JP2006113128A - Camera outer frame device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably wipe the surface of a partial spherical window with a simple structure, and to ensure smooth operation by a simple driving mechanism, and not to disturb a wide view of a camera. To.
An outer frame device with a built-in camera is provided with a wiper 2 on a transparent window 5 in which a camera 10 is housed and an objective lens 17 of the camera 10 receives light from the outside, and is waterproof. The window 5 is a partial spherical body, and a wiper 2 for wiping off the surface of the window 5 of the partial spherical body is provided. The wiper 2 is curved in accordance with the surface of the window 5, supports the blade 4 with a tip edge applied to the surface of the window 5, and supports the blade 4. One end of the wiper 2 is orthogonal to the central axis at the center of the window 5. An arm 25 supported by a shaft 31 having a center on one line, and a drive mechanism for swinging the arm 25 by reciprocatingly rotating the shaft 31.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera built-in outer frame device in which a camera is stored for waterproofing, and a transparent window is provided in the objective lens portion of the camera so that the objective lens can receive light from the outside, and in particular, the camera has an optical axis of the objective lens. The present invention relates to a camera-equipped outer frame device that has a wide field of view in both the surrounding direction and the angle between the optical axes, and thus includes a projecting curved surface window such as a partial spherical surface and a wiper mechanism that wipes off the window.

In recent years, the technology for a high-resolution camera for land and water has rapidly advanced in order to provide a visual image. In particular, the camera for land and water has improved the functions of the digital camera in addition to the conventional optical camera, and the models have been diversified according to the purpose of use.
These water and land cameras are camera mechanisms that can be photographed as underwater cameras by preparing a camera housing with water resistance in addition to the camera body that is generally used on land, and mounting the camera body in it. It is said. These camera housings are compact and lightweight so that the camera operation function used on land does not deteriorate even in water.

  Such a camera-equipped outer frame device for photographing a land image is greatly influenced by the resolution of the image, particularly depending on conditions such as outside air temperature and humidity. In particular, it is an indispensable condition to transmit an image on the screen in a state where water droplets and adhered matter adhering to the camera window are removed as much as possible. For this reason, in a general waterproof camera installed outdoors, the camera housing is equipped with a wiper mechanism, and water droplets attached to the surface of the window by the wiper mechanism can be removed.

  As prior patent documents describing a camera housing equipped with a wiper mechanism, there are, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2003-46827 and 10-216049. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-46827 describes a camera housing equipped with a wiper that wipes off a semi-cylindrical window. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-216049 describes a camera housing having a hemispherical window and a wiper mechanism for wiping it off.

  Today's cameras are often equipped with ultra-wide-angle lenses with a wide viewing angle in addition to improvements in performance such as high resolution and light sensitivity. A camera using such an ultra-wide-angle lens has an advantage that a wide range can be photographed without panning the camera. For example, some lenses have a field of view of 360 ° around the optical axis of the objective lens and ± 100 ° in the direction of the optical axis, and some have a field of view beyond that.

  When using such a wide-angle camera with a wide field of view in a waterproof camera housing, in order to ensure a wide field of view of the camera, the window should be a transparent window such as a partial spherical shape. It is necessary to arrange the objective lens of the camera.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-216049 discloses a wiper mechanism for wiping off a window having a hemispherical shape. However, the wiper arm is of a both-end support type that swings while supporting both ends thereof. Is. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-46827 discloses a wiper mechanism that wipes off a semi-cylindrical window, but also describes a both-end support type wiper that supports and swings on both ends of a wiper arm.

In the conventional two-point support type wiper mechanism as described above, both ends of the wiper arm must be rotated in synchronization with two axes. However, since the lens portion of the camera is disposed in the window, it is impossible to provide the shaft so as to penetrate the window. For this reason, a special mechanism is required to rotate the two axes in synchronism, and the wiper operation becomes unstable if such a special mechanism is used.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-216049 JP 2003-46827 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-233381 JP 2002-354303 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-90777 JP-A-8-254738

  In the present invention, in view of the problem in the camera housing provided with the wiper mechanism in the conventional window, the surface of the partial spherical window can be surely wiped with a simple structure, and the simple drive mechanism can smoothly smooth the surface. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera built-in outer frame device that can ensure operation and has a wiper mechanism that does not hinder the wide field of view of the camera.

  In the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the wiper 2 is driven by a one-side support arm supported only at one end side, and the blade 4 of the wiper 2 presses against the window 5 of the partial spherical body. Thus, springs 27 and 29 for applying elasticity to appropriate portions were provided.

  That is, the camera built-in outer frame device according to the present invention has a waterproof property in which the camera 10 is housed and the objective lens 17 of the camera 10 is equipped with the wiper 2 on the transparent window 5 that receives light from the outside. The window 5 is a partial spherical body, and includes a wiper 2 that wipes off the surface of the window 5 of the partial spherical body. The wiper 2 is curved according to the surface of the window 5 and has a leading edge at the window 5. A blade 4 applied to the surface, an arm 25 supported by a shaft 31 that supports the blade 4 and rotates around a line perpendicular to the central axis at the center of the window 5, and the shaft 31 And a drive mechanism that reciprocally rotates to swing the arm 25.

  In such a camera built-in outer frame device according to the present invention, the arm 25 that supports the blade 4 for wiping off the surface of the window 5 is supported by the shaft 31 only at one end and is swung, so that both ends of the arm are supported. Unlike the wiper, the arm does not need to be rotated and swung around the two axes at both ends thereof. Therefore, the mechanism becomes simple, the operation is stable, and a reliable operation can be expected. Furthermore, since the arm 25 is disposed on one side of the window, a portion that obstructs the field of view of the camera 10 is narrowed, and a wide field of view can be secured.

  Further, the wiper 2 includes a spring 27 that gives elasticity to the arm 25 in a direction in which the blade 4 is pressed against the surface of the window 5, so that the blade 4 can be reliably and stably pressed against the surface of the window 5. . In addition to this, the wiper 2 is held by a blade holder 26 connected to the tip of the arm 25, and a spring 29 is attached to the blade holder 26 to give elasticity in the direction in which the blade 4 is pressed against the surface of the window 5. The blade 4 can be reliably and stably pressed against the surface of the partially spherical window 5.

  As described above, in the camera built-in outer frame device according to the present invention, the window of the partial spherical body can be reliably wiped with a simple structure, and a smooth operation can be ensured by a simple driving mechanism. Moreover, the portion that obstructs the camera view is narrow, and a wide view can be secured.

In the present invention, the arm 25 of the wiper 2 is swung on one axis at one end, thereby simplifying the structure and stabilizing the operation.
Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described in detail with specific examples with reference to the drawings.

  In the present invention, the purpose of using the camera housing is the same as that of a general camera housing. The captured video is displayed on the display screen by the video control device. In the camera housing, in addition to the high-resolution camera body, a wiper driving motor and control components for adjusting temperature and humidity are integrated. Here, such a camera housing is particularly referred to as a “camera built-in outer frame device”. This camera-equipped outer frame device is connected to the video control device by a cable for transmitting and receiving information.

  The video photographing system using the camera interior / outer frame device includes a video control device that freely selects a video to be transmitted on a display screen. From this video control device, a wiper operation command, heater ON / OFF command, ventilation fan ON / OFF command, etc. can be transmitted and operated to the camera built-in frame device during shooting. These operations have the advantage that they can be operated by an operator in the room who is processing the video on the display screen, rather than being operated by the photographer himself. For example, an underwater photographer can freely shoot underwater by freely holding the handle portion of the camera built-in outer frame device with both hands.

  The camera body that uses the camera built-in outer frame device is a high-resolution camera for video, and its waterproof structure requires high airtightness. Along with these waterproof structures, in order to reduce the influence of the outside air temperature as much as possible, a robust camera-equipped outer frame structure using a heat insulating material in the outer frame circle was formed. The outer periphery of the outer frame was made of a thin stainless steel plate, and the weight was reduced in consideration of the combination of water and land. In addition, a transparent acrylic resin or glass material is used for the window in contact with the wiper.

Next, the configuration and operation of the camera built-in outer frame device according to the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external appearance of a camera built-in outer frame device for photographing a land image. The outermost part of the outer frame device with a built-in camera is an outer cover 1 made of stainless steel. A camera body, a wiper drive motor, a heater for adjusting the outer peripheral temperature of the camera body, and the like are built in the outer cover 1.

A camera observation window 5 is provided at the top of the outer cover 1 in FIG. The window 5 is transparent if it is made of tempered glass or the like, and in the illustrated case, it is hemispherical. An objective lens of the camera is disposed inside the window 5.
The window 5 is equipped with a wiper 2 for wiping off the surface. The wiper 2 rotates the arm 25 through a gear mechanism incorporated in the outer cover 1 and a swing link 30 shown in FIG. The blade 4 fixed to the blade holder 26 connected to the tip of the arm 25 is reciprocated along the surface of the window 5 to wipe off water droplets and the like adhering to the window 5.

Video captured by a camera built in the outer cover 1 is connected to a video cable via input / output power terminals 6 and 6 'provided on the outer cover 1, and sent to the video control room via this video cable. The image is controlled while observing the received image.
Shooting while moving in the water is performed while holding the handle 7 attached to the outer cover 1 with both hands and holding the camera-equipped outer frame device. Further, when the camera is fixed and installed as a surveillance camera or the like, the camera can be installed using a fixing mounting screw provided on the bottom surface of the outer cover 1.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a video system by a camera using the camera built-in outer frame device. Among these, the part surrounded by the two-dot chain line is the camera built-in outer frame device. Connected to the built-in camera outer frame device are a camera body 10, a wiper drive motor 9, a low-temperature and high-temperature operation thermal relay (T1) 11 and (T2) 11 'for controlling the internal temperature. ing. The heaters 12 are turned on and off by the thermal relays 11 and 11 'so that the temperature in the apparatus is controlled. A circulation fan 13 for making the temperature inside the apparatus uniform is also incorporated.

  In this video shooting system, a video shot by a camera in a camera built-in outer frame device is processed by a video control device 14 that controls the entire video in a room at another location, and is displayed on the screen of the terminal display 15. In addition, a switching power supply unit 16 is provided, and AC and DC power are supplied to each unit through the switching power supply unit 16.

FIG. 3 is a structural view of a camera built-in outer frame device adopting the present plan, and FIG. 4 is a view showing, in particular, the window 5, the wiper 2, and the drive unit thereof. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the window 5 and the wiper 2.
The central part of this apparatus is a camera 10 for photographing. The camera 10 has an objective lens 17 at the top in FIGS. The objective lens 17 is disposed in the hemispherical window 5.

  FIG. 3 also shows the thermal relays 11, 11 ', the heater 12, and the circulation fan 13 described above with reference to FIG. Furthermore, on the bottom surface of the outer cover 1, there are shown fixing mounting screws 8 for fixing to the structure when the camera is fixed at a fixed position as described above and used for monitoring or the like.

  An inner cover 18 is disposed inside the outer cover 1 and is fixed inside the outer cover 1. The hemispherical window 5 is attached to the top of the inner cover 18 in FIG. 3 and 4 of the window 5 is formed with a flange that is integrally spread outwardly as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the flange portion is sandwiched between metal flanges 32 and 33 and is attached to the inner cover 18. The joints of these flanges 32 and 33 are sealed with a packing 22 such as an O-ring.

  A heat insulating material 19 made of foamed resin or the like is stretched inside the inner cover 18. Further, a heat insulating material 21 made of a slightly thick foamed resin or the like is inserted into the lower half of the inside of the window 5, and the heat insulating material 21 covers the portion of the flange 32 fixed to the inner cover 18 from the inner side. Yes. Cooling of the window 5 is suppressed by the thick heat insulating material 21 inserted in the window 5 portion. Thereby, the heat insulation by the heater system in the inner cover 18 becomes effective, and fogging due to condensation on the window is prevented. The heat insulating material 21 also functions as a lens hood that prevents reflection from the objective lens 17 of the camera 10 and prevents shooting trouble such as flare.

The camera 10 is disposed and fixed in the inner cover 18. In the inner cover 18, a drive motor 9 for driving the wiper 2 and a gear mechanism 20 as a power transmission mechanism are also fixed to the inner cover 18.
Next, the details of the wiper mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A rotation shaft of the drive motor 9 fixed in the inner cover 18 is transmitted to the shaft 31 via a gear mechanism 20 including a swing conversion mechanism and a bevel gear. As shown in FIG. 5, the central axis as of the shaft 31 is orthogonal to the central axis aw of the hemispherical window 5 and the center c of the window 5. In other words, the shaft 31 has a central axis ca on a certain line orthogonal to the central axis cw of the hemispherical window 5 and the center c of the window. The center axis cw of the window 5 mentioned here does not need to be defined, but means a rotation axis in which a hemispherical shape of the window 5 is formed by rotating a ¼ arc around the line.

  The base end of the arm 25 is connected to the shaft 31 via the swing link 30. The tip of the swing link 30 is the outside of the outer cover 1. In the illustrated example, the swing link 30 protrudes upward from the right shoulder in FIG. 4 of the outer cover 1. The arm 25 is bent in a square shape, and the tip of the arm 25 extends upward in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the window 5 and is disposed on the above-described central axis aw.

  Further, a central portion of a blade holder 26 that is an arc-shaped link is connected to the tip of the arm 25. The blade holder 26 has an arc shape, and a plurality of projecting brackets are integrally projected at equal angular intervals from the inner peripheral side of the blade holder 26 toward the center thereof. An arcuate blade 4 is mounted so as to be sandwiched between the brackets.

  The blade 4 is made of rubber, elastic resin, or the like, and its tip edge is somewhat narrow, so to speak, it is formed in an edge shape. The diameter of the arc of the tip edge of the blade 4, that is, the radius of curvature is slightly smaller than the radius of curvature of the surface of the window 5 in a free state where no external force is applied to the blade 4. The leading edge of the blade 4 is in contact with the surface of the window 5.

  The wiper 2 is provided with two springs 27 and 29 for pressing the leading edge of the blade 4 against the surface of the window 5. One spring 27 is a coiled spring 27 hung between the arm 25 and the swing link 30, so that the tip edge of the blade 4 is pressed against the surface of the window 5 with respect to the swing link 30. Elasticity is biased in a direction in which the arm 25 is rotated counterclockwise in FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the other spring 29 is a plate-like spring 29 that is mounted inside the blade holder 26 and is elastically biased so as to press the tip edge of the blade 4 against the surface of the window 5. is there.

  In such a wiper 2, the rotation of the drive motor 9 is transmitted as a reciprocating rotary motion to the shaft 31 via the swing conversion mechanism and the gear mechanism 20, and the swing link 30 is swinged by the reciprocating rotation of the shaft 31. The As a result, the blade 4 attached to the tip of the arm 25 via the blade holder 26 reciprocates and wipes the surface of the window 5. The stroke is within a range that sufficiently covers the maximum viewing angle of the objective lens 17 of the camera 10. At this time, since the springs 27 and 29 press the leading edge of the blade 4 against the surface of the window 5, water droplets and the like adhering to the surface of the window 5 can be surely wiped off.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows one Example of the outer frame apparatus with a built-in camera by this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the relationship with the peripheral device when using one Example of the camera-equipped outer frame apparatus by this invention. It is the vertical side view which partially cut and showed the outer cover about one Example of the camera-equipped outer frame apparatus by this invention. It is a principal part expansion vertical side view of the window and wiper mechanism vicinity which shows one Example of the outer frame apparatus with a built-in camera by this invention. It is a principal part expansion vertical side view of a window and a wiper arm vicinity which shows one Example of the outer frame apparatus with a built-in camera by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Wiper 4 Wiper blade 5 Window 10 Camera 17 Camera objective lens 25 Wiper arm 26 Wiper blade holder 27 Wiper spring 29 Wiper spring 31 Wiper arm axis

Claims (3)

In a camera-equipped outer frame device that houses a camera (10) and is equipped with a wiper (2) on a transparent window (5) through which an objective lens (17) of the camera (10) receives light from outside The window (5) is a partial spherical body, and a wiper (2) for wiping off the surface of the window (5) of the partial spherical body is provided. The wiper (2) is curved in accordance with the surface of the window (5). And a blade (4) whose tip edge is applied to the surface of the window (5), and supports the blade (4), and one end is centered on one line perpendicular to the central axis at the center of the window (5). And an arm (25) supported by a rotating shaft (31), and a drive mechanism for swinging the arm (25) by reciprocatingly rotating the shaft (31). apparatus. 2. The camera built-in according to claim 1, wherein the wiper (2) includes a spring (27) for imparting elasticity to the arm (25) in a direction in which the blade (4) is pressed against the surface of the window (5). Outer frame device. The wiper (2) is connected to the tip of the arm (25) and has a curved blade holder (26) for holding the blade (4). The blade (4) is inserted into the blade holder (26) with a window (5). The camera-equipped outer frame device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a spring (29) for applying elasticity to the blade (4) in a direction in which the blade (4) is pressed against the surface.

Images