JP2009152911A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a shoe cover for protecting an accessory shoe from interfering with attachment and detachment of an accessory. <P>SOLUTION: On a top plate of its body (10), the accessory shoe (12) connectable to the accessory (14) is provided, and an operation key (18) is provided closer to a subject than the accessory shoe is. A shoe cover (16) conceals the accessory shoe (12), when the accessory (14) is not connected to the accessory shoe (12). The shoe cover (16), which is coupled to the body (10), can be pulled out from a concealing position where the accessory shoe (12) is concealed, to a pull-out position which exposes the accessory shoe (12) but does not interfere with attachment and detachment of the accessary (14) to and from the accessary shoe (12). In particular, the shoe cover (16) is pulled out from the concealing position by a horizontal movement. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device including an accessory shoe.

  FIG. 14 is an external perspective view showing a state in which an accessory is attached to a conventional camera-integrated recording / reproducing apparatus, a so-called camcorder. The main body 210 includes an accessory shoe 212 on the top surface. The accessory 214 is detachable from the accessory shoe 212. The main body 210 is normally held on the side surface of the main body 210 by the photographer's hand 216.

  FIG. 15 shows an external perspective view of a conventional camcorder. The main body 210 of the camcorder is roughly divided into a lens housing 220 and a recording unit housing 222. The accessory shoe 212 is disposed on the top surface of the lens housing 220. The shoe cover 224 hides the accessory shoe 212 when the accessory 214 is not in use, and is intended to prevent the terminal from being soiled and to have a beautiful design.

  FIG. 16 is an external perspective view of an imaging apparatus having a configuration in which a shoe cover is coupled to the imaging apparatus main body. The shoe cover 234 normally conceals the accessory shoe 232 of the main body 230 and exposes the accessory shoe 232 when the accessory is used. The shoe cover 234 is coupled to the main body 230 via an arm portion 236 made of an elastic material.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes an imaging device that allows an accessory to be connected by exposing and inserting an accessory shoe by pulling out and moving an electronic viewfinder.
JP 2005-191700 A

  Recent imaging apparatuses use a disk-shaped recording medium or a semiconductor memory as a recording medium, and the overall size is reduced. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17, when the main body is gripped from the side, the fingertip of the photographer's hand 240 reaches the upper surface of the main body. In a state where the accessory is connected to the accessory shoe, it is difficult to firmly hold the main body. A trigger button 242 for instructing start / end of shooting is arranged on the back of the main body, and the photographer operates the trigger button 242 with, for example, a thumb.

  The shoe cover is likely to be lost. As shown in FIG. 16, when the shoe cover is coupled to the main body, it becomes an obstacle when the accessory is attached, and it also becomes an obstacle to gripping.

  An object of this invention is to show the imaging device which eliminates such an inconvenience.

  An imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an accessory shoe that can be connected to an accessory that is disposed on a top surface portion of a main body, an operation key that is disposed closer to the subject side of the top surface portion than the accessory shoe, and the accessory shoe. A shoe cover for concealing the accessory shoe when the accessory is not connected, a concealing position for concealing the accessory shoe, and a pull-out position for exposing the accessory shoe and not interfering with insertion / extraction of the accessory to / from the accessory shoe The shoe cover is coupled to the main body so as to be movable between the shoe cover and the shoe cover is pulled out from the concealment position by horizontal movement.

  According to the present invention, the accessory shoe can be protected without obstructing the insertion and removal of the accessory.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention with accessories attached. The main body 10 of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an accessory shoe 12 at a position behind the top surface or the top surface. The accessory 14 can be attached to and detached from the accessory shoe 12, and is attached to the accessory shoe 12 in FIG. The accessory 14 is a microphone in this example, but may be other accessories such as a strobe or a video light.

  A shoe cover 16 that conceals the accessory shoe 12 when not in use is coupled to the main body 10. The coupling means and method will be described later. The shoe cover 16 serves to cover the terminal portion of the accessory shoe 12 so that dust and dirt do not enter, and to provide a sense of unity with the surrounding external surface when the accessory 14 is not used. An operation key 18 is arranged on the subject side of the top surface of the main body 10 with respect to the accessory shoe 12. The operation key 18 is a zoom key for a zoom operation in this embodiment. A trigger button 20 for determining the start and end of shooting is disposed on the rear side of the main body 10. A battery 22 that supplies electric power to the entire body 10 is also disposed on the back surface of the main body 10.

  FIG. 2 shows functional blocks of the present embodiment. An imaging lens 30 is disposed in front of the main body 10. The image sensor 32 converts an optical image from the imaging lens 30 into an electric image signal. The signal processing circuit 34 converts the image signal from the image sensor 32 into video data in a predetermined format. A CPU 36 comprising a microcomputer records video data from the signal processing circuit 34 on a recording medium 38 and simultaneously supplies it to the display unit 40 to display an image.

  The accessory shoe 12 has an electrical contact. When the accessory 14 is attached to the accessory shoe 12, the accessory 14 is electrically connected to the accessory control device 42 via the electrical contact of the accessory shoe 12. When the accessory 14 is a microphone, an audio signal output from the microphone is supplied to the accessory control device 42 via the accessory shoe 12. The accessory control device 42 supplies the audio signal from the accessory 14 to the CPU 36 under the control of the CPU 36. The CPU 36 records necessary ones of the audio signals from the accessory control device 42 on the recording medium 38.

  FIG. 3 shows a state where the photographer holds the main body 10. The photographer's hand 44 reaches the top surface from the side surface of the main body 10, and the top surface portion of the main body 10 is also gripped as a grip portion. When the zoom key is arranged as the operation key 18 on the top surface, in the case of a gripping form at a normal eye level, the photographer performs the key operation with the index finger. Further, in the eye-level gripping form, the thumb is positioned around the trigger button 20 or on the back surface of the main body 10. In this embodiment, the battery 22 is disposed on the back surface of the main body 10, and the photographer's thumb is located on the side surface of the battery 22 in FIG. 3. The accessory shoe 12 and the accessory 14 are disposed at a position that does not get in the way when the photographer holds, for example, on the top surface of the main body 10 and on the back side of the operation key 18.

  The opening / closing structure of the shoe cover 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the main body 10 as viewed from above when the shoe cover 16 is in a state of concealing the accessory shoe 12 (a concealed state or a concealed position). FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the main body 10 when viewed from the top when the shoe cover 16 is pulled out and the accessory shoe 12 is exposed (in the drawn out state or the drawn position). In FIG. 5, an arrow 46 indicates a movement locus when the shoe cover 16 is opened.

  The shoe cover 16 moves as follows. Assume that the photographer is located on the back of the main body 10. The photographer pulls out the shoe cover 16 from the concealment position shown in FIG. Thereafter, as shown by an arrow 46 in FIG. 5, the shoe cover 16 is bent approximately 90 degrees to the left. As a result, the shoe cover 16 is positioned at a position (FIG. 5) rotated approximately 90 ° in an arc from the original concealment position (FIG. 4). The accessory 14 is inserted into and removed from the accessory shoe 12 linearly from the rear of the main body 10 toward the subject. The shoe cover 16 retracts laterally from the back of the accessory 14 so that the accessory 14 is not hindered from being inserted or removed.

  FIG. 6 is a side view showing the shoe cover 16 in the concealing position and the drawing position. Reference numeral 16a indicates the position of the shoe cover 16 that hides the accessory shoe 12 (hidden position) or the shoe cover 16 in the hidden position, and this position 16a corresponds to FIG. Reference numeral 16b denotes a position at which the shoe cover 16 is pulled out to expose the accessory shoe 12 (drawing position) or the shoe cover 16 at the pulling position, and this position 16b corresponds to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the shoe cover 16 slides while maintaining a substantially horizontal position. However, when the shoe cover 16 has been pulled out, the shoe cover 16 retracts to the lateral pulling position 16b.

  FIG. 7 shows a rear view of the accessory shoe 12 with the accessory 14 attached thereto. The hatched area 48 is a space required when the accessory 14 is inserted into and removed from the accessory shoe 12. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the shoe cover 16 is laterally removed from the region 48 at the pull-out position 16 b and does not obstruct the insertion / extraction of the accessory 14.

  The configuration of the shoe cover 16 will be described. FIG. 8 shows a side view of the shoe cover 16. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the shoe cover 16. The shoe cover 16 includes a shoe cover main body 50 and an arm portion 52 that couples the shoe cover main body 50 to the main body 10. The shoe cover main body 50 is made of plastic or the like equivalent to the cover around the main body 10. The arm portion 52 is made of an elastic member such as an elastomer. The arm portion 52 is housed in a space provided inside the main body 10 in a state of being elastically deformed. Both the shoe cover main body 50 and the arm portion 52 may be elastic bodies.

  A convex portion 54 is formed at the tip portion of the arm portion 52. The convex portion 54 engages with a concave portion of a peripheral cover so that the shoe cover 16 does not easily move in a state where the shoe cover 16 is pulled out (FIG. 5). Details of this fixing will be described later. As shown in FIG. 9, the arm portion 52 is curved in an arc shape, and its root and tip are bent by approximately 90 °. The shoe cover 16 moves along such a shape of the arm portion 52.

  The fixing means for the shoe cover 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the shoe cover 16 in a state where the shoe cover 16 is pulled out. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. A shoe cover retaining member 62 is erected in the center of the space 60 in which the arm portion 52 of the shoe cover 16 is stored. The arm portion 52 of the shoe cover 16 circulates around the shoe cover retaining member 62. With the shoe cover 16 pulled out, the convex portion 54 engages with the concave portion 66 of the peripheral cover 64 that restricts the shoe cover 16 to that position. By engaging the convex portion 54 with the concave portion 66, the arm portion 52 is locked at that position, and as a result, the shoe cover 16 also does not move.

  A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 shows an external perspective view of the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from behind. The main body 110 of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an accessory shoe 112 and an operation key 118 on the upper surface, and a shoe cover 116 that hides the accessory shoe 112 when the accessory 114 is not used. Similar to the first embodiment, the accessory shoe 112 is disposed on the back side of the operation key 118. The shoe cover 116 is coupled to the main body 110 by two arms, but may be one arm portion or three or more arm portions.

  FIG. 13 is a side view showing the shoe cover 116 in the concealed position and the drawer position. Reference numeral 116 a indicates the position of the shoe cover 116 that hides the accessory shoe 112 (hidden position) or the shoe cover 116 in the hidden position. Reference numeral 116b denotes a position at which the shoe cover 116 is pulled out to expose the accessory shoe 112 (drawing position) or the shoe cover 116 at the pulling position.

  When using the accessory 114, the shoe cover 116 is slid horizontally to the back side, and then moved toward the bottom so as to contact the back side of the main body 110. At the pulling position 116b where the shoe cover 116 is pulled out to the maximum, the shoe cover 116b does not hinder the insertion and removal of the accessory 114. The shoe cover 116 can be fixed to the shielding position 116a and the pulling position 116b with the same configuration as described in the first embodiment.

1 is a perspective view of an imaging apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention with an accessory attached. FIG. The functional block of a present Example is shown. A state in which an imager holds the image pickup apparatus main body of the present embodiment is shown. The top view which looked at the imaging device 10 from the upper surface in the state in which the shoe cover 16 conceals the accessory shoe is shown. The top view which looked at the imaging device 10 from the upper surface in the state which pulled out the shoe cover 16 so that the accessory shoe might be exposed is shown. The side view of the shoe cover 16 vicinity is shown. The range which does not inhibit insertion / extraction of the accessory 14 is shown. A side view of the shoe cover 16 is shown. The top view of the shoe cover 16 is shown. The perspective view of the state which pulled out the shoe cover 16 is shown. Sectional drawing of the AA line of FIG. 10 is shown. The external appearance perspective view which looked at Example 2 of the present invention from the back is shown. The side view which shows the shoe cover 116 of a concealment position and a drawer position is shown. The external appearance perspective view of the state which attached the accessory to the conventional camcorder is shown. The external appearance perspective view of the conventional camcorder is shown. 1 is a perspective view of an external appearance of a conventional configuration in which a shoe cover is connected to an imaging apparatus main body. It is a figure which shows the state which grips an imaging device main body from a side surface.

Explanation of symbols

10: body 12: accessory shoe 14: accessory 16: shoe cover 16a: shoe cover (hiding position)
16b: Shoe cover (drawer position)
18: Operation key 20: Trigger button 22: Battery 30: Shooting lens 32: Image sensor 34: Signal processing circuit 36: CPU
38: Recording medium 40: Display unit 42: Accessory control device 44: Photographer's hand 50: Shoe cover body 52: Arm 54: Convex 60: Space for storing arm 52 62: Shoe cover retaining member 64 : Surrounding cover 66: Recess 110: Main body 112: Shoe cover 114: Accessory 116: Shoe cover 118: Operation key 116a: Shoe cover (hiding position)
116b: Shoe cover (drawer position)
210: body 212: accessory shoe 214: accessory 216: photographer's hand 220: lens housing 222: recording unit housing 224: shoe cover 230: body 232: accessory shoe 234: shoe cover 236: arm portion 240: photographer Hand 242: Trigger button

Claims (3)

An accessory shoe (12) that can be connected to the accessory (14), disposed on the top surface of the main body (10);
An operation key (18) disposed on the subject side of the top surface portion with respect to the accessory shoe (12);
A shoe cover (16) for concealing the accessory shoe (12) when the accessory (14) is not connected to the accessory shoe (12), a concealing position for concealing the accessory shoe (12), and the accessory A shoe cover that is coupled to the body (10) so that the shoe (12) is exposed and can be moved between a pull-out position that does not obstruct insertion / extraction of the accessory (14) to / from the accessory shoe (12). Equipped,
The image pickup apparatus, wherein the shoe cover (16) is pulled out horizontally from the concealment position.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation key is a key used for shooting.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation key is a key operated with an index finger.

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