Abstract: A joint portion for angle adjustment arranged between a leg base portion and a leg support member of an imaging equipment-grade tripod includes a joint fixation member with a joint, a pole member having an upper end connected by the joint of the joint fixation member a lower end connected to the leg base portion, a sleeve provided below the joint fixation member and fitting to the joint fixation member, and a coil spring wound around a central axis of the pole member and pressing the sleeve upward. With the joint portion being fixed by fitting between the joint fixation member and the sleeve, the sleeve is pressed downward to release the fitting between the joint fixation member and the sleeve, so that the joint portion is released.

Abstract: An attachment portion of a tripod is formed with an opening that penetrates in a longitudinal direction of the tripod, the rail member of the shooting sliding device is provided with an adapter for attachment to the tripod, a first contact surface between the adapter and the rail member is a flat surface, a second contact surface between the adapter and the tripod has a curved surface, an attaching female screw is embedded at the center of the attachment side of the tripod in the second contact surface, the tightening handle has a grip, and a male screw projecting from one end of the grip, the adapter is placed on the attachment portion of the tripod, the male screw of the tightening handle is screwed into the female screw embedded in the adapter through the opening of the attachment portion of the tripod, the curved surface of the second contact surface of the adapter and the curved surface on the inner side of the attachment portion of the tripod come into surface-contact with each other and come into conta

Abstract: A tripod head comprising a resilient force adjusting mechanism which includes a rotating operation part, a cam which is coupled to the rotating operation part and slides with the rotation of the rotating operation part, and a cam follower coming into contact with cam surfaces of the cam, wherein the cam follower is supported by a counterbalancing mechanism, and the counterbalancing mechanism is configured in such a manner that the magnitude of a resilient force to be imparted on the spring is variable in accordance with a position where the cam follower comes into contact with the cam.

Abstract: In the tripod head, the resilient force adjusting mechanism includes a rotating operation part, a cam coupled to the rotating operation part and slides with the rotation of the rotating operation part, and a cam follower coming into contact with the cam surfaces of the cam, and the cam follower is supported by a counterbalancing mechanism, and the counterbalancing mechanism is configured in such a manner that the magnitude of the resilient force to be imparted on the spring is variable in accordance with the position where the cam follower comes into contact with the cam.

Abstract: A collet portion including a cup-shaped collet is fixed to an upper end of a vertically movable body vertically movable relative to a connecting portion to which upper ends of the legs of a tripod assembly are pivotally coupled. The collet is flexible and is formed with plural slits extending radially. The collet receives a semispherical bowl leveler as making contact with a semispherical surface of the bowl leveler at a cup-shaped inside surface thereof. The bowl leveler is combined with the collet portion by means of a bolt and is free to tilt back/forth and sideways as guided by the collet. An upper end portion of the vertically movable body is provided with a collar at place outside the collet, the collar vertically movable relative to the vertically movable body. The collar includes an abutment portion on an inside surface thereof, the abutment portion capable of being abutted against an outside surface of the collet.

Abstract: A remote control apparatus that is compatible with two types of digital video cameras. The remote control apparatus includes a start and stop switch which operates start and stop, a zoom volume control which operates a zoom, a microcomputer circuit which converts operation signals of the start and stop switch and the zoom volume control into communication signals, and a switch which changes whether the operation signals of the start and stop switch and the zoom volume control are transmitted to the digital video camera without passing through the microcomputer circuit or the communication signal obtained by inputting the operation signal to the microcomputer circuit is transmitted to the digital video camera.

Abstract: A circular-plate holder is disposed at an end of a cylindrical portion arranged in a tripod head. A pair of arc lever tumblers, which is capable of contacting the inner surface of the cylindrical portion, is rotatably supported on the holder around a rotation axis. The ends of the arc lever tumblers are close to each other. A rotator, which has a gear portion at a tip end, is rotatably supported on the holder around a rotation axis disposed between the other ends of the lever tumblers. Each of the tumblers is connected to the rotator by a pair of linkage means. The gear portion of the rotator engages a gear portion of a torque-adjusting shaft, which extends through a central portion of the holder and rotates according to rotational operation of an adjusting knob.

Abstract: A counterbalancing unit for a tripod head is assembled along a horizontal shaft. A pair of holders are slidably supported on the horizontal axis and disposed in an inside of a longitudinal member which is perpendicular to a base of a tripod head. One or more compressed elastic bodies are supported between the holders. One or more guide pines are connected with at least one of the holders to move horizontally inward in the longitudinal member together with at least one of the holders when the tripod head is tilted. A rotary member having a cam face at an edge thereof and connected with a strut is rotatably supported on the longitudinal shaft. The rotary member rotates with said strut causing the guide pin(s) to move into the longitudinal member by means of the cam face when the tripod head is tiled. The elastic bodies are compressed between the holders.

Abstract: A sliding plate for securing a camera to a camera stand having a tapered surface at both inner sides, a sliding plate having a tapered surface at both outer sides thereof and being mounted on and released from the camera stand and being slidable along the tapered surface of the camera stand and a set spring having a spring at a bottom thereof, the set spring having at a portion adjacent to at least one of the tapered surfaces of the camera stand and being lifted by the elastic force of the spring to linearly sink and float the set spring along the tapered surface of the camera stand.

Abstract: A tripod head comprises a panning braking device having a plurality of braking units with different braking forces which is supported on a panning shaft, and a torque switchover mechanism allowing to freely switch over torque on the side of said braking units; a weight balancer having a plurality of spring units, in which one or a plurality of spiral springs with different elastic forces are incorporated, supported on a tilting shaft and a righting moment switchover mechanism allowing to freely switch over a righting moment against the tilting on the sides of the spring units; a tilting braking device having a plurality of braking units with different braking forces which is supported on said tilting shaft, and a torque switchover mechanism allowing to freely switch over torque on the sides of the braking units; and a sliding plate device having a set spring capable of floating and sinking, the set spring being in contact with one of the side end surfaces of the sliding plate for securing a device such as a c

Abstract: A movable plate means is provided on the top of the tripod head for a camera or the like of the present invention. The movable plate means comprises a plate supporting board, a movable plate and a pressure locking mechanism, and the movable plate is releasably, fixably and slidably engaged in a central groove portion formed at the plate supporting board. Pin grooves comprising shorter and longer grooves not going through are formed reverse-symmetrically at the movable plate. The shorter groove has a taper at the end thereof, which facilitates engagement of the movable plate. A stop pin is releasably provided in the longer groove. When it is inserted, it forms a sliding limit in forward and backward directions of the movable plate and prevents the movable plate from coming off the plate supporting board. When the pin is removed, the movable plate can be easily removed from the plate supported board.

Abstract: A vertical tilting apparatus of a tripod head for a camera or the like is disclosed. The vertical tilting apparatus includes a torque changeover mechanism. The structure of the torque changeover mechanism comprises a disk-shaped first unit, a second unit, a unit securing pin and a second unit case on the second unit. The first unit consists of many first damp adjusting plates and first intermediate bodies. The second unit consists of ring-shaped intermediate bodies opposite to the surfaces of the first intermediate bodies, a viscous fluid therebetween and second damp adjusting bodies. The first unit and the second unit arranged concentrically. The unit arc securing pin can be releasably inserted into any of holes provided on the circumferential surface of the second unit case for use.