JPH0548950A - Wireless video camera device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operability by separating a video camera into a camera head part 1 composed of an image pick-up system and a camera main body part 2 composed of a video signal processing system and performing the transmitting and receiving of a signal between both parts with wireless. CONSTITUTION:A video signal read from a solid-state image pick-up element 13 is FM-modulated by a modulating circuit 16, and after the power is amplified by a transmitting circuit 17, impressed to an infrared ray laser diode. A light output 18 of a laser diode is radiated to free space and reaches a camera main body part 2 with wireless. A reached light signal 21 is converted to an FM modulating signal by the PIN photo diode of a receiving circuit 22, demodulated to the video signal by a demodulating circuit 23. The demodulated video signal is made into a composite video signal 29 by the conventional same video signal processing, and outputted from a color encoder 26.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video camera device which is convenient for monitoring and carrying, and more particularly to a wireless video camera device in which an image pickup section and a video signal processing section are separated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is a video camera device in which a video camera is divided into a small and lightweight camera head section consisting of an image pickup system and a control section consisting of a video signal processing system and the like, which are connected by a multicore cable. By making the camera head smaller and lighter, it is possible to install it in a narrow place where it could not be used due to size restrictions, and to improve portability and operability. It is intended to measure the diversification of.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the above video camera. 10 is a camera head, 20
Is a control unit. The camera head unit 10 is an imaging lens 1
2, CCD image sensor 13, timing generation circuit 14, drive circuit 15, and preamplifier 31. Also,
The control unit 20 includes a process amplification circuit 24, a matrix circuit 25, an encoder 26, a synchronization generation circuit 28, and a monitor 33.

A multi-core cable 32 connects between the camera head 10 and the controller 20. In addition to the synchronization signal output from the synchronization generation circuit 28, for example, electric power or the like is also supplied from the control unit 20 to the camera head unit 10 via the multicore cable 32.

A CCD image pickup device 13 is formed by the image pickup lens 12.
The subject image formed on the upper side is read out from the CCD image pickup device 13 as a video signal, and is input to the process amplification circuit of the control unit 20 via the preamplifier 31 and the multicore cable 32. Here, the timing generation circuit 14 is the synchronization generation circuit 2
A CCD read pulse is generated in synchronization with the sync signal supplied from the drive circuit 8, and the drive circuit 15 reads the video signal from the CCD image pickup device.

The video signal supplied to the control unit 20 through the multi-core cable 32 is subjected to known signal processing by the process amplification circuit 24, the matrix circuit 25, and the encoder 26 to be a composite video signal 29 of NTSC system, for example. ,
It is displayed on the monitor 33.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another example of a conventional video camera. The same parts as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals and their duplicate description will be omitted.

Reference numeral 40 is a video camera section, and 50 is a video monitor section. The composite video signal 29 output from the encoder 26 is wirelessly transmitted from the transmission antenna 43 to the video monitor unit 50 via the modulation circuit 41 and the transmission circuit 42.

The radio wave received by the receiving antenna 51 is demodulated by the receiving circuit 52 and the demodulating circuit 53 into a composite video signal 29, which is displayed on the monitor 54 or recorded on the video tape recorder 55.

[0010]

In the case of the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 2, since the camera head can be made small and lightweight, there are few restrictions on the installation place and it is convenient to carry. However, in order to send and receive video signals, control signals, electric power, etc., the camera head section and the control section must be connected by a multi-core cable 32, which is inconvenient in operation and restricted in use because of the string. Etc. had occurred.

Further, in the case of the conventional configuration of FIG. 3, although the inconvenience and restrictions caused by the connection cable do not occur, the video camera part cannot be downsized so much, the installation place is restricted, or the installed video camera is restricted. The part is conspicuous,
There was also the problem of inconvenience to carry around.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the above-mentioned restrictions and inconveniences are caused by wirelessly transmitting the signal between the ultra-compact camera head portion including the image pickup system and the camera body portion including the video signal processing system. It proposes a video camera device that can solve the problem.

[0013]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, in a video camera device having a camera head part and a camera body part separately, the camera head part is provided in the camera head part. The transmitter / receiver is provided in the camera body for wirelessly transmitting the video signal obtained in 1. and the receiver is provided in the camera body for wirelessly receiving the signal sent by the transmitter, and transmits / receives a signal between the camera head and the camera body. Is performed wirelessly between the transmitting means and the receiving means.

[0014]

In the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the video signal read from the CCD image pickup device 13 is FM-modulated by the transmitting means 4 including the modulating circuit 16 and the transmitting circuit 17 shown in FIG. , After power amplification
The light output 18 is emitted in free space.

The optical output 18 radiated from the camera head portion 1 into the free space is wirelessly received by the camera body portion 2 as an optical input 21. The input optical input 21 is demodulated into a video signal by the receiving means 5 including a receiving circuit 22 and a demodulating circuit 23. The demodulated video signal is passed through the process amplification circuit 24, the matrix circuit 25, the encoder 26, etc., as a composite video signal 29 of, for example, an NTSC system, as in the conventional device, and is displayed on a monitor or a video tape recorder (both not shown). Is output to.

As described above, the small and lightweight camera head unit 1 including the image pickup system is provided separately, and the video signal output from the camera head unit 1 is wirelessly transmitted to the camera body unit 2 through the free space. As a result, the portability, operability, and convenience of installation of the video camera device can be significantly improved.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the wireless video camera device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, which is different from the conventional one, and includes a camera head portion 1 which does not include a video signal processing system and is separated into an ultra-compact and lightweight body and a video signal processing system. And a camera body 2 including

In the camera head unit 1, an image of the subject 3 is formed by the image pickup lens 12 on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image pickup device 13 (for example, CCD image pickup device). The subject image is output as a video signal from the CCD image pickup device 13 by driving the drive circuit 15. Here, the timing generation circuit 14 generates the synchronization signals HD, VD, etc. to control the drive circuit 15.

The video signal input from the CCD image pickup device 13 to the modulation circuit 16 is converted into a modulation signal (for example, FM modulation signal) by the modulation circuit 16 and output to the transmission circuit 17. In the transmitter circuit 17, the FM modulated signal is subjected to predetermined power amplification, then applied to a light emitting element (not shown), and radiated to a free space as an optical output 18 for wireless optical transmission.

Here, as the light emitting element, for example, an infrared light emitting diode or an infrared laser diode is used. Further, the modulation circuit 16 and the transmission circuit 17 are transmission means 4 for wirelessly transmitting the output video signal to the camera body 2.

The optical output 18 emitted from the transmitting means 4 propagates in free space and is received by the receiving means 5 of the camera body 2 as an optical input 21. A light receiving element (for example, a PIN photodiode not shown) of the receiving circuit 22 converts the input optical input 21 into a modulated signal. This modulated signal is demodulated into a video signal by the demodulation circuit 23, and the process amplification circuit 24
Is supplied to the sync separation circuit 27.

The demodulated video signal is output to the matrix circuit 25 after being subjected to automatic gain control and gamma correction in the process amplifier circuit 24, and the sync signals HD and VD are separated in the sync separation circuit 27. And output to the synchronization generating circuit.

The matrix circuit 25 converts the signal input from the process amplifier circuit 24 into, for example, a luminance signal and two color difference signals.

In the encoder 26, for example, two color difference signals are quadrature-modulated on the color subcarrier supplied from the synchronization generating circuit 28, combined with a luminance signal, and further added with a synchronization signal or the like to output an output signal (for example, NTSC composite). Video signal) 2
It is output as 9. The output signal 29 is supplied to a monitor and a video tape recorder (both not shown) for display and magnetic recording.

Here, the processing on the output signal of the demodulation circuit 23, that is, the video signal processing by the process amplification circuit 24 to the synchronization generation circuit 28 is well known in the prior art, and therefore, further explanation is omitted.

As described above, the power source 1 including, for example, a dry battery
9 and the camera head unit 1 including the transmitting unit 4 are formed as a small and lightweight separate body, and the video signal read from the solid-state image sensor 13 is wirelessly optically transmitted to the camera body unit 2 through the free space. The portability and freedom of installation of the video camera device can be greatly improved.

Although the case where light is used for signal transmission has been described above, wireless transmission using radio waves or the like may be used.

The signal transmission direction has been described above with respect to the one-way transmission from the camera head unit 1 to the camera body unit 2.
The transmitting means 4 and the receiving means 5 are respectively replaced with transmitting / receiving means,
A bidirectional transmission may be performed by adding a transmission / reception function and a modulation / demodulation function. In this case, control signals such as a synchronization signal and a remote control signal can be transmitted from the camera body 2 to the camera head 1.

Further, the output signal 29 of the camera body 2 is set to N
Although it is described above as the composite video signal of the TSC system, it may be a composite video signal of the PAL system or the like, or so-called Y / C separated transmission in which the luminance signal and the chroma signal are separately transmitted.

[0031]

According to the wireless video camera device having the above-described structure according to the present invention, it is not necessary to connect the camera head portion, which is an ultra-compact, lightweight and separate body, to the camera body portion by a multi-core cable or the like. There is an effect that the portability and operability of the camera device can be greatly improved, and at the same time, restrictions on the installation place of the video camera device can be significantly eased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 camera head section 2 camera body section 3 subject 4 transmitting means 5 receiving means 12 imaging lens 13 solid-state image sensor 14 timing generation circuit 15 driving circuit 16 modulation circuit 17 transmitting circuit 18 optical output 21 optical input 22 receiving circuit 23 demodulating circuit 24 process Amplifier circuit 25 Matrix circuit 26 Encoder 27 Sync separation circuit 28 Sync generation circuit 29 Composite video signal

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A video camera device comprising a camera head part and a camera body part separately, and a transmitting means provided in the camera head part for wirelessly transmitting a video signal obtained by the camera head part, and the camera. And a receiving unit that is provided in the main body unit and wirelessly receives a signal sent from the transmitting unit, and a signal is transmitted and received between the camera head unit and the camera main body unit between the transmitting unit and the receiving unit. A wireless video camera device characterized by being performed wirelessly.