JP6733866B2 - Camera device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a small camera device such as an action camera.

Conventionally, there is known a small camera in which a substrate is arranged inside a cylindrical housing aiming at downsizing of the device (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). In a small camera configured with such a cylindrical casing, a small camera device that detects the gravity direction so that the display state of a captured image is always a constant horizontal state regardless of the position of the casing and corrects the display image. Is also known (for example, see Patent Document 2). In this case, for example, a gravity sensor or the like may be installed on the substrate inside the housing to detect the direction of gravity.

JP, 2005-231558, A JP, 11-281897, A

By the way, in the case of configuring a small camera device with a cylindrical housing as described above, when inspecting a finished product after manufacturing, the housing rolls and it is inspected whether or not the direction of gravity can be accurately detected. Was difficult. Even if the inspection can be performed, since the position reference is not clear, there is a problem that it is difficult to understand even if a gravity sensor such as a gyro sensor is defective or a mistake is made in mounting this sensor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a camera device that is provided with a position reference in the direction of gravity and can easily detect the direction of gravity.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, in a camera device having a substantially cylindrical housing, a flat surface is provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing in the circumferential direction.

Specifically, the camera device of the present invention is a camera device in which a substrate is arranged inside a substantially cylindrical casing, and a gravity sensor for detecting the direction of gravity is arranged on the substrate. The flat surface provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing in the circumferential direction is a detection reference surface in the gravity direction.

According to this configuration, since the flat surface is provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing in the circumferential direction, the camera device does not roll and the accurate gravity direction inspection can be easily performed. Further, by using the flat surface as the detection reference surface for detecting the direction of gravity, it is possible to easily confirm a defect of the gravity sensor or a mounting error of the substrate or the like.

It is preferable that the substrate and the flat surface are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to each other.

With this configuration, the positional relationship between the direction of gravity and the mounting surface of the gravity sensor becomes clearer, and the direction of gravity can be reliably detected.

The angle formed by the perpendicular line extending from the center of the housing and the end of the flat surface when viewed in the cross-sectional direction of the housing is preferably in the range of 20° to 60°.

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing a flat surface on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing and using this as a detection reference surface in the weight direction, the camera body does not roll and the inspection in the gravity direction is performed. Easy to do. In addition, since the circumferential position of the housing is always defined by the reference plane, it is possible to immediately confirm a defect in the sensor or a mounting error of the board or the like.

1 is a schematic diagram of an image recording device including a camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the camera device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. It is sectional drawing in the VV line in FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the image recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a detection function block diagram of a gravity direction.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature.

In this description, unless otherwise specified, “front” and “rear” refer to the side on which the lens unit of the camera device is arranged and the opposite side, and “bottom” refers to the casing of the camera device. The side on which the flat surface is provided is referred to as "upper".

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image recording apparatus including a camera device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the camera device according to the present embodiment.

3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. It is a figure.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of detection of the direction of gravity.

(Outline of image recording device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the image recording device 1 includes a camera device 10, a cable 30 connected to the camera device 10, and a signal processing device 40 connected to the cable 30.

In the present embodiment, the camera device 10 is a small camera device mounted on a frame 100a made of a ferrous material of the eyeglasses 100 worn by an observer who performs an action motion or the like. Further, the camera device 10 is mounted on the frame 100a such that the flat surface 11a provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical casing 11 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is in contact with the surface of the frame 100a. Has been done.

The image acquired by the camera device 10 attached to the frame 100a of the spectacles 100 is sent to the signal processing device 40 via the cable 30.

The sent image is processed by the image processing unit 41 (see FIG. 6) provided in the signal processing device 40 and recorded in the recording unit 45 (see FIG. 6).

Further, the image processed by the image processing unit 41 can be viewed on the image display unit 50 connected to the signal processing device 40.

For example, the real-time image being observed can be viewed by the image display unit 50 by another person at a remote place. It is also possible for an observer to confirm the image recorded in the recording unit 45 on the image display unit 50 after a while. It is also possible to use the plurality of image display units 50 to simultaneously view images between an observer and another person at a distant place.

(Structure of camera device)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the camera device 10 has a substantially cylindrical housing 11 having a flat surface 11a and an arc surface 11c in the circumferential direction, and a cover portion provided on the front surface of the housing 11. 12, an illumination unit 13 for applying light to an object to be photographed, a lens unit 14 including a camera lens (not shown), and an imaging unit 15 having an imaging element (not shown).

Here, the flat surface 11a is provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing 11 in the circumferential direction.

The cover portion 12 has a cover glass 12a and an O-ring 12b.

The O-ring 12b is provided by the cover glass 12a and the joint 24 to keep the inside of the casing 11 sealed at the front and rear airtight.

A substrate 17 and a substrate holder 19 for holding the substrate 17 are arranged inside the housing 11. The board 17 is provided with a connector 18 for electrically connecting to the cable 30, signal amplification ICs 21 and 23, a gravity sensor 22, and other electronic components (not shown).

The cable 30 includes a power supply line (not shown) for sending electric power to the illumination unit 13, the image pickup unit 15, and the gravity sensor 22, and a first signal line (not shown) for driving and controlling the image pickup unit 15. A second signal line (not shown) for receiving an image signal from the image pickup unit 15 and a signal from the gravity sensor 22 and a third signal line (not shown) for exchanging other control signals are provided. Each wire of the cable 30 and the connector 18 provided on the board 17 are electrically connected to each other via a wire such as a flexible wire (not shown).

Electric power is sent to the signal amplification IC 21 and the gravity sensor 22 provided on the substrate 17 via a printed wiring (not shown) on the substrate 17, and signals are exchanged with the signal processing device 40. In addition, electric power is sent to the illumination unit 13 and the imaging unit 15 via the flexible wiring 16 connected to the substrate 17, and signals are exchanged with the signal processing device 40.

The signal amplification IC (signal amplification unit) 21 is provided to amplify the signals exchanged through the power supply line, the first signal line, and the second signal line. By providing this IC, even when the cable 30 is extended, it is possible to supply a signal with sufficient intensity to the illumination unit 13, the imaging unit 15, and the gravity sensor 22.

The signal exchanged through the first signal line may be, for example, a signal conforming to the I ² C communication standard, and the signal exchanged through the second signal line may be, for example, the MIPI (registered trademark) standard. Signals are included.

The signal amplification IC 23 is provided to amplify the signal exchanged through the third signal line.

The gravity sensor 22 detects the direction of gravity corresponding to the movement of the head of the person wearing the camera device 10, for example.

As the gravity sensor 22, a rotation angular velocity sensor such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor, or a sensor using these in combination can be used.

A magnet 20 is provided on the lower surface side of the substrate holder 19, and this magnetic force causes the camera device 10 to move the frame 100 to the frame 100 with the side surface of the frame 100a made of an iron-based material and the flat surface 11a of the housing 11 in contact with each other. It is fixed to.

The magnet 20 is attached to the substrate holder 19 with an adhesive material such as tape.

Further, the upper surface of the substrate holder 19 is provided with a recess according to the shape of a component provided on the lower surface of the substrate 17, for example, the signal amplification IC 23.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the substrate holder 19 is provided in the substrate 17 by inserting the magnet 20 and inserting the substrate 17 into the housing 11 with the substrate 17 placed thereon. The boss 19a provided on the substrate holder 19 is fitted into the notch portion 17a, and the substrate 17 and the substrate holder 19 are positioned.

The substrate holder 19 in the housing 11 is positioned and fixed in the front-rear direction and the rotation direction.

First, positioning and fixing in the front-rear direction will be described.

The substrate holder 19 is in contact with the joint 24 on the rear surface thereof so as to face the joint 24, and is formed so as to contact the entire inner circumference of the housing 11 on the rear side, and the cable 30 is provided in the center when viewed from the front. It has an opening to be inserted.

The tip end of the joint 24 in which the cable 30 is inserted is inserted into the housing 11, and the positioning hole 11a provided in the housing 11 and the positioning protrusion 24a provided in the joint 24 are fitted to each other to form a housing. The cable 30 and the joint 24 are fixed to the body 11. Similarly, the rear side of the substrate holder 19 is also positioned with the cable 30 inserted in the opening.

Further, after the board holder 19 is inserted into the housing 11, the imaging unit 15, the lens unit 14, the illumination unit 13, and the cover unit 12 are sequentially attached to the housing 11. At this time, the flexible wiring 16 is attached. The substrate holder 19 is pressed backward by the force, and the front side of the substrate holder 19 is also fixed.

Next, positioning and fixing in the rotation direction will be described.

The cross-sectional shape of the substrate holder 19 is along the inner peripheral surface of the housing 11 and is a combined shape of the straight line 11a and the arc 11c, so that the substrate holder 19 can freely rotate about the axis extending in the front-back direction of the camera device 10. Can not. Therefore, the positions of the substrate 17 and the substrate holder 19 are necessarily fixed.

The substrate holder 19 is provided only below the substrate 17 except for the rear side. That is, the upper side of the substrate 17 inside the housing 11 is hollow.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, since the substrate 17 is arranged so as to be parallel to the flat surface 11 a of the housing 11, the gravity sensor 22 provided on the upper surface of the substrate 17 and the flat surface 11 a. The layout relationship with 11a is also uniquely determined.

Further, when viewed from the front, the substrate 17 is arranged so as to be located on the center line of the housing 11, in this case, the radial direction.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the flat surface 11a is provided on the cylindrical housing 11 of the camera device 10, for example, a jig or the like for preventing the camera device 10 from rolling. It is possible to easily inspect the direction of gravity of the camera device without separately preparing.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the angle θ formed by the perpendicular line extending from the center of the housing 11 and the end of the flat surface 11a when viewed from the cross-sectional direction of the housing 11 is 20° or more and 60° or less. It is preferably in the range of.

With this setting, the camera device 10 can be surely prevented from rolling and the member can be installed below the substrate 17.

Further, the flat surface 11a is in contact with the flat side surface of the frame 100a, so that the frame 100a can be easily attached to a device or a device.

Furthermore, by using a flat surface as a detection reference surface for detecting the direction of gravity, it is possible to easily confirm a defect of the gravity sensor or a mounting error of the substrate or the like. Further, by disposing the substrate 17 provided with the gravity sensor 22 and the flat surface 11a so as to be substantially parallel to each other, the direction of gravity can be reliably detected.

Further, in the present embodiment, the magnet 20 is fitted into the substrate holder 19 and arranged on the side of the flat surface 11a of the housing 11, that is, below the substrate 17, so that a special attachment can be provided by utilizing the magnetic force. The camera device can be easily attached to a device or an instrument without preparation.

Further, by providing the space above the substrate 17, the cooling efficiency inside the housing 11 can be maintained.

The substrate holder 19 may be provided above the substrate 17. In that case, for example, the magnet 20 can be directly arranged on the inner surface of the housing 11. However, in that case, considering the connection with the cable 30, the connector 18 is preferably provided on the lower surface of the substrate 17.

Further, the substrate 17 and the substrate holder 19 may be bonded with an adhesive material or the like.

Although the housing 11 and the frame 100a are coupled to each other through magnetic force in the present embodiment, other means such as an adhesive, a clip, or a binding tool may be used.

Although removing the camera device 10 is more time-consuming than using a magnet, the above means is effective when the mounted member is a material that does not react to magnetic force.

The signal amplification ICs 21 and 23 and the gravity sensor 22 may be arranged on the upper surface or the lower surface of the substrate 17. All the components may be arranged on the same surface of the board 17, and the arrangement is not particularly limited.

The board holder 19 is useful for stabilizing the position of the board 17, and thus the gravity sensor 22, in the housing 11. However, if the camera apparatus 10 is used in an environment where it does not move much, this is omitted. It is also possible.

When the camera device 10 is mounted on the frame 100a of the spectacles 100, the camera device preferably has a diameter of about 5 mm to 1.5 cm and a length of about 1 cm to 5 cm, but is not particularly limited thereto. It is not limited to this, and can be changed as appropriate depending on the member to be mounted, the application, and the like.

In the present embodiment, the substrate 17 and the flat surface 11a are arranged so as to be parallel to each other. However, the positional relationship between the substrate 17 and the flat surface 11a is within the allowable range of detection accuracy in the direction of gravity. It may be offset from parallel.

(Functional block configuration of image recording device)
As shown in FIG. 6, the illumination unit 13, the imaging unit 15, the signal amplification unit 21, the gravity sensor 22, the signal processing device 40, and the image display unit 50 are connected via the bus 60. There is.

Here, the bus 60 refers to wiring inside the cable 30, wiring inside the signal processing device 40 (not shown), and wiring between the signal processing device 40 and the image display unit 50.

Since the image signal is exchanged between the signal processing device 40 and the image display unit 50, wireless communication may be used instead of wired communication.

Further, the signal processing device 40 includes an image processing unit 41, a signal processing unit 43, a power supply unit 44, and a recording unit 45. Further, the image processing unit 41 has an image correction unit 42.

The signal exchanged by the image processing unit 41 is transmitted by the second signal line of the cable described above, and the signal exchanged by the signal processing unit 42 is transmitted by the first signal line of the cable described above. The signals exchanged with the power supply unit correspond to the signals transmitted with the power supply line of the cable described above.

In addition, the signal processing device 40 may have other necessary functional blocks depending on the application.

Further, the recording unit 45 may hold data other than the image data, for example, data for image correction. Further, the recording unit 45 may be provided separately from the signal processing device 40.

The recording unit 45 may be configured to be able to write to and read from a recording medium such as an SD card or a USB memory.

The image display unit 50 is provided separately from the image recording device 1, but may be incorporated in the image recording device 1.

Here, the image correction using the signal detected by the gravity sensor 22 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, signals from the acceleration sensor, the rotational angular velocity sensor, or both of these sensors are sent to the image correction unit 42, and the camera posture calculation unit 42a calculates the gravity direction with the flat surface 11a as a reference. Then, the current attitude amount of the camera device 10 is calculated using the calculated gravity vector.

Based on the calculated posture amount, the posture correction amount calculation unit 42b calculates an amount for actually correcting the tilt of the image based on the tilt of the camera device 10. The calculated correction amount is recorded in the posture correction amount recording unit 42c because it is used for calculation of the correction amount at the next timing.

The image whose inclination has been corrected is sent to the image display unit 50 and displayed.

According to the present embodiment, by using a flat surface provided in the circumferential direction of the housing as the detection reference surface in the gravity direction, it becomes easy to detect the gravity direction. The inclination correction becomes easy.

As a result, even if the mounted member on which the camera device 10 is mounted moves largely, it is possible to record a stable image with little tilt or shake. A stable recorded image can be obtained even when moved to.

In the present embodiment, the example in which the camera device is attached to the eyeglasses and the image of the observation object is recorded has been described, but the applicable range is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to apply it to an in-pipe inspection or the like.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the camera device 10 and the signal processing device 40 are connected by the cable 30 has been shown, but, for example, signals may be exchanged between them wirelessly.

In that case, the camera device 10 may have a battery as a power source.

The camera device of the present invention is extremely useful as a camera device that can be attached to a device.

1 Image Recording Device 10 Camera Device 11 Housing 11a Flat Surface 15 Imaging Unit 17 Substrate 19 Substrate Holder 22 Gravity Sensor 41 Image Processing Unit 45 Recording Unit 50 Image Display Unit

Claims (3)

A camera device in which a substrate is arranged inside a substantially cylindrical casing,
A gravity sensor for detecting the direction of gravity is arranged on the substrate,
The camera device, wherein a flat surface provided on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the housing in the circumferential direction is a detection reference surface in the gravity direction. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is arranged so as to be positioned substantially parallel to the flat surface. The angle formed by a vertical line extending from the center of the housing and an end of the flat surface as viewed in the cross-sectional direction of the housing is in a range of 20° or more and 60° or less. Camera device.