of the range of the image data output by the imaging element to align with the roll axis. (Technology 8) The axis misalignment adjustment mechanism according to Technology 8 is an axis misalignment adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the optical axis of a lens unit included in the imaging device with respect to a roll axis that serves as a rotation center for rotating the imaging device in a roll direction, and includes: a holding unit that holds the imaging device, a roll axis that serves as a rotation center when the holding unit is rotated in a direction approximately perpendicular to a subject, a rotation mechanism that rotates the holding unit around the roll axis, and an attitude adjustment mechanism that adjusts the orientation of the holding unit in the pan direction and the tilt direction so that the optical axis of the lens unit approximately aligns with the roll axis.

[0057] The imaging device of the present disclosure has the effect of being able to provide natural images that do not look strange when rotated in an imaging device equipped with a mechanism for rotating around a roll axis, and is therefore widely applicable to various imaging devices, etc. that have the function of being driven to rotate around a roll axis.

[0058] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Imaging device 11 Main body 12 Lens unit 12a Optical axis 13 Imaging element 14 Motor (rotation mechanism) 14a Roll axis 15 Pan direction adjustment mechanism (attitude adjustment mechanism) 15a Rotation center 15b Adjustment screw 15c Screw hole 15d Spring (urging member) 16 Tilt direction adjustment mechanism (attitude adjustment mechanism) 16a Tilt plate (leaf spring portion) 16aa Rotation center 16ab Fixing screw 16ac Fixing screw 16b Adjusting screw 16ba Screw hole 16c Spring (urging member) 17 Horizontal shift adjustment mechanism (shift adjustment mechanism) 17a Adjusting screw 17b Shift guide 17ba Screw hole 17c Guide base 17d Spring (urging member) 17e Spring holder 18 Vertical shift adjustment mechanism (shift adjustment mechanism) 18a Adjustment screw 18b Shift guide 18ba Screw hole 18c Guide base 18d Spring (biasing member) 18e Spring retainer 19 Base member (holding portion) 19b Step portion 20 Motor lens base 21 Imaging element 22 Signal processing unit 23 Control unit 24 Storage unit 25 Display control unit 26 Display unit 30 Imaging device

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising: a main body; a lens unit contained within the main body and having an optical axis; an imaging element that converts light incident from the subject side through the lens unit into an electrical signal and outputs image data; a roll axis that serves as the center of rotation when the main body is rotated in a direction approximately perpendicular to the subject; a rotation mechanism that rotates the main body around the roll axis; and an attitude adjustment mechanism that adjusts the orientation of the main body in the pan direction and tilt direction so that the optical axis of the lens unit approximately coincides with the roll axis.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a shift direction adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the optical axis in the substantially horizontal and vertical directions.

3. The imaging device described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the attitude adjustment mechanism has a screw hole provided in the main body, a screw that screws into the screw hole, and a biasing member that applies a biasing force to the main body in the screwing direction of the screw that screws into the screw hole, and when the length that the screw is screwed into the screw hole is changed, the orientation of the main body in the pan direction and / or tilt direction changes.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the main body includes a leaf spring, and when the length of the screw threaded into the screw hole is changed, the leaf spring deforms in the tilt direction, thereby changing the orientation of the main body in the tilt direction.

5. The imaging device described in claim 2, wherein the shift direction adjustment mechanism has a screw hole provided in the main body part along a substantially horizontal direction, a screw that screws into the screw hole, and a biasing member that applies a biasing force to the main body part in the screwing direction of the screw that screws into the screw hole, and when the length that the screw is screwed into the screw hole is changed, the position of the main body part in the substantially horizontal direction changes.

6. The imaging device described in claim 2, wherein the shift direction adjustment mechanism has a screw hole provided in the main body along a substantially vertical direction, a screw that screws into the screw hole, and a biasing member that applies a biasing force to the main body in the screwing direction of the screw that screws into the screw hole, and when the length that the screw is screwed into the screw hole is changed, the position of the main body in the substantially vertical direction changes.

7. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the shift direction adjustment mechanism has a control unit that adjusts the center position of the range of the image data output by the imaging element so as to align it with the roll axis.

8. An axis misalignment adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the optical axis of a lens unit included in an imaging device with respect to a roll axis that serves as the center of rotation for rotating the imaging device in the roll direction, comprising: a holding unit that holds the imaging device; a roll axis that serves as the center of rotation when rotating the holding unit in a direction approximately perpendicular to a subject; a rotation mechanism that rotates the holding unit around the roll axis; and an attitude adjustment mechanism that adjusts the orientation of the holding unit in the pan direction and tilt direction so that the optical axis of the lens unit approximately coincides with the roll axis.

Images