JP2011075840A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To mount an accessory such as an optical filter on the tip of a retractable lens barrel, without increasing the thickness of a camera body. <P>SOLUTION: In this camera having a retractable lens barrel 12, an accessory mounting part 50 is disposed movably forward/backward in the optical axis direction relative to a rectilinear cylinder 34 on the tip of the lens barrel 12. A screw 50A for mounting an accessory such as an optical filter is formed on the accessory mounting part 50. The accessory mounting part 50 is pushed out to a projected position through a shaft 50B by an end face cam 38E on the tip of a cam cylinder 38 during a photographing state in which the lens barrel 12 is projected, and then moved to a non-projected position by an biasing force of a biasing spring 52 in accompany with retreat of a cam surface of the end face cam 38E in storing the lens barrel 12 into the camera body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly, to a camera having a retractable lens barrel that can be extended from a camera body or housed in the camera body.

  A lens barrel of a type in which an accessory such as an optical filter, a conversion lens, or a lens hood is attached to the tip of the lens barrel needs to be provided with an accessory mounting screw at the tip of the lens barrel.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the accessory mounting portion 3 having the accessory mounting screw 2 is provided on the rectilinear tube 1 of the so-called collapsible lens barrel that houses the lens barrel in the camera body when the power is turned off. When retracting, it is necessary to store the tip of the accessory mounting portion 3 in the camera body.

  On the other hand, in the lens barrel of the interchangeable lens that can be attached to and detached from the camera body, the lens hood with the lens hood is designed so that the lens hood is advanced and retracted in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the lens barrel body and is compact when not in use. It has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-284865 A

  As shown in FIG. 9, the retractable lens barrel needs to accommodate the lens barrel in the camera body when the power is turned off. If the accessory mounting portion 3 is provided at the tip of the lens barrel, the accessory mounting portion 3 is provided. There is a problem that the length in the optical axis direction (projection amount) directly increases the thickness of the camera body.

  On the other hand, in a lens barrel having a long overall length, such as a single-lens reflex interchangeable lens described in Patent Document 1, even if an accessory mounting portion having an accessory mounting screw is provided at the lens tip, the length of the accessory mounting portion is 3 The protrusion amount of the accessory mounting portion does not matter. In addition, since the lens barrel described in Patent Document 1 drives the lens hood with a simple cam, even if the optical filter is attached as it is, the power is turned off with the optical filter attached. I can't.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a camera in which accessories such as an optical filter can be attached to the tip of a retractable lens barrel without increasing the thickness of the camera body. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a camera having a retractable lens barrel capable of accommodating a lens barrel in a camera body, with respect to a cylindrical body at the tip of the lens barrel. An accessory mounting portion disposed so as to be movable back and forth in the optical axis direction, the accessory mounting portion having an accessory mounting screw formed at the tip thereof, and the accessory mounting portion according to the use state of the camera. And an accessory attaching portion driving means for moving the accessory to a protruding position where the accessory can be attached or a non-projecting position.

  That is, the accessory mounting portion to which the accessory can be mounted is configured as a separate piece, and this accessory mounting portion is disposed so as to be movable forward and backward in the optical axis direction with respect to the cylindrical body at the tip of the lens barrel. The accessory mounting portion is moved to the projecting position or the non-projecting position by the accessory mounting section driving means depending on the use state of the camera. By moving the accessory mounting portion to the non-projecting position when the lens barrel is retracted, the accessory mounting portion does not cause an increase in the thickness of the camera body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the camera according to the first aspect, the accessory mounting portion driving means moves the accessory mounting portion to the protruding position when the lens barrel is in a photographing ready state protruding from the camera body. The accessory mounting portion is moved to the non-projecting position when the lens barrel is in a retracted state in which the lens barrel is housed in the camera body.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the camera according to the second aspect, the accessory mounting portion driving means includes a biasing member that biases the accessory mounting portion in a non-projecting direction, and the lens barrel from within the camera body. When in a projecting ready state, the accessory mounting portion abuts against the biasing force of the biasing member to push the accessory mounting portion to the protruding position, and the lens barrel is housed in the camera body. And a drive member that is retracted from the accessory mounting portion in a retracted state and is movable to a non-projecting position by the biasing force of the biasing member.

  The drive member pushes the accessory mounting portion biased in the non-projecting direction by the biasing member to the projecting position in the photographing enabled state, retreats from the accessory mounting portion in the retracted state, It can be moved to the non-projecting position by the urging force of the urging member.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the camera according to the third aspect, when the lens barrel is housed in the retracted position with the accessory attached to the accessory attaching portion, the accessory attaching portion is The movement to the non-projection position by the urging force of the urging member is blocked by the contact between the accessory and the cylindrical body, and is held at the projection position.

  That is, when an accessory is not attached to the accessory attachment portion in the retracted state, the accessory attachment portion is moved to a non-projecting position by the urging force of the urging member, and the accessory is attached. The movement to the non-projecting position due to the urging force of the urging member is blocked by the accessory and held at the projecting position. Even if the lens barrel is retracted in a state where the accessory is attached to the accessory mounting portion in this way, the driving force from the driving member is not transmitted to the accessory mounting portion, so the accessory mounting portion is connected to the accessory mounting portion. The lens barrel can be retracted in a state where is attached.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the camera according to the third or fourth aspect, the lens barrel includes a cylindrical rectilinear barrel and a cam barrel for moving the zoom lens in the lens barrel in the optical axis direction. And the accessory mounting portion is disposed so as to be movable forward and backward in the optical axis direction by engaging a shaft provided inside the accessory mounting portion with a slot formed at the tip of the rectilinear cylinder. It is characterized by that.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the camera according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the cam cylinder is formed with an end face cam capable of coming into contact with a shaft provided at the accessory mounting portion at the tip, and is also used as the driving member. It is characterized by that. The drive means for pushing the accessory mounting portion to the projecting position projecting from the rectilinear cylinder can be configured only by forming an end face cam on the existing cam cylinder. As a result, the number of parts does not increase and drive control is not required.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the camera according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the urging member is a ring-shaped leaf spring disposed at a tip of the rectilinear cylinder, and is provided at the accessory mounting portion. It is characterized by being a leaf spring having a cut-and-raised piece abutting against the shaft.

  As shown in claim 8, in the camera according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the accessory attached to the accessory attaching portion is an optical filter, a conversion lens, or a lens hood.

  According to the present invention, the accessory mounting portion to which an accessory such as an optical filter can be mounted is configured as a separate piece, and this accessory mounting portion can be moved forward and backward in the optical axis direction with respect to the cylindrical body at the tip of the lens barrel. The lens barrel is retractable without increasing the thickness of the camera body because it is arranged and moved from the cylindrical body to a projecting position or a non-projecting position to which the accessory can be attached according to the use situation of the camera. A desired accessory can be attached to the.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera according to the present invention as viewed from the front. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the camera in a state where photographing is possible with the lens barrel protruding from the camera body. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of essential components of the lens barrel of the camera according to the present invention as viewed from the front. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the essential components of the lens barrel of the camera according to the present invention as seen from the rear. FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view showing a state in which the accessory attachment portion is attached to the rectilinear cylinder. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main components of the lens barrel of the camera according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the camera in a retracted state in which a lens barrel without an accessory is housed in the camera body. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the camera in a retracted state in which the lens barrel to which the accessory is attached is housed in the camera body. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a conventional camera in a retracted state in which a lens barrel without an accessory is housed in the camera body.

  Embodiments of a camera according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera according to the present invention as viewed from the front.

  A camera (digital camera) 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a retractable lens barrel 12 that can be extended from a camera body 14 or stored in the camera body 14.

  As will be described later, the lens barrel 12 is provided with an accessory mounting portion 50 to which an accessory such as an optical filter 16 can be attached, as a separate piece from the lens barrel constituent parts, at the tip of the lens barrel.

  In the figure, 20 is a shutter button, 22 is a power switch, 24 is a scene position for selecting a shooting mode of various shooting scenes, such as a still image auto shooting mode, a manual shooting mode, and a landscape mode, and moving image shooting. It is a mode lever for selecting a mode or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the camera 10 in a shootable state in which the lens barrel 12 protrudes from the camera body.

  The lens barrel 12 of the camera 10 mainly includes a barrel main body in which a fixed barrel 30, a rotary barrel 32, and a straight barrel 34 are telescopically extendable and retractable, and advancing and retracting in the optical axis direction integrally with the rotary barrel. A possible straight advance key 36, a cam barrel 38 that rotates integrally with the rotary barrel 32 and moves forward and backward integrally with the rectilinear barrel 34, a first lens group 40 and a second lens group 40 held in the lens barrel body. The lens group 42, the third lens group 44, and the fourth lens group 46 are configured.

  An accessory mounting portion 50 is disposed at the front end of the rectilinear cylinder 34 so as to be movable back and forth in the optical axis direction, and the accessory mounting portion 150 is biased toward the camera body inside the rectilinear cylinder 34. A spring 52 is provided.

  2, 54 is a shutter, 56 is a solid-state image sensor (CCD), and 58 is a decorative ring provided on the front surface of the camera body 14 as shown in FIG. The decorative ring 58 is a decorative ring that protects the tip of the lens barrel 12 when retracted and adjusts the appearance around the lens barrel 12.

  Next, the straight cylinder 34, the cam cylinder 38, the accessory mounting portion 50, and the biasing spring 52 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  3 is an exploded perspective view of the rectilinear cylinder 34, the cam cylinder 38, the accessory mounting portion 50, and the like as viewed from the front, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view as viewed from the rear.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cam groove 38 </ b> A that engages a cam pin provided on the lens frame of the second lens group 42, and a cam pin provided on the rectilinear key 36 are engaged on the peripheral surface of the cam cylinder 38. Three cam grooves 38B are formed. Further, the flange portion at the rear end of the cam cylinder 38 is formed with a convex portion 38 </ b> C that engages with the key groove inside the rotation cylinder 32 and transmits the rotational driving force from the rotation cylinder 32. On the outer periphery of the rear portion, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, there is provided an engagement rib 38 </ b> D that engages with a groove 34 </ b> B formed at the rear end of the rectilinear cylinder 34, and at the tip of the cam cylinder 38, An end face cam 38E is formed.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the rectilinear cylinder 34, a second lens group 42 that engages with the cam cylinder 38, and a rectilinear groove 34A that guides the cam pin of the rectilinear key 36 in the optical axis direction are formed, and the rear end of the inner peripheral surface An arcuate groove 34B that engages with the engagement rib 38D of the cam cylinder 38 is formed. Further, at the tip of the rectilinear cylinder 34, three slots 34C that are long in the optical axis direction and engage with a shaft 50B provided inside the accessory mounting portion 50 are formed.

  An accessory mounting screw 50 </ b> A to which an accessory including an optical filter 16 such as a polarization (PL) filter and a light amount adjustment filter (ND filter) is mounted and the straight cylinder 34 are formed on the inner periphery of the accessory mounting portion 50. Three shafts 50B that engage with the slot 34C are provided.

  The urging spring 52 is a plate spring in which three cut-and-raised pieces 52A are formed on a ring-shaped metal plate as shown in FIG. 3, and is fixed to the inner end of the rectilinear cylinder 34.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view seen from the rear showing a state in which the accessory attaching portion 50 is attached to the rectilinear cylinder 34. The accessory mounting portion 50 can move in the optical axis direction with respect to the rectilinear cylinder 34 by engaging the three shafts 50B provided on the inner periphery thereof with the slot 34C formed in the rectilinear cylinder 34. It is like that. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the three cut-and-raised pieces 52 </ b> A of the urging spring 52 fixed to the inner tip of the rectilinear cylinder 34 abut on the three shafts 50 </ b> B of the accessory mounting portion 50, and the accessory mounting portion 50 is Always energized to the camera body.

  6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the straight cylinder 34, the cam cylinder 38, the accessory mounting portion 50, and the biasing spring 52 are assembled. FIG. 6A shows the optical filter 16 in which the lens barrel is extended. FIG. 6B shows a storage state in which the accessory mounting portion 50 is retracted and stored. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the first lens group 40 is disposed at the tip of the rectilinear cylinder 34, but the first lens group 40 is omitted in FIG.

  In the accessory usable state shown in FIG. 6A (the lens barrel is extended), the flat portion of the end face cam 38E formed at the tip of the cam barrel 38 comes into contact with the shaft 50B of the accessory mounting portion 50. Thus, the accessory mounting portion 50 is pushed out to a protruding position where the accessory can be mounted against the biasing force of the biasing spring 52.

  On the other hand, in the retracted state shown in FIG. 6B (the lens barrel is in the retracted position), the concave portion of the end face cam 38E formed at the tip of the cam barrel 38 corresponds to the position of the shaft 50B of the accessory mounting portion 50. As a result, the accessory mounting portion 50 is moved to the non-projecting position by the urging force of the urging spring 52.

[Operation of lens barrel]
Next, the operation of the lens barrel 12 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the retracted camera in which the lens barrel 12 to which no accessory such as the optical filter 16 is attached is housed in the camera body, and FIG. 8 is a view in which the optical filter 16 is attached. It is principal part sectional drawing of the camera of the retracted state in which the lens barrel 12 was accommodated in the camera main body.

  The rotary cylinder 32 is rotated by a rotational driving force transmitted from a zoom motor (not shown) via a columnar gear decelerated by a reduction gear train. The rotating cylinder 32 is provided with a cam pin or helicoid on the outer periphery, and the cam pin or helicoid engages with a cam groove or helicoid formed on the inner periphery of the fixed cylinder 30. Thereby, when the rotary cylinder 32 rotates, it moves in the optical axis direction while rotating. The rotary cylinder 32 and the straight advance key 36 can move together in the optical axis direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cam cylinder 38 has a protrusion 38 </ b> C formed on the cam cylinder 38 that engages with a key groove formed on the inner periphery of the rotary cylinder 32. Rotate synchronously. 4 and 6, the engaging rib 38D formed on the cam cylinder 38 is engaged with the arc-shaped groove 34B formed on the rectilinear cylinder 34, and the rectilinear cylinder 34 and the cam cylinder 38 are , And can move integrally in the optical axis direction.

  The cam pin provided on the rectilinear key 36 is engaged with the rectilinear groove 34A of the rectilinear cylinder 34 via the cam groove 38B formed in the cam cylinder 38, so that when the cam cylinder 38 rotates, the cam cylinder 38 is rotated. Moves in the optical axis direction together with the rectilinear cylinder 34.

  As described above, when the rotating cylinder 32 rotates, the rotating cylinder 32, the rectilinear cylinder 34, and the cam cylinder 38 expand and contract in a telescopic manner with respect to the fixed cylinder 30, and as shown in FIG. The camera is drawn out to be in a photographing state, or as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, it is drawn into the camera body and stored in the retracted position.

  The first lens group is a fixed lens (front lens) fixed to the tip of the rectilinear cylinder 34, and the second lens group 42 is a variable lens that is moved in the optical axis direction by the cam cylinder 38 and the rectilinear cylinder 34. It is a double lens. As described above, the cam pin of the second lens group 42 is engaged with the rectilinear groove 34A of the rectilinear cylinder 34 via the cam groove 38A of the cam cylinder 38, and when the cam cylinder 38 rotates, the second lens group 42 is Then, it is driven in the optical axis direction by the cam groove 38A.

  The third lens group 44 can be moved integrally with the cam cylinder 38 when the cam cylinder 38 is moved in the optical axis direction, and is a correction lens that corrects focal movement accompanying the movement of the second lens group 42. .

  The fourth lens group 46 is a focus lens, and moves in the optical axis direction by a driving force from a focus motor (not shown) to perform focus adjustment.

[Accessory mounting part operation]
The accessory mounting portion 50 disposed at the tip of the rectilinear cylinder 34 so as to be movable in the optical axis direction includes an end face cam 38E formed at the tip of the cam cylinder 38 and an urging spring as described with reference to FIGS. 52 in the optical axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the lens barrel is in the shooting state, the accessory mounting portion 50 is biased by the end cam 38E at the rotational position of the cam barrel 38 in the shooting state via the shaft 50B. It is pushed out against the urging force of 52.

  In this case, the optical filter 16 can be attached to the accessory attachment portion 50 by screwing the screw 50 </ b> A of the accessory attachment portion 50 projecting from the tip of the rectilinear cylinder 34 and the screw of the optical filter 16.

  On the other hand, when operating the power switch 22 of the camera 10 to turn off the camera power, the lens barrel 12 is housed in the camera body, and then the camera power is turned off.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the lens barrel 12 is housed in the camera body, the cam surface of the end face cam 38E at the rotational position of the cam barrel 38 in the housed state (collapsed position) As a result, the accessory mounting portion 50 that is retracted from the position of the end face of the cylinder 38 and is urged to the non-projecting side by the urging spring 52 via the shaft 50 </ b> B is moved to the non-projecting position by the urging force of the urging spring 52. Moved.

  Accordingly, the accessory mounting portion 50 can be prevented from protruding beyond the camera body (in this embodiment, the decorative ring 58), and the accessory mounting portion 50 does not increase the thickness of the camera body. Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the camera power is turned off with the optical filter 16 mounted on the accessory mounting portion 50, the optical filter 16 contacts the tip of the rectilinear cylinder 34, and the accessory mounting portion 50 Movement to the storage position is prevented.

  In this case, the cam surface of the end cam 38E of the cam cylinder 38 is merely retracted from the shaft 50B of the accessory mounting portion 50, and no mechanical interference occurs. That is, the camera power can be turned off while the optical filter 16 is attached to the accessory mounting portion 50.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the lens barrel of this embodiment, and can be applied to other lens barrels such as JP-A-11-2111965 as long as it is a retractable lens barrel. In addition, the lens configuration in the lens barrel is not limited to that of this embodiment, and may be a lens configuration of two groups or three groups, for example.

  In this embodiment, an example of an optical filter has been described as a lens accessory attached to the accessory attaching portion. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other lens accessories such as a wide conversion lens, a teleconversion lens, or a lens hood can be used. Can be attached.

  It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera, 12 ... Lens barrel, 14 ... Camera body, 16 ... Optical filter, 30 ... Fixed cylinder, 32 ... Rotating cylinder, 34 ... Straight cylinder, 34C ... Groove hole, 36 ... Straight key, 38 ... Cam cylinder, 38E ... End face cam, 50 ... Accessory mounting portion, 50A ... Screw, 50B ... Shaft, 52 ... Biasing spring, 52A ... Cut-and-raised piece

Claims (8)

In a camera having a retractable lens barrel capable of storing a lens barrel in the camera body,
An accessory mounting portion disposed so as to be movable back and forth in the optical axis direction with respect to the cylindrical body at the tip of the lens barrel, and an accessory mounting portion in which a screw for accessory mounting is formed at the tip;
An accessory mounting portion driving means for moving the accessory mounting portion from the cylindrical body to a protruding position where the accessory can be mounted or a non-projecting position according to a use situation of the camera;
A camera characterized by comprising   The accessory mounting portion driving means moves the accessory mounting portion to the protruding position when the lens barrel protrudes from the camera body and is in a photographing enabled state, so that the lens barrel is housed in the camera body. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the accessory mounting portion is moved to the non-projecting position in a state.   The accessory mounting portion driving means abuts on the accessory mounting portion when the accessory mounting portion biases the accessory mounting portion in a non-projecting direction, and when the lens barrel projects from the camera body in a photographing enabled state. The accessory mounting portion is pushed out to the protruding position against the urging force of the urging member, and retracted from the accessory mounting portion when the lens barrel is retracted to be housed in the camera body. The camera according to claim 2, wherein the mounting portion includes a drive member that is movable to a non-projecting position by a biasing force of the biasing member.   When the lens barrel is housed in the retracted position with the accessory attached to the accessory attaching portion, the accessory attaching portion is moved to the non-projecting position by the urging force of the urging member. 4. The camera according to claim 3, wherein the camera is held at the projecting position by being blocked by contact with the cylindrical body. The lens barrel has a cylindrical rectilinear barrel and a cam barrel for moving the zoom lens in the lens barrel in the optical axis direction,
The accessory mounting portion is disposed so as to be capable of moving forward and backward in the optical axis direction by engaging a shaft provided inside the accessory mounting portion with a slot formed at a tip of the rectilinear cylinder. The camera according to claim 3 or 4.   6. The camera according to claim 5, wherein the cam cylinder is formed with an end face cam capable of coming into contact with a shaft provided at the accessory mounting portion at a tip thereof, and is also used as the driving member.   The urging member is a ring-shaped leaf spring disposed at a tip of the rectilinear cylinder, and is a leaf spring having a cut-and-raised piece that abuts on a shaft provided in the accessory mounting portion. The camera according to claim 5 or 6.   The camera according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the accessory attached to the accessory attaching portion is an optical filter, a conversion lens, or a lens hood.

Images