JP2008294676A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an imaging apparatus with a table and a single focal lens to have multifunctinon and to improve operability. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus is provided with the table on which an object to be imaged is placed, a camera head provided with a video camera having a single focal lens on the bottom face, and an arm part holding the camera head over the table in a vertically movable way. The arm part is provided with a posture holding mechanism for holding a relative posture of the camera head with respect to the table when the camera head is moved. A photograpahing bottom is attached to on the top face of the camera head, and the imaging apparatus records a portion of a video image photographed by the video camera as a still picture in a prescribed memory when the photographing button is pressed down. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus that captures an imaged object and outputs a video signal to an external device.

  2. Description of the Related Art A material presentation device is known as an imaging device that captures material with a video camera and outputs a video signal to a monitor. Such an imaging apparatus usually includes a table on which a material is placed, and a video camera is attached to the tip of a support provided at the end of the table. In many cases, a large number of operation buttons for operating the imaging apparatus are attached to the edge of the table.

  Many of the imaging devices having the above-described configuration are relatively large in size and have a problem of lack of portability. In view of this, the applicant of the present application has proposed an imaging device in which the table portion can be folded (see Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2003-209717 A

  The imaging device described in Patent Document 1 has a large purpose of reducing the size, and therefore has fewer operation buttons and functions than the conventional imaging device. For example, this imaging apparatus is provided with a single focus lens instead of a zoom lens. Therefore, the enlarged / reduced display of the material is realized by holding the camera head in the hand and moving it up and down instead of the operation by the button. However, even in such a small imaging device, more functions are desired, and further improvement in operability has been desired.

  In consideration of the above-described problems in an imaging apparatus including a table and a single focus lens, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to increase its functionality and operability.

  Based on the above problems, an imaging device which is one embodiment of the present invention is configured as follows.

An imaging device which is one embodiment of the present invention includes:
An imaging device that shoots an imaged object and outputs a video signal to an external device,
A table on which the object to be imaged is placed;
A camera head provided with a video camera having a single focus lens on its lower surface;
On the upper side of the table, an arm part that holds the camera head movably,
A posture holding mechanism provided integrally with the arm portion and holding a relative posture of the camera head with respect to the table when the camera head is moved;
An output unit that outputs an image captured by the video camera;
A shooting button provided on the upper surface of the camera head;
The gist includes an image recording unit that records, in a predetermined memory, at least a part of a video shot by the video camera when the shooting button is pressed.

  According to the imaging apparatus of the above aspect, by pressing a shooting button provided on the upper surface of the camera head, at least a part of the video shot by the video camera can be recorded in a predetermined memory. In the above aspect, since the shooting button is provided on the upper surface of the camera head, both the operation of pressing the shooting button and the operation of moving the camera head to enlarge / reduce the captured object This can be done with the head in hand. Therefore, according to the said aspect, it becomes possible to aim at both multi-functionalization and the improvement of operativity of an imaging device provided with a table and a single focus lens.

  In the imaging device of the above aspect, the camera head further includes a memory card slot, and the image recording unit records at least a part of the video on the memory card inserted in the memory card slot. It may be a thing.

  With such an aspect, at least a part of the captured video can be easily reproduced by another device such as a personal computer. Note that the image recording unit may record an image in an internal memory provided in the imaging apparatus instead of the memory card.

  In the imaging device according to the aspect, the image recording unit may record a still image cut out from the video as at least a part of the video. In addition, the image recording unit may record at least a part of the video as a moving image.

  In the imaging device according to the aspect described above, the camera head further includes an image playback button, and the output unit is configured to store the memory inserted into the memory card slot when the image playback button is pressed. A means for reading image data from a card and outputting the image data as a video signal may be provided.

  With such an aspect, it is possible to output not only the video imaged by the video camera but also the image read from the memory card.

  In the imaging device according to the above aspect, the side surface of the camera head may further include an image processing button for performing image processing on the video shot by the video camera. For example, the image processing button may include at least one of a brightness adjustment button for adjusting the brightness of the video and a zoom button for adjusting the enlargement ratio of the video.

  In such an embodiment, a shooting button is provided on the upper surface of the camera head, and a brightness adjustment button and a zoom button are provided on the side surface. Therefore, it is possible to operate the shooting button with the index finger or the middle finger and operate the brightness adjustment button or the zoom button with the thumb. That is, it is possible to easily handle image capturing and various image processing functions with only one hand.

  In the imaging device of the above aspect, the camera head may include a circuit for controlling the video camera and the image recording unit. With such an aspect, the main control components of the imaging apparatus can be concentrated in the camera head, so that the number of components can be reduced and the internal cables can be easily routed.

  In the imaging device of the above aspect, the camera head may further include a display unit that indicates an operation state of the imaging device. With such an aspect, it is possible to grasp the operating state of the imaging apparatus with a glance at the camera head.

Hereinafter, in order to clarify the operation and effect of the present invention described above, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples in the following order.
A. Schematic structure of document presentation device:
B. Electrical configuration of data presentation device:
C. effect:

A. Schematic structure of document presentation device:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a usage state of a material presentation device 100 as an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the material presentation device 100 includes a table 120 on which materials are placed and an arm unit 140 on which a video camera 130 is mounted at the tip.

  The table 120 includes a fixing member 121 fixed to the lower end of the arm portion 140, and two deployment members 122 and 123 rotatably supported on both sides of the fixing member 121. The fixing member 121 is provided with concave portions over a predetermined length on both sides thereof, and the convex portions of the development members 122 and 123 are fitted therein. A through hole is provided in the fitting portion between the two, and the deployment members 122 and 123 can be rotated with respect to the fixed member 121 by inserting the rotation shaft 125 therein.

  On the arm part 140 side of the two developing members 122 and 123, connecting bars 126 and 127 for restricting the developing range are provided. One end of each of the connecting bars 126 and 127 is screwed to the ends of the development members 122 and 123 so as to be rotatable. On the other hand, the other ends of the connecting bars 126 and 127 are connected to the inside of the arm part 140 through an oil damper so as to be movable up and down.

  The arm part 140 includes a base part 141 connected to the fixing member 121, an intermediate member 143 rotatably connected to the base part 141, and a camera head 145 rotatably connected to the intermediate member 143. It is configured.

  The base portion 141 includes a coupling member 148 that is mechanically coupled to the fixing member 121. Two grooves 146 and 147 are provided in the vertical direction on the left and right sides of the coupling member 148 on the table 120 side. One end of the connecting bars 126 and 127 described above is fitted in the grooves 146 and 147. The coupling member 148 is provided with outer cases 155 and 156 that are separable into left and right two parts.

  Three switches provided on the left side surface of the outer case 156 are, in order from the top, a lamp switch 165 for turning on / off the illumination lamp 151, a select switch 166 for selecting a video signal to be output, and a power source for the material presentation device 100. The power switch 167 turns on and off. A power connector 169 for connecting an external power unit is provided below the power switch 167.

  The select switch 166 uses a video signal output to the RGB output terminal 162 (see FIG. 2) as a video signal captured by the video camera 130 of the material presentation device 100 or a video signal input to the RGB input terminal 161. To choose whether to do.

  FIG. 2 is a rear view of the material presentation device 100. An opening formed by the concave portion of the outer case 155 and the concave portion of the outer case 156 is provided on the back surface of the material presentation device 100, and the coupling member 148 is exposed from the opening. The exposed coupling member 148 is provided with an RGB input terminal 161 for inputting a video signal and an RGB output terminal 162 for outputting a video signal. Further, three switches 111, 112, and 113 are provided. It is attached.

  From the RGB output terminal 162, video signals photographed by the video camera 130 are mainly output. An external video signal output from a personal computer or the like is input to the RGB input terminal 161. As described above, the video signal output to the RGB output terminal 162 by the operation of the select switch 166 provided on the left side surface of the base unit 141 is the video signal captured by the video camera 130 of the material presentation device 100. Or a video signal input from the RGB input terminal 161 is selected.

  The three switches 111, 112, and 113 are, from the left, a white balance switch for setting whether to automatically adjust the white balance of the video captured by the video camera 130 or to fix the predetermined balance, respectively. Flickerless switch for reducing the occurrence of flickering in the video taken by the video camera 130 due to the influence of a fluorescent lamp that lights at a frequency, and a mode for setting the mode of the output video signal to text mode or graphic mode Switch. The text mode is a mode that adjusts the gamma characteristics of the captured video signal to clarify the contrast and emphasizes white and black. The graphic mode is the image processing for realizing more natural color reproduction. It is a mode to apply.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a shooting button 181 is attached to the upper surface of the camera head 145. This shooting button 181 is a button for cutting out (capturing) a still image from the video shot by the video camera 130. The attachment position of the shooting button 181 is set to a position (for example, a position of 6 cm to 8 cm from the front of the camera head 145) that can be easily operated with the middle finger or the index finger when the camera head 145 is held by hand. Usually, a digital still camera or a silver salt camera is provided with a photographing button (shutter button) on the top surface of the casing. Therefore, also in the material presentation device 100 of the present embodiment, the shooting button 181 is provided on the upper surface of the camera head 145. By providing the shooting button 181 at such a position, the user can intuitively understand that the button is a button for shooting.

  A memory card slot 183 is provided on the front surface of the camera head 145. A still image captured by operating the shooting button 181 is recorded on a memory card inserted in the memory card slot 183. In the present embodiment, the captured still image is recorded on the memory card inserted in the memory card slot 183, but may be recorded on the internal memory of the material presentation device 100. Alternatively, an external hard disk may be connected to a USB connector 168 described later and recorded on the hard disk.

  Further, the camera head 145 is provided with a light emitting unit 182 representing the operation state of the material presentation device 100 as a display device. The light emitting unit 182 includes an LED that emits green light and an LED that emits blue light. The material presentation device 100 displays various operating states of the material presentation device 100 with the combination of these two colors. For example, when the power is turned on, the material presentation device 100 lights the light emitting unit 182 in green. Further, when digital zoom is performed by operation of operation buttons 194 and 195 described later, light blue light is blinked by controlling both green and blue LEDs. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the light emitting unit 182 is provided at the front corner of the camera head 145. The light emitting unit 182 is an edge of the camera head 145 on the side of the intermediate member 143 (photographing). It is good also as what is provided in the rear part of the button 181. In this embodiment, the operation state is displayed by the LED, but it may be displayed by a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, or the like.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the lower surface of the camera head 145. As shown in the figure, a video camera 130 is attached to the lower surface of the camera head 145. On the same surface, an illumination lamp 151 for illuminating the material placed on the table 120 is attached. The illumination lamp 151 employs a white LED as a light source, and includes a diffusion plate for diffusing light emitted from the white LED. The illumination lamp 151 is turned on or off by a lamp switch 165 provided on the left side surface of the base portion 141.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the right side surface of the material presentation device 100. As shown in the drawing, five operation buttons 191 to 195 are provided on the right side surface of the camera head 145. The operation button 191 is a button for reproducing an image recorded on a memory card inserted into the memory card slot 183. The operation buttons 192 to 195 are buttons for performing image processing on the video shot by the video camera 130. Specifically, the operation buttons 192 and 193 are buttons for adjusting the brightness of the video signal photographed by the video camera 130. The operation buttons 194 and 195 are buttons for adjusting the zoom magnification of an image taken by the video camera 130. The zoom magnification adjusted with the operation buttons 194 and 195 is a so-called digital zoom magnification. The operation buttons 191 to 195 are provided at positions where the operation is easy with the thumb of the right hand when the user holds the camera head 145 with the right hand. In this embodiment, the operation button 191 for reproducing an image is provided on the side surface of the camera head 145. However, the operation button 191 is provided on the upper surface of the camera head 145, that is, on the same surface as the shooting button 181. It is good. In addition, the camera head 145 may include buttons for adjusting the saturation, contrast, gamma value, and the like as buttons for performing image processing.

  A USB connector 168 is provided on the right side surface of the outer case 155. A personal computer is connected to the USB connector 168 via a USB cable. The material presentation device 100 can output a video signal obtained by the video camera 130 to the personal computer as a digital signal via the USB connector 168.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the intermediate member 143 that connects the base portion 141 and the camera head 145 described above. A circular support member 175 constituting a part of a link mechanism 200 described later is incorporated in the upper portion of the base portion 141, and is coupled to the intermediate member 143 here. As shown in FIG. 5, the intermediate member 143 incorporates two link members 171 and 172, and both link members 171 and 172 are attached to the support member 175 of the base portion 141 and the support member 176 of the camera head 145. , Each is rotatably mounted. The support member 175 is fixed to the base portion 141 and does not rotate, whereas the support member 176 is rotatably supported on a rotation shaft (not shown) provided on the intermediate member 143. The camera head 145 is fixed to the support member 176. A coil spring 177 is installed between the link member 171 and the link member 172. The coil spring 177 is provided to reduce a load when the camera head 145 is manually moved.

  When the camera head 145 is held and moved, the link mechanism 200 operates as follows to hold the posture of the camera head 145 and consequently the posture of the video camera 130 relative to the table 120. To do. That is, when the camera head 145 is moved downward from the use position shown in FIG. 1, the two link members 171 and 172 rotate around the attachment position on the support member 175. At this time, the relative positions of the other end points (end points on the support member 176 side) of the link members 171 and 172 do not move. This is because, in the parallelogram formed by the link members 171 and 172 together with the support members 175 and 176, when one side is fixed and the other three sides are moved, it is opposed to the fixed side. This is based on the principle that the edges to be kept parallel. As a result, the camera head 145 fixed to the support member 176 is maintained in the same posture as before the movement. Of course, the absolute position of the support member 176 is changed in accordance with the movement of the camera head 145, and the intermediate member 143 is also moved in accordance therewith. Therefore, the support member 176 is moved with respect to the rotation shaft on the intermediate member 143 side. Will rotate clockwise.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the camera head 145 has moved to the lowest level. As shown in the figure, when the camera head 145 moves to the lowest position, the intermediate member 143 and the camera head 145 are substantially in a straight line, and the intermediate member 143 is substantially perpendicular to the base portion 141. In this embodiment, since a single focus lens is used as the lens of the video camera 130, the video camera 130 can clearly capture the material on the table 120 even at the lower position shown in FIG. Compared with the position shown in FIG. 1, the imaging range of the video camera 130 is narrower at the lower position shown in FIG. The manner in which the imaging range changes depending on the positional relationship of the video camera 130 with respect to the table 120 is schematically shown as imaging ranges L1 and L2 in FIG. As described above, when the imaging range of the video camera 130 including the single focus lens is changed, the imaging range is enlarged or reduced as a result.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a storage state of the material presentation device 100. The position where the camera head 145 is closest to the table 120 (the position shown in FIG. 6) is also the position where the material presentation device 100 is stored. Therefore, the storage state of the material presentation device 100 will be described next. When storing the material presentation device 100, as shown in FIG. 6, after moving the camera head 145 to the lowermost position and close to the table 120, the deployment members 122 and 123 constituting the table 120 are lifted, The state is almost vertical. At this time, the side portions of the developing members 122 and 123 opposite to the fixing member 121 substantially coincide with the upper sides of the intermediate member 143 and the camera head 145, as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a lock mechanism 132 for holding the folded state of the developing members 122 and 123 is provided on the table 120 side upper portion of the outer cases 155 and 156. When the deployment members 122 and 123 are lifted, the recesses provided in the rear portions of the deployment members 122 and 123 are fitted and locked in the lock mechanism. This prevents the deployment members 122 and 123 from opening due to their own weight. The lock mechanism 132 is retracted into the outer cases 155 and 156 by operating the lock release lever 133. Then, the deployment members 122 and 123 are deployed by their own weight. As described above, since the deployment members 122 and 123 are connected to the inside of the arm part 140 by the oil damper, the deployment members 122 and 123 are gently deployed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the material presentation device 100 of the present embodiment, when stored, has an area that is less than half of the table 120 and a width that is slightly wider than the width of the base portion 141 (thickness of the table 120 × width wider by 2). The shape is almost a rectangular parallelepiped. Therefore, it can be stored in an extremely small area compared to the area when the table 120 on which the material is placed is used. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the device when it is housed and to significantly improve its portability. Moreover, in use, the development members 122 and 123 on both sides need only be developed to the horizontal position, and the camera head 145 may be raised upward, so that the use state can be made with little effort from the housed state. As a result, at the time of use, a large area can be secured as the table 120 on which the material is placed. If the width of the power supply unit connected to the power supply connector 169 is about the width of the base portion 141, the power supply unit 220 is housed in the internal space formed by the deployment members 122 and 123 with the base portion 141 during housing. It is also possible.

B. Electrical configuration of data presentation device:
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an electrical configuration of the material presentation device 100. As shown in the figure, the material presentation device 100 of this embodiment includes a camera control board 300 housed in a camera head 145 and a base board 400 housed in a base portion 141. These boards are connected by a predetermined number of cables passing through the intermediate member 143. In this embodiment, the camera control board 300 and the base board 400 are each constituted by one board, but may be constituted by combining a plurality of boards.

  As shown, the camera control board 300 includes a control unit 310, a video camera 130, an AFE (Analog Front End) circuit 330, a timing generator 340, a scan converter 350, and a D / A conversion circuit 360. Has been implemented. The camera control board 300 is connected with a shooting button 181, operation buttons 191 to 195, a memory card slot 183, an illumination lamp 151, and a light emitting unit 182.

  The video camera 130 includes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 131 and a single focus lens 134. The CCD 131 is an image sensor that converts light collected by the single focus lens 134 into an analog electric signal. The AFE circuit 330 is a circuit for inputting an analog signal from the CCD 131 and converting it into a digital signal. The digital signal A / D converted by the AFE 330 is input to the control unit 310. The reference pulse generated by the timing generator 340 is input to the CCD 131 and the AFE circuit 330. In this embodiment, the CCD is used as the image sensor, but a CMOS sensor may be used.

  The control unit 310 includes an image processing IC 311 and a microcomputer 312. When the video signal captured by the video camera 130 is input as a digital signal from the AFE circuit 330, the image processing IC 311 performs various image processing on the signal. The image processing performed by the image processing IC 311 includes, for example, adjustment of the digital zoom magnification according to the operation of the operation buttons 194 and 195, or adjustment of white balance according to the operation of the switch 111.

  The microcomputer 312 has a built-in CPU, memory, and ROM. When the CPU loads the program recorded in the ROM to the memory and executes it, the microcomputer 312 realizes a function of transmitting a user operation by the operation buttons 191 to 195 and the switches 111 to 113 to the image processing IC 311. . In addition, the microcomputer 312 has a function of performing lighting control of LEDs provided in the light emitting unit 182 in accordance with the operation state of the material presentation device 100.

  The image processing IC 311 of this embodiment has a function of performing image input / output control with respect to the memory card slot 183. When the image processing IC 311 receives notification from the microcomputer 312 that the shooting button 181 has been pressed, the image processing IC 311 captures a still image for one frame from the video signal input from the AFE circuit 330. The captured still image is recorded in a predetermined file format (for example, JPEG format or bitmap format) on a memory card inserted in the memory card slot 183. In this embodiment, as described above, the image processing IC 311 records a still image on the memory card when the shooting button 181 is pressed. However, at least a part of the shot video is recorded as a moving image. It is good also as recording on a memory card. In this case, an image shot while the shooting button 181 is pressed can be recorded as a moving image. Moreover, it is good also as what records the image | video image | photographed until the imaging | photography button 181 was once pressed and is pressed again after that. Examples of the file format of the moving image to be recorded on the memory card include MPEG1, 2, 4 format, H.264 format or the like can be adopted. When recording a moving image, a microphone may be built in the camera head 145 or the like and recording may be performed by recording with the microphone.

  The image processing IC 311 further has a function of reading still image data from the memory card and outputting it as a video signal when detecting that the operation button 191 is pressed through the microcomputer 312. A still image read from the memory card can be selected in accordance with the operation of the operation buttons 192 and 193. That is, when the operation button 191 is pressed once, the material presentation device 100 according to the present embodiment switches the display mode to the mode for reproducing the still image, and in this mode, the operation buttons 192 and 193 are displayed. It performs the function of switching images. Then, when the operation button 191 is pressed again, the display mode is switched to a normal mode in which an image captured by the video camera 130 is displayed. In this normal mode, the operation buttons 192 and 193 function to adjust the brightness of the output video.

  The video signal subjected to image processing by the image processing IC 311 in the control unit 310 is output to the scan converter 350. The scan converter 350 converts the vertical synchronization frequency of the input video signal into a predetermined frequency (for example, 60 Hz), and outputs this to the D / A conversion circuit 360. The D / A conversion circuit 360 converts the video signal input from the scan converter 350 from a digital signal to an analog RGB signal. The analog RGB signal generated by the D / A conversion circuit 360 is input to the select circuit 410 of the base substrate 400 via a cable passing through the intermediate member 143.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the base substrate 400 includes a select circuit 410 and a power supply unit 220, and further includes a USB connector 168, a power supply connector 169, an RGB input terminal 161, an RGB output terminal 162, Various switches (switches 111 to 113, 165 to 167) are mounted.

  An analog RGB signal output from the D / A conversion circuit 360 of the camera control board 300 is input to the select circuit 410. Furthermore, the analog RGB signal input from the RGB input terminal 161 is input to the select circuit 410. A select switch 166 provided in the base unit 141 is connected to the select circuit 410, and one analog RGB signal to be output is selected from two input analog RGB signals according to the operation of the select switch 166. Is done.

  The power supply unit 220 includes an illumination power supply circuit 221 and a camera power supply circuit 222. The illumination power supply circuit 221 receives power from the power connector 169 and generates power to be supplied to the illumination lamp 151. On the other hand, the camera power supply circuit 222 receives power from the power connector 169 and generates power to be supplied to the entire camera control board 300. The electric power generated by the illumination power supply circuit 221 is supplied to the illumination lamp 151 mounted on the camera control board 300 via a predetermined cable passing through the intermediate member 143. A lamp switch 165 provided in the base portion 141 is connected to the illumination power supply circuit 221, and power supply to the illumination lamp 151 is turned on / off according to the state of this switch. The power supply unit 220 is connected to a power switch 167 provided on the base portion 141. In response to the operation of the power switch 167, the entire power of the material presentation device 100 is turned on / off.

  The USB signal input to the USB connector 168 passes through the base substrate 400, and via a predetermined cable passing through the intermediate member 143, the control unit 310 (specifically, the image processing IC 311) mounted on the camera control substrate 300. Is input. That is, the base substrate 400 functions to relay the USB signal input to the USB connector 168 to the camera control substrate 300. With such a configuration, since it is not necessary to provide the USB connector 168 on the camera head 145 that is a movable part, it is easy to handle the USB cable for connection to a personal computer.

  Of the various switches (switches 111 to 113, 165 to 167) mounted on the base substrate 400, the switches 165 to 167 (lamp switch, select switch, and power switch) are each the illumination power supply circuit 221 as described above. Are connected to the select circuit 410 and the power supply unit 220. In contrast, the switches 111 to 113 (white balance switch, flickerless switch, mode switch) are connected to the control unit 310 mounted on the camera control board 300 via a predetermined cable passing through the intermediate member 143. ing. The switches 111 to 113 are switches related to image processing performed by the image processing IC 311, but are not frequently used, and are mounted on the base substrate 400 accommodated in the base portion 141. With such a configuration, since only the frequently used switch can be arranged on the camera head 145 side that the user holds and operates, the operability of the material presentation device 100 can be improved. .

  In this embodiment, the electrical configuration of the material presentation device 100 is separated into the camera control board 300 and the base board 400, but all the circuits may be mounted on the camera control board 300. Further, the circuit described above can also be arranged in the intermediate member 143, the base portion 141, the table 120, or the like.

C. effect:
The material presentation device 100 according to the present embodiment has been described above. As described above, in the material presentation device 100 according to the present embodiment, the subject is enlarged / reduced and displayed with the camera head 145 held in the hand. The camera head 145 is provided with a photographing button 181 on the top surface, and further with operation buttons 191 to 195 for adjusting the brightness and performing digital zoom on the side surface. As described above, the shooting button 181 is attached at a position where the operation can be easily performed with the middle finger or the index finger when the camera head 145 is held by hand. On the other hand, the operation buttons 191 to 195 are attached at positions where the operation can be easily performed with the thumb of the right hand when the camera head 145 is held with the right hand. As described above, in this embodiment, since the buttons frequently used when operating the material presentation device 100 are provided in the camera head 145, the user can easily hold the camera head 145 in his / her hand. The material presentation device 100 can be operated.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, most of the circuits that handle video signals acquired by the video camera 130 are mounted on the camera control board 300 housed in the camera head 145. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of cables connecting the camera control board 300 and the base board 400 to a minimum number. As a result, a factor that hinders the movement of the link mechanism 200 can be reduced. Further, by suppressing the number of cables connecting the camera control board 300 and the base board 400, it is possible to reduce the possibility of noise being mixed into the captured video signal.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the camera head 145 is also provided with a memory card slot 183. The camera head 145 is provided with operation buttons 191 to 193 for reproducing an image recorded on the memory card. Therefore, the user can easily grasp the insertion portion and the operation portion of the memory card. As a result, the operability of the material presentation device 100 can be further improved. In addition, by mounting the memory card slot 183 on the camera head 145, electrical connection between the memory card slot 183 and the control unit 310 that controls the memory card slot 183 can be performed with a simple configuration.

  Note that the material presentation apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment basically expands and contracts the subject by moving the camera head 145 up and down, but can also perform digital zoom by operating the buttons 194 and 195. However, since the image quality deteriorates when the digital zoom is performed, it is preferable to perform the zoom operation with the camera head 145 lowered to the lowest position (position shown in FIG. 6). The control unit 310 may perform the following control in order to facilitate the user performing a zoom operation with the camera head 145 lowered to the lowest level. That is, the material presentation device 100 is provided with a sensor for detecting the state in which the camera head 145 has moved to the lowermost stage, and only when the sensor detects that the camera head 145 has moved to the lowermost stage, the operation buttons 194, This is control for permitting digital zoom by the operation of 195. In this control, for example, when the operation of the operation buttons 194 and 195 is detected in a state where the camera head 145 is not at the lowest level, “Please perform digital zoom with the camera moved to the lowest level”. Such a message may be superimposed on the display image. In addition, by providing an angle sensor in the arm unit 140, the intermediate member 143 rotates not only when the camera head 145 moves to the lowest stage but also within a predetermined angle range (for example, within +20 degrees from the horizontal state). In such a case, control for permitting digital zoom may be performed.

  Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and it goes without saying that various configurations can be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the camera head 145 may be removable from the material presentation device 100. In such a configuration, the base part 141 and the camera head 145 can be connected by a winding cable. In the above embodiment, since the main circuit is arranged in the camera head 145, the number of cables is relatively small. Therefore, such a configuration can be easily realized.

  In the above embodiment, the camera head 145 can only move up and down. However, the camera head 145 may be configured to rotate in the horizontal direction with respect to the table 120. In this way, it is possible to easily perform shooting while rotating the subject. Further, by adopting a configuration in which the camera head 145 and the intermediate member 143 can be rotated from each other, the photographing range can be expanded.

  In the above embodiment, the shooting button 181 is provided on the upper surface of the camera head 145. However, for example, an operation unit such as a jog wheel may be provided on the upper surface of the camera head 145. Further, an operation unit such as a stick lever may be provided. When a jog wheel is provided, for example, the jog wheel can be used to adjust the magnification of digital zoom and to select an image to be read from a memory card. When a stick lever is provided, this stick lever can be used for menu selection by OSD (on-screen display) and pointer display.

  In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the camera head 145 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. On the other hand, the camera head 145 may be configured with a curve according to the shape of the hand, or the camera head 145 may be provided with a rubber grip for anti-slip processing. By doing in this way, it becomes possible to improve the operativity of the material presentation apparatus 100 more.

It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of a data presentation apparatus. It is a rear view of a material presentation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the lower surface of a camera head. It is explanatory drawing which shows the right side of a material presentation apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of an intermediate member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the camera head moved to the lowest stage. It is explanatory drawing which shows the accommodation state of a document presentation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the electrical structure of a data presentation apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Material presentation apparatus 111 ... Switch 120 ... Table 121 ... Fixed member 122 ... Deployment member 125 ... Rotating shaft 126, 127 ... Connection bar 130 ... Video camera 132 ... Lock mechanism 140 ... Arm part 141 ... Base part 143 ... Intermediate member 145 ... Camera heads 146, 147 ... Groove 148 ... Coupling member 151 ... Illumination lamps 155, 156 ... Outer case 161 ... RGB input terminal 162 ... RGB output terminal 165 ... Lamp switch 166 ... Select switch 167 ... Power switch 168 ... USB connector 169 ... power connector 171, 172 ... link member 175, 176 ... support member 177 ... coil spring 181 ... photographing button 182 ... light emitting part 183 ... memory card slot 191-195 ... operation button 200 ... link mechanism 220 ... power supply unit Tsu DOO 221 ... lighting power supply circuit 222: Power supply circuit for the camera 300 ... camera control board 310 ... control unit 311 ... image processing IC
312 ... Microcomputer 330 ... AFE circuit 340 ... Timing generator 350 ... Scan converter 400 ... Base substrate 410 ... Select circuit

Claims (8)

An imaging device that shoots an imaged object and outputs a video signal to an external device,
A table on which the object to be imaged is placed;
A camera head provided with a video camera having a single focus lens on its lower surface;
On the upper side of the table, an arm part that holds the camera head movably,
A posture holding mechanism provided integrally with the arm portion and holding a relative posture of the camera head with respect to the table when the camera head is moved;
An output unit that outputs an image captured by the video camera;
A shooting button provided on the upper surface of the camera head;
An image recording apparatus comprising: an image recording unit configured to record at least a part of an image photographed by the video camera in a predetermined memory when the photographing button is pressed. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
The camera head further includes a memory card slot,
The image recording unit records at least a part of the video on a memory card inserted into the memory card slot. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The image recording section records a still image cut out from the video as at least a part of the video. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein
The camera head further includes an image playback button,
The output unit includes means for reading image data from the memory card inserted into the memory card slot and outputting the image data as a video signal when the image playback button is pressed. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The image pickup apparatus further includes an image processing button for performing image processing on a video image taken by the video camera on a side surface of the camera head. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5,
The image processing button includes at least one of a brightness adjustment button for adjusting the brightness of the video and a zoom button for adjusting an enlargement ratio of the video. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The camera head includes a circuit that controls the video camera and the image recording unit. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The camera head further includes a display unit that indicates an operation state of the imaging device.

Images