Abstract:
A pan head device in which a television camera is disposed at one side and a transmission device is disposed at the other side with a body part of a pan head sandwiched between the television camera and the transmission device, comprising: a common rotary shaft disposed in the body part, the television camera and the transmission device being connected to respective end portions of the common rotary shaft, and a common driving section which drives the rotary shaft, the television camera and the transmission device being driven by the common driving section through the rotary shaft to be operated to turn.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a pan head device, and particularly relates to a pan head device in which a television camera is disposed at one side and a transmission device is disposed at the other side with a rotary part therebetween.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-96519 discloses a pan head device in which a television camera is disposed at one side and a transmission device is disposed at the other side with a rotary part of the pan head therebetween.  
         [0005]     In this pan head device, a vertical rotary drive part of the television camera is incorporated in the rotary part so that the driving force of the vertical rotary drive part is transmitted to a housing of the television camera via a mount which is provided at a side surface at one side of the rotary part. A vertical rotary drive part dedicated for the transfer device is mounted to a side surface at the other side of the rotary part, so that the driving force of the vertical rotary drive part is transmitted to the transmission device.  
         [0006]     However, the pan head device of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-96519 has the disadvantage that the device is large in size because it is provided with the vertical rotary drive part dedicated for the transmission device in addition to the vertical rotary drive part of the television camera. Besides, as the pan head device of this kind which is used outdoors, the pan head device is significantly susceptible to wind pressure, which causes the problem of having an adverse effect on a rotating operation of the pan head device.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention is made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a pan head device capable of suppressing an influence of window pressure as much as possible by downsizing the entire device.  
         [0008]     According to the invention described in a first aspect, in order to achieve the above described object, a pan head device is, in a pan head device in which a television camera is disposed at one side and a transmission device is disposed at the other side with a body part of a pan head sandwiched between the television camera and the transmission device, characterized in that the television camera and the transmission device are connected to respective end portions of a common rotary shaft disposed in the body part, and are driven by a common driving section which drives the rotary shaft to be operated to turn.  
         [0009]     According to the invention described in a second aspect, in the pan head device according to the first aspect, the pan head device is characterized in that the common rotary shaft of the pan head device is divided into two that are a first rotary shaft and a second rotary shaft via a clutch mechanism which transmits and shuts off power, and the first rotary shaft or the second rotary shaft is connected to the driving section.  
         [0010]     According to the invention described in a third aspect, in the pan head device according to the first aspect, the pan head device is characterized in that the common rotary shaft of the pan head device is divided into three that are a first rotary shaft, a second rotary shaft and a third rotary shaft via a first clutch mechanism and a second clutch mechanism which transmit and shut off power, and the second rotary shaft located at a center is connected to the driving section.  
         [0011]     According to the invention described in the first aspect, the television camera and the transmission device are connected to the end portions of the common rotary shaft disposed in the body part, and are driven by the common driving section which drives the rotary shaft to be operated to turn. Thereby, the rotary shaft and the driving section are commonly used as the driving device for the television camera and the transmission device. Therefore, the entire device can be downsized and an influence of wind pressure can be suppressed as much as possible. The rotary shaft is disposed in the body part to penetrate through the body part, the television camera is connected to one end of the rotary shaft, the transmission device is connected to the other end, and the driving section is incorporated in the body part, whereby the rotary shaft and the driving section are not exposed to an outside, and further become advantageous against wind pressure.  
         [0012]     According to the invention described in the second aspect, the first rotary shaft of the television camera and the second rotary shaft of the transmission device are connected via the clutch mechanism which transmits and shuts off power, and the first rotary shaft or the second rotary shaft is connected to the driving section which drives the first rotary shaft and/or the second rotary shaft. For example, when the driving section drives the first rotary shaft and the clutch mechanism is switched to the side to shut off the power, only the first rotary shaft is driven by the driving section and only the television camera is operated to turn. For example, when the driving section drives the first rotary shaft, and the clutch mechanism is switched to the side to transmit the power, the first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft are driven by the driving section, and the television camera and the transmission device are operated to turn at the same time. On the other hand, for example, when the driving section drives the second rotary shaft and the clutch mechanism is switched to the side to shut off the power, only the second rotary shaft is driven by the driving section and only the transmission device is operated to turn. For example, when the driving section drives the second rotary shaft, and the clutch mechanism is switched to the side to transmit the power, the second rotary shaft and the first rotary shaft are driven by the driving section, and the transmission device and the television camera are operated to turn at the same time. Thereby, the driving section is commonly used as the driving device for the television camera and the transmission device, the entire device can be downsized and an influence of wind pressure can be suppressed as much as possible. The first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft are disposed in the body part by penetrating through the body part, and the driving section is incorporated in the body part, whereby the first rotary shaft, the second rotary shaft and the driving section are not exposed to an outside, and further become advantageous against wind pressure.  
         [0013]     According to the invention described the third aspect, the first rotary shaft of the television camera and the third rotary shaft of the transmission device are respectively connected to the respective end portions of the second rotary shaft connected to the driving section via the first clutch mechanism and the second clutch mechanism which transmit and shut off the power. When the first clutch mechanism provided at one side of the second rotary shaft is switched to the side to transmit the power to the first rotary shaft, and the second clutch mechanism provided at the other side of the second rotary shaft is switched to the side to shut off the power to be applied to the third rotary shaft, only the first rotary shaft is driven by the driving section and only the television camera is operated to turn. When the first clutch mechanism is switched to the side to shut off the power to be applied to the first rotary shaft and the second clutch mechanism is switched to the side to transmit the power to the third rotary shaft, only the third rotary shaft is driven by the driving section and only the transmission device is operated to turn. When the first clutch mechanism is switched to the side to transmit the power to the first rotary shaft, and the second clutch mechanism is switched to the side to transmit the power to the third rotary shaft, the first rotary shaft and the third rotary shaft are driven by the driving section and the television camera and the transmission device are operated to turn at the same time. Thereby, the driving section is commonly used as the driving device for the television camera and the transmission device, whereby the entire device can be downsized, and an influence of wind pressure can be suppressed as much as possible. The first rotary shaft, the second rotary shaft and the third rotary shaft are disposed in the body part to penetrate through the body part, whereby the first rotary shaft, the second rotary shaft and the third rotary shaft are not exposed to the outside, which further becomes advantageous against wind pressure.  
         [0014]     The invention described in the fourth aspect is, in any one invention of the first, the second and the third aspects, characterized by including a drive control unit which remotely controls the driving section. In the case of the pan head device for monitoring which is used in the outdoors such as a rooftop of a building, the driving section of the pan head device is remotely controlled by the drive control unit placed in the controller chamber of the building.  
         [0015]     The invention described in the fifth aspect is, in the invention of any one of the second or the third aspects, characterized by including a clutch control unit which remotely controls switching of transmission and shutoff of the power by the clutch mechanism. In the case of the pan head device for monitoring which is used in the outdoors such as a rooftop of a building, the clutch of the pan head device is remotely controlled by the clutch control unit placed in the controller chamber of the building.  
         [0016]     The invention described in the sixth aspect is, in the invention described in any one of the first, the second, the third, the fourth and the fifth aspects, characterized in that the body part is a rotary part, and the rotary shaft is the tilt shaft which turns the television camera and the transmission device in the vertical direction. The rotary part of the pan head device is vertically provided at the base of the building via the pan shaft, and is turned in the horizontal direction via the pan shaft. The television camera and the transmission device are connected to the body part via the tilt shaft, and are turned in the vertical direction via the tilt shaft. Thereby, the present invention is characterized in that the body part is the rotary part and the rotary shaft is the tilt shaft.  
         [0017]     According to the pan head device of the present invention, the television camera and the transmission device are connected to the end portions of the common rotary shaft disposed in the body part, and are driven by the common driving section which drives the rotary shaft to be operated to turn. Therefore, the entire device is downsized and an influence of wind pressure can be suppressed as much as possible. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]      FIG. 1  is a front view showing a state in which a television camera housing and a transmission device are mounted to a pan head device of a first embodiment;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a front view showing a state in which the television camera housing and the transmission device are mounted to a pan head device of a second embodiment; and  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a front view showing a state in which the television camera housing and a transmission device are mounted to a pan head device of a third embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]     Preferred embodiments of a pan head device according to the present invention will be described in detail in accordance with the attached drawings hereinafter.  
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a pan head device  10  of a first embodiment, and shows an entire view of a television camera housing  12  and a transmission device  14  provided at both sides with a rotary part (body part)  16  of the pan head device  10  therebetween.  FIG. 1  shows an internal structure of the rotary part  16  in a partial section. Such a pan head device  10  is placed on a rooftop or the like of a building.  
         [0023]     The pan head device  10  is constructed by the rotary part  16  constructed into a box shape, a pedestal  18  and the like, and a pan shaft  20  is projectingly provided at a lower portion of the rotary part  16 . The pan shaft  20  is fixed to the pedestal  18 , and thereby, the rotary part  16  is vertically provided on the pedestal  18 .  
         [0024]     A pan motor (not shown) and a tilt motor  25  are incorporated in a casing  22  of the rotary part  16 . The pan motor is fixed to an inner wall portion of the casing  22 , and a worm gear (not shown) mounted to an output shaft of the pan motor is meshed with a worm wheel (not shown) fixed to the pan shaft  20 . Thereby, when the pan motor is driven, the worm gear moves round a periphery of the worm wheel, and therefore, the rotary part  16  rotates with the pan motor in a horizontal direction around an axis A of the pan shaft  20  parallel with a vertical direction.  
         [0025]     The tilt motor  25  is fixed to the inner wall portion of the casing  22 , and the worm gear  24  mounted to an output shaft of the tilt motor  25  is meshed with a worm wheel  27  fixed to a tilt shaft (rotary shaft)  26 . The tilt shaft  26  is disposed in the casing  22  to penetrate through the casing  22  in the horizontal direction, and both end portions of the tilt shaft  26  are rotatably supported by bearings  28 ,  28  and  28  mounted to a penetrated opening of the casing  22 . Thereby, when the tilt motor  25  is driven, the worm gear  24  rotationally drives the worm wheel  27 , and therefore, the tilt shaft  26  rotates around an axis B of the tilt shaft  26  parallel with the horizontal direction. Reference numeral  30  in  FIG. 1  designates a mounting portion of the bearing  28 , which is fixed to the inner wall portion of the casing  22 .  
         [0026]     The television camera housing  12  is fixed to a mount plate  32  which is fixed to a right end portion of the tilt shaft  26  in  FIG. 1 . Therefore, the television camera housing  12  is operated to turn in a vertical direction when the tilt shaft  26  is rotated around the axis B as described above. A television camera including a lens device is housed in the television camera housing  12 , and a transparent protection glass  34  is mounted at a position opposed to a front bulb of the lens device. A wiper device  36  which removes water droplets and dust attaching to the protection glass  34  is provided at a front surface of the television camera housing, and the wiper device  36  includes a wiper blade  40  which oscillates to reciprocate around a shaft  38  to remove water droplets and dust attaching to the protection glass  34 . Meanwhile, in the television camera, a solid state image pickup element on which a subject image taken in by the lens device is formed, an image processing unit which processes an electric charge signal outputted from the solid state image pickup element into an image signal, and the like are incorporated, and the image signal outputted from the image processing unit is outputted to a monitor (not shown) of an operator chamber (controller chamber) of a building, and the subject is displayed on this monitor. An operator of an operator chamber remotely operates the pan motor and the tilt motor  25  of the pan head device  10  with a controller (a drive control unit, a clutch control unit)  42  such as a joy stick while watching the image displayed on the monitor, and can point the television camera  12  in a desired direction.  
         [0027]     Meanwhile, the transmission device  14  is a transmission device called an FPU (field Pickup Unit), which transmits and receives a projected image and sound for a relay, and is fixed to a rectangular mount plate  44  which is fixed to a left end portion of the tilt shaft  26  in  FIG. 1 . Therefore, the transmission device  14  is operated to turn in the vertical direction with the television camera housing  12  when the tilt shaft  26  is rotated around the axis B as described above. The transmission device  14  has an antenna for reception and transmission. The transmission device  14  can transmit a projected image signal of the projected image picked up by the television camera of the television camera housing  12  to a broadcasting station via an antenna for transmission. The transmission device  14  receives a projected image signal of a projected image picked up by another television camera with the antenna for reception, and can transmit this to the broadcasting station via the antenna for transmission. Reference numeral  46  designates an opening formed in the pipe-shaped tilt shaft  26 , and a cable from the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14  is laid inside the tilt shaft  26  and is taken outside from the opening and wired.  
         [0028]     Next, an operation of the pan head device  10  constructed as described above will be described.  
         [0029]     When the operator in the operator chamber remotely operates the tilt motor  25  by operating the controller  42 , the tilt shaft  26  rotates around the axis B, and therefore, the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14  which are fixed to the end portions of the tilt shaft  26  are operated to turn in the same vertical direction.  
         [0030]     According to the pan head device  10 , the tilt shaft  26  and one tilt motor  25  are commonly used as the driving device for the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14 , and the tilt shaft  26  and the tilt motor  25  are incorporated in the casing  22  of the rotary part  16 . Therefore, as compared with the pan head device of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-96519 in which the vertical rotary drive part dedicated for the transmission device is provided at the side portion of the rotary part, the entire pan head device is downsized, and thereby, an influence of wind pressure can be suppressed as much as possible.  
         [0031]      FIG. 2  shows a pan head device  50  of a second embodiment, and the same or the similar members as and to those of the pan head device  10  shown in  FIG. 1  are given the same reference numerals and characters, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.  
         [0032]     In a pan head device  50  shown in  FIG. 2 , a tilt shaft is divided into two on the same axis, and a tilt shaft (first rotary shaft)  52  and a tilt shaft (second rotary shaft)  54 , which are two divided parts, are connected via an electromagnetic clutch (clutch mechanism)  56 . The tilt shaft  52  is rotatably supported at the casing  22  of the rotary part  16  via the bearings  28  and  28 , and the television camera housing  12  is fixed to an end portion projected from the opening of the right side surface of the casing  22  via the mount plate  32 . The worm wheel  27  is mounted to the tilt shaft  52 , and the worm gear  24  which is rotated by the tilt motor  25  is meshed with the worm wheel  27 . Meanwhile, the tilt shaft  54  is rotatably supported at the casing  22  via the bearing  28 , and the transmission device  14  is fixed to an end portion projected from the opening of a left side surface of the casing  22  via the mount plate  44 .  
         [0033]     A driving section  58  which turns the electromagnetic clutch  56  ON/OFF is incorporated in the rotary part  16 . The driving section  58  as well as the tilt motor  25  and the pan motor is remotely operated by the controller  42 .  
         [0034]     According to the pan head device  50 , when it is desired to operate the television camera housing  12  to turn, the driving section  58  is controlled by the controller  42  to turn OFF the electromagnetic clutch  56  to set the electromagnetic clutch  56  into the power shutoff state to the tilt shaft  54 , and thereafter, the tilt motor  25  is remotely operated. Thereby, only the tilt shaft  52  is driven and only the television camera housing  12  is operated to turn.  
         [0035]     When it is desired to operate the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14  to turn at the same time, the driving section  58  is controlled by the controller  42 , the electromagnetic clutch  56  is turned ON to be set to the power transmission state to the tilt shaft  54 , and thereafter, the tilt motor  25  is remotely operated. Thereby, the rotating force of the tilt shaft  52  is transmitted to the tilt shaft  54  via the electromagnetic clutch  56 . Therefore, the tilt shafts  52  and  54  are driven in the same direction, and therefore, the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14  are both operated to turn.  
         [0036]     According to the pan head device  50 , one tilt motor  25  is commonly used as the driving device for the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14 , and therefore, the entire pan head device is downsized, and an influence of wind pressure can be suppressed as much as possible. By controlling ON/OFF of the electromagnetic clutch  56 , the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14  can be both or selectively operated to tilt.  
         [0037]     In the pan head device  50 , an example of the tilt motor  25  being mounted on the tilt shaft  52  is shown, but instead of this, the tilt motor  25  may be mounted to the tilt shaft  54 . In this case, when it is desired to operate only the transmission device  14  to turn, the driving section  58  is controlled by the controller  42 , and the electromagnetic clutch  56  is turned OFF, after which, the tilt motor  25  is remotely operated. Thereby, only the tilt shaft  54  is driven and only the transmission device  14  is operated to turn. When it is desired to operate the transmission device  14  and the television camera housing  12  to turn at the same time, the driving section  58  is controlled by the controller  42  to turn ON the electromagnetic clutch  56 , and thereafter, the tilt motor  25  is remotely operated. Thereby, the rotating force of the tilt shaft  54  is transmitted to the tilt shaft  52  via the electromagnetic clutch  56 . Therefore, the tilt shafts  54  and  52  are driven in the same direction, and therefore, the transmission device  14  and the television camera housing  12  are both operated to turn.  
         [0038]      FIG. 3  shows a pan head device  60  of a third embodiment, and the same or the similar members as or to those in the pan head device  10  shown in  FIG. 1  is given the same reference numerals and the explanation thereof will be omitted.  
         [0039]     In the pan head device  60  shown in  FIG. 3 , a tilt shaft is divided into three on the same axis, and is constructed by a tilt shaft (first rotary shaft)  62 , a tilt shaft (third rotary shaft)  64  and a drive shaft (second rotary shaft)  66 . The tilt shaft  62  is connected to the drive shaft  66  via an electromagnetic clutch (first clutch mechanism)  68 , and the tilt shaft  64  is connected to the drive shaft  66  via an electromagnetic clutch  70  (second clutch mechanism).  
         [0040]     The tilt shaft  62  is rotatably supported at the casing  22  of the rotary part  16  via the bearings  28  and  28 , and the television camera housing  12  is fixed to an end portion projected from the opening of the right side surface of the casing  22  via the mount plate  32 . The tilt shaft  64  is rotatably supported at the casing  22  via the bearing  28 , and the transmission device  14  is fixed to an end portion projected from the opening of the left side surface of the casing  22  via the mount plate  44 . The worm wheel  27  is mounted to the drive shaft  66 , and the worm gear  24  which is rotated by the tilt motor  25  is meshed with the worm wheel  27 .  
         [0041]     A driving section  72  which turns ON/OFF the electromagnetic clutches  68  and  70  is incorporated in the rotary part  16 . The driving section  72  as well as the tilt motor  25  and the pan motor is remotely operated by the controller  42 .  
         [0042]     According to the pan head device  60 , when it is desired to operate only the television camera housing  12  to turn, the driving section  72  is controlled by the controller  42 , the electromagnetic clutch  68  is turned ON to be set to the power transmission state to the tilt shaft  62 , and the electromagnetic clutch  70  is turned OFF to be set to the power shutoff state to the tilt shaft  64 . Thereafter, the tilt motor  25  is remotely operated. Thereby, only the tilt shaft  62  is driven and only the television camera housing  12  is operated to turn.  
         [0043]     When it is desired to operate only the transmission device  14  to turn, the driving section  72  is controlled by the controller  42 , the electromagnetic clutch  68  is turned OFF to be set to the power shutoff state to the tilt shaft  62 , and the electromagnetic clutch  70  is turned ON to be set to the power transmission state to the tilt shaft  64 . Thereafter, the tilt motor  25  is remotely operated. Thereby, only the tilt shaft  64  is driven and only the transmission device  14  is operated to turn.  
         [0044]     When it is desired to operate the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14  to turn at the same time, the driving section  72  is controlled by the controller  42 , the electromagnetic clutch  68  is turned ON to be set to the power transmission state to the tilt shaft  62 , and the electromagnetic clutch  70  is turned ON to be set to the power transmission state to the tilt shaft  64 . Thereafter, the tilt motor  25  is remotely operated. Thereby, the tilt shafts  62  and  64  are driven in the same direction, and therefore, the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14  are both operated to turn.  
         [0045]     According to the pan head device  60 , one tilt motor  25  is commonly used as the driving device for the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14 , and therefore, the entire pan head device is downsized, and an influence of wind pressure can be suppressed as much as possible. By controlling ON/OFF of the electromagnetic clutches  68  and  70 , the television camera housing  12  and the transmission device  14  can be both or selectively operated to tilt.