JP4416360B2 - Pan head system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera platform system for mounting an imaging apparatus such as a digital still camera to camera platform device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, videoconferencing and videophone systems are ITU-T recommendation H.264. Those that communicate using ISDN lines based on 320 are the mainstream. This system requires installation of an ISDN line, and the ISDN line usage fee is metered and expensive, so in terms of its spread, it is limited to shared use in conference rooms within the company. ing.
[0003]
On the other hand, recently, ITU-T recommendation H.264 using a local area LAN. A new standard for H.323 video conferencing systems has appeared, making it easy to implement video conferencing on a company LAN. In this case, each person is responsible for LAN-compatible H.264. Using the H.323 video conference system, communication can be performed within the same LAN without a line usage fee. Only when communicating with an existing ISDN-based video conference system, communication is performed via a shared gateway, and a usage fee for a pay-per-use ISDN line is charged. However, there is a connection via the Internet and the other party is also H.264. If the H.323 video conference system is introduced, the gateway is not necessary.
[0004]
Recently, cable access using cable television lines and Internet connection using xDSL have made it possible to perform high-speed and always-accessible Internet access in the home, and further spread is expected in the future. When a high-speed, always-accessible Internet access method is supplied at a low cost, videophones and video conferences that have been used for shared use by companies up to now are ITU-T Recommendation H.264. Using the H.323 standard, it can be performed on a personal basis easily and inexpensively from the home via the Internet.
[0005]
In this way, video conferencing and video phone systems are becoming more common recently, but the camera with a pan head used by such video conferencing and video phone systems is dedicated to the system and can be used alone. It cannot be used, and it is expensive to purchase for the limited purpose of indoor use. Against this background, there is a demand for attaching a digital still camera on hand to the pan head device and simply using it as a camera for a video conference / video phone system.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional system has the following problems.
[0007]
There are many types of digital still cameras that can transfer still images / moving pictures via USB and output audio / video via analog output. There is also a type of digital still camera that can supply power from an external AC power source. However, these are wired, and it is necessary to connect a cable to each terminal.
[0008]
In other words, after attaching the digital still camera to the pan / tilt head device, a complicated procedure of connecting cables is necessary, and these cables may interfere with the pan / tilt operation of the pan / tilt head device. .
[0009]
In addition, the position and shape of the cable insertion port differ for each manufacturer and model for each digital still camera, and it is necessary to prepare a dedicated pan head device for each camera.
[0010]
In view of the above-described conventional problems, the present invention eliminates troublesome cable connection when connecting an imaging device such as a digital still camera to the pan head device, and the cable does not interfere with the operation of the pan head device. , and to provide a camera platform system that can be easily connected to a common pan head system regardless the difference in the multi-types of the shape of the imaging device.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a camera platform system having a connection adapter for mounting the imaging device to the camera platform system, the connection adapter has a concave supporting portion, the concave By fixing the imaging device with a support portion, a support body that supports the imaging device, and a support portion of a surface that is horizontal to the bottom surface of the imaging device among the concave support portions, the imaging device, and mechanical connection means for mechanically connecting the supporting portion of the horizontal surface to the bottom surface of the imaging device, of the concave support section, provided in the support portion of the plane perpendicular to the bottom surface of the imaging device An electrical connection means for electrically connecting the imaging device and the concave support portion; and a support portion on a surface horizontal to a bottom surface of the imaging device, and the support body is attached to the pan head device. and fixing means for fixing the bottom surface of the imaging device Flat is provided in the support portion of the surface, the junction of the connection adapter when it is secured to the camera platform device, the electrical connection means and being electrically connected, and joined to the connecting terminals of the camera platform device Means, a support portion having a horizontal surface on the bottom surface of the imaging device provided with the mechanical connection means, and a support portion having a surface perpendicular to the bottom surface of the imaging device provided with the electrical connection means. And operating means for operating in a sliding motion .
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is an overall overview diagram of an information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0016]
In this information processing system, a pan head device 400 is electrically connected to a still camera 100 with an adapter in which a camera adapter 300 of the present invention is fixed to a normal digital still camera 200.
[0017]
<Outline of digital still camera>
FIG. 2 is an overview diagram showing an example of a general digital still camera.
[0018]
201 is a shutter button, 202 is a zoom operation lever, 203 is a viewfinder window, 204 is an AF auxiliary light projector, 205 is a built-in flash, 206 is a wrist strap bracket, 207 is a lens, 208 is a microphone, 211 is digital / analog A terminal, 212 a viewfinder eyepiece, 221 a power supply insertion portion, 231 a battery cover, and 232 a tripod screw hole.
[0019]
<Structure of camera adapter>
FIG. 3 is a side view showing the structure of the camera adapter 300 according to the present embodiment.
[0020]
In the figure, 301 is a power supply terminal, 302 is a terminal interface unit for connecting digital / analog terminals, 303 is a vertical operation unit, 304 is an adapter fixing screw, 305 is a horizontal operation unit, 306 is an adapter fixing plate, and 307 is a cloud. A base junction terminal group 308 is a pan head junction.
[0021]
Specifically, the camera adapter 300 includes a concave support body 309 for contacting the bottom surface and part of the side surface of the camera body 200 to support the camera body 200.
[0022]
The fixing screw 304 is provided at the bottom of the support body 309 and is screwed into the tripod screw hole 232 of the camera body 200 to fix the support body 309 to the camera body 200. The terminal interface unit 302 is provided on the side wall of the support 309 and is connected to the digital / analog terminal 211 of the camera body 200.
[0023]
Further, the power supply terminal 301 is provided on the side wall portion of the support 309 and is connected to the power supply terminal in the power supply insertion portion 221 of the camera body 200. The vertical operation unit 303 extends and contracts the side wall of the support 309 in the vertical direction, and the horizontal operation unit 305 expands and contracts the bottom of the support 309 in the horizontal direction.
[0024]
The pan / tilt joint part 308 is provided on the bottom outer surface side of the support 309, and is connected to the power terminal 301 and the terminal interface unit 302 at the time of one-touch mounting with the pan / tilt head device 400. The group 307 is joined to the terminal group of the pan head device 400.
[0025]
4 and 5 show an enlarged structure of the camera adapter 300. FIG. 4A shows an enlarged structure of the power supply terminal 301, FIG. 4B shows an enlarged structure of the interface section 302 for connecting the digital / analog terminal, and FIG. 4C shows the vertical operation section. An enlarged structure 303 is shown. 5A shows an enlarged structure of the horizontal operation unit 305, FIG. 5B shows an enlarged structure of the adapter fixing plate 306, and FIG. 5C shows an enlarged structure of the adapter fixing screw 304. Show.
[0026]
6 is a structural diagram of the pan head device 400 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7A shows an enlarged view of the adapter joint 411 in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7B shows an adapter joint. A cross-sectional structure of 411 is shown.
[0027]
401 is a remote control light-receiving unit, 402 is a status display LED, 403 is a pan operation unit, 404 is a tilt operation unit, 405 is a power switch, 411 is an axle type adapter joint, 412 is a digital / analog terminal of the adapter joint, 413 Is an adapter fixing plate insertion portion, 423 is a terminal spring that pushes up a terminal electrically connected to the adapter joint digital / analog terminal 412, and 424 is an adapter joint digital / analog terminal 412 when not in use (when the adapter is not attached). Protecting terminal covers 425 are cover springs that push out the terminal cover 424.
[0028]
<How to attach the camera adapter>
Next, a method for mounting the camera adapter will be described.
[0029]
First, the interface portion 302 for connecting the digital / analog terminal is inserted into the digital / analog terminal 211, and the adapter fixing screw 304 is turned to be inserted into the tripod screw hole 232 and fixed. At the same time, the vertical operation unit 303 is moving. The horizontal operation unit 305 is slid to insert the power supply terminal 301 into the power supply insertion unit 231.
[0030]
Thereby, a digital still camera with an adapter in which the digital still camera 200 and the camera adapter 300 are connected is obtained (see FIG. 8).
[0031]
Next, the pan / tilt head joint 308 of the digital still camera with an adapter shown in FIG. 8 is slid and joined to the axle type adapter joint 411, and the adapter fixing plate 306 is inserted into the adapter fixing plate insertion portion 413 and fixed.
[0032]
When sliding, the pan head joint 308 pushes the terminal cover 424 to expose the terminal 412. The exposed adapter joint digital / analog terminal 412 is pushed up by the terminal spring 423 and comes into contact with the head joint terminal group 307.
[0033]
Thereby, the information processing system of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.
[0034]
<Internal Configuration of Camera Adapter 300>
FIG. 9 is an internal configuration diagram of the camera adapter 300.
[0035]
In the figure, 308 is a pan / tilt head joint, 301 is a power supply terminal, 302 is an interface unit for connecting digital / analog terminals, and 604 is a DC / DC converter. Reference numerals 611 to 616 and 621 to 624 are pan head junction terminal groups. 611 is a power source plus terminal, 612 is a power source minus terminal, 613 and 614 are analog audio output terminals, and 615 and 616 are analog video output terminals. , 621 are USB power supply terminals, 622 is a USBD (−) terminal, 623 is a USBD (+) terminal, and 624 is a USB ground terminal.
[0036]
FIG. 10 is an internal configuration diagram of the pan head device 400.
[0037]
In the figure, 701 is a system controller, 702 is a flash memory, 703 is a RAM, 704 is a remote control IR light receiving unit, 705 is a power supply circuit, 706 is a supply power control circuit, 707 is a tilt motor driving circuit, and 708 is a tilt stepping motor. 709, a pan motor driving circuit, 710, a pan stepping motor, 711, a USB peripheral controller, 712, a USB peripheral interface, 713, a USB host controller, 714, a USB host interface, and 715, a sound for converting sound into a digital signal. An AD converter, 716 is an analog audio input interface, 717 is a video decoder, and 718 is an analog video input interface.
[0038]
In the state of FIG. 1, the camera platform device 400 supplies power to the digital still camera with an adapter from the power source plus terminal 611 and the power source minus terminal 612. The supplied power is subjected to appropriate voltage conversion by the DC / DC converter 604, and power is supplied from the power supply terminal 301 to the digital still camera 200. The supplied electric power may be used not only for operation but also for charging the secondary battery according to the specifications of the digital still camera.
[0039]
When the digital still camera is turned on, the USB connection is made. The pan / tilt head device 400 retrieves the driver software of the connected digital still camera 200 from the flash memory 702 and loads it into the RAM 703.
[0040]
When authentication of the connected digital still camera 200 is completed, a moving image request command and an audio request command are sent from the camera platform device 400, and digital moving image and audio are transmitted via the USB. Then, the video and audio are transmitted to the external host machine via the USB peripheral interface 711, and a video conference / video phone call can be performed according to the procedure of H323 or H320.
[0041]
On the other hand, in the case of the digital still camera 200 that cannot send video and audio via USB, the video decoder 717 and the audio AD converter 715 digitize based on the signals sent from the analog video out and analog audio out, and the above Similarly, video and audio are transmitted to the host machine via the USB peripheral controller 711 and the USB peripheral interface 712.
[0042]
When a still image request is issued from the host machine and the IR remote controller, the pan / tilt head device 400 sends a still image request command to the digital still camera 200 via the USB host controller 713 and the USB host interface 714. The digital still camera 200 stops the transmission of the still image, cuts the shutter, captures the still image, and then transmits the still image to the pan head device 400 via the USB host controller 713 and the USB host interface 714.
[0043]
The pan / tilt head device 400 can send a still image obtained from the digital still camera 200 to the host machine via the USB peripheral controller 711 and the USB peripheral interface 712, and can be used for a video conference and a video phone according to the procedure of T120.
[0044]
As described above, in the present embodiment, when connecting the digital still camera 200 to the pan head device 400, troublesome cable connection is eliminated, and the cable does not interfere with the pan head operation, and there are many types of digital still cameras. Since the camera adapter 300 absorbs the difference in shape, it is possible to easily connect to the common pan head device 400.
[0045]
[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 11 is an internal configuration diagram of a camera adapter according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0046]
The camera adapter 300 of this embodiment is provided with drive voltage selection switches 831 to 834 in place of the DC / DC converter 604 in the camera adapter of the first embodiment shown in FIG.
[0047]
FIG. 12 is an internal configuration diagram of the pan head device 400 of the second embodiment connected to the camera adapter shown in FIG.
[0048]
The camera platform device 400 to which the camera adapter 300 of the present embodiment is connected is provided with a voltage selection interface 919 for determining the voltage to be supplied in the camera platform device 400 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. is there.
[0049]
When connected as shown in FIG. 1, the pan / tilt head device 400 confirms the drive voltage setting switches 831 to 834 set by the camera adapter 300 to be used via the voltage selection interface 919, and then the supply power control circuit 706. The power is supplied by controlling to an appropriate voltage at.
[0050]
Similar to the first embodiment, the supplied power may be used not only for operating according to the specifications of the digital still camera 200 but also for charging the secondary battery. An example of the setting of the drive voltage setting switches 831 to 834 is shown in FIG.
[0051]
In FIG. 13, 2 bits are used to determine the type of battery, and 2 bits are used to determine the number of battery cells. In other words, the battery type selection bit 1 and the battery type selection bit 0 can confirm the battery type and external power drive support. In addition, the number of cells can be confirmed by the battery cell number selection bit 1 and the battery cell number selection bit 0. The number of bits is not limited to the above, and a larger number may be used if necessary.
[0052]
Moreover, although each said embodiment demonstrated digital still camera provided with USB interface, connecting IEEE1394 interface is increased by increasing a terminal in the camera head pan joint part and the pan head apparatus adapter joint part. It may correspond to the digital video camera provided.
[0053]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, there is no need for troublesome cable connection when connecting an imaging device to the pan head device, and there are many types of imaging without the cable interfering with the pan head operation. Since the connection adapter absorbs the difference in the shape of the device, it can be easily connected to a common pan head device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall overview diagram of an information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an overview diagram showing an example of a general digital still camera.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing the structure of the camera adapter 300 according to the first embodiment.
4 is a diagram showing an enlarged structure of a camera adapter 300. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an enlarged structure of a camera adapter 300. FIG.
6 is a structural diagram of the pan / tilt head device 400 shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
7 is an enlarged view of an adapter joint 411 of the pan / tilt head device 400 in FIG. 6. FIG.
FIG. 8 is an overview of a digital still camera with an adapter.
FIG. 9 is an internal configuration diagram of the camera adapter according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 10 is an internal configuration diagram of the pan / tilt head device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an internal configuration diagram of a camera adapter according to a second embodiment.
12 is an internal block diagram of the pan / tilt head device 400 according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
13 is a diagram showing an example of setting of drive voltage setting switches 831 to 834 shown in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Still camera with adapter 200 Digital still camera 300 Camera adapter 400 Pan head device 301 Power supply terminal 302 Terminal interface part 303 for digital / analog terminal connection Vertical operation part 304 Adapter fixing screw 305 Horizontal operation part 306 Adapter fixing plate 307 Cloud Platform junction terminal group 308 Camera platform junction 309 Support 401 Remote control light receiving unit 402 Status display LED
403 Pan operation unit 404 Tilt operation unit 405 Power switch 411 Adapter connection portion 412 of the pan head device Digital / analog terminal 413 of the pan head device adapter connection portion 423 Adapter fixing plate insertion portion 423 Terminal spring 424 Terminal cover 425 Cover spring 604 DC / DC converter 831-834 Drive voltage setting switch

Claims (4)

A pan head system having a connection adapter for mounting an imaging device on a pan head device,
The connection adapter is
Has a concave supporting portion, by fixing the imaging device by the recessed support portion, and a support for supporting the imaging device,
A machine for mechanically connecting the imaging device and a support portion having a horizontal surface to the bottom surface of the imaging device , provided in a support portion having a horizontal surface on the bottom surface of the imaging device among the concave support portions. Connection means;
Among the concave support section, provided in the support portion of the plane perpendicular to the bottom surface of the imaging device, and electrical connection means for electrically connecting the supporting portion of the concave and the imaging device,
Provided on the supporting portion of the horizontal surface to the bottom surface of the imaging device, and securing means for securing the support to the pan head system,
Provided in a support portion on a horizontal surface on the bottom surface of the imaging device, and when the connection adapter is fixed to the pan head device, is electrically connected to the electrical connection means, and the pan head device A joining means for joining to the connection terminal;
Sliding operation of a support portion having a horizontal surface on the bottom surface of the imaging device provided with the mechanical connection means and a support portion having a surface perpendicular to the bottom surface of the imaging device provided with the electrical connection means A pan head system, characterized in that it has an operating means to be operated at the head.   2. The camera platform system according to claim 1, wherein the camera platform device has a function of changing a direction of the mounted imaging device.   2. The pan head system according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection means is data communication means for communicating data.   2. The pan head system according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection means is power supply means for supplying power to the imaging device.

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