JPH0556315A - Video camera with integrated video recording part - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a compact video camera integrated with a video recording part with satisfactory housing and operability, by which a fixed photographing at a constant angle or a continuous photographing for a long time or the like can be attained without necessitating an auxiliary member for holding a camera such as a tripod. CONSTITUTION:This device is equipped with a main body 11 containing a deck part 13 for recording a video signal, image pickup means 22 containing a camera part 12 for picking up an object and outputting the video signal, which is separated from the main body 11, and arm 30 which combines the main body 11 through rotatable combining parts 31 and 32 with the image pickup means 22 so that the image pickup means 22 can be held at the arbitrary angle of rotation at the longitudinal direction side part of the main body 11. The image pickup means 22 is held at the arbitrary angle of rotation through the arm 30 for the main body 11, the entire device can be made thin, and the image pickup optical axis by the image pickup means 22 can be arbitrarily set regardless of the held angle of the main body 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video camera integrated with a video recording unit, and more particularly to a video camera constructed by integrally combining a video recording unit such as a video tape recorder with a video camera in addition to general handheld photography. A mobile video recorder that is suitable for shooting and panning, and functions as a business tool such as recording materials for presentations and recording proceedings at meetings by facilitating the shooting of documents and drawings on a table or wall. The present invention relates to an integrated video camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, video cameras have come to be widely used in business fields and consumer fields, and as video cameras such as video tape recorders having a combination of video recording units have become popular, business scenes and travels have become popular. It has come to be used easily at events.
These video recorder integrated video cameras generally have a structure in which a video tape recorder deck section for video recording and a video camera section for imaging an object are integrally housed in a single housing. The mainstream structure is that the direction is arranged vertically or horizontally, and a grip portion for holding the housing by hand is provided in association with this. In other words, the conventional video recorder integrated video camera is designed with the highest priority given to handheld shooting, and when shooting at a fixed angle or shooting documents or drawings, a tripod housing is used. It is supposed to be fixed.

[0003]

Since the conventional video camera integrated with a video recording unit has the most suitable structure for snap photography as described above, stationary photography or panning photography,
When considering the use as a business tool such as document photography, it is necessary to always carry a camera fixing tool such as a tripod, which is extremely unusable. In addition, the operability is greatly impaired in the configuration assuming that the user always holds the camera when he or she wants to be a subject or wants to shoot while walking.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, is compact and has a good storability, and does not require auxiliary equipment for holding the camera such as a tripod and the like, at a constant angle. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a video camera integrated with a video recording unit that enables fixed shooting of images, follow shots of documents and drawings for a long time, etc., and has improved usability as a business tool.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a main body which also serves as a grip including a deck portion of a video tape recorder for recording a video signal, an image of a subject and an output of the video signal. And an image pickup means provided separately from the main body, including the camera section, and each of the main body and the image pickup means can be rotated so as to hold the image pickup means at an arbitrary rotation angle on a longitudinal side portion of the main body. Video recording including an arm coupled through a connecting portion and a finder capable of displaying at least one of a video signal from the camera portion and a video signal from the deck portion at a position corresponding to the image pickup means of the main body. An integrated video camera is provided.

[0006]

In the above means, in the video camera integrated with the video recording unit of the present invention, the finder is located on the main body substantially corresponding to the optical axis of the image pickup means, and the image pickup means is provided to the main body via the arm. Since it is held at an arbitrary rotation angle, the whole structure is made thin, and the image pickup optical axis of the image pickup means can be arbitrarily set regardless of the holding angle of the main body means.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are schematic configuration diagrams of a video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a side view, and FIG. ) Are perspective views, respectively. In the figure, 11 is a housing that houses a mechanical deck section 13 that is arranged horizontally in the longitudinal direction, 22 is a camera housing that houses the camera section 12, and 30 is the housing 11 and the camera housing 22 on the housing 11 side. Arms 30 and 14 connected to each other via a rotary shaft 31 of the camera via a rotary shaft 32 on the side of the camera housing 22 are cassette lids that open and close when a video cassette, which is a recording medium, is attached to and detached from the mechanical deck portion 13, and 15 is a housing 11 A grip belt for holding a hand when one end is used as a grip, 16 is a battery for supplying power, 17 is a monitor screen for image pickup of the camera section 12 or a reproduction screen by the mechanical deck section 13 through the finder section 21. An electronic viewfinder provided with a display tube 18, a reflecting mirror 19, and an image magnifying lens 20, 11a is a camera housing 22 in a housing 11. Notches formed in corresponding shapes, 13a the housing 1
1 shows notches formed in the mechanical deck portion 13 corresponding to the notches 11a of the housing 11 inside 1.

In the structure as described above, the finder section 21 is provided in the camera housing 22 at a position substantially corresponding to the image pickup optical axis of the camera section 12, and the electronic viewfinder 17 is provided at the rear of the housing 11. Since the optical axis from 18 is bent by the reflecting mirror 19 and arranged so as to be guided from the image magnifying lens 20 to the finder section 21, the proportion of the electronic viewfinder 17 in the entire length is made extremely small. Further, since the housing 11, the camera housing 22, and the electronic viewfinder 17 are arranged in series on the same plane, the overall thickness is extremely thin. Further, since the camera housing 22 is housed in the notch 11a provided in the housing 11, the ratio of the camera housing 22 to the entire length is very small. For this reason, the overall shape is thin and very compact. Further, the camera housing 22 includes a rotary shaft 31, an arm 3
0, since it is connected to the housing 11 through the rotary shaft 32, the photographing optical axis can be freely set in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. Also, mechanical deck 1
Since the housing 11 including 3 forms a grip portion together with the grip belt 15, no special grip is required.

2A and 2B are detailed explanatory views of the structure of the rotary shaft 31, the arm 30, and the rotary shaft 32 in the structure of FIG. 1. FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view and FIG. 2B is a horizontal sectional view. is there.
In each drawing, 31a is a screw hole provided on the rotary shaft 31 on the housing 11 side, 32a is a screw hole provided on the rotary shaft 32 on the camera housing 22 side, 31b is a bearing hole provided on the rotary shaft 31, 3a.
2b is a bearing hole provided in the rotary shaft 32, and 33 is an arm 30.
, 34 is an upper case that constitutes the arm 30 together with the bottom case 33, 33a is a bearing hole through which the rotary shafts 31 and 32 penetrate, and 36 is a bearing hole through the wavy flat spring 35. 33a and rotating shaft 3
A retainer plate for elastically holding 1, 32 in the fitted position, 37
Through the holes 36a of the holding plate 36 and screw holes 31a, 32a
A screw for fixing the pressing plate 36 to the rotary shafts 31 and 32 by screwing with, and a screw 38 for fitting and fixing the bottom case 33 and the upper case 34, respectively.

In the structure described above, since the pressing force of the wavy flat spring 35 inserted between the inner surface of the bottom case 33 of the arm 30 and the pressing plate 36 is applied to the rotating shafts 31 and 32, the arm 30 and the housing 11 are connected. The camera housing 22 can rotate while receiving a braking force, and the camera housing 22 can be stopped at an arbitrary rotation position with respect to the housing 11. The electrical signal between the housing 11 and the camera unit 12 is connected through bearing lines 31b and 32b provided in the rotary shafts 31 and 32 and a signal line passing through the inside of the arm 30.

Now, the state of use will be described with reference to FIG. 3 based on the configuration of FIGS. By the way, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a case where the video recording unit integrated type video camera is held and used by hand, FIG. 3 (a) is a side view, and FIG. 3 (b) and (c) are perspective views, respectively. It is shown. First, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, during normal shooting, the body 11 of the main body is used as a grip and the grip belt 15 is held by the hand, and the main body is held horizontally to perform the shooting. In this case, since the amount L of projection of the electronic viewfinder 17 to the rear of the housing 11 is very small, the overall length of the main body during use is very short, which is good for usability. In addition, the finder section 21
Since the optical axis of and the photographing optical axis of the camera housing 22 are substantially on the same line, the angle of view can be easily determined. Also, in continuous shooting while moving the camera body such as panning and tilting, as shown in FIG. 7C, by holding the housing 11 with both hands and shooting, it is possible to shoot on a stable screen. Can be

Further, another usage state in the configuration of FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIG. By the way, FIG. 4 (a) is a side view when a low-angle or high-angle shooting is performed while holding the video recording unit integrated video camera by hand, and FIG. 4 (b) shows the video recording unit integrated video camera. It is a side view at the time of hanging on a wall and taking a follow shot. First, as shown in FIG. 7A, when performing low-angle or high-angle shooting, by rotating the camera housing 22 up and down with respect to the housing 11 as shown by the arrow, shooting at a free angle. Is possible. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, the video camera integrated with the video recording unit is hung on the hook of the wall by using the Scholder belt 28 and the housing 11
On the other hand, by rotationally adjusting the camera housing 22 at a substantially right angle, follow shots can be taken at a constant angle of view without using auxiliary equipment such as a tripod. In this case, as shown in the figure, the finder unit 21 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the housing 11, so that the photographer can easily determine the photographing field angle and confirm the subject. Note that, as shown in the explanatory view of the use state in FIG. 5, the Schorder belt 28 is hung on the photographer's neck and at the same time, the angle of the camera housing 22 with respect to the housing 11 is adjusted to follow the panning shot at a constant angle of view. Can be carried out during walking. Also in this case, it is possible to determine the shooting angle of view and confirm the subject by appropriately adjusting the finder unit 21 in the arrow direction. on the other hand,
As shown in the explanatory view of FIG. 6, the arm 30 is rotated substantially at right angles to the housing 11 so that the camera housing 22 is held by the arm 30 at a position different from the housing 11, and the camera housing 22 is held at this position. By adjusting the rotation angle, it is possible to perform shooting at an arbitrary angle of view with the housing 11 placed on a desk or the like. In other words, follow shots such as meetings can be performed without using auxiliary equipment such as a tripod. Even in this case, the photographer can easily determine the angle of view and confirm the subject by changing the angle of the finder unit 21.

In the above embodiment, the mechanical deck portion 13 and the housing 11 are provided with the notches 13a and 11a, and the camera housing 22 is arranged so as to bite into the housing 11 along the cutout portions 13a and 11a. Even if the housing 11 and the mechanical deck portion 13 are formed into a completely rectangular structure and the camera housing 22 having the camera portion 12 therein is arranged in the front portion thereof, the total length of the video recording unit-integrated video camera body is slightly longer. Basic functions can be achieved except that

In the structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the arm 30 is stopped only by the braking force by the pressing force of the wavy flat spring 35. However, the part (a) of the partially enlarged structure of FIG. Second view shown in side view and (b) partial sectional view
In this embodiment, one or a plurality of recesses 41 are provided at any position of the housing 11, and the spring 42 is provided in the arm 30.
By arranging the lock pin 43 urged by the so as to be fittable, the rotation position of the arm 30 with respect to the housing 11 can be locked at an arbitrary position. For example, case 1
By arranging the recessed portion 41 provided in 1 at a position where the lock pin 43 can be fitted when the arm 30 is horizontal and at right angles, the arm 30 can be fixed at any horizontal or vertical position. A lever 45 is provided so that one end thereof engages with the flange portion 43a of the lock pin 43, and the lever 45 is rotatable around a groove 33b provided in the bottom case 33 as a fulcrum. By providing the release button 44 provided on the upper case 34 so as to face each other, a fitting release mechanism for the recess 41 and the lock pin 43 is configured. That is, by pushing the release button 44 in the direction of arrow A, the lever 45 is rotated around the groove 33b as a fulcrum, and the lock pin 43 is movable in the direction of arrow B against the biasing force of the spring 42. Since the fitting of 43 and the recess 41 can be released, the lock of the rotation angle of the arm 30 with respect to the housing 11 can be released and the rotation angle can be adjusted to another arbitrary rotation angle in the direction of arrow C.

In the structure shown in FIG. 7, the arm 30 is locked at a horizontal or right angle position with respect to the housing 11, but it is shown in FIG.
As in the third embodiment shown in the partial front view and (b) partial side view, a recess 46 is provided in the camera housing 22 other than the connecting surface of the arm 30, and the recess 46 is provided at an appropriate position on the housing 11 opposite thereto. The arm 30 is provided by providing the convex portion 47 to enable the fitting.
Camera housing 2 when is horizontal, that is, in the reference position
It is possible to prevent the 2 from swinging laterally. Also,
By increasing the fitting force between the concave portion 46 and the convex portion 47 or by arranging a spring material on the concave portion 46 side or the convex portion 47 side, the vertical movement can be restricted. As a result, the sense of unity of the camera housing 22 with the housing 11 when the arm 30 and the camera housing 22 are at the reference position can be strengthened, and stable shooting can be performed.

9A and 9B are explanatory views of a video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9A is a side view and FIG. 9B is a partial perspective view. In the figure, a pedestal 50 is composed of a stand portion 52 for mounting printed matter or a title sheet and a base portion 51 for slidably holding the stand portion 52 back and forth.
1a is configured to be engageable with the convex portion 48 provided on the housing 11.

In the above structure, the video camera integrated video camera body is placed on a desk or the like, the position of the arm 30 with respect to the housing 11 is set to a right angle, and the mounting hole 51a of the base portion 51 is formed in the housing 11. A subject installed on the stand unit 52 by fitting the protrusion 48 and adjusting the angle of view of the camera housing 22 to the subject on the stand unit 52 and adjusting the front and rear positions of the stand unit 52 on the base unit 51. It is possible to take photographs of printed matter and title paper. By the way, the same object can be achieved by using the convex portion 48 provided on the housing 11 as the locking convex portion 47 of the camera housing 22 illustrated in FIG.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the arm 30
In order to pass the wiring connecting the housing 11 and the camera housing 22 inside, either the camera housing 22 or the housing 11 is assembled, then the arm 30 is attached, and finally the camera housing 22 or the housing 11 is mounted. Since the procedure of assembling the rest is required, the freedom of process setting is impaired. On the other hand, in the explanatory view of the fifth embodiment of FIG.
As shown in the plan sectional view of FIG. 11A and the partial perspective view of FIG. 11B, a relay board 55 having socket portions 53 and 54 arranged inside the arm 30 is fixedly provided, The wiring connector 57 and the wiring connector 56 from the camera housing 22 side are connected to each other, whereby the arm 30 can be attached after the housing 11 and the camera housing 22 have been assembled. As a result, the ease of assembly can be greatly improved.

In the above description, the configuration using the video tape recorder for video recording is illustrated, but any recording medium is applicable as long as it is a recording device capable of recording a video signal, for example, an optical recording disc. It goes without saying that the present invention is also applicable to a configuration using the above.

As described above, the video recording unit-integrated video camera of the present invention has the camera housing 22 and the housing 11 containing the mechanical deck portion 13 whose longitudinal direction is arranged horizontally arranged in series. Since the main body can be made thin, it can be easily stored in a bag or the like, and the adhesion when the shoulder belt 28 is carried around is good, so that the portability can be greatly improved. Further, since the main body is thin, it is not necessary to consider interference between a part of the face such as the nose and the main body, and the amount of projection of the finder unit 21 from the housing 11 is small, so Since it can be approached to 11, it can be held in a stable manner and the shake of the photographing screen can be prevented. Further, even in the case of continuous dynamic shooting such as panning and tilting, it is possible to carry out shooting by holding both hands with hands other than the hand hung on the grip and the grip belt 15 easily, so that the screen shake is surely reduced. Therefore, stable shooting is possible. Also,
Since it has a horizontal and thin housing 11 and an independent camera housing 22, both of which are connected by a rotatable arm 30, so that they can be placed on a table or hung on a wall or neck. It is possible to shoot while shooting, and it is possible to freely perform fixed shooting such as panning shooting without using auxiliary equipment such as a tripod. In addition, a document, a drawing, and the like are installed on the dedicated mount 50, and the housing 11 of the camera housing 22 is installed.
By simply adjusting the angle with respect to, it is possible to perform fixed photography of documents and drawings without using a tripod or the like. Further, the main body is hung on the neck by the shoulder belt 28, and the angle of the camera housing 22 with respect to the housing 11 is arbitrarily adjusted, so that it is possible to perform panning while walking at a constant angle of view.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, a video camera integrated with a video recording unit is provided with a housing for incorporating a video recording unit such as a mechanical deck unit, and a camera housing for accommodating a camera unit for photographing a subject independently. Since it is configured to be connected to each other by the arm via the rotatable connecting portion, the degree of freedom in arranging the camera housing with respect to the housing arrangement is increased, and auxiliary equipment such as a tripod is not used. Fixed shooting is possible, and since the housing and camera housing are arranged in series on the same plane in the standard state, it is possible to improve the operability with a thin shape, and in addition to general shooting, business tools such as presentations and conference recordings. It is also useful as a video recorder and has the effect of significantly expanding the use of a video camera with an integrated video recording unit.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
(B) is a side view and (c) is a perspective view.

FIG. 2 shows a rotary shaft 31, an arm 30, and the like in the configuration of FIG.
It is a detailed explanatory view of the composition of the rotating shaft 32, (a) is an exploded perspective view, (b) is a horizontal sectional view.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a case where a video camera integrated with a video recording unit is held and used by hand, (a) is a side view,
(B), (c) is a perspective view.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of another usage state in the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4A is a side view when a low-angle or high-angle shooting is performed by holding a video camera with an integrated video recording unit by hand. FIG. 1B is a side view when a video camera integrated with a video recording unit is hung on a wall for panning.

5 is an explanatory diagram of still another usage state in the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of another usage state in the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 2.

7A and 7B are partially enlarged configuration diagrams of a video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 7A is a partial side view and FIG. 7B is a partial sectional view.

8A and 8B are partially enlarged configuration diagrams of a video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 8A is a partial front view and FIG. 8B is a partial side view.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a side view,
(B) is a partial perspective view.

10A and 10B are explanatory views of a video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10A is a plan sectional view, and FIG. 10B is a partial perspective view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Housing 11a Cutout 12 Camera Part 13 Mechanical Deck 13a Cutout 14 Cassette Lid 15 Grip Belt 16 Battery 17 Electronic Viewfinder 18 Display Tube 19 Reflector 20 Image Enlarging Lens 21 Finder 22 Camera Housing 28 Shoulder Belt 30 Arm 31 Rotating shaft 31a Screw hole 31b Bearing hole 32 Rotating shaft 32a Screw hole 32b Bearing hole 33 Bottom case 33a Bearing hole 33b Groove 34 Upper case 35 Wavy flat spring 36 Holding plate 36a hole 37 Screw 37 41 Recessed screw 38 42 Spring 42 43 Lock Pin 43 43a Flange 43a 44 Release Button 44 45 Lever 46 Recess 47 Convex 48 Convex 50 Stand 51 Base 51a Mounting Hole 52 Stand 53 Soke DOO portion 54 socket portion 55 relay board 56 cable connector 57 wiring connectors

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A main body including a deck section for recording a video signal, an image pickup means including a camera section for picking up an image of a subject and outputting a video signal, and the image pickup means at an arbitrary angle on a side portion in the longitudinal direction of the main body. An arm connecting each of the main body and the image pickup means via a rotatable connecting portion for holding, a video signal from the camera section and a video from the deck section at a position corresponding to the image pickup means of the main body. A video camera integrated with a video recording unit, comprising a finder for displaying at least one of signals. 2. The main body is provided with a notch portion having a shape corresponding to a part of the image pickup means.
A video camera integrated with the video recording unit described. 3. The main body comprises a holding means for rotatably holding the finder.
A video camera integrated with the video recording unit described. 4. The video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to claim 1, wherein the arm includes a hollow portion including a signal line connecting between the main body and the imaging unit. 5. The video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to claim 1, wherein the main body includes a restricting unit that restricts the movement of the arm to a constant angle. 6. The video camera with a built-in video recording unit according to claim 1, further comprising lock means for fixing the position of the image pickup means with respect to the main body at a reference position. 7. The video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to claim 6, wherein the lock means includes a frame fixed to mount a subject to be imaged by the image capturing means. 8. The video camera integrated with a video recording unit according to claim 7, wherein the lock means is integrally provided with a mounting portion of the gantry. 9. The video camera with integrated video recording unit according to claim 4, wherein the hollow portion has a built-in relay board for relaying the signal line.