JP2020170108A - Image capturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow for appropriately adjusting rotational torque on a hinge unit.SOLUTION: A movable unit 20 and a fixed unit 30 are rotatably connected to each other by a hinge unit 40. A lens unit 50 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the movable unit 20. An image capturing device 10 has an operating part 202 that makes rotational torque on the hinge unit 40 variable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device in which a movable portion and a main body portion are rotatably connected.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for higher image quality for shooting equipment. For example, there is a demand for equipment that is equipped with a large solid-state image sensor and that records high-quality images in combination with a large-diameter lens. Patent Document 1 discloses an imaging device in which various accessories such as an interchangeable lens and a grip (grip member) are detachably configured on the camera body to enable various shooting and video recording. In the device of Patent Document 1, the gripping member is relative to the camera body between the first posture in which the handle portion of the gripping member is located below the camera body and the second posture in which the handle portion is located above the camera body. It is configured to be displaceable. As a result, it is possible to switch between high-angle shooting and low-angle shooting without changing the gripping member to support various shooting styles.

JP-A-2015-207886

However, in Patent Document 1, for example, when the photographing lens is replaced while the grip portion is gripped, the mount portion connecting the photographing lens may move relative to the grip portion. In this way, in a device that rotatably connects a movable part to which a photographic lens or the like is mounted and a main body part by a hinge part, the rotational torque of the hinge part may not be appropriate depending on the weight of the photographic lens to be handled. There was a problem.

An object of the present invention is to appropriately adjust the rotational torque of the hinge portion.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a movable portion to which a photographing lens can be attached and detached, a main body portion, a hinge portion for relatively rotatably connecting the movable portion and the main body portion, and the hinge portion. It is characterized by having a variable portion that makes the rotational torque variable when the movable portion and the main body portion rotate relatively.

According to the present invention, the rotational torque of the hinge portion can be appropriately adjusted.

It is a perspective view of the image pickup apparatus. It is a block diagram of an image pickup apparatus. It is an exploded perspective view of a movable part. It is sectional drawing of the tilt rotation regulation part. It is an exploded perspective view of a fixed part. It is an exploded perspective view of a fixed part. It is sectional drawing of the pan rotation regulation part perpendicular to the rotation axis. It is sectional drawing of the pan rotation regulation part perpendicular to the rotation axis. It is a figure which shows the hinge torque operation part. It is a figure which shows the hinge torque operation part. It is a figure which shows the hinge torque operation part of the modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment)
1 (a) and 1 (b) are perspective views of the image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 1 and later, in order to simplify the explanation, mainly the parts necessary for the explanation are illustrated, and some other parts are omitted.

The image pickup device 10 is configured as, for example, a video camera capable of photographing an operation. The image pickup apparatus 10 includes a movable portion 20, a fixed portion 30 (main body portion), a hinge unit 40 (hinge portion), and a lens unit 50 (photographing lens). The movable portion 20 and the fixed portion 30 are relatively rotatably connected by a hinge unit 40. The lens unit 50 is configured to be removable from the movable portion 20. A bayonet-type mounting structure is adopted for the lens unit 50 and the movable portion 20. A bayonet claw portion 507 is formed on the lens unit 50, and a lens mount 211 is formed on the movable portion 20. When attaching the lens unit 50 to the movable portion 20, the user first aligns the protruding portion of the bayonet claw portion 507 with respect to the notch formed inside the lens mount 211. Then, the user can attach the lens unit 50 to the movable portion 20 by inserting the lens unit 50 into the movable portion 20 and rotating the lens unit 50 around the optical axis of the lens unit 50.

A movable pin, which is a part of the lens rotation regulation unit 204, protrudes from the lens mount 211. By engaging the movable pin with the recess 508 on the lens unit 50 side, the lens rotation regulating portion 204 regulates the movable portion 20 from rotating and coming off from the state in which the lens unit 50 is mounted. When removing the lens unit 50 from the movable portion 20, the user operates the lens attachment / detachment button 241 to retract the movable pin inward. Further, the user disengages the bayonet claw portion 507 of the lens unit 50 from the lens mount 211, and removes the lens unit 50. When the lens unit 50 is attached to the movable portion 20, the interface (IF) portion 205 of the movable portion 20 and the interface (IF) portion 506 of the lens unit 50 are electrically connected (FIG. 2). In this state, the lens unit 50 and the movable portion 20 can communicate with each other. The details of the system of the image pickup apparatus 10 will be described later.

The movable portion 20 is held by the hinge unit 40. The hinge unit 40 is a biaxial hinge mainly composed of a tilt rotation hinge 401 and a pan rotation hinge 402. The tilt rotation hinge 401 is rotatably connected to the movable portion 20 about the rotation axis T. Further, the pan rotation hinge 402 is rotatably connected to the fixing portion 30 about the rotation shaft P. Therefore, the user can shift the movable portion 20 and the lens unit 50 to various postures with respect to the fixed portion 30 by appropriately operating the tilt rotation hinge 401 and the pan rotation hinge 402. The movable unit 20 has a hinge torque operating unit 202 (hereinafter referred to as an operating unit 202) that is operated to variably operate the torque of the hinge unit 40. Details of the operation unit 202 will be described later.

Further, the movable portion 20 has an accessory shoe 209. The accessory shoe 209 is a portion to which an external accessory is attached. The accessory shoe 209 is fitted with accessories such as a video light and an external microphone. Inside the accessory shoe 209, an accessory detection unit 242 (FIG. 2) for detecting that the accessory is attached is provided.

The fixing unit 30 has a display unit 303. The display unit 303 is composed of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro-luminescence) display, or the like, and displays a captured image or a screen for setting shooting conditions. The display unit 303 may be a display having a touch panel function. Further, the fixing portion 30 has a grip portion 304. The grip portion 304 is formed at the end of the fixing portion 30. The surface of the grip portion 304 is made of an elastic material, and for example, ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) or silicon rubber is adopted. The user can take pictures from various angles by rotating the lens unit 50 or the movable portion 20 with the other hand while holding the grip portion 304 with one hand.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the imaging device 10. The internal configuration of the image pickup apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the internal configuration of the lens unit 50 will be described. In the lens unit 50, the photographing optical system 501 includes a plurality of lenses, a holder for holding the plurality of lenses, a zoom lens mechanism, a focus lens mechanism, a shake correction lens mechanism, and the like. Further, the lens unit 50 has an aperture unit 502. As the diaphragm unit 502, for example, a glow diaphragm unit that changes the size of an opening formed around the optical axis by driving a plurality of thin light-shielding sheets is adopted. The lens driving unit 503 includes an actuator for driving a zoom lens mechanism, a focus lens mechanism, a shake correction lens mechanism, an aperture unit 502, and the like. The actuator applied to each of these mechanisms is appropriately selected in consideration of the thrust, speed, stroke, stopping accuracy, power consumption, manufacturing cost, etc. required for driving. For example, a DC motor, a stepping motor, a USM (Ultrasonic Motor), or the like is adopted as an actuator.

The lens control unit 504 includes a motor driver IC and drives and controls various actuators of the lens drive unit 503. By electrically connecting the lens unit 50 and the movable unit 20 by the interface units 506 and 205, the lens control unit 504 and the central control unit 207 can communicate with each other. The lens unit 50 further includes a runout detection unit 505. The runout detection unit 505 is composed of a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, and the like. The input information from the runout detection unit 505 is transmitted to the lens control unit 504, and is transmitted to the central control unit 207 as an analog signal or digital data via the interface units 506 and 205. The central control unit 207 can detect how the lens is tilted with respect to the horizontal and vertical directions based on the information from the runout detection unit 505.

Next, the internal configuration of the movable portion 20 will be described. The movable unit 20 has an imaging unit 201. The imaging unit 201 is composed of a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor or a CMOS (Complementary MOS) sensor, a low-pass filter, and the like. This low-pass filter prevents the incident of infrared rays and prevents the occurrence of color moire and the like. The central control unit 207 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire image pickup device 10. The electric signal input from the image pickup unit 201 to the central control unit 207 is converted into a video signal and then appropriately processed into arbitrary image data. Processing of video signals also includes electronic vibration isolation operation by image cropping and rotation processing. The recording unit 210 records, in addition to the image data acquired by shooting, the date and time of shooting, the setting conditions of the image pickup apparatus 10 at the time of shooting, and the like.

The lens attachment / detachment button 241 is a member operated by the user when the lens unit 50 is removed from the movable portion 20. The operation unit 202 (FIGS. 1A and 1B) is configured to be capable of transitioning between a plurality of positions (described later in FIG. 9). The operation unit position detection unit 203 detects the position of the operation unit 202. The operation unit position detection unit 203 is composed of, for example, a transmissive photo interrupter whose output signal changes according to the amount of light received. The detection result acquired by the operation unit position detection unit 203 is input to the central control unit 207. Further, by operating the operation unit 202, the tilt rotation regulation unit 208 and the pan rotation regulation unit 305 operate in conjunction with each other. The details of the operation of the tilt rotation regulation unit 208 and the pan rotation regulation unit 305 by the operation unit 202 will be described later.

As described above, the hinge unit 40 and the movable portion 20 are relatively rotatably connected to each other. The tilt rotation hinge 401 has a tilt rotor 403 mounted around the rotation shaft T. The tilt rotor 403 is arranged inside the movable portion 20 and is fixed to the tilt rotation hinge 401. Further, the movable portion 20 has a tilt rotation regulating portion 208. The tilt rotation restricting unit 208 is arranged at a position facing the tilt rotor 403, and is rotatably held with respect to the rotation axis T together with the movable unit 20. Details will be described later in FIG. 4, but for example, a linear solenoid actuator that reciprocates and drives the plunger 208c in a direction substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis T by electronic control is adopted for the tilt rotation regulation unit 208. The tilt rotation regulation unit 208 reciprocates the plunger 208c between the pressing position and the retracting position in response to an instruction from the central control unit 207. The pressing position is a position where the plunger 208c is pressed against the surface of the tilt rotor 403. The retracted position is a position in which the plunger 208c is retracted from the surface of the tilt rotor 403. In the pressing position, the frictional load that rotates the movable portion 20 with respect to the tilt rotor 403 increases, and the movable portion 20 does not rotate easily. On the other hand, in the retracted position, the frictional load is reduced, and the movable portion 20 rotates with respect to the tilt rotor 403 with a constant amount of dynamic torque. Therefore, the user can manually rotate the movable portion 20 with respect to the tilt rotor 403. The pressing force of the plunger 208c on the tilt rotor 403 can be adjusted by the amount of current flowing through the solenoid actuator, whereby the rotational torque of the tilt rotary hinge 401 can be changed. By setting the amount of current flowing through the solenoid actuator to a predetermined value or more, the tilt rotor 403 can be substantially immobile.

The pan rotation hinge 402 has a pan rotor 404 mounted around a rotation shaft P. The pan rotor 404 is arranged inside the fixing portion 30 and fixed to the pan rotating hinge 402. Further, the fixing portion 30 has a pan rotation regulating portion 305. The pan rotation restricting portion 305 is arranged at a position facing the pan rotor 404, and is fixedly held by the fixing portion 30. Similar to the tilt rotation regulating unit 208, the pan rotation regulating unit 305 employs a linear solenoid actuator or the like. Upon receiving an instruction from the central control unit 207, the pan rotation regulation unit 305 changes the rotation torque of the pan rotation hinge 402 in the same manner as the tilt rotation regulation unit 208. Specifically, the pan rotation regulating unit 305 has a pressing member 319 (described later in FIG. 7A and the like) that regulates the movement of the pan rotor 404 by driving a solenoid actuator.

The pan rotation regulating unit 305 switches the pressing member 319 between the pressing position and the retracting position according to the instruction from the central control unit 207. The pressing position is a position where the pressing member 319 presses the surface of the pan rotor 404. The retracted position is a position where the pressing member 319 retracts. In the pressing position, the frictional load for rotating the pan rotation hinge 402 with respect to the fixed portion 30 increases and the pan rotation hinge 402 does not rotate easily. On the other hand, in the retracted position, the frictional load is reduced and the pan rotation hinge 402 rotates with respect to the fixed portion 30 with a constant amount of dynamic torque. Therefore, the user can manually rotate the pan rotation hinge 402 with respect to the fixing portion 30.

The pressing force on the pan rotor 404 can be adjusted by the amount of current flowing through the solenoid actuator, and by changing the pressing force, the rotational torque in the pan rotating hinge 402 changes. By setting the amount of current flowing through the solenoid actuator to a predetermined value or more, the pan rotor 404 can be substantially immobile.

At each retracted position in the tilt rotation regulating unit 208 and the pan rotation regulating unit 305, the hinge unit 40 has a certain amount of holding force in a state where the tilt rotation hinge 401 and the pan rotation hinge 402 are stopped. This holding force is set to be higher than the static torque at which the hinge unit 40 maintains the stopped posture while receiving the weight of the lens unit 50 and the movable portion 20. Therefore, in each retracted position, when the user points the lens unit 50 with respect to the subject and stops the rotation of the hinge unit 40, the lens unit 50 and the movable portion 20 can continue to maintain the same posture.

The movable unit 20 further has a runout detection unit 206. The runout detection unit 206 is composed of a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, and the like. The input information from the runout detection unit 206 is transmitted to the central control unit 207 as an analog signal or digital data. The central control unit 207 can detect in which direction the movable unit 20 is tilted with respect to the horizontal and vertical directions based on the information from the runout detection unit 206.

A pan angle detecting unit 321 for detecting the rotation angle of the pan rotor 404 is arranged in the fixed unit 30. From the detection result by the pan angle detection unit 321, it is possible to know which angle the hinge unit 40 is facing with respect to the fixed portion 30. The image pickup apparatus 10 outputs a control signal to the tilt rotation regulation unit 208 and the pan rotation regulation unit 305 according to the position detection result input from the operation unit position detection unit 203 to the central control unit 207. Details of the handling of this control signal will be described later.

The fixing unit 30 has an operating unit 301. The operation unit 301 is arranged at a position where the user can operate the grip unit 304 while holding the grip unit 304. The fixing unit 30 further includes a power supply unit 302 and a display unit 303. For the power supply unit 302, for example, a battery pack equipped with an alkaline secondary battery, a lithium ion secondary battery, or the like is adopted. The power supply unit 302 is electrically connected to the central control unit 207 via a wire harness or the like wired inside the hinge unit 40 to supply power to the system of the imaging device 10.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the movable portion 20. The internal structure of the movable portion 20 and the hinge unit 40 will be described with reference to FIG. The lens mount 211 is fixed to the base member 212 by screws 215a, 215b, 215c, and 215d. The base member 212 has a metal die-cast component, and for this metal die-cast component, for example, a magnesium alloy die cast, an aluminum alloy die cast, or the like is adopted. Further, the base member 212 has a lens rotation regulation unit 204 and an interface unit 205 (FIG. 2).

Although the details of the interface unit 205 are not shown, the interface unit 205 has a plurality of contact pins, an urging member such as a coil spring, and a resin case containing these. A plurality of contact pins project from the opening of the resin case. The contact pin is always urged from the back side by an urging member (not shown), and the contact pin is configured to be slidable inward from the surface of the resin case. The flexible printed circuit board 214 of the movable portion 20 is connected to the interface portion 205. Depending on the protruding position of the contact pin, the conductive pattern wired inside the flexible printed circuit board 214 and the contact pin are electrically conductive. By pushing the contact pin inward from the surface of the resin case to a certain extent, the contact pin and the conductive pattern of the flexible printed circuit board 214 are electrically conductive.

The movable portion 20 further has a side cover 213. The accessory shoe 209 is fixed to the side cover 213 by two screws 216. The side cover 213 is fixed to the base member 212 by fastening the screws 217a and 217b from the screw holes formed in the accessory shoe 209 to the base member 212 through the escape holes of the side cover 213. Further, the imaging unit 201 is fixed to the base member 212 by screws 223a, 223b, and 223c. The imaging unit 201 has a hard package, a printed circuit board on which the hard package is mounted, various electronic components mounted on the printed circuit board, and a metal plate to which the hard package is previously adhered and fixed. The rigid package includes a photoelectric conversion element and is electrically connected to the photoelectric conversion element.

For example, a multilayer substrate made of a ceramic base material is adopted for the hard package, and a conductor pattern is formed inside the hard package. A part of the conductor pattern is connected to an electrode terminal exposed on the surface, and a part of the electrode terminal and the photoelectric conversion element are electrically connected by a method such as wire bonding. Further, the electrode terminals of the hard package are mounted on the printed circuit board together with various electronic components by a reflow soldering method or the like. The metal plate is a member for attaching the imaging unit 201 to the base member 212. After aligning the position of the hard package with respect to the metal plate, the operator adheres and fixes the side surface of the hard package and the end face of the metal plate. As the adhesive used for adhesive fixing, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin that cures in response to light energy by irradiation with ultraviolet rays is adopted.

The imaging unit 201 and the base member 212 configured as described above are fixed with screws with coil springs 222a, 222b, and 222c sandwiched between them. Therefore, the imaging unit 201 is supported so as to be slightly displaceable in the optical axis direction with respect to the base member 212. The operator adjusts the inclination of the imaging surface of the imaging unit 201 with respect to the base member 212 by adjusting the tightening amount of the screws 223a, 223b, and 223c. When the adjustment is completed, the operator adheres and fixes the metal plate and each screw in order to prevent the screws 223a, 223b, and 223c from loosening.

As described above, the tilt rotary hinge 401 is supported by the movable portion 20, and the pan rotary hinge 402 is supported by the fixed portion 30. The tilt rotation hinge 401 has two arm portions fixed to the movable portion 20, and a holder 218 is rotatably held about the rotation axis T in one arm portion. A holder 219 is rotatably held on the other arm portion about the rotation axis T. The inside of the arm portion held by the holder 219 has a hollow structure, and the harness 405 is inserted through the hollow portion and wired to the inside of the pan rotation hinge 402. The harness 405 is further wired from the inside of the pan rotation hinge 402 to the inside of the fixing portion 30, and is electrically connected to the operation unit 301, the power supply unit 302, the display unit 303, the pan rotation regulation unit 305, and the like.

A tilt rotation regulating portion 208 is joined to the holder 218. A harness is connected to the terminal of the linear solenoid actuator that slides the plunger 208c back and forth in the tilt rotation regulation unit 208. Screw fastening holes are formed in the holders 218 and 219, respectively. The holder 218 is fixed to the base member 212 by the screws 220a and 220b, and the holder 219 is fixed to the base member 212 by the screws 221a and 221b.

On the other hand, in the movable portion 20, a plurality of screw fastening holes are formed in the chassis 224. The chassis 224 is fixed to the side cover 213 by screws 225a and 225b. The printed circuit board 226 is fastened and fixed to the chassis 224 by screws 228a, 228b, and 228c. Various electronic components are mounted on the printed circuit board 226 by a reflow soldering method or the like. The printed circuit board 226 includes a runout detection unit 206, a central control unit 207, a recording unit 210, and the like (FIG. 2). Further, a plurality of connectors are mounted on the printed circuit board 226, and the flexible printed circuit board 214, the harness 405, and the harness of the tilt rotation regulating unit 208 are electrically connected to the printed circuit board 226. By connecting one end of the flexible printed circuit board 227 to the printed circuit board 226 and the other end to the printed circuit board mounted on the image pickup unit 201, the image pickup unit 201 and the printed circuit board 226 are electrically connected.

The back cover 229 has an operation unit 202 and a lens attachment / detachment button 241. A flexible printed circuit board 230 extends from the operation unit 202. The side cover 213 and the back cover 229 engage with each other in a state where the flexible printed circuit board 230 is connected to the connector mounted on the printed circuit board 226. The back cover 229 is formed with a plurality of engaging claws for engaging with the side cover 213. The side cover 213 is formed with a groove portion in which the engaging claw is caught and attached at a position facing the engaging claw. When the back cover 229 is assembled to the side cover 213, the engaging claws engage with the groove portion and act as a stopper. In addition, in order to more reliably reduce the detachment of the cover, the engaging claws may be adhesively fixed as appropriate.

4 (a) and 4 (b) are cross-sectional views of the tilt rotation regulating unit 208. The internal structure of the tilt rotation regulating unit 208 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. The tilt rotation regulating unit 208 has a case 208a. Inside the case 208a, a fixed iron core 208b, a plunger 208c, a coil spring 208d, a bobbin 208e and a coil 208f are arranged. The fixed iron core 208b is a member that attracts the plunger 208c when a magnetic field is generated by passing an electric current through the coil 208f. The fixed iron core 208b is adhesively fixed to the bottom of the case 208a. The plunger 208c is a drive component composed of a movable iron core. By inserting the coil spring 208d between the plunger 208c and the fixed iron core 208b, the plunger 208c is always urged toward the rotation center of the rotation shaft T. The bobbin 208e is fixed inside the case 208a with the coil 208f wound around, and is further sealed by the lid 208g.

In FIG. 4A, the plunger 208c is in a retracted position retracted from the surface of the tilt rotor 403. In FIG. 4B, the plunger 208c is in a pressing position pressed against the surface of the tilt rotor 403. The plunger 208c is configured to be reciprocally movable between the retracted position and the pressed position. A sliding sheet 208h is inserted between the plunger 208c and the tilt rotor 403. The sliding sheet 208h is made of a material having high wear resistance. In the pressing position, the plunger 208c presses the surface of the tilt rotor 403 via the sliding sheet 208h. In the pressing position, the frictional load that rotates the movable portion 20 with respect to the tilt rotor 403 increases, and the movable portion 20 cannot be easily rotated. On the other hand, in the retracted position, the frictional load is reduced, and the movable portion 20 can rotate with respect to the tilt rotor 403 with a constant amount of dynamic torque.

That is, the load that the plunger 208c presses on the tilt rotor 403 changes according to the setting by the operation unit 202. Thereby, the rotation torque (hereinafter, referred to as tilt rotation torque) in the tilt rotation hinge 401 can be adjusted. The tilt rotation torque is a rotational load generated when the hinge unit 40 and the movable portion 20 rotate relative to each other. Further, the friction load can be adjusted by the material used for the sliding sheet 208h, and the basic tilt rotation torque can be designed. A polyacetal (POM) sheet, a nylon sheet, a rubber sheet, or the like is appropriately adopted for the sliding sheet 208h.

5 and 6 are exploded perspective views of the fixing portion 30. The internal structure of the fixing portion 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The exterior of the fixed portion 30 is composed of a fixed portion front cover 306, a fixed portion back cover 307, and a grip portion 304. The fixed portion back cover 307 holds the display portion 303. The pan rotation regulating portion 305 that regulates the rotation of the pan rotor 404 is arranged inside the fixing portion 30. The pan rotation control unit 305 is held by the base holder 308 and the gear cover 309.

The pan rotor 404 is fixed to the pan rotation hinge 402 by four screws 310. The base holder 308 is fixed to the fixed portion back cover 307 with screws 311. The pan rotor 404 has a gear portion 404a, and the gear portion 404a meshes with the pan angle detection gear 312. The pan angle detection gear 312 is pivotally supported by a hole provided in the base holder 308 and a hole provided in the gear cover 309. The pan angle detection gear 312 has a half-moon shaped half-moon shaft portion 312a (FIG. 6). A half-moon-shaped hole is also formed in the rotatable shaft provided in the angle detection element 313, and the half-moon shaft portion 312a of the pan angle detection gear is inserted into this hole.

A rotary potentiometer is used as the angle detection element 313. When the pan angle detection gear 312 rotates, the slider rotates in the rotary potentiometer of the angle detection element 313. As a result, the slider slides on the resistor and the resistance value of the resistor changes. By reading this resistance value, the rotation angle of the pan rotation hinge 402 can be detected.

The pan rotation hinge 402 has a structure that does not rotate beyond a predetermined angle. When the convex portion 308a provided on the base holder 308 moves through the groove portion 404b (FIG. 6) provided on the pan rotor 404 and the end of the groove portion 404b and the convex portion 308a come into contact with each other at a predetermined angle, the pan rotor 404 and the base With respect to the holder 308, it cannot rotate any more. This makes it possible to prevent disconnection of the internal wiring due to excessive rotation of the pan rotation hinge 402.

The angle detection element 313 is mounted on the fixed portion flexible printed circuit board 315 and is connected to the fixed portion printed circuit board 316. A solenoid actuator 314 (FIG. 5) used for controlling the rotational torque of the pan rotary hinge 402 is also soldered to the fixed portion flexible printed circuit board 315. The electric power required for driving is supplied to the solenoid actuator 314 via the fixed portion printed circuit board 316. The fixed portion printed circuit board 316 and the printed circuit board 226 (FIG. 3) are electrically connected to the central control portion 207 by a harness 405 (FIGS. 3 and 6) wired inside the hinge unit 40. The fixed portion printed circuit board 316 is fixed to the fixed portion back cover 307 with four screws 317. A pressing member 319 is attached to the central portion of the arm 318. The pressing member 319 is made of an elastic member.

7 (a) and 7 (b) and 8 (a) and 8 (b) are cross-sectional views of the pan rotation regulating portion 305 perpendicular to the rotation axis P. The structure of the pan rotation regulation unit 305 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. The rotational torque of the pan rotary hinge 402 is referred to as "pan rotary torque". The pan rotation torque is a rotational load generated when the hinge unit 40 and the fixing portion 30 rotate relative to each other. The magnitude of the pan rotation torque is in the order of FIG. 7 (a) <FIG. 7 (b) <FIG. 8 (a), and the state of FIG. 7 (a) is the smallest. The magnitudes of the pan rotation torque are small, medium, and large in the states of FIGS. 7 (a), 7 (b), and 8 (a), respectively. The state of FIG. 8B is a locked state, and the hinge unit 40 and the fixing portion 30 do not rotate relative to each other. Hereinafter, when referring to both the tilt rotation torque and the pan rotation torque, it may be referred to as "hinge torque".

One end of the arm 318 is rotatably fixed to the base holder 308 about the rotation shaft 318a. A coil spring 320 is locked to the other end of the arm 318. The coil spring 320 is locked to the other end of the arm 318 and the hook portion 308b provided on the base holder 308, and urges the other end of the arm 318 in a direction away from the pan rotor 404. The solenoid actuator 314 is fixed to the base holder 308 with screws. The plunger 314a is connected to the arm 318 via a hook member 314b. The arm 318 is provided with an engaging convex portion 318b. The engaging convex portion 318b can be engaged with the gear portion 404a of the pan rotor 404.

In the state of FIG. 7A, the pressing member 319 is not in contact with the pan rotor 404, and the rotation is not restricted by the pressing member 319. When the plunger 314a is sucked by the drive of the solenoid actuator 314, the arm 318 rotates clockwise around the rotation shaft 318a as shown in FIG. 7B. The pressing member 319 attached to the arm 318 and the pan rotor 404 slide, and the pressing member 319 is slightly pressed against the pan rotor 404, so that the pan rotation torque increases. The coil spring 320 plays a role of returning the plunger 314a to the protruding state when the plunger 314a is returned to the state where the rotation regulation is not applied.

When the current flowing through the solenoid actuator 314 is further increased, as shown in FIG. 8A, the pressing member 319 is further strongly pressed against the pan rotor 404, and the pan rotation torque is further increased. Assuming that the current flowing through the solenoid actuator 314 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the rotation of the pan rotor 404 is regulated by engaging the engaging convex portion 318b with the gear portion 404a of the pan rotor 404 as shown in FIG. 8 (b). Can be done. As a result, it becomes a locked state.

In this way, the pan rotation regulating unit 305 has a configuration in which the pan rotation torque can be changed stepwise. Further, for the solenoid actuator 314, for example, a self-holding solenoid is adopted. The solenoid actuator 314 can attract and hold the plunger 314a by the permanent magnet provided inside even if the plunger 314a is attracted and then de-energized. At this time, the attractive force of the permanent magnet is set to be larger than the tensile force of the coil spring 320. Therefore, even when the power supply of the main body is turned off, the state in which the rotation of the pan rotor 404 is restricted can be maintained.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the operation unit 202. The position switching by the operation unit 202 will be described with reference to FIG. The operation unit 202 can be switched to a plurality of (five) positions. The operation unit 202 is located at any of the positions A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5 according to the user operation. The configuration of the operation unit position detection unit 203 that detects the position of the operation unit 202 is not limited to the above-mentioned transmissive photo interrupter, and for example, a switch that detects by conducting with a conductive pattern with a sliding brush may be used. Good.

The central control unit 207 controls the tilt rotation torque and the pan rotation torque based on the position of the operation unit 202 detected by the operation unit position detection unit 203. The torque change control according to each position is applied to both tilt rotation and pan rotation. Specifically, the central control unit 207 sets the magnitude of the tilt rotation torque by adjusting the amount of current flowing through the solenoid actuator in the tilt rotation regulation unit 208. Further, the central control unit 207 sets the magnitude of the tilt rotation torque by adjusting the amount of current flowing through the solenoid actuator 314 in the pan rotation regulation unit 305.

A control mode corresponds to each position of the operation unit 202. The AUTO mode (auto mode) corresponds to the position A1. The position A1 is an auto position that controls the hinge torque according to the lens unit 50 mounted on the movable portion 20. The LOCK mode (lock mode) corresponds to the position A2. The position A2 is a lock position that locks the relative rotation of the movable portion 20 and the fixed portion 30 (fixes so as not to tilt and pan rotation). Manual mode corresponds to positions A3 to A5. The positions A3 to A5 are variable positions in which the hinge torque is changed stepwise. The magnitude relation of the torque in the positions A3 to A5 is A3 (large torque)> A4 (medium torque)> A5 (small torque), and the position A3 is the largest. In manual mode, the user can manually change the hinge torque to suit his taste and shooting conditions.

In the AUTO mode, the central control unit 207 communicates with the lens unit 50 via the interface unit 205 and the interface unit 506 of the lens unit 50. Through the communication, the central control unit 207 recognizes whether the lens unit 50 is attached to the movable unit 20 and what kind of lens unit is attached. For example, the central control unit 207 acquires lens information from the lens unit 50 and recognizes the lens unit 50 based on the lens information. The lens information includes at least the main information. As a result, the central control unit 207 can recognize at least the weight of the mounted lens unit 50.

The central control unit 207 issues a command to the tilt rotation regulation unit 208 and the pan rotation regulation unit 305 according to the recognized weight, and controls the hinge torque. The variable control of the hinge torque at that time may be stepless. The number of steps when the hinge torque is changed stepwise does not matter. When the hinge torque is changed stepwise, for example, it is controlled as follows.

The central control unit 207 divides the recognized weight of the lens unit 50 into three stages, for example, "light", "medium", and "heavy". When the light lens unit 50 is mounted, the central control unit 207 sets the hinge torque to be small. As a result, the hinge unit 40 can be smoothly rotated during photographing, and the lens can be easily moved and held at a desired angle of view. When a medium weight lens unit 50 is mounted, the central control unit 207 sets the hinge torque to medium. When a heavy lens unit 50 such as a telephoto lens is attached, the central control unit 207 sets a large hinge torque. This makes it possible to prevent the hinge unit 40 from being inadvertently rotated due to the weight of the lens. Further, when the heavy lens unit 50 is removed, the hinge unit 40 does not wobble because the hinge torque is large, and the replacement work is easy.

Further, when the lens unit 50 is removed, that is, when it is determined that the lens unit 50 is not attached, the central control unit 207 sets a large hinge torque. The size is set to the same value as the maximum value that can be set according to the weight of the lens unit 50. In the above-mentioned three-step example, the magnitude of the hinge torque is set to the same value as the magnitude when the recognized weight classification of the lens unit 50 is "heavy". The reason why the hinge torque is set large when the lens unit 50 is not mounted is that the weight of the lens unit 50 to be mounted next is unknown. That is, no matter what weight the lens unit 50 is mounted next, the hinge unit 40 does not rotate carelessly and good workability is maintained.

Focusing on one of the weight categories of the lens unit 50, for example, "medium", the hinge torque was set according to the weight of the mounted lens unit 50, and the presence or absence of the lens unit 50 was mounted. In other words, the hinge torque setting is as follows. First, the central control unit 207 increases the hinge torque when the weight of the lens unit 50 exceeds a predetermined weight (medium) as compared with the case where the weight of the lens unit 50 does not exceed the predetermined weight. Further, when the central control unit 207 determines that the lens unit 50 is not mounted, the hinge torque is increased as compared with the case where the weight of the mounted lens unit 50 does not exceed a predetermined weight.

The LOCK mode is useful when the user does not want to move the movable portion 20 from a predetermined rotation angle, and is used when the angle of view at the time of shooting is maintained as it is or at the time of storage. The lock position (A2) is located between the variable position (A3 to A5) where the hinge torque is maximized (A3) and the auto position (A1). The reason for this arrangement is as follows. In the AUTO mode, the magnitude of the hinge torque set depends on the lens unit 50 to be mounted. With the heavy lens unit 50 attached, the user wants to shift from the auto position (A1) to the position A3 where the hinge torque is maximized. Here, it is assumed that the order is A1, A2, A5, A4, and A3. In this case, when switching from the AUTO mode to the manual mode, the positions A5 and A4 where the hinge torque is not the maximum are temporarily passed. That is, since the hinge torque is set to be small, the hinge unit 40 may inadvertently rotate due to the weight of the lens unit 50. However, in the present embodiment, the hinge unit 40 is prevented from inadvertently rotating by arranging A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5 so as not to go through a state in which the hinge torque is set small. ..

By the way, the operation unit 202 can be operated by a hand holding the lens unit 50 when attaching / detaching the lens unit 50 to / from the movable unit 20. For example, the lens unit 50 can be attached / detached by grasping the lens unit 50 with the other hand and operating the operation unit 202 while holding the grip portion 304 with one hand. Therefore, the lens unit 50 can be easily attached and detached, and it is possible to prevent the lens from being accidentally dropped. Similarly, the lens attachment / detachment button 241 can also be operated by the hand holding the lens unit 50 to be attached / detached.

According to the present embodiment, the image pickup apparatus 10 has an operation unit 202 as a variable unit that changes the rotational torque when the movable unit 20 and the fixed unit 30 rotate relative to each other in the hinge unit 40. Thereby, the rotational torque of the hinge unit 40 can be appropriately adjusted.

Further, since the operation unit 202 changes the rotational torque stepwise, it is easy to set the magnitude of the rotational torque at a stage desired by the user. Moreover, since the operation unit 202 can be operated by the hand holding the lens unit 50 to be attached / detached, the workability of the attachment / detachment operation of the lens unit 50 is high.

Further, in the AUTO mode, the central control unit 207 controls the rotational torque based on the weight information of the lens unit 50. As a result, it is possible to generate an appropriate rotational torque according to the weight of the lens unit 50 and improve workability when replacing the lens unit 50 with a different weight. Further, since the central control unit 207 sets a large rotational torque when the lens unit 50 is not attached, careless rotation of the hinge unit 40 is avoided regardless of the weight of the lens unit 50 to be attached next. Can be done.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation unit 202 of the image pickup apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the lens attachment / detachment button 241 is provided separately from the operation unit 202. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the lens attachment / detachment button 241 is abolished, and the lens attachment / detachment function is provided as one of the positions of the operation unit 202. Other configurations and control methods are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The operation unit 202 can be switched to a plurality of (six) positions. The operation unit 202 is located at any of the positions B1 to B6 according to the user operation. Position B2 is a lock position corresponding to position A2 (FIG. 9). Position B3 corresponds to position A1 (FIG. 9), and positions B4, B5, and B6 correspond to positions A3, A4, and A5, respectively.

The position B1 corresponds to the lens attachment / detachment button 241. That is, when the user positions the operation unit 202 at the position B1, the movable pin that is a part of the lens rotation regulation unit 204 of the lens mount 211 retracts inward. Then, the user can disengage the bayonet claw portion 507 of the lens unit 50 from the lens mount 211 and remove the lens unit 50. The positions B3 to B6 are referred to as the first position for making the hinge torque variable. The position B1 is referred to as a second position that enables the lens unit 50 to be released from the state of being attached to the movable portion 20. In the position B2, the same locked state as in the case of the position A2 is maintained.

Here, the arrangement of each position of the operation unit 202 is an arrangement that always passes through the lock position (B2) when transitioning between the first position (B3 to B6) and the second position (B1). .. As a result, the lens unit 50 can be attached and detached at all times in a locked state. That is, since it is possible to avoid a case where the lens unit 50 is removed while the hinge torque is small, workability is high.

According to the present embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained with respect to appropriately adjusting the rotational torque of the hinge unit 40. Further, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained with respect to setting the magnitude of the rotational torque at a stage desired by the user and avoiding the careless rotation of the hinge unit 40. Therefore, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained with respect to improving the workability of the attachment / detachment operation of the lens unit 50.

Further, since the lock position (B2) is located between the first position (B3 to B6) and the second position (B1), the lens unit 50 can always be attached / detached in the locked state, and the replacement workability is improved. Can be improved.

In this embodiment, the modified example shown in FIG. 11 may be adopted. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the arrangement of positions B1 to B6 was linear. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the arrangement of positions B2 to B6 is linear, and the alignment direction of positions B2 and B1 is substantially orthogonal to the alignment direction of positions B2 to B6. That is, the displacement path of the operation unit 202 is L-shaped.

Such an arrangement has the following effects. For example, when the hinge unit 40 is locked and it is desired to take a picture, the user operates the hinge unit 40 to stop at the position B2. However, if the positions B1 to B6 are arranged linearly as shown in FIG. 10, there is a tendency that the operating unit 202 is erroneously reached to the position B1 due to excessive force. Then, the lens unit 50 may fall.

However, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the operation direction for moving from the position B6 to the position B2 and the operation direction for moving from the position B2 to the position B1 are configured to intersect. This facilitates the operation of stopping at position B2. Further, in order to move to the position B1, it is necessary to intentionally change the operation direction, so that an erroneous operation is unlikely to occur. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the drop of the lens unit 50 due to an erroneous operation.

In each of the above embodiments, the central control unit 207 can determine whether or not the accessory is attached to the accessory shoe 209 by the accessory detection unit 242 (FIG. 2). Therefore, when the accessory is attached, the rotational torque in the hinge unit 40 may be larger than when the accessory is not attached. For example, the central control unit 207 increases the amount of current flowing through the solenoid actuator by a predetermined amount when an accessory is attached. It should be noted that such torque control based on the presence or absence of accessories may be applied not only in the AUTO mode but also in the manual mode. As a result, careless rotation of the hinge unit 40 can be suppressed even when the weight of the accessory is added.

Although the lens unit 50 was focused on in each of the above embodiments, the lens unit 50 is included in the accessories in a broad sense. Therefore, focusing on accessories, the present invention may be applied to an imaging device having a movable portion to which the accessories can be attached and detached. Further, in the AUTO mode, the central control unit 207 may be configured to control the hinge torque based on the weight information of the accessory mounted on the accessory shoe 209 or based on the presence or absence of the accessory mounted. Good. In this case, the central control unit 207 performs the same communication with the accessory as the communication with the lens unit 50 described above, and determines the weight of the accessory from the information on the type of the accessory.

The locked state of the tilt rotor 403 and the pan rotor 404 is not limited to a state in which the tilt rotor 403 and the pan rotor 404 do not rotate at all, and may include a state in which the rotation of each rotor is restricted by a strong frictional force that does not rotate with a normal force.

In each of the above embodiments, both the tilt rotation torque and the pan rotation torque are changed by the operation of the operation unit 202, but even if one of the rotation torques can be selectively changed. Good. The present invention can also be applied to an imaging device including only one of a tilt rotation mechanism and a pan rotation mechanism.

Although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various embodiments within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Some of the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

20 Movable part 30 Fixed part 40 Hinge unit 50 Lens unit 202 Hinge torque operation part

Claims (11)

Movable parts with removable shooting lens and
With the main body
A hinge portion that rotatably connects the movable portion and the main body portion,
An image pickup apparatus characterized in that the hinge portion includes a variable portion that changes the rotational torque when the movable portion and the main body portion rotate relative to each other. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the variable portion makes the rotational torque variable stepwise. The variable portion is arranged on the movable portion and
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the variable portion can be operated by a hand holding the photographing lens when the photographing lens is attached to or detached from the movable portion. An acquisition means for acquiring information on a photographing lens mounted on the movable portion, and
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a control means for controlling the rotational torque based on the information acquired by the acquisition means. The control means determines the weight of the mounted photographic lens from the information acquired by the acquisition means, and when the weight of the mounted photographic lens exceeds a predetermined weight, the mounted photographic lens of the mounted photographic lens. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the rotational torque is made larger than when the weight does not exceed the predetermined weight. When the control means determines from the information acquired by the acquisition means that the photographing lens is not attached to the movable portion, the weight of the photographing lens attached to the movable portion exceeds the predetermined weight. The imaging device according to claim 5, wherein the rotational torque is increased as compared with the case where the rotation torque is not provided. The control means controls the magnitude of the rotational torque according to the weight of the attached photographing lens, and when it is determined that the photographing lens is not attached to the movable portion, the magnitude of the rotational torque is determined. The imaging device according to claim 6, wherein the value is set to the same value as the maximum value that can be set according to the weight of the photographing lens. The variable portion is located at one of a plurality of positions according to the user operation.
The plurality of positions correspond to a variable position that changes the rotational torque stepwise, a lock position that locks the rotation between the movable portion and the main body portion, and the weight of a photographing lens attached to the movable portion. Includes an auto position that controls the rotational torque.
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lock position is located between the position that maximizes the rotational torque and the auto position among the variable positions. The variable portion is located at one of a plurality of positions according to the user operation.
The plurality of positions include a first position that makes the rotation torque variable, a second position that makes it possible to release the state in which the photographing lens is attached to the movable portion, and rotation of the movable portion and the main body portion. Including the lock position to lock,
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the variable portion passes through the lock position when transitioning between the first position and the second position. It has a control means for controlling the rotational torque, and has
An accessory can be attached to and detached from the movable part separately from the photographing lens.
The control means according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the accessory is attached to the movable portion, the rotational torque is increased as compared with the case where the accessory is not attached to the movable portion. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1. Movable parts with removable accessories and
With the main body
A hinge portion that rotatably connects the movable portion and the main body portion,
An image pickup apparatus characterized in that the hinge portion includes a variable portion that changes the rotational torque when the movable portion and the main body portion rotate relative to each other.