Rotatable Camera Unit with Regulating Member for AF Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image pickup devices with pan/tilt mechanisms and hybrid AF systems face challenges in adjusting the external AF unit orientation post-sale without exposing the eccentric pin, which is essential for maintaining focus accuracy and preventing tampering, especially when the tilt angle is less than 180°.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a rotatable camera unit with a base member and a regulating member that restricts rotation to a first range, allowing for easy adjustment of the external AF unit while preventing unnecessary user contact, by using a detachable camera case that covers the AF unit and exposes the eccentric pin only when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the eccentric pin is disposed in a position where it cannot be easily touched by the user to prevent tampering, then tamper-resistance is improved, but ease of adjustment for customer service deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The camera unit is designed to be rotatable around a rotation axis, allowing the eccentric pin to move between a protected position (where the camera case covers it) and an accessible position (where the pin is exposed for adjustment). This dynamic repositioning resolves the contradiction by making the pin both protected during normal use and accessible when needed for service.
Solution Approach 2:
The orientation of the camera unit is changed as a parameter to control accessibility. By rotating the camera unit to specific angles, the eccentric pin transitions between being covered by the camera case (protected state) and being exposed (accessible state), allowing the system to switch between tamper-resistance and ease of adjustment modes.
2Ease of operation
If the camera case is made detachable to allow easy adjustment of the external AF unit, then ease of adjustment is improved, but tamper-resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into the camera case and the camera unit, allowing selective exposure of the eccentric pin through rotation without requiring complete disassembly. This partial segmentation maintains better tamper-resistance compared to fully detachable designs while still enabling adjustment when needed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the external AF unit is disposed below the image pickup device for design purposes, then design flexibility is improved, but ease of adjustment for customer service deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable camera unit dynamically changes the position of the externally disposed AF unit. By rotating the camera unit, the AF unit can be brought to an accessible position for adjustment while maintaining its designed location below the image pickup device during normal operation, thus preserving both design flexibility and serviceability.
Data Source
AI summary
An image pickup device, provided with a camera unit that is provided with a lens barrel, an autofocus unit disposed on the outside of the lens barrel, a lens barrel holding member that holds the lens barrel, and a camera case that engages the lens barrel holding member and covers the autofocus unit, the camera unit provided with a base member that supports the camera unit rotatably around a rotation axis, and a regulating member that restricts the rotation of the camera unit to a first rotation range. In the image pickup device, the camera case engages with the lens barrel holding member when the camera unit is in the first rotation range, the regulating member being detachable, and the camera case being detachable from the lens barrel holding member when the camera unit is in the second rotation range.