JP7576485B2 - Camera equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a camera device, and in particular to a camera device in which the lens barrel can be extended forward along the optical axis direction.

Conventionally, cameras have been known that have a lens barrel extension mechanism that extends the lens barrel forward along the optical axis direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a camera, in order to perform close-up shooting (macro shooting) in addition to normal shooting, it is necessary to extend the lens barrel further forward from normal shooting. However, mechanisms for extending the lens barrel forward in multiple stages tend to be complicated and require a large storage space. For this reason, there is a demand for a mechanism that extends the lens barrel further forward from normal shooting with a simple and compact structure.

JP 2014-56009 A

The present invention was made in consideration of the problems with the conventional technology, and aims to provide a camera device that can achieve two shooting states with a simple and compact structure.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera device capable of realizing two shooting states with a simple and compact structure. The camera device includes a barrel section and a lens barrel that is movable from a collapsed state housed inside the barrel section in a direction extending along an optical axis. The lens barrel includes a first barrel unit that is movable forward relative to the barrel section from a state housed inside the barrel section in the radial direction, and a second barrel unit that is movable from a first position housed inside the first barrel unit in the radial direction to a second position extended forward from the first barrel unit. The second barrel unit has a protrusion that protrudes radially outward. The lens barrel has a switching spring that is spanned between a spring shaft portion formed on the first barrel unit and the protrusion of the second barrel unit. The switching spring is rotatable about the spring shaft so as to bias the protrusion of the second barrel unit in the collapse direction when the protrusion of the second barrel unit is located on the collapse direction side opposite to the extension direction from the reference position, and bias the protrusion of the second barrel unit in the extension direction when the protrusion of the second barrel unit is located on the extension direction side from the reference position. The spring shaft of the first barrel unit extends radially outward and has a spring engagement portion with which the switching spring engages, and a protruding portion extending from the tip of the spring engagement portion in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the spring engagement portion extends. The spring engagement portion is a pair of semi-cylinders obtained by dividing a cylinder extending radially outward from the first barrel unit, and is configured by a pair of semi-cylinders arranged at a distance from each other. Alternatively, the first barrel unit has at least one elastic piece that is elastically deformable, and the at least one elastic piece has a protrusion that engages with the protrusion of the second barrel unit to hold the second barrel unit in the first position.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a camera device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing some of the components accommodated in an internal space defined by a front cover, a rear cover, and a top cover of the camera device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lens barrel shown in FIG. 2 is maximally extended in the +X direction. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a normal photographing state of the camera device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a macro-photographing state of the camera device shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the lens barrel in the normal shooting state shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of a portion of the lens barrel of FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the lens barrel of FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view of a part of the lens barrel in the macro shooting state of FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a second cylinder portion of a camera device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a part of the lens barrel including the second cylinder portion shown in FIG.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of a camera device according to the present invention with reference to Figs. 1 to 12. In Figs. 1 to 12, identical or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals and duplicated descriptions are omitted. In Figs. 1 to 12, the scale and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated or some components may be omitted. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish components from each other and do not indicate a specific order or sequence.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a camera device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The camera device 1 in this embodiment is a camera (instant camera) that uses photographic film that is automatically developed after shooting, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to devices other than instant cameras. For the sake of convenience, in this embodiment, the +X direction in Figure 1 will be referred to as "front" or "forward" and the -X direction will be referred to as "rear" or "backward".

As shown in FIG. 1, the camera device 1 comprises a front cover 2, a rear cover 3 attached to the rear of the front cover 2, and a top cover 4 sandwiched between the front cover 2 and the rear cover 3. A viewfinder window 5 is formed in the front cover 2, and a flash window 6 is disposed adjacent to this viewfinder window 5. A release button 7 is disposed on the -Z side of the viewfinder window 5. An ejection slit 4A extending in the Y direction is formed in the top cover 4, and the photographic film developed after shooting is ejected from this ejection slit 4A.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing some of the components housed in the internal space formed by the front cover 2, rear cover 3, and top cover 4. As shown in Figure 2, the camera device 1 has a lens barrel 10 housed inside the cylindrical portion 2A (see Figure 1) of the front cover 2, and a frame 20 to which the lens barrel 10 is attached. This frame 20 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped base portion 21 and a cylindrical barrel portion 22 that extends forward from the base portion 21 and holds the lens barrel 10.

The lens barrel 10 in this embodiment has a structure that can be extended in the +X direction. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the lens barrel 10 in a state where it is maximally extended in the +X direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the lens barrel 10 includes a first tube portion 11, a second tube portion 12, and a third tube portion 13. The first tube portion 11 is movable in the X direction relative to the barrel portion 22 of the frame 20, and the second tube portion 12 is movable in the X direction relative to the first tube portion 11. The third tube portion 13 is movable in the X direction relative to the second tube portion 12. In this embodiment, the first tube portion 11 and the second tube portion 12 constitute a rear tube unit 31 (first tube unit), and the third tube portion 13 constitutes a front tube unit 32 (second tube unit). A lens (not shown) is housed inside the third tube portion 13.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rear end of the first tube portion 11 of the lens barrel 10 is formed with two engagement protrusions 14 that protrude radially outward. As shown in FIG. 2, the barrel portion 22 of the frame 20 is formed with two guide grooves 24 that extend along the direction of the optical axis P (X direction) in correspondence with each engagement protrusion 14. Each engagement protrusion 14 of the lens barrel 10 is accommodated inside the guide groove 24 of the barrel portion 22 and is adapted to engage with the guide groove 24. The width of the guide groove 24 in the Z direction is slightly larger than the width of the engagement protrusion 14 in the Z direction. Therefore, the engagement protrusion 14 moves inside the guide groove 24 in the direction of the optical axis P (X direction) while being guided by the guide groove 24.

As shown in FIG. 2, an operation button 8 is provided near the barrel portion 22 of the frame 20 in a state where it is biased in the +X direction by a coil spring 8A. As shown in FIG. 1, this operation button 8 protrudes in the +X direction from the front cover 2 near the cylindrical portion 2A of the front cover 2, and the user can press the operation button 8 in the -X direction. When the user presses the operation button 8 in the -X direction, the engagement protrusion 14 of the lens barrel 10 is pushed in the +X direction by the barrel extension mechanism 9 attached to the barrel portion 22, and the lens barrel 10 is extended in the +X direction (extension direction) as shown in FIG. 4. When the lens barrel 10 protrudes from the barrel portion 22 in the +X direction in this way, the camera device 1 is powered on by a switch mechanism (not shown).

The lens barrel extension mechanism 9 includes a lever 9A that pushes the engagement protrusion 14 in the +X direction in conjunction with the operation button 8, and a torsion coil spring (not shown) whose biasing direction for the engagement protrusion 14 is reversed depending on the position of the engagement protrusion 14. This torsion coil spring is configured to bias the engagement protrusion 14 in the +X direction when the engagement protrusion 14 moves in the +X direction beyond a predetermined position, and conversely, to bias the engagement protrusion 14 in the -X direction when the engagement protrusion 14 moves in the -X direction beyond a predetermined position. Note that the lens barrel extension mechanism 9 is not limited to a specific one, and may have any structure as long as it can extend the lens barrel 10 in the +X direction.

In this embodiment, when the first tube portion 11 moves in the +X direction relative to the barrel portion 22, the second tube portion 12 moves in the +X direction relative to the first tube portion 11 by a moving mechanism (not shown). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the second tube portion 12 is extended in the +X direction from the first tube portion 11. The position of the third tube portion 13 relative to the second tube portion 12 in this state is referred to as the "first position." In this state, the user can perform normal shooting (normal shooting state). In this normal shooting state, the third tube portion 13 of the front barrel unit 32 is housed radially inside the second tube portion 12 of the rear barrel unit 31.

In addition, in this embodiment, in the state shown in FIG. 4, the user can manually pull out the third tube portion 13 further in the +X direction from the second tube portion 12. When the third tube portion 13 is pulled out further in the +X direction from the second tube portion 12, as shown in FIG. 5, the second tube portion extends in the +X direction from the first tube portion 11, and the third tube portion 13 further extends in the +X direction from the second tube portion 12. The position of the third tube portion 13 relative to the second tube portion 12 at this time is referred to as the "second position." In this state, the user can, for example, perform close-up macro photography (macro photography state).

On the other hand, FIG. 1 shows the state in which the lens barrel 10 is housed in the barrel portion 22 of the frame 20, and in this state the lens barrel 10 is at its shortest in the X direction. Hereinafter, this state will be referred to as the "retracted state."

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the lens barrel 10 in the normal shooting state of Figure 4, Figure 7 is a side view of the part of the lens barrel 10 shown in Figure 6, and Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the lens barrel 10. As shown in Figure 6, the second tube portion 12 of the rear barrel unit 31 has a plurality of guide claws 50 that protrude radially outward. Also, on the inner peripheral surface of the first tube portion 11 of the rear barrel unit 31, a guide groove 15 extending in the X direction is formed corresponding to the guide claws 50 of the second tube portion 12. The guide claws 50 of the second tube portion 12 engage with the guide grooves 15 of the first tube portion 11, and the second tube portion 12 can move in the X direction relative to the first tube portion 11 while being guided by the guide grooves 15.

As shown in FIG. 8, the third tube portion 13 of the front barrel unit 32 has two cylindrical projections 41 and two guide claws 42 that protrude radially outward (only one of each is shown in FIG. 8). A guide groove 51 extending in the X direction is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the second tube portion 12 of the rear barrel unit 31, corresponding to the guide claws 42 of the third tube portion 13. The guide claws 42 of the third tube portion 13 engage with the guide groove 51 of the second tube portion 12, and the third tube portion 13 can move in the X direction relative to the second tube portion 12 while being guided by this guide groove 51.

A pair of elastic pieces 52 extend in the -X direction like cantilevers behind the guide groove 51 of the second tube portion 12. Therefore, the free end side (-X direction side) of these elastic pieces 52 is elastically deformable. Between these elastic pieces 52, a movement space S is formed for the movement of the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 described above, and the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 extends through this movement space S to the outside of the second tube portion 12. In addition, each elastic piece 52 has a protrusion 53 that protrudes toward the inside of the movement space S near the end on the -X direction side. These protrusions 53 are located on the path of the protrusion 41 moving in the X direction, and the width of the movement space S is narrowed by these protrusions 53.

A pin-shaped spring shaft 55 that protrudes radially outward is formed near one of the elastic pieces 52 of the second tube portion 12. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, this spring shaft 55 has a cylindrical spring engagement portion 56 that extends radially outward from the second tube portion 12, and a protruding portion 57 that extends in the -X direction from the tip of the spring engagement portion 56. An end of one arm 61 of a switching spring 60, which may be a torsion coil spring, is wound around the spring engagement portion 56 of the spring shaft 55, and the arm 61 of the switching spring 60 and the spring engagement portion 56 of the spring shaft 55 are engaged.

The end of the other arm 62 of the switching spring 60 is wound around the protrusion 41 of the third tube 13 that extends to the outside of the second tube 12 through the moving space S, and the arm 62 of the switching spring 60 and the protrusion 41 are engaged. That is, the above-mentioned switching spring 60 is spanned between the spring shaft 55 of the second tube 12 and the protrusion 41 of the third tube 13 so that it can rotate around the spring engagement portion 56 of the spring shaft 55. The switching spring 60 is attached so that the opening angle between the arms 61 and 62 is smaller than the free angle of the switching spring 60. In the illustrated example, the switching spring 60 is composed of a torsion coil spring, but it can also be composed of other types of springs (e.g., leaf springs).

As shown in FIG. 8, a protrusion 43 extends from the tip of the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13, and this protrusion 43 prevents the switching spring 60 that engages with the protrusion 41 from coming off the protrusion 41. In addition, the spring shaft portion 55 also has a protrusion 57 that extends in the -X direction, and this protrusion 57 prevents the switching spring 60 that engages with the spring engagement portion 56 from coming off the spring engagement portion 56.

7, the arm 62 of the switching spring 60 that engages with the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 is located on the -X direction side of the arm 61, so the -X direction component of the biasing force of the switching spring 60 acts on the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13. Therefore, unless a force greater than the -X direction component of the biasing force of the switching spring 60 acts on the third tube portion 13, the third tube portion 13 will not move in the +X direction. 7, the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 is located in the -X direction from the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52 of the second tube portion 12. Therefore, even if a force exceeding the -X direction component of the biasing force of the switching spring 60 acts on the third tube portion 13, the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52 engages with the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13. In order for the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 to move beyond the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52 to the +X direction side, a force is required to elastically deform the elastic piece 52 to an extent that the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 overcomes the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52. Thus, a certain amount of force is required to move the third tube portion 13 in the +X direction from the state shown in FIG. Therefore, even if some force acts on the third tube portion 13 when the lens barrel 10 is extended in the +X direction (extension direction) from the retracted state by the barrel extension mechanism 9, the third tube portion 13 can maintain the first position shown in FIG. 7 relative to the second tube portion 12, making normal photography possible.

As described above, when changing from the normal shooting state to the macro shooting state, the user holds the third tube portion 13 (for example, the flange portion 13A) by hand and pulls it out in the +X direction. At this time, when the user pulls out the third tube portion 13 with a force greater than the force that elastically deforms the elastic piece 52 to the extent that the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 overcomes the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52, the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 overcomes the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52 and moves in the +X direction. Here, when the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 moves in the +X direction beyond the reference position R shown in FIG. 9 (the position of the protrusion 41 when the X-directional positions of the arm portion 61 and the arm portion 62 of the switching spring 60 coincide), the biasing direction of the switching spring 60 is reversed, and the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 is subjected to a force in the +X direction from the switching spring 60. Therefore, even if the user does not pull out the third tube portion 13 in the +X direction, the third tube portion 13 moves in the +X direction (extending direction) relative to the second tube portion 12 due to the +X direction component of the biasing force of the switching spring 60. Eventually, the third tube portion 13 moves in the +X direction to the second position where it abuts against a stopper (not shown) of the second tube portion 12, resulting in the macro shooting state shown in Figures 5 and 9.

In this way, the switching spring 60 in this embodiment is configured to urge the protrusion 41 in the -X direction when the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 is located on the -X direction (retraction direction) side of the reference position R, and to urge the protrusion 41 in the +X direction when the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 is located on the +X direction (extension direction) side of the above-mentioned reference position R. Note that in order to urge the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 in the +X direction after the protrusion 41 has overcome the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52, it is preferable to set the reference position R on the +X direction (extension direction) side of the top of the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52.

When changing from the macro shooting state to the normal shooting state or the retracted state, the user pushes the third tube portion 13 (e.g., the flange portion 13A) in the -X direction with a force that is greater than the +X direction component of the biasing force of the switching spring 60 and is greater than the force that elastically deforms the elastic piece 52 to the extent that the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 overcomes the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52. As a result, the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 overcomes the protrusion 53 of the elastic piece 52 and moves in the -X direction. At this time, since the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 is located on the -X direction side of the reference position R shown in FIG. 9, a force in the -X direction is applied from the switching spring 60 to the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13, and the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 moves to the first position described above.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 is cylindrical, friction between the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 and the protrusions 53A, 53B of the elastic pieces 52A, 52B is reduced, which makes the movement of the third tube portion 13 in the X direction smoother and improves the durability of the protrusion 41 and the protrusions 53A, 53B. The user's sense of operation of the third tube portion 13 is also improved.

In this embodiment, the protrusions 53 of the two elastic pieces 52 are arranged to face each other, so that the protrusions 53 of the two elastic pieces 52 facing each other can more reliably hold the protrusion 41 of the third tube portion 13 in the first position.

As described above, one arm 61 of the switching spring 60 is wound around the spring engagement portion 56 of the spring shaft portion 55 of the second tube portion 12, but in this embodiment, the protruding portion 57 of the spring shaft portion 55 extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the spring engagement portion 56 extends (the -X direction in the illustrated example). Therefore, when attaching the arm 61 of the switching spring 60 to the spring engagement portion 56 of the spring shaft portion 55 of the second tube portion 12, the protruding portion 57 prevents the arm 61 of the switching spring 60 from coming off the spring engagement portion 56. This makes it easier to assemble the lens barrel 10.

Returning to FIG. 6, a groove 16 extending in the X direction is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 11 in correspondence with the spring shaft portion 55 of the second cylindrical portion 12 described above. FIG. 10 is a cross section taken along line A-A in FIG. 7, showing the relationship between the groove 16 of the first cylindrical portion 11 and the spring shaft portion 55 of the second cylindrical portion 12. As shown in FIG. 10, the tip of the spring shaft portion 55 of the second cylindrical portion 12 is located inside the groove 16 of the first cylindrical portion 11, and when the second cylindrical portion 12 moves in the X direction relative to the first cylindrical portion 11, the tip of the spring shaft portion 55 of the second cylindrical portion 12 moves inside the groove 16 of the first cylindrical portion 11. Here, since the groove 16 of the first tube portion 11 and the protruding portion 57 of the spring shaft portion 55 of the second tube portion 12 both extend in the X direction, when the spring shaft portion 55 of the second tube portion 12 moves inside the groove 16 of the first tube portion 11, the protruding portion 57 of the spring shaft portion 55 is prevented from colliding with and interfering with the first tube portion 11. In addition, after the first tube portion 11 and the second tube portion 12 are assembled, the spring shaft portion 55 of the second tube portion 12 enters the groove 16 of the first tube portion 11, so that the arm portion 61 of the switching spring 60 is prevented from coming off the spring engagement portion 56.

The spring engagement portion 56 of the spring shaft portion 55 described above is configured by a cylinder extending radially outward from the second cylindrical portion 12. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the spring engagement portion of the spring shaft portion 55 may be configured by a pair of semi-cylinders 156A and 156B obtained by dividing a cylinder extending radially outward from the second cylindrical portion 12 in half. In this case, it is preferable that the semi-cylinders 156A and 156B are arranged spaced apart from each other. In the example shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the semi-cylinders 156A and 156B are arranged spaced apart in the X direction. By configuring the spring engagement portion with such semi-cylinders 156A and 156B, when attaching the arm portion 61 of the switching spring 60 to the spring shaft portion 55, these semi-cylinders 156A and 156B can be elastically deformed in a direction approaching each other, making it easier to attach the arm portion 61 of the switching spring 60 to the spring shaft portion 55.

In this case, it is preferable that the spring shaft portion 55 has overhanging portions 157A, 157B that extend in opposite directions from the respective tips of the semicylinders 156A, 156B. In this way, by making the overhanging portions 157A, 157B extend in opposite directions from the respective tips of the semicylinders 156A, 156B, it is possible to more effectively prevent the arm portion 61 of the switching spring 60 from coming off the spring engagement portion. Also, in this case, it is preferable that the direction in which the overhanging portions 157A, 157B extend is aligned with the direction in which the groove 16 of the first tube portion 11 extends, as shown in FIG. By making the extension direction of the protrusions 157A and 157B the same as the extension direction of the groove 16 of the first tube portion 11, when the spring shaft portion 55 of the second tube portion 12 moves inside the groove 16 of the first tube portion 11, the protrusions 157A and 157B of the spring shaft portion 55 are prevented from colliding with and interfering with the first tube portion 11.

In addition, the terms used in this specification, such as "front," "forward," "rear," "back," "upper," "upper," "lower," "lower," and other terms indicating positional relationships, are used in relation to the illustrated embodiment and may change depending on the relative positional relationship of the devices.

As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, a camera device capable of realizing two shooting states with a simple and compact structure is provided. This camera device includes a barrel section and a lens barrel that can move in a direction extending along the optical axis from a retracted state housed inside the barrel section. The lens barrel includes a first barrel unit that can move forward relative to the barrel section from a state housed inside the radial direction of the barrel section, and a second barrel unit that can move from a first position housed inside the radial direction of the first barrel unit to a second position extended forward from the first barrel unit. The second barrel unit has a protrusion that protrudes radially outward. The lens barrel has a switching spring that is stretched between a spring shaft portion formed on the first barrel unit and the protrusion of the second barrel unit. The switching spring biases the protrusion of the second barrel unit in the collapse direction when the protrusion of the second barrel unit is located on the collapse direction side opposite to the extension direction from the reference position, and is rotatable about the spring shaft so as to bias the protrusion of the second barrel unit in the extension direction when the protrusion of the second barrel unit is located on the extension direction side from the reference position. The spring shaft of the first barrel unit extends radially outward and has a spring engagement portion with which the switching spring engages, and a protrusion portion that extends from the tip of the spring engagement portion in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the spring engagement portion extends.

With this configuration, if the protrusion of the second barrel unit is positioned further toward the retracted direction than the reference position in the retracted state, when the lens barrel extends forward from the retracted state, the second barrel unit will not move in the extension direction unless a force greater than the retracted direction component of the biasing force of the switching spring acts on the second barrel unit. Therefore, even if some force acts on the second barrel unit, the second barrel unit can maintain the first position and the first shooting state can be realized. Also, when the second barrel unit is pulled forward with a force greater than the retracted direction component of the biasing force of the switching spring, the biasing direction of the switching spring is reversed, and a force from the switching spring acts on the protrusion of the second barrel unit in the extension direction. This allows the second barrel unit to be moved to the second position and the second shooting state to be realized.

In this way, according to the present invention, two shooting states, namely, a first shooting state in which the second lens barrel unit is in a first position relative to the first lens barrel unit, and a second shooting state in which the second lens barrel unit is in a second position relative to the first lens barrel unit, can be realized with a simple and compact structure.

In addition, the spring shaft of the first barrel unit has a protruding portion that extends from the tip of the spring engagement portion in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the spring engagement portion extends. When the switching spring is placed between the spring shaft of the first barrel unit and the protrusion of the second barrel unit, the protruding portion prevents the switching spring from coming off the spring engagement portion, making it easier to assemble the lens barrel.

The spring engagement portion may be formed of a cylinder extending radially outward from the first barrel unit.

Alternatively, the spring engagement portion may be formed of a pair of semicylinders that halve a cylinder extending radially outward from the first barrel unit. In this case, the pair of semicylinders are disposed at a distance from each other. By forming the spring engagement portion from such a pair of semicylinders, the semicylinders can be elastically deformed in a direction that brings them closer to each other when attaching the switching spring to the spring shaft portion, making it easier to attach the switching spring to the spring shaft portion. In this case, if the overhanging portions extend in opposite directions from the respective tips of the pair of semicylinders, the overhanging portions can more effectively prevent the switching spring from coming off the spring engagement portion.

The first barrel unit may include a first tube portion radially inside the barrel portion and movable forward relative to the barrel portion, and a second tube portion including the spring shaft portion. The second tube portion is radially inside the first tube portion and movable forward relative to the first tube portion. A groove extending along the optical axis direction may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first tube portion. It is preferable that the protruding portion of the spring shaft portion of the second tube portion extends in a direction along the optical axis and is located inside the groove of the first tube portion. With this configuration, when the spring shaft portion of the second tube portion moves inside the groove of the first tube portion, the protruding portion of the spring shaft portion can be prevented from colliding with and interfering with the first tube portion.

It is preferable that the first lens barrel unit has at least one elastic piece that is elastically deformable. In this case, it is preferable that the at least one elastic piece has a protrusion that engages with the protrusion of the second lens barrel unit to hold the second lens barrel unit in the first position. With this configuration, even if a force greater than the retraction direction component of the biasing force of the switching spring acts on the second lens barrel unit, the protrusion of the elastic piece engages with the protrusion of the second lens barrel unit, so a certain amount of force is required to move the second lens barrel unit in the extension direction. Therefore, even if some force acts on the second lens barrel unit, the second lens barrel unit can maintain the first position.

Though we have described preferred embodiments of the present invention, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and may be embodied in various different forms within the scope of its technical concept.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 camera device 2 front cover 3 rear cover 4 top cover 5 viewfinder window 6 flash window 7 release button 8 operation button 9 lens barrel extension mechanism 10 lens barrel 11 first barrel portion 12 second barrel portion 13 third barrel portion 14 engagement protrusion 16 groove 20 frame 21 base portion 22 barrel portion 24 guide groove 31 rear barrel unit (first barrel unit)
32 Front barrel unit (second barrel unit)
41 Projection 42 Guide claw 51 Guide groove 52 Elastic piece 53 Projection 55 Spring shaft 56, 156A, 156B Spring engagement portion 57, 157A, 157B Extension 60 Switching spring 61, 62 Arm

Claims (5)

A barrel portion;
a lens barrel that is movable from a collapsed state housed inside the barrel portion in a direction extending along an optical axis,
The lens barrel includes:
a first barrel unit movable forward relative to the barrel portion from a state in which the first barrel unit is accommodated inside the barrel portion in the radial direction;
a second barrel unit movable from a first position housed radially inside the first barrel unit to a second position extended forward from the first barrel unit, the second barrel unit having a protrusion protruding radially outward;
a switching spring that is spanned between a spring shaft portion formed on the first lens barrel unit and the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit, the switching spring being rotatable about the spring shaft portion so as to urge the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit in the retracting direction when the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit is located on the retracting direction side opposite to the extension direction from a reference position, and to urge the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit in the extension direction when the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit is located on the retracting direction side from the reference position,
The spring shaft portion of the first barrel unit is
a spring engagement portion that extends radially outward and engages with the switching spring;
a protruding portion extending from a tip of the spring engaging portion in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the spring engaging portion extends ,
the spring engagement portion is a pair of semi-cylinders that are obtained by dividing a cylinder extending radially outward of the first barrel unit into two, the pair of semi-cylinders being spaced apart from each other ;
Camera equipment. A barrel portion;
a lens barrel that is movable from a collapsed state housed inside the barrel portion in a direction extending along an optical axis,
The lens barrel includes:
a first barrel unit movable forward relative to the barrel portion from a state in which the first barrel unit is accommodated inside the barrel portion in the radial direction;
a second barrel unit movable from a first position housed radially inside the first barrel unit to a second position extended forward from the first barrel unit, the second barrel unit having a protrusion protruding radially outward;
a switching spring that is spanned between a spring shaft portion formed on the first lens barrel unit and the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit, the switching spring being rotatable about the spring shaft portion so as to urge the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit in the retracting direction when the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit is located on the retracting direction side opposite to the extension direction from a reference position, and to urge the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit in the extension direction when the protrusion portion of the second lens barrel unit is located on the retracting direction side from the reference position,
The spring shaft portion of the first barrel unit is
a spring engagement portion that extends radially outward and engages with the switching spring;
a protruding portion extending from a tip of the spring engaging portion in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the spring engaging portion extends ,
the first barrel unit has at least one elastic piece that is elastically deformable,
the at least one elastic piece has a protrusion that engages with the protrusion of the second barrel unit to hold the second barrel unit at the first position ;
Camera equipment. The camera device according to claim 2 , wherein the spring engagement portion is formed of a cylinder extending radially outwardly of the first lens barrel unit. The camera device according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are configured to extend in opposite directions from respective tips of the pair of semi-cylinders. The first barrel unit includes:
A first cylindrical portion is disposed radially inside the barrel portion and is movable forward relative to the barrel portion;
a second cylindrical portion including the spring shaft portion, the second cylindrical portion being movable forward relative to the first cylindrical portion on a radially inner side of the first cylindrical portion,
a groove is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion, the groove extending along the optical axis direction;
the protruding portion of the spring shaft portion of the second cylindrical portion extends in a direction along the optical axis and is located inside the groove of the first cylindrical portion;
The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .

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