Patent ID: 7929049

Claim:
An imaging apparatus comprising: a camera; a base that has a built-in vertical rotation driving source to generate a driving force for pivotal rotation of the camera in the vertical direction; a ring-shaped camera frame that encircles and holds the camera in such a manner that the camera is positioned inside the ring-shaped frame, an imaging lens of the camera is exposed on an arc-shaped frame side face of the camera frame to be directed to outside; a pivot support structure that pivotally supports the camera frame on the base to allow pivotal rotation of the camera frame in the vertical direction about an axis passing through inside of the camera frame in a direction parallel to a width of the camera frame; wherein the arc-shaped frame side face of the camera frame is a circular arc-shaped frame side face which is pivotable about a vertical pivot axis of the camera frame, which is identical with the axis passing through the inside of the camera frame in the direction parallel to the width of the camera frame; and a vertical rotation transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the vertical rotation driving source, as power of the pivotal rotation of the camera in the vertical direction, to the camera frame via the arc-shaped frame side face; wherein the pivot support structure has: a roller unit that supports the camera frame on its arc-shaped frame side face to allow pivotal rotation of the camera frame about the axis passing through the inside of the camera frame in the direction parallel to the width of the camera frame; and a pressing element that presses the camera frame against the roller unit.