Camera platform

• US 7,380,996 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2005
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I-Pro Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Teranishi, Keiichi, Kouchi, Takamitsu, Kobayashi, Hisao, Teratani, Kazumi
• Primary Examiner(s): BLACKMAN, ROCHELLE ANN J
• Application Number:
  US11/281,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20060110155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 396/419, 396/421, 396/422, 396/424, 396/427, 396/428, 348/143, 348/148, 348373-376, 248/663, 248/430, 248/181.1, 248/181.2, 248/288.31, 248/200, 248/237, 248/222.51, 248/224.7, 248/222.14, 248/343
• US Class Current: 396/424
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0003 inside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0089 around three axes, i.e. universally mounted
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/14 with ball-joint ball-jointed hinges F16C11/06 ; adjustable mountings employing universal joints for lighting devices F21V21/26 - F21V21/30
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/027 Ceiling supports

Abstract

A camera platform for installing a camera in the inside of an automobile is designed in such a manner that even when a camera is rotated to capture rearward images, the camera does not interfere with a room mirror. Since the shaft of a rotation portion is divided into a rotation shaft and a ball shaft, an arm part of the camera platform is rotated without the necessity of rotating the camera main body in the vicinity of the room mirror, so that it becomes possible to carry out rearward image capturing operations. Moreover, since the rotation shaft of the arm part is designed to be offset from the camera attaching center line by 20 mm, it becomes possible to prevent a cable extending from above the camera from contacting with an arm attachment part of a mount, even when the camera is rotated.

Claims

1. A camera platform comprising:

an attachment member comprising a front portion with a front end, a rear portion with a rear end, a first fastening hole in the rear portion for attaching the attachment member to an attachment target, and a second fastening hole in the front portion;

an arm;

a rotation part for rotatably attaching one end of the arm to the attachment member through the second fastening hole; and

a ball shaft attached to an opposite end of the arm;

wherein the axis of the second fastening hole is offset from a plane containing the axis of the first fastening hole.

2. The camera platform according to claim 1, wherein the arm part has a crank shape having one end bent upward and an opposite end bent downward, and comprises a pair of shells on opposite lateral sides, the pair of shells for being tightened and secured by a tightening mechanism.

3. The camera platform of claim 1, wherein the attachment member is for attaching the arm part next to a room mirror on a ceiling of an automobile.

4. A camera platform comprising:

an arm for rotating a camera;

an attachment member comprising a first fastening hole for attaching the arm to an automobile;

a rotation part for rotatably attaching one end of the arm to the attachment member via a second fastening hole; and

a ball shaft attached to an opposite end of the arm,

wherein the axis of the second fastening hole is offset from a plane containing the axis of the first fastening hole.

5. A camera platform system comprising:

a camera having a front-to-rear centerline plane;

an arm part;

an attachment member comprising a first fastening hole for attaching the attachment member to an attachment target and a second fastening hole;

a rotation part for rotatably attaching one end of the arm part to the attachment member through the second fastening hole; and

a ball shaft attached to an opposite end of the arm part to adjust a direction of the camera,

wherein the axis of the fastening hole located in the attachment member for fastening with the rotation part is offset from the camera centerline plane.

6. The camera platform according to claim 5, wherein the camera comprises a connector, and the axis of the fastening hole is offset from a plane extending through a center axis of the connector.