JP3474161B2 - Camera tripod - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera tripod, and more particularly to a compact camera tripod that can be always worn.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A tripod is generally used for self-timer photography, remote control photography and long-exposure photography. Usually, the camera and tripod are removed and carried,
At the time of shooting, I was shooting with a tripod attached to the camera.

[0003]

However, since a normal tripod is large and heavy, it is inconvenient to carry. In addition, it has to be attached and detached each time photographing is performed, which makes the attachment and detachment work complicated. Although an invention relating to a small-sized portable tripod is also known, some small-sized tripods have a complicated structure or a structure with poor stability. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a small tripod for a camera that is small and lightweight, has good stability, and that does not get in the way even when attached.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a tripod for a camera of the present invention has three fixed legs fixed at the apex of a triangle on the lower surface of a top plate provided with holes. It is characterized in that a tripod screw is passed through the hole and screwed into the tripod screw hole of the camera body to be attached to the camera.

The tripod for a camera of the present invention is attached to the bottom surface of the camera with a tripod screw and is carried together with the camera. Since the tripod of the present invention has a very simple structure, it can be made small and lightweight. Therefore, carrying it with the camera is not a problem. During self-timer shooting, remote control shooting, etc., the camera is mounted on the ground or a table of an appropriate height while the tripod of the present invention is attached, and the camera is supported and fixed by the three fixed legs provided on the tripod of the present invention. And shoot. Since the tripod of the present invention supports the camera with three fixed legs, the tripod can be stably fixed even when the table surface is not flat.

Since the three fixed legs provided on the tripod of the present invention are formed so as to have the same height from the ground or the table surface, according to the tripod of the present invention, the camera is mounted on a horizontal table. When you do, the optical axis of the camera becomes horizontal.

Further, in the second tripod for camera of the present invention, two fixed legs of equal height are fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the top plate having the holes, and the height can be adjusted on the lower surface of the top plate. The adjustable leg has its upper end pivotally supported so that it can rotate in the vertical direction relative to the top plate, and the adjustable leg is provided with a lock that restricts the rotation of the adjustable leg. It is characterized by being screwed into the tripod screw hole of the camera body and attached to the camera,
It is also possible to give the camera an elevation angle or a depression angle when mounting the camera on a horizontal surface, or to make the optical axis of the camera horizontal when mounting the camera on an inclined surface.

The adjusting legs provided on the tripod according to the present embodiment are stored along with the lower surface of the top plate when being carried, but when necessary, the lock is unlocked and rotated by an arbitrary angle to provide a leg of an appropriate height. Can be When the lock is closed after rotating the adjusting leg, the adjusting leg is held at that angle. By adjusting the angle of the adjusting leg with respect to the top plate, the distance from the top plate to the tip of the adjusting leg, that is, the height of the adjusting leg portion when the tripod is placed on the ground can be arbitrarily adjusted.

The tripod of the present invention is grounded at three points, that is, two fixed legs and an adjusting leg. Since the two fixed legs are fixed and the lengths of the legs are fixed, the inclination of the top surface of the top plate when the top plate is placed on a horizontal plane can be adjusted by the height of the adjustment legs. Therefore, when it is desired to give the camera an elevation angle or a depression angle, the adjustment leg can be rotated to adjust the height of the adjustment leg, and the inclination of the top surface of the top plate, that is, the inclination of the optical axis of the camera can be adjusted. Further, even when the table on which the camera is installed is not horizontal, the height of the adjusting leg can be adjusted to keep the camera horizontal. In order to install the camera horizontally on a horizontal plane, the two fixed legs and the adjusting legs must be at the same height. Therefore, the two fixed legs are formed to have the same height.

The shape of the top plate can be selected as appropriate, but it is preferable to use, for example, a T-shape or a triangle in view of miniaturization and design. The fixed leg may be formed by bending an end portion of the top plate to simplify the structure. The hole provided on the top plate may be a long hole, or a plurality of holes may be provided to arbitrarily select a hole to be used when mounting the camera.

Further, in order to prevent the camera from being damaged when the tripod of the present invention is attached to the camera, a cork board may be stretched on the surface of the tripod of the present invention, or a set screw is provided with packing. May be. For cameras where the bottom edge of the lens is at approximately the same height as the bottom surface of the camera, a packing can be provided on the set screw to create a gap between the top panel and the bottom edge of the lens. This is convenient because it can prevent contact and improve the operability of the lens.

On the other hand, in the tripod of the present invention, the top plate is composed of two rectangular plates, the main plate and the sub plate, and the holes provided in the main plate and the holes in the sub plate are locked by set screws. It may have been done. Three fixed legs or two fixed legs and one adjusting leg are provided at two ends of the main plate and one end of the sub plate so that the sub plate can rotate with respect to the main plate around the set screw. To do.

According to the tripod of this aspect, since the sub plate rotates with respect to the main plate, the positional relationship between the leg of the sub plate and the two legs of the main plate can be freely changed. . Therefore, for example, even when the camera is installed on a rock whose surface is not a flat plate, the camera can be stably fixed by appropriately selecting three points where the tips of the legs are in contact with the ground. Also,
When the tripod of the present invention is attached to a camera equipped with a large lens, the lens and the top plate may come into contact with each other. However, in the tripod of this aspect, the sub plate can be freely moved according to the camera and the lens. It is convenient to prevent the lens from touching.

Further, if the sub plate is shorter than the main plate so that the sub plate can be stored on the lower surface of the main plate, it is very convenient because the tripod can be folded and made smaller when carrying or storing. The sub plate may be longer than the main plate so that the main plate can be housed on the lower surface of the sub plate. Also, when the tripod of this aspect is attached to the camera by using a set screw that connects the main plate and the sub plate with a tripod screw hole provided in the camera, the set screw is a tripod screw. Since it also serves as a separate tripod screw, it is advantageous in simplifying the structure.

As described above, according to the tripod for a camera of the present invention, it is small and light and does not interfere with carrying the camera together with the camera, and when it is installed on an arbitrary table, it can be adjusted to the height of the table and the shape of the table surface. It is possible to provide a tripod for a camera that can stably fix the camera at any elevation angle and depression angle. Further, since the tripod of the present invention has a small and simple structure and can be manufactured at low cost, for example, it is used as a mount for keeping the camera horizontal when displaying a camera equipped with a large lens in a showcase or a collection case. Is also convenient.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below in detail based on embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0017]

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing a usage state of a tripod for a camera in an embodiment of the present invention. A fixed leg 2 is formed by bending three ends of a triangular top plate 1 and a hole 3 is provided. The width of the top plate 1 is smaller than the width of the camera 4. The tripod of this embodiment is attached to the bottom surface of the camera 4 by fixing the tripod screw hole 5 and the hole 3 provided in the camera 4 with the tripod screw 7 through the packing 6.
When carrying the camera 4, the user carries the camera with the tripod of this embodiment attached, and when taking a picture, the camera is placed on the ground, rocks, handrails, or any other suitable surface of the tripod for shooting. The tripod of this embodiment stably supports the camera 4 by the three fixed legs 2 which are sufficiently separated from each other. You can also hold the tripod in your hand and shoot.

Further, since the tripod of the present embodiment has a very simple structure, it can be manufactured at a low cost and is small in size, so that, for example, it is used as a stand for keeping the camera horizontal when displaying a camera equipped with a large lens. It is also convenient. In the present embodiment, the width of the top plate 1 is smaller than the width of the camera 4, so that the top plate 1 does not project to the side of the camera 4, which is convenient for carrying. However, if the width of the top plate is smaller than the camera width when the camera is small, the stability of the tripod may not be sufficiently ensured. Therefore, the size of the top plate may be properly designed according to the size and shape of the camera to be mounted. The packing 6 serves to prevent the bottom surface of the camera 4 from being damaged and prevent the tripod and the lens of this embodiment from interfering with each other even when a large lens is mounted on the camera 4.

[0019]

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tripod for a camera according to another embodiment of the present invention. A fixed leg 11 is formed by bending two ends of the T-shaped plate 10, and a rod-shaped adjusting leg 12 is provided at the remaining one end. A lock 13 is arranged on a shaft which pivotally supports the upper end of the adjusting leg 12, and a stone foot 14 is arranged on the lower end of the adjusting leg 12. An elongated hole 15 is provided in the T-shaped plate 10. The width of the T-plate 10 is preferably smaller than the width of the camera.

In the tripod of the present embodiment, the tripod screw hole and the long hole 15 are fixed by a tripod screw and attached to the camera, and the tripod of the present embodiment is carried as a unit with the camera. Fix it on a table with an appropriate height and shoot. You can also hold the tripod in your hand and shoot.

When the tripod is installed on the ground or the surface of the table, the lock 13 is loosened and the adjusting leg 12 is rotated so that the stone foot 15 and the T
The distance from the dial plate 10, that is, the height of the adjusting leg 12 is adjusted, and the lock 13 is tightened to fix the camera at an appropriate angle. The camera can be kept horizontal even if the ground or platform is not horizontal, and the camera can be given an arbitrary elevation angle or depression angle.

When the camera is supported by a tripod, the center of gravity of the camera must be inside a triangle formed by connecting three points where the three legs are grounded. Further, in order to stabilize the camera, it is preferable that the center of gravity of the camera is located near the center of the triangle. Since the adjusting leg 12 of the tripod of the present embodiment can rotate about 180 °, there are two angles that can be adjusted to the required height. However, when the adjusting leg 12 is set to the larger angle, the adjusting leg 12 is fixed. The triangle formed by connecting the grounding points of the two fixed legs 11 and the adjusting legs 12 can be made sufficiently large apart from 11.

Therefore, according to the tripod for the main body, even if the center of gravity of the camera is located at a position away from the tripod screw hole, for example, in a camera having a large lens, the center of the triangle formed by connecting the center of gravity to the grounding point of the tripod. It can be installed in the vicinity and can stably support the camera.

When the tripod of this embodiment is attached to the camera, the proper position of the elongated hole 15 may be fixed with a tripod screw according to the shape and center of gravity of the camera. When the T-shaped plate is mounted so that the portion corresponding to the horizontal line of T is located on the bottom surface of the camera and the portion corresponding to the vertical line of T is located below the lens, the tripod of the present embodiment can have a small portion protruding from the camera. It is convenient because it does not disturb the storage. When installing on the ground or a table surface, it is advisable to rotate the T-shaped plate with respect to the camera according to the unevenness and inclination of the installation surface.

As described above, the camera tripod of this embodiment is
It is small and lightweight and does not get in the way when it is carried as a unit with the camera, and when installed on the table, the camera can be stably fixed at an arbitrary angle according to the height of the table and the shape of the table surface.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG.
It is convenient to provide it on the part of the letter T that touches the tip of the vertical line, because the lock 13 and the adjusting leg 12 can be operated with one hand while looking through the viewfinder of the camera, but the position where the adjusting leg 12 is provided is not limited to this. You may have an adjustable leg at the end of the. Further, although the lock 13 is the tightening lever in FIG. 1, the operation of the adjusting leg 12 may be restricted by other parts such as a thumbscrew. The long hole 15 does not have to be a long hole, and may have a plurality of holes. In order to allow the camera to be installed horizontally on a horizontal plane, the two fixing legs 11 are preferably at the same height. Although the adjusting leg 12 has a rod shape, a plate shape or the like can be appropriately selected. In addition, other methods such as adjusting the height by changing the grounding point depending on the angle with the adjusting leg as an eccentric disc, or adjusting the height by tightening the screw using a screw type leg are used. The height may be adjusted with.

[0027]

[Third Embodiment] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a tripod for a camera according to another embodiment of the present invention. Main plate 20 and sub plate 2 shorter than it
It is composed of two rectangular plates 1 and three fixed legs 22 are formed by bending both ends of the main plate 20 and one end of the sub plate 21. 23 holes on the main plate and 2 holes on the auxiliary plate
Is provided, and the hole provided in the center of the main plate and the hole provided in the vicinity of the end portion of the sub plate are fastened with a setscrew 24.
A packing 25 is arranged on the set screw 24.
The main plate 20 is preferably smaller than the bottom surface of the camera. The tripod of the present embodiment is attached to the camera by the set screw 24, and is carried and stored integrally with the camera. At the time of shooting, the tripod according to the present embodiment is placed on a table surface or the like for shooting.

In the tripod of this embodiment, since the sub plate 21 rotates with respect to the main plate 20, the grounding points of the three fixed legs 22 are adjusted to stabilize the camera when it is placed on an uneven surface such as a rock. Can be fixed. Therefore, according to the tripod of the present embodiment, it is possible to flexibly adapt to the shape of the table surface to be placed, which is convenient. Further, even when a large lens is attached to the camera, the sub plate 21 can be freely moved so that the top plate does not come into contact with the lens. Furthermore, in the tripod of the present embodiment, the sub-plate 21 can be folded into the lower surface of the main plate 20 so that the sub-plate 21 is added to the main plate 20 when carrying or storing, and the tripod can be miniaturized.

The main plate 20 and the sub-plate 21 are fixed with a set screw 24.
The hole 23 for stopping with can be appropriately selected according to the position of the tripod hole of the camera, the center of gravity, and the like. In this embodiment, the packing 25 is arranged to prevent the bottom surface of the camera from being damaged, but a cork board may be stretched on the upper surface of the tripod or the packing 2 may be used.
5 can be omitted.

In this embodiment, the sub plate 21 is shorter than the main plate 20 so that the sub plate 21 is accommodated in the lower surface of the main plate 20, but the main plate 20 may be accommodated in the lower surface of the sub plate 21. In addition, as in the second embodiment, one of the three legs is used.
It is very convenient to use a book as an adjustable leg because the camera can be flexibly positioned according to the shape of the table.

[0031]

As described above, the camera tripod according to the present invention is small and lightweight, does not interfere with carrying the camera as a unit, and allows the camera to be stably installed on any table.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing a usage state of a camera tripod according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a camera tripod according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a camera tripod according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Top plate 2 Fixed leg 3 Hole 4 Camera
5 Tripod screw hole 6 Packing 7 Tripod screw 1
0 T-shaped plate 11 Fixed leg 12 Adjustment leg 13
Lock 14 Stone butt 15 Long hole 20 Main plate 21 Sub-plate 22 Fixed leg 23 Hole 24
Set screw 25 packing

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ identification code FI F16M 11/22 F16M 11/22 E 11/38 11/38 G (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03B 17 / 56 F16M 11/00-11/38

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A projecting end portion of the top plate is folded at a position where two fixed legs of equal height are separated from each other on the lower surface of the top plate provided with an elongated hole.
The adjustable leg, which is formed by bending the upper plate and is adjustable in height at a position apart from the line connecting the two fixed legs on the lower surface of the top plate, is vertically rotatable with respect to the top plate. Ri Contact is pivotally supported to the upper end, the adjusting leg Bei a configuration lock for restricting is arranged to rotate the adjusting leg Ete, tripod of the camera body through the slot tripod screw from the lower surface of the top plate A tripod for a camera that is attached to the camera by tightening the screw in the screw hole.
The long holes are formed from the central portion of the top plate to the two fixing legs and
It has branch holes that are long in each of the three directions of the adjusting leg.
A tripod for a camera, which is characterized by a long hole . 2. A camera tripod according to claim 1, wherein said top plate is a T-shaped plate. 3. A process according to claim 1 or 2 camera tripod wherein said top plate is a triangle.