JP4099569B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus that can freely rotate a camera in a pan direction and a tilt direction.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As an imaging device, there are a digital still camera and a video camera that use a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary mental-oxide semiconductor device (CMOS) as a light receiving element. Some of such imaging apparatuses include a pan / tilt mechanism that rotates a camera unit including a lens and a light receiving element in a pan direction and a tilt direction, and can be remotely operated.
[0003]
Imaging devices such as those described above are widely used for purposes such as crime prevention monitoring, weather observation, and tourism.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, an imaging apparatus incorporating a pan / tilt mechanism supplies power to the pan / tilt mechanism, control signals for controlling each function of the camera unit, and signals such as video captured by the camera unit and recorded audio. Therefore, the pan angle and the tilt angle are limited by pulling out the cable.
[0005]
By limiting the pan angle and tilt angle of the camera unit in this way, a blind spot or a dead end that is an invisible region is generated in the imaging apparatus.
[0006]
In addition, since the above-described imaging apparatus is limited in use for purposes such as crime prevention monitoring where the installation location is limited, it is necessary to prepare a video camera, a digital still camera, or the like when using it as a handy camera. there were.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to eliminate a dead angle and a dead end of a pan angle and a tilt angle in an imaging apparatus having a pan / tilt mechanism.
[0008]
In addition, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an imaging apparatus that can be used as a handy camera by removing a camera unit from a pan / tilt mechanism.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve the above-described problems, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures an image of a subject, a tilt mechanism that supports the imaging unit and continuously rotates the imaging unit in a tilt direction, and a tilt mechanism. A pan mechanism that supports and rotates the tilt mechanism continuously in the pan direction,The tilt mechanism has a first contact portion provided concentrically in the rotation direction of the tilt mechanism, and the pan mechanism has a second contact portion that contacts the first contact portion,The tilt mechanism is used when the imaging unit is rotated in the tilt direction.Via the first and second contact pointsPower can be supplied from the pan mechanismThe imaging unit has a secondary battery and a shaft that is a support unit supported by the tilt mechanism and a terminal unit that is connected to the secondary battery. The tilt mechanism is a shaft unit of the imaging unit. The secondary battery has a third contact portion that slidably contacts the shaft portion, and the secondary battery is supplied with power through the first to third contact portions and charged.
[0011]
Since the image pickup apparatus configured as described above is supplied with power from the pan mechanism to the tilt mechanism via the first and second contact portions, a cord for supplying power is not used, and the image pickup portion is panned. The degree of freedom in rotating in the direction and tilt direction is improved.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging apparatus 1 includes a camera unit 2 that performs imaging, a tilt mechanism unit 3 that supports the camera unit 2 so as to be rotatable in the tilt direction, and the tilt mechanism unit 3 that is rotatable in the pan direction. A pan mechanism unit 4 to be supported, a camera unit 2, a tilt mechanism unit 3, and a remote control unit 5 for operating the pan mechanism unit 4 are provided.
[0014]
In the imaging apparatus 1, the camera unit 2 is supported by the tilt mechanism unit 3 such that the cable for connecting the camera unit 2 and the remote control unit 5 is unnecessary, and the camera unit 2 can freely rotate in the pan direction and the tilt direction. The camera unit 2 is detached from the tilt mechanism unit 3 and can be used as a handy camera.
[0015]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the camera unit 2 rotates the lens 10 in which the light beam from the subject is incident, the image sensor 11 that receives the light beam collected by the lens 10, and the camera unit 2 in the tilt direction. A shaft terminal portion 12 that is a support shaft for moving and receives a power supply from the tilt mechanism portion 3, a tilt gear 13 for rotating the camera portion 2 in the tilt direction, and a handy camera for imaging. An imaging button 14 serving as a trigger is provided.
[0016]
The lens 10 condenses light from the subject on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 11 and forms a subject image on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 11. The lens 10 is, for example, a zoom lens composed of a plurality of lenses, and has a focus mechanism and a zoom mechanism (not shown), and is controlled to be focused and zoomed by a camera control unit 18 described later.
[0017]
The imaging element 11 is a photoelectric conversion element that receives incident light for each minute pixel arranged two-dimensionally and converts it into an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of light received for each pixel. Charge-coupled devices) and CMOS (complementary mental-oxide semiconductor devices) are used.
[0018]
The shaft terminal unit 12 is a support shaft for holding the camera unit 2 on the tilt mechanism unit 3 and is formed of a conductive material. One end of the shaft terminal unit 12 is used as one electrode of a secondary battery 19 to be described later. The other end is connected to the other electrode of the secondary battery 19 and becomes a terminal for charging the secondary battery 19. The shaft terminal unit 12 is electrically connected to a constant voltage generation circuit 45 described later of the pan mechanism unit 4.
[0019]
The tilt gear 13 is a gear fixed to the side surface of the camera unit 2, engages with an intermediate gear 25 (to be described later) of the tilt mechanism unit 3, and rotates with the rotation of the intermediate gear 25 to tilt the camera unit 2. It is designed to rotate in the direction.
[0020]
The imaging button 14 is a push button that is pressed by the user to take an image when the camera unit 2 is detached from the tilt mechanism unit 3 so that the subject is imaged by being pressed. It has become. The camera unit 2 includes buttons for executing various functions other than the imaging button 14, for example, functions such as on / off of a flash function and zoom control, but illustration and description thereof are omitted.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit configuration of the camera unit 2 includes a signal processing unit 15 to which a signal corresponding to the amount of light received by each imaging element 11 is received, and signal processing by the signal processing unit 15. A transmission unit 16 that transmits the received signal to the remote control unit 5, a reception unit 17 that receives a control signal from the remote control unit 5, a camera control unit 18 that controls the image sensor 11 and the signal processing unit 15, and each unit And a secondary battery 19 for supplying power.
[0022]
The signal processing unit 15 converts the signal output from the image pickup device 11 into a digital signal, processes the signal to obtain image data, and outputs the image data to the transmission unit 16.
[0023]
The transmission unit 16 converts the image data output from the signal processing unit 15 into a signal of a predetermined standard, and outputs it to the remote control unit 5 as a radio signal from an antenna unit (not shown). Here, the transmission unit 16 conforms to a standard such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11a, for example, and the antenna unit for outputting the radio signal changes to a standard such as IEEE 802.11a. A compliant radio signal is output to the space.
[0024]
The receiving unit 17 receives the radio signal output from the remote control unit 5 and outputs it to the camera control unit 18 as a control signal. Here, the receiving unit 17 conforms to a standard such as IEEE 802.11a, for example, and receives a radio signal conforming to the standard such as IEEE 802.11a from an antenna unit (not shown) for receiving the radio signal. Are output to the camera control unit 18.
[0025]
The camera control unit 18 controls the zoom mechanism of the lens 10, the image sensor 11, the signal processing unit 15, and the like based on the control signal input from the reception unit 17 and the input from the imaging button 14 and the like.
[0026]
The secondary battery 19 is a power source that supplies a current for operating each part of the camera unit 2, and can be charged by a voltage applied from the tilt mechanism unit 3 side via the shaft terminal unit 12. As the secondary battery 19, for example, a Ni—Cd battery, a Pb battery, a Li ion battery, or the like can be used.
[0027]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the tilt mechanism unit 3 rotates the camera unit 2 in the tilt direction and the rotation base unit 20 that can rotate in the pan direction on the pan mechanism unit 4. A pivot support unit 21 that supports the tilting motor 22, a tilt drive motor 22 that rotates the camera unit 2 in the tilt direction, a pinion gear 23 that is attached to a drive rotation shaft of the tilt drive motor 22, and the pinion gear 23. The intermediate gear 24, the intermediate gear 25 engaged with the intermediate gear 24, the rotation shaft 26 inserted through the pan mechanism portion 4, and the pan mechanism portion 4 concentrically facing the rotation shaft 26. Are provided with a slip ring 27, which is a plurality of terminals, a pan gear 28 rotated by the pan mechanism unit 4, and a support recess 29 that contacts the shaft terminal unit 12 of the camera unit 2.
[0028]
The rotation base unit 20 is a base of the tilt mechanism unit 3, and each unit of the tilt mechanism unit 3 is provided.
[0029]
The rotation support unit 21 is erected on the rotation base unit 20 and supports the camera unit 2. The rotation support unit 21 has electrical conductivity in contact with both end sides of the shaft terminal unit 12 of the camera unit 2. The recess 29 is provided, and has a storage portion 21a for storing the tilt drive motor 22 and a shaft hole 21b through which the rotation shafts of intermediate gears 24 and 25 (to be described later) of the tilt drive motor 22 are inserted.
[0030]
The accommodating portion 21a accommodates the tilt drive motor 22, the pinion gear 23, the intermediate gears 24 and 25, and the like, and these gears and the like are received by the shaft holes 21b through which the rotation shafts of the intermediate gears 24 and 25 are inserted. keeping.
[0031]
The tilt drive motor 22 is a motor provided in the storage portion 21a of the rotation base 20, and a pinion gear 23 is attached to a rotation shaft so that rotation is controlled by a tilt drive motor driver 40 described later. .
[0032]
The pinion gear 23 is rotated by a tilt drive motor 22 to rotate an intermediate gear 24 to be engaged, and an intermediate gear 25 to be engaged with the intermediate gear 24 is rotated.
[0033]
The intermediate gear 25 engages with the tilt gear 13 of the camera unit 2 and rotates the tilt gear 13 by being rotated.
[0034]
The rotation shaft 26 is a shaft when the rotation base portion 20 rotates, and is inserted into a pan rotation support portion 31 described later of the pan mechanism portion 4 so as to support the rotation base portion 20. Yes.
[0035]
The slip ring 27 is a contact point provided concentrically around the rotation shaft 26. The slip ring 27 is in contact with a terminal part 32 described later of the pan mechanism part 4 to supply power to the tilt mechanism part 3 and tilt drive described later. A control signal can be transmitted to the motor driver 40.
[0036]
The pan gear 28 is a gear provided so that the rotation shaft 26 is at the center. The pan gear 28 is engaged with a worm gear 34 described later, and is rotated with the rotation of the worm gear 34 to rotate the rotation base portion 20. It has become.
[0037]
The support recess 29 is made of a material having electrical conductivity, and serves as a terminal for supplying power by contacting the shaft terminal portion 12. The support recess 29 is connected to the constant voltage generation circuit 45 through the slip ring 27.
[0038]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6, and 7, the pan mechanism portion 4 includes a substantially circular base portion 30, and a rotation shaft 26 of the rotation base portion 20 at the approximate center of the base portion 30. A pan rotation support portion 31 that is inserted and supports the rotation base portion 20 so as to be rotatable in the pan direction, a terminal portion 32 that comes into contact with a slip ring 27 (to be described later) of the rotation base portion 20, and a rotation base portion. A pan drive motor 33 that rotates 20 in the pan direction and a worm gear 34 attached to a drive rotation shaft of the pan drive motor 33 are provided.
[0039]
The base unit 30 is a member that serves as a foundation when the pan mechanism unit 4 is installed at the installation location of the pan mechanism unit 4, that is, the installation unit of the camera unit 2, and can fix the pan mechanism unit 4.
[0040]
The pan rotation support portion 31 is a cylindrical bearing that is erected substantially at the center of the base portion 30. The rotation shaft 26 of the tilt mechanism portion 3 is inserted into the pan rotation support portion 31 so as to rotatably support the rotation base 20. It is like that.
[0041]
The terminal portion 32 is an elastic terminal that is biased so as to abut against the slip ring 27 corresponding to the terminal surface of the slip ring 27 of the tilt mechanism portion 3, and the terminal portion 32 and the slip ring 27 are in contact with each other. By contact, power supply to the tilt mechanism unit 3 and transmission of a control signal are possible.
[0042]
The pan drive motor 33 is a motor provided on the base portion 30, and a worm gear 34 is attached to a rotation shaft, and the rotation is controlled by a pan drive motor driver 41 described later.
[0043]
The worm gear 34 is a gear that engages with the pan gear 28, and is rotated by the pan drive motor 33 to rotate the pan gear 28.
[0044]
The circuit configuration of the pan mechanism unit 4 includes a tilt drive motor driver 40 that drives the tilt drive motor 22, a pan drive motor driver 41 that drives the pan drive motor 33, a tilt drive motor driver 40, a pan drive motor driver 41, and the like. A pantilter control unit 42 for controlling the control, a connection interface 43 connected to the pantilter control unit 42 and the remote control unit 5, a power supply terminal unit 44 connected to an external power source (not shown) for driving each unit, And a constant voltage generation circuit 45 that uses the AC voltage input from the terminal unit 44 as a constant voltage. The tilt drive motor driver 40 may be provided on the tilt mechanism unit 3 side as a circuit of the tilt mechanism unit 3.
[0045]
The tilt drive motor driver 40 drives the tilt drive motor 22 under the control of the pan tilter control unit 42. The pan drive motor driver 41 is configured to drive the pan drive motor 33 under the control of the pan / tilt controller controller 42.
[0046]
The pantilter control unit 42 controls the tilt drive motor driver 40 and the pan drive motor driver 41 based on a control signal input from the remote control unit 5 via the connection interface 43.
[0047]
The connection interface 43 is an interface through which a control signal from a remote controller control unit 67, which will be described later, is output via the cable 43a, and is compliant with, for example, the SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) standard. The connection interface 43 is not limited to the SCSI standard, and may be, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE 1394, RS232C (Recommended Standard 232C), or the like.
[0048]
The power supply terminal unit 44 is a terminal unit connected to an external AC power supply, and is connected to the constant voltage generation circuit 45.
[0049]
The constant voltage generation circuit 45 supplies power to the tilt drive motor 22, the pan drive motor 33, etc., using the current supplied via the power terminal 44 as a constant voltage direct current, and the camera unit via the support recess 29. The secondary battery 19 is charged.
[0050]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the remote control unit 5 includes a display screen 50 that displays an image captured by the camera unit 2, an operation switch 51 that performs various inputs to the remote control unit 5, and The camera unit 2 and an antenna unit 52 for transmitting and receiving radio signals are provided.
[0051]
The display screen 50 can display image data picked up by the camera unit 2 and various information by a display element 63 described later.
[0052]
The operation switch 51 has a plurality of switches so that various inputs can be performed. The operation switch 51 includes, for example, zoom adjustment buttons 51a and 51b for adjusting the zoom mechanism, pan adjustment buttons 51c and 51d for rotating the camera unit 2 in the pan direction, and tilt adjustment for rotating the camera unit 2 in the tilt direction. The buttons 51e and 51f are provided, and each button is pressed to adjust and control the camera unit 2, the tilt mechanism unit 3, and the pan mechanism unit 4.
[0053]
The circuit configuration of the remote control unit 5 includes a transmission unit 60 that transmits a control signal to the camera unit 2 as a radio signal, a reception unit 61 that receives a radio signal from the camera unit 2, and a signal received by the reception unit 61. A signal processing unit 62 that generates image data, a display element 63 that displays the image data processed by the signal processing unit 62, a recording medium 64 that records and holds the image data processed by the signal processing unit 62, and a pan mechanism A connection interface 66 connected to the unit 4, and a remote controller control unit 67 for controlling the transmission unit 60, the signal processing unit 62, the display element 63, the recording medium 64, and the like.
[0054]
The transmission unit 60 converts the control signal output from the remote controller control unit 67 into a signal of a predetermined standard and outputs the signal from the antenna unit 52 to the camera unit 2 as a radio signal. Here, the transmission unit 60 conforms to a standard such as IEEE802.11a, for example, and outputs to the space as a radio signal conforming to the standard such as IEEE802.11a from the antenna unit 52 for outputting this radio signal. It has come to be.
[0055]
The receiving unit 61 receives the radio signal output from the camera unit 2 and outputs it to the signal processing unit 62. Here, the receiving unit 61 is compliant with a standard such as IEEE802.11a, for example, and receives a radio signal compliant with a standard such as IEEE802.11a from the antenna unit 52 for receiving this radio signal. The signal is output to the signal processing unit 62.
[0056]
The signal processing unit 62 converts the signal output from the receiving unit 61 into image data based on a control signal from the remote controller control unit 67, outputs the image data to the display element 63, and records the image data on the recording medium 64. It is like that.
[0057]
The display element 63 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), for example, and can display image data output from the signal processing unit 62 and various information output from the remote controller control unit 67. It has become.
[0058]
The recording medium 64 is a medium for recording information by magnetism and / or light, for example, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a hard disk, etc., and image data output from the signal processing unit 62 and remote controller control Various information output from the unit 67 is recorded. The recording medium 64 may be a recording medium using a semiconductor.
[0059]
The connection interface 66 is an interface through which a control signal from the remote controller control unit 67 to the tilt mechanism unit 3 and the pan mechanism unit 4 is output via the cable 26a, and conforms to, for example, the SCSI standard. Note that the connection interface 66 is not limited to the SCSI standard, and may be, for example, USB, IEEE1394, RS232C, or the like.
[0060]
The remote controller control unit 67 controls the transmission unit 60, the signal processing unit 62, the display element 63, the recording medium 64, etc. according to the input from the operation switch 51, and sends a control signal from the transmission unit 60 to the camera unit 2. And output control signals from the connection interface 66 to the tilt mechanism unit 3 and the pan mechanism unit 4.
[0061]
The operation of the imaging device 1 configured as described above, which includes the camera unit 2, the tilt mechanism unit 3, the pan mechanism unit 4, and the remote control unit 5, will be described.
[0062]
In the following description, it is assumed that power is already supplied to the camera unit 2, the tilt mechanism unit 3, the pan mechanism unit 4 and the remote control unit 5.
[0063]
First, the operation switch 51 of the remote control unit 5 is operated by a user away from the camera unit 2, the tilt mechanism unit 3, and the pan mechanism unit 4, and the remote controller control unit 67 is connected via the transmission unit 60. A control signal for starting imaging by the camera unit 2 is transmitted by a wireless signal.
[0064]
The receiving unit 17 of the camera unit 2 outputs the received control signal to the camera control unit 18. Then, the camera control unit 18 controls the image pickup device 11 and picks up a subject image focused by the lens 10 and formed on the light receiving surface. The image sensor 11 outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of received light for each pixel to the signal processing unit 15.
[0065]
The camera control unit 18 controls the signal processing unit 15 to generate image data based on the signal output from the image sensor 11 and outputs the image data to the transmission unit 16. And the transmission part 16 outputs image data as a radio signal from an antenna part.
[0066]
The reception unit 61 of the remote control unit 5 receives the radio signal output from the transmission unit 16 and outputs it to the signal processing unit 62.
[0067]
The signal processing unit 62 converts the signal output from the receiving unit 61 into image data based on a control signal from the remote controller control unit 67 and outputs the image data to the display element 63, and the image data is recorded on the recording medium 64. Record.
[0068]
The display element 63 displays the subject image captured by the camera unit 2 based on the image data output from the signal processing unit 62. In addition, the display element 63 displays various information input from the remote controller control unit 67, for example, information such as time, pan angle, tilt angle, zoom amount, and the like superimposed on the subject image as characters.
[0069]
In this way, the image captured by the camera unit 2 is displayed as a still image or a moving image on the display element 63 of the remote control unit 5 and recorded on the recording medium 64. When a moving image is being captured, the imaging is continuously performed until the user operates the operation switch 51 and inputs an imaging stop command.
[0070]
Next, when the user operates the operation switch 51 based on the subject image displayed on the display element 63 and various information, the remote controller control unit 67 transmits a control signal from the transmission unit 60 to the camera unit 2 as a wireless signal. And a control signal to the pan / tilt mechanism 3 is output via the connection interface 66.
[0071]
Here, when the zoom adjustment buttons 51 a and 51 b are pressed, the receiving unit 17 of the camera unit 2 receives the wireless signal output from the transmitting unit 60 of the remote control unit 5 and sends a control signal to the camera control unit 18. Output as. Then, the camera control unit 18 controls the zoom mechanism to adjust the lens 10 and adjust the expansion and reduction of the angle of view. By adjusting the zoom mechanism in this manner, an image having a zoom amount desired by the user is displayed on the display element 63 of the remote control unit 5, and this image data can be recorded on the recording medium 64. it can.
[0072]
Next, when the pan adjustment buttons 51c and 51d are pressed, the pantilter control unit 42 receives information corresponding to the pan angle from the pan driving motor driver 41 based on the control signal input via the connection interface 43. Entered. The pan drive motor driver 41 rotates the worm gear 41 by rotating the pan drive motor 33 based on the input information, and rotates the pan gear 28 engaged with the worm gear 34. As the pan gear 28 rotates, the rotation base unit 20 erected by the rotation support unit 21 that supports the camera unit 2 is rotated, and the camera unit 2 rotates by a desired angle in the pan direction. By adjusting the pan mechanism in this way, an image having a pan angle desired for the user is displayed on the display element 63 of the remote control unit 5, and this image data is recorded on the recording medium 64. be able to.
[0073]
At this time, the slip ring 27 rotates while being in sliding contact with the terminal portion 32. However, since the slip ring 27 is provided concentrically in this rotational direction, it always conducts with the terminal portion 32.
[0074]
Next, when the tilt adjustment buttons 51e and 51f are pressed, the pantilter control unit 42 receives information corresponding to the tilt angle in the tilt drive motor driver 40 based on the control signal input via the connection interface 43. Entered. The tilt drive motor driver 40 rotates the pinion gear 23 by rotating the tilt drive motor 22 based on the input information, rotates the intermediate gear 24 engaged with the pinion gear 23, and rotates the intermediate gear 24. The intermediate gear 25 that engages with the intermediate gear 25 is rotated, and the tilt gear 13 of the camera unit 2 that engages with the intermediate gear 25 is rotated. As the tilt gear 13 rotates, the camera unit 2 rotates by a desired angle in the tilt direction. By adjusting the tilt mechanism in this way, an image having a desired tilt angle for the user is displayed on the display element 63 of the remote control unit 5, and this image data is recorded on the recording medium 64. be able to.
[0075]
At this time, the shaft terminal portion 12 of the camera unit 2 rotates while being in sliding contact with the support recess 29, and power is supplied from the constant voltage generation circuit 45 via the support recess 29 during this rotation. Yes. For this reason, in the camera unit 2, the secondary battery 19 is always charged.
[0076]
Next, a case where the camera unit 2 is detached from the tilt mechanism unit 3 and used as a handy camera will be described.
[0077]
When the camera unit 2 is used as a handy camera, a secondary battery that has already been charged as described above can be used as a power source for driving each unit, so there is no need to prepare a separate power source.
[0078]
In addition, when the camera unit 2 is detached from the tilt mechanism unit 3 and used as a handy camera, it is preferable to directly operate the camera unit 2. In addition to transmitting captured image data to the remote control unit 5, It is preferable that recording can be performed on the camera unit 2 as well.
[0079]
Therefore, the camera unit 2 can incorporate a recording medium (not shown), and can record the captured image data on the recording medium. As this recording medium, similarly to the recording medium 64 of the remote control unit 5, a medium for recording information by magnetism and / or light, for example, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, etc. The image data output from the signal processing unit 15 and various information output from the camera control unit 18 are recorded.
[0080]
When the objective lens 10 of the camera unit 2 is directed in a desired direction by the user and the imaging button 14 is pressed, the camera control unit 18 collects the light beam incident from the objective lens 10 on the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 11. By controlling the light receiving element 11, a signal corresponding to the amount of light received for each pixel is output from the subject image formed by light.
[0081]
The signal processing unit 15 converts the signal output from the light receiving element 11 into image data based on the control signal from the camera control unit 18, and records the image data on a recording medium.
[0082]
Here, the camera unit 2 may be provided with a display screen for displaying captured image data, as in a normal handy camera. The image data captured on the display screen and the captured image data may be provided. By displaying, it becomes possible to take an image while confirming the image.
[0083]
As described above, the imaging apparatus 1 rotates the camera unit 2 based on the control signal from the remote control unit 5 without the panning direction and the tilting direction being restricted by the tilting mechanism unit 3 and the panning mechanism unit 4. Can be made. As a result, the imaging apparatus 1 eliminates the blind spot and dead end of the camera unit 2, and there is no restriction on the imaging direction, and free imaging can be performed.
[0084]
Further, since the image pickup apparatus 1 can be used as a handy camera by removing the camera unit 2 from the tilt mechanism part 3, it is necessary to prepare a handy camera such as a digital still camera or a video camera in addition to the image pickup apparatus 1. The convenience for the user is greatly improved.
[0085]
Furthermore, since the imaging device 1 has a built-in secondary battery 19 in the camera unit 2 and can be charged by supplying power from the pantilter mechanism unit 3, when the camera unit 2 is used as a handy camera, a separate power source is required. No need to prepare.
[0086]
In the above description, a method based on the IEEE802.11a standard is used for transmission / reception of a radio signal. However, the method is not limited to the IEEE802.11a standard. It goes without saying that it may be.
[0087]
In the above description, the signal transmission means is wired connection compliant with the SCSI standard between the tilt mechanism section 3 and the tilt mechanism section 4 and the remote control section 5. 3 and the pan mechanism unit 4 may include a wireless signal transmission / reception unit so that wireless transmission may be performed in accordance with the IEEE802.11a standard using wireless radio waves.
[0088]
Furthermore, in the above description, the power is supplied by the shaft terminal portion 12 and the support shaft concave portion 29 coming into contact with each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. For example, contactless power transmission using electromagnetic induction is performed. Or the like.
[0089]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention eliminates the cord that restricts the rotation of the image pickup unit in the pan direction and the tilt direction, thereby allowing the image pickup unit to freely rotate in the pan direction and the tilt direction, thereby eliminating blind spots and dead ends. .
[0090]
In addition, the built-in secondary battery in the imaging unit can be used as a handy camera by removing it from the pan mechanism and tilt mechanism, so there is no need to prepare a handy camera such as a digital still camera or video camera. Convenience can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the imaging apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a perspective front view illustrating a configuration of the camera unit, the tilt mechanism unit, and the pan mechanism unit viewed from the front side in the imaging apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a perspective side view illustrating a configuration of the camera unit, the tilt mechanism unit, and the pan mechanism unit viewed from the right side of the imaging apparatus.
FIG. 5 is a see-through side view illustrating a configuration of the camera unit, the tilt mechanism unit, and the pan mechanism unit viewed from the left side of the imaging apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a perspective top view illustrating a configuration of the camera unit, the tilt mechanism unit, and the pan mechanism unit of the imaging apparatus as viewed from above.
FIG. 7 is a perspective bottom view illustrating a configuration of the camera unit, the tilt mechanism unit, and the pan mechanism unit viewed from the bottom side in the imaging apparatus.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a remote control unit in the imaging apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imaging device, 2 Camera part, 3 Tilt mechanism part, 4 Pan mechanism part, 5 Remote control part, 10 Lens, 11 Imaging element, 12 Axis terminal part, 13 Tilt gear, 14 Imaging button, 15 Signal processing part, 16 Transmission part , 17 receiver, 18 camera controller, 19 secondary battery, 20 fixed base, 21 rotating base, 22 pan driving motor, 23 pinion gear, 24, 25 intermediate gear, 26 rotating shaft, 27 slip ring, 28 Pan gear, 29 Support recess, 30 Base part, 31 Pan rotation support part, 32 Terminal part, 33 Pan drive motor, 34 Worm gear, 40 Tilt drive motor driver, 41 Pan drive motor driver, 42 Pantilta control part, 43 Connection interface , 44 Power terminal, 45 Constant voltage generator, 50 Display screen, 5 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation switch, 52 Antenna part, 60 Transmission part, 61 Reception part, 62 Signal processing part, 63 Display element, 64 Recording medium, 66 Connection interface, 67 Remote controller control part

Claims (3)

An imaging unit for imaging a subject;
A tilt mechanism that supports the imaging unit and continuously rotates the imaging unit in a tilt direction;
A pan mechanism that supports the tilt mechanism and continuously rotates the tilt mechanism in the pan direction;
The tilt mechanism has a first contact portion provided concentrically in the rotation direction of the tilt mechanism,
The pan mechanism has a second contact portion that contacts the first contact portion,
The tilt mechanism, when turning the imaging unit in the tilt direction, Ri can der power supply from the pan mechanism via the first and second contact portions,
The imaging unit has a secondary battery and a shaft part that becomes a support shaft supported by the tilt mechanism and a terminal part connected to the secondary battery,
The tilt mechanism includes a third contact portion that supports the shaft portion of the imaging unit and is in sliding contact with the shaft portion,
An imaging apparatus in which the secondary battery is charged by being supplied with power through the first to third contact portions . Furthermore, an operation unit for operating the imaging unit, the tilt mechanism, and the pan mechanism is provided,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit operates the imaging unit using a wireless signal. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the imaging unit transmits information captured using a wireless signal to the operation unit.

Images