JP2016122259A - Rotary type operation mechanism and camera control unit using the mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple constitution capable of easily adjusting operation torque in operating a rotary knob for a rotary type operation mechanism suitably used for a camera control unit.SOLUTION: A rotary type operation mechanism is provided with an adjusting ring 120 which is provided with a projection part 107 projecting sideward at a part of a shaft 105 coupled to a knob 101, and rotates independently the shaft 105 to be displaceable along the axis of the shaft 105. The adjusting ring 120 has a surface opposed to the projection part 107 and an outer peripheral surface accepting a rotating action to vary the axial distance between the projection part 107 and a surface opposing thereto. A spring 130 is arranged between the projection part 107 and the surface opposing thereto, and the axial distance between the projection part 107 and the surface opposing thereto is varied through an action of the adjusting ring 120 so as to vary a deformation amount of the spring 130, and the load placed on the projection part 107 is thereby varied to adjust operation torque of the knob 101.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary operation mechanism and a camera control unit using the mechanism, and more particularly to an improvement of a rotary operation mechanism suitable for a camera control unit for operating a television camera used in a studio of a broadcasting station. It is.

  A television camera used in a broadcasting station studio or the like is operated while a cameraman performs direct adjustment of focus and angle of view. On the other hand, for TV cameras, camera parameters are adjusted by a camera control unit connected via a cable (level adjustment, pedestal adjustment, iris adjustment, etc. for RGB signals obtained by separating the subject image) Is operated remotely.

  In general, one cameraman is assigned to one TV camera to perform shooting work, while an operator called a video engineer in the secondary adjustment room adjusts camera parameters of a plurality of TV cameras. There are many. That is, there are many situations where one operator has to take charge of the operation of a plurality of camera control units. Under such circumstances, the camera control unit is required to have high operability. In particular, it is strongly desirable that the operation unit for adjusting the iris that is most frequently adjusted in the camera control unit is easy to use for the operator, and particularly exhibits a preferable operation force.

  As an operation mechanism for adjusting the iris, there are an operation lever (joystick) type and a rotary operation type knob, and there is an operation force described in Patent Document 1 regarding the former. In this document, there is no need to adjust the operating force, that is, the torque of the operating lever in the joystick device that sets the control amount by tilting the operating lever about the rotation base axis, and the torque of the operating lever changes over time. For the purpose of maintaining the set torque, a spacer member and a wave washer (wave spring washer) are inserted into the rotating base shaft, and the wave washer is attached to the end of the rotating base shaft by a disc-shaped lid. The structure which sets the torque of an operation lever with the thrust pressure set by pressing is disclosed.

  However, it is necessary to operate multiple camera control units by one person, especially from an operator who is required to make frequent iris adjustments. Was requested.

  The purpose of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is to eliminate the need for adjusting the torque of the operating lever, and to maintain the set torque, so that the operating force can be made variable as desired by the operator. Not considered. The technique disclosed in this document is suitable for a tilting operation type mechanism using an operation lever, and does not disclose a configuration suitable for a rotation operation type mechanism using a knob.

JP 2006-338327 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily adjust an operation force, that is, an operation torque when operating a rotary knob, with a simple configuration in a rotary operation mechanism suitable for use in a camera control unit. To do.

  For this purpose, the present invention provides a rotary operation mechanism for adjusting the rotation angle of a rotary potentiometer used in a camera control unit, which is capable of rotating operation, one end connected to the knob, A shaft connecting the other end connected to the potentiometer, provided integrally with the shaft, a projecting portion projecting outward in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the shaft, and the shaft are provided separately. The axial portion between the projecting portion and the facing portion according to an operation, a facing portion facing the projecting portion in the axial direction, a spring disposed between the projecting portion and the facing portion, And an adjusting unit that adjusts the operating torque of the knob by changing the amount of deformation of the spring by changing.

  Moreover, this invention exists in a camera control unit provided with the said rotary operation mechanism.

  According to the present invention, the operation torque when operating the rotary knob can be easily adjusted with a simple configuration.

It is a typical perspective view which shows schematic structure of the camera control unit which can apply this invention. It is a top view of the camera control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a rotary operation mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention incorporated in the camera control unit of FIG. 1 from the direction of III in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows independently the rotary operation mechanism which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which fractures | ruptures and shows the rotary operation mechanism of FIG. 4 along the VV line. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the fractured surface of FIG. 5 as viewed from the VI direction. It is a perspective view for demonstrating a torque adjustment part and a click generation | occurrence | production part among the rotary operation mechanisms which concern on one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(1) Overview of Camera Control Unit First, an overview of the camera control unit will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 1 and 2 are a schematic perspective view and a top view, respectively, showing a schematic configuration of a camera control unit to which the present invention can be applied. The camera control unit denoted as a whole by reference numeral 1 has, on the operation panel surface 10 that is the upper surface thereof, various operation units that accept operator operations and various display units that visually present information to the operators. Yes. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel surface 10 includes a camera function operation unit 20, a display / menu operation unit 30, various function selection operation units 40, RGB gain and pedestal adjustment knobs, which are known units. The unit 50, the iris / pedestal control unit 60, the status display unit 70, and the like are arranged.

  The rotary operation mechanism 100 for adjusting the iris includes an iris adjustment knob 101 arranged as a part of the iris / pedestal control unit 60 on the operation panel surface 10 of the camera control unit 1 and a click position setting arranged concentrically therewith. A wheel 151 is provided. In the illustrated example, the iris adjustment knob 101 and the click position setting wheel 151 are arranged on the right side of the operation panel surface 10 as viewed from the operator, and have a larger diameter than other adjustment knobs arranged on the knob portion 50 and the like. It is shown. However, if it is easy for the operator to operate, the arrangement position, shape and dimensions thereof can be determined as appropriate.

  The components of the rotary operation mechanism 100 connected to the iris adjustment knob 101 and the click position setting wheel 151 are housed in the housing 80 of the camera control unit 1 on the back side of the operation panel surface 10 and are usually covered by a cover 82. It is hidden. The cover 82 is removably attached to the housing 80 by screws 84, and the torque adjustment ring 120 can be exposed by removing the cover 82. The cover 82 is not limited to this form. For example, an appropriate form such as a door having one side portion that is rotatably attached to the housing 80 by a hinge can be adopted.

  As shown in a side view (FIG. 3) of the rotary operation mechanism 100 for adjusting the iris as viewed from the III direction in FIG. 1, a torque adjustment ring 120 is provided coaxially with the iris adjustment knob 101, and is rotated by rotating it. It is possible to adjust the operation force of the iris adjustment knob 101, that is, the operation torque. That is, by rotating the torque adjustment ring 120 in the direction indicated by the arrow L in FIG. 3 or the direction indicated by the arrow R, the operating torque can be adjusted to be strong or weak. As shown in FIG. 3, the casing 80 is provided with a display 88 for clearly indicating the correspondence between the rotation direction of the torque adjustment ring 120 and the adjustment of the operation torque as viewed from the surface facing the operator. May be. The display 88 may be formed directly on the surface of the housing 80 or may be in the form of a printed material attached to the surface of the housing 80.

(2) Rotary Operation Mechanism Next, the essential main part, torque adjustment unit, and click position adjustment unit of the rotary operation mechanism 100 for iris adjustment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(2.1) Main part of the rotary operation mechanism The rotary operation mechanism 100 is a support tool connected to the operation panel surface 10 or the casing 80 in order to adjust the iris in accordance with the rotation operation of the iris adjustment knob 101. 86 has a main part fixedly supported by 86. As shown best in FIGS. 5 and 6, the main portion is connected to a shaft 105 that is directly connected to a cylindrical iris adjustment knob 101 and extends in the axial direction, and is connected to rotate integrally with the shaft 105. And a shaft 115 of a rotary potentiometer 110. The potentiometer 110 outputs a voltage divided according to the rotation angle of the shaft 115, and this output is associated with the iris (iris) of the television camera. Accordingly, the iris adjustment can be performed by transmitting the rotation operation of the iris adjustment knob 101 to the potentiometer 110 via the shafts 105 and 115.

(2.2) Torque adjustment portion An extension portion 107 in the form of an annular flange that protrudes outward in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the shaft 105 is formed at the end portion of the shaft 105, for example, the potentiometer 110. The operation torque can be adjusted by the torque adjusting unit interfering with this. The torque adjustment unit includes a torque adjustment ring 120, a wave spring washer 130 that generates a biasing force for torque adjustment, and a ring support member 140 fixed to the support 86.

  The torque adjustment ring 120 is formed as a hollow cylindrical member having a short axial length, and has an outer peripheral surface with a knurl 122 that receives the rotation operation of the operator, and an inner surface that forms a surface facing the protruding portion of the shaft 105. An upper end provided with the orientation flange 124 and a lower end provided with an internal thread 126 on the inner peripheral surface are provided. An opening through which the shaft 105 can be inserted without interference is formed at the center of the upper end where the inward flange 124 is provided. Therefore, the torque adjustment ring 120 is disposed concentrically with the shaft 105 and independent of the shaft 105. It can be rotated. The wave spring washer 130 is disposed between the inward flange 124 of the torque adjustment ring 120 and the protruding portion 107 at the end of the shaft 105 connected to the iris adjustment knob 101. That is, the wave spring washer 130 contacts the overhanging portion 107 at one end (the lower surface in FIG. 6), and contacts the inward flange 124 at the other end (the upper surface in FIG. 6). The ring support member 140 fixed to the support 86 includes an open upper end, a lower end formed with an opening through which the shaft 115 of the potentiometer 110 can be inserted without interference, and a male screw that engages with the female screw 126 of the torque adjustment ring 120. 146 (see FIG. 7) and an outer peripheral surface.

  In the present embodiment, the axial positions of the shaft 105 or the overhang portion 107 and the ring support member 140 are fixed. Therefore, by rotating the outer peripheral surface of the torque adjustment ring 120 serving as an adjustment portion, the torque adjustment ring 120 moves up and down (displaces in the axial direction) relative to the ring support member 140 fixed in the axial direction. Along with this elevation, the axial distance between the overhanging portion 107 of the shaft 105 and the inward flange 124 of the torque adjustment ring 120 serving as the opposing portion changes, and the deformation amount, that is, the compression state of the wave spring washer 130 changes. Then, the load acting on the projecting portion 107 of the shaft 105 changes, so that it is possible to adjust the frictional force when rotating the iris adjustment knob 101, and thus the operating torque. Therefore, the operator can easily obtain a desired operation torque by simply opening the cover 82 and operating the torque adjustment ring 120 exposed thereby.

  In addition, the structure which prevents rotation of the torque adjustment ring 120 and prevents the adjusted torque from changing can be added. The configuration may include a screw 92 having a tip that abuts against the surface of the torque adjustment ring 120, for example, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the screw 92 is screwed into a screw hole 96 formed in a block 94 fixed to the support 86 so that the screw 92 can be moved forward and backward with respect to the torque adjustment ring 120. Can be held.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a stopper 128 that restricts the rising position of the torque adjusting ring 120 can be provided so that the torque adjusting ring 120 does not rise excessively.

  Furthermore, the overhanging portion 107 may be formed at a part of the shaft 105 and may not be the end portion of the shaft 105 located on the potentiometer 110 side. Further, the shape of the protruding portion 107 is not limited to the annular flange.

(2.3) Click Position Setting Unit The shaft 115 of the potentiometer 110 is rotatable within a certain angle range, and performs linear output proportional to the rotation position. The angle range is determined as indicated by θ in FIG. 2, for example. At an intermediate position (hereinafter, simply referred to as “intermediate position”) of the angle range θ in which the arrow-shaped instruction mark 103 provided on the iris adjustment knob 101 indicates a direction parallel to the long side direction of the operation panel surface 10. The center value of the output can be obtained. However, in practice, it is considered that the operator rarely operates the iris adjustment knob 101 while viewing the instruction mark 103. This is especially true when one operator is responsible for operating a plurality of camera control units 1. Further, the iris adjustment is not necessarily performed in the rotation operation range in the vicinity of the intermediate position, and the reference of the desired rotation operation range, for example, the center of the rotation operation range (hereinafter referred to as “center position”) is set in the middle. In some cases, it is desirable to set the position deviated from the position.

  In view of the above, it is preferable to add to the rotary operation mechanism 100 a configuration that gives the operator a tactile sensation when the rotation position of the iris adjustment knob 101 matches the set center position. For this purpose, in this embodiment, a click position setting unit having the following configuration is provided to perform notification by clicking.

  The click position setting unit of the present embodiment includes a click mechanism unit (hereinafter referred to as “wheel-side click mechanism”) associated with the click position setting wheel 151 and an associated click mechanism unit (hereinafter referred to as “the wheel side click mechanism”). It is called a “knob side click mechanism”.

  The wheel side click mechanism includes a click position setting wheel 151, a click guide 153, a connecting portion 155, and a wave spring washer 160. The click position setting wheel 151 is a dish-shaped member having an annularly exposed surface around the iris adjustment knob 101, and an opening through which the shaft 105 can be inserted without interference is formed at the center of the bottom surface. The click guide 153 has an upper end that has an opening that can be inserted through the shaft 105 without interference, an open lower end, and a side surface that connects them. The inner surface of the click guide 153 receives sliding of a ball 177 described later, and a hole or groove (hereinafter referred to as “engagement groove”) 157 capable of engaging with the ball 177 is provided in a part of the inner surface. ing. The connecting portion 155 is a member that integrally connects the click position setting wheel 151 and the click guide 153, and has an opening through which the shaft 105 can be inserted without interference. Therefore, the click position setting wheel 151 and the click guide 153 can be rotated independently from the iris adjustment knob 101 and the shaft 105, and an appropriate center position can be set.

  The wave spring washer 160 is disposed between the upper end of the click guide 153 and the support 86 in a properly compressed state, and gives an appropriate operation torque when the click position setting wheel 151 is operated. Although a mechanism for adjusting the compression amount of the wave spring washer 160, that is, the operation torque of the click position setting wheel 151 is not added, this is because the necessity thereof is less than that of the click position setting wheel 151.

  The knob-side click mechanism includes a ball 177, a spring 173 that urges the ball 177 radially outward, a ball holding portion 171 that holds these, a block 175 that fixes the ball holding portion 171 to the shaft 105, and a screw 176. And having. Therefore, when the iris adjustment knob 101 is operated, the ball holding portion 171 rotates integrally with the shaft 105, and at this time, the ball 177 is guided while being in sliding contact with the inner surface of the click guide 153. In this process, the ball 177 engages / disengages with the engagement groove 157 on the inner surface of the click guide 153, so that a click feeling can be generated.

  As described above, according to the click position setting unit of the present embodiment, the position of the engagement groove 157, that is, the center position can be set by rotating the click position setting wheel 151. Then, when the operator rotates the iris adjustment knob 101 and the ball 177 of the shaft side click mechanism engages / disengages with the engagement groove 157 of the wheel side click mechanism, a click feeling is obtained. As a reference (that is, without relying on visual observation), the iris adjustment knob 101 can be operated.

  The shaft-side click mechanism ball 177 and the wheel-side click mechanism engagement groove 157 match when the arrow-shaped instruction mark 103 of the iris adjustment knob 101 and the slit-shaped instruction mark 154 of the click position setting wheel 151 coincide. It is strongly desirable to be disposed at a position where engagement occurs.

(3) Modifications The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the modifications described in various places, and appropriate components may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention described in the appended claims. Of course, modifications, variations or changes, or deletions or additions are possible.

  For example, based on the main object of the present invention, the operation of operating the rotary operation mechanism including the iris adjustment knob can be easily adjusted with a simple configuration. Not necessarily required. On the other hand, if there is another knob for which adjustment of the operation torque is desired or a portion related thereto (including the click position setting wheel 151), a torque adjustment unit similar to the above can be added.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the torque adjustment ring 120 is displaced downward, the wave spring washer 130 is compressed to increase the load on the projecting portion 107 of the shaft 105. However, the torque adjustment ring is displaced upward. In this case, the wave spring washer may be compressed.

  Furthermore, the shaft 105 and the shaft 115 of the potentiometer need only be connected so as to rotate simultaneously, and may be connected so as to be displaceable in the axial direction. In this case, for example, if the axial displacement of the shaft 105 on the iris adjustment knob 101 side is allowed, the shaft 105 and the shaft 115 are prevented from mutual rotation by the engagement of the key and the key groove, and the axial direction While allowing relative displacement, the biasing force of the spring, and thus the operating torque, may be adjusted by adjusting the lift position of the shaft 105. In this case, the adjusting portion is an element provided on the shaft 105 side.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the ball 177 of the shaft-side click mechanism and the engagement groove 157 of the wheel-side click mechanism constitute a click generating portion, and a click feeling is obtained with their engagement / disengagement. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a ball is provided on the wheel side click mechanism side and an engagement groove is provided on the shaft side click mechanism side.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the wave spring washer is used as a spring that generates an urging force for adjusting the operation torque, but in addition, a C-shaped spring washer, a disc spring, a coil spring, or the like is used. It is also possible to use it. However, it is preferable to use a wave spring washer from the viewpoint of reducing the size of the rotary operation mechanism and hence the camera control unit, and obtaining a spring force that does not place a burden on the operator when adjusting the operation torque. In addition, when the wave spring washer is used for applying an appropriate operation torque to the click position setting wheel as described above, using the same type of wave spring washer is also effective in reducing the number of component types. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera control unit 10 Operation panel surface 100 Rotary operation mechanism for iris adjustment 101 Iris adjustment knob 105 Shaft 110 Potentiometer 115 Shaft of potentiometer 120 Torque adjustment ring 130, 160 Wave spring washer 140 Ring support member 151 Click position setting wheel 153 Click Guide 157 Engaging groove 177 Ball

Claims (6)

A rotary operation mechanism for adjusting the rotation angle of a rotary potentiometer used in a camera control unit,
A knob that can be rotated,
A shaft connecting one end connected to the knob and the other end connected to the potentiometer;
An overhanging portion provided integrally with the shaft and projecting outward in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the shaft;
The shaft is provided separately from the shaft, and the opposed portion facing the protruding portion in the axial direction;
A spring disposed between the overhanging portion and the opposing portion;
In accordance with an operation, an adjustment unit that adjusts an operation torque of the knob by changing a deformation amount of the spring by changing a distance in the axial direction between the projecting portion and the facing portion;
A rotary operation mechanism characterized by comprising:   The adjusting ring is arranged concentrically with the shaft and supported so as to be displaceable in the axial direction by rotating independently of the shaft, and the adjusting ring changes the axial distance. The rotary operation mechanism according to claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral surface that receives a rotation operation is provided as the adjustment portion, and a surface that faces the projecting portion is provided as the facing portion.   The rotary operation mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring is a wave spring washer.   4. The rotary operation mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a click generation unit that generates a click at a rotation position set in a rotatable range of the knob.   A camera control unit comprising the rotary operation mechanism according to claim 1.   6. The camera control unit according to claim 5, wherein the potentiometer is used for adjusting a diaphragm of a television camera.