JP4475063B2 - Waterproof case for electronic equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof case for an electronic device that accommodates an electronic device such as a digital still camera and can be used in water.

  Conventionally, various completely sealed waterproof cases that can use electronic devices such as digital still cameras underwater have been developed.

For example, as disclosed in the following patent document, this waterproof case is configured by combining a front case body and a rear case body via a sealing material, and has a space for accommodating an electronic device therein. The electronic device is supported without rattling in a state where the electronic device is positioned on the support portion inside the waterproof case.
JP 2002-82384 A JP 2002-90854 A JP 2002-90869 A

  Conventionally, this waterproof case has been manufactured in accordance with the size of each electronic device model. On the other hand, electronic devices such as digital still cameras may sell multiple types of devices with the same model but with different sizes. In such cases, a single waterproof case cannot be used, so the sizes are different. A waterproof case corresponding to the size of each electronic device has to be manufactured, which is unreasonable.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a point, The objective is to provide the waterproof case which can accommodate several types of electronic devices from which size differs, and to solve said problem.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured by combining a first case body and a second case body with a sealant interposed between the first case body and the second case body. In the waterproof case for an electronic device having a space for accommodating the electronic device, a fixing support portion for positioning the first electronic device is provided inside the first case body and the second case body. And an attachment member that is detachably attached to the fixed support portion, the attachment member positioning a second electronic device that is smaller in size than the first electronic device, and the fixed support portion and the attachment member are , is molded of a flexible material, by using a fixed support and the attachment member is a plurality of types of electronic equipment can accommodate structures of different sizes, the first electronic device and the second electronic device It has a slide switch having a convex portion, provided with a slide switch operating means for operating the slide switch to the second case member, a slide switch operating means includes an operation dial cam plate having an engagement recess is provided A slide plate having an engagement protrusion to be engaged with the engagement recess and supported so as to be movable in accordance with the size of the electronic device on the inner side of the second case body, and an axis with respect to the slide plate has an engaging arm mounted Rutotomoni recess is provided rotatably, and an elastic means for engaging the convex portion of the concave portion to urge the and engagement arm is mounted on the shaft, the Te, operation dial Is rotated into a linear slide operation by the engagement between the engagement recess of the cam plate and the engagement protrusion of the slide plate, and the elastic arm always urges the engagement arm in the direction of engaging the slide switch , Engagement Slide switch is slid by the sliding operation of the arm.

In the present invention, the first electronic device and the second electronic device are imaging devices, and the first case body includes a glass window portion corresponding to a lens portion of the imaging device, and the glass window portion is shielded from light. When the frame is incorporated and the first imaging device is accommodated therein, the light shielding frame contacts the periphery of the lens portion of the first imaging device, and when the second imaging device is accommodated therein, one of the attachment members This is a structure in which the part contacts the periphery of the lens part of the second imaging device.

In the present invention, when the second electronic device having a small size is accommodated in the waterproof case, the second electronic device is accommodated in a state where the second electronic device is positioned by the attachment member mounted inside the waterproof case, and the first electronic device having the large size is stored. When the electronic device is accommodated in the waterproof case, each electronic device is accommodated in a state of being positioned by the fixed support portion inside the waterproof case by removing the attachment member from the waterproof case. As described above, the waterproof case according to the present invention is very rational because it is not necessary to manufacture a waterproof case for each electronic device having a different size. Furthermore, by molding the fixed support portion and the attachment member with a flexible material, vibration transmitted from the outside of the waterproof case to the electronic device can be absorbed by the flexible material, and the electronic device can be effectively protected from vibration. . Furthermore, in the present invention, the slide switch operating means is provided with an engagement arm that is movable according to the size of the electronic device and is always urged by the elastic means in the direction of engaging the slide switch. The slide switch can be reliably operated even with electronic devices having different sizes.

In the present invention, when the light shielding frame when the housing a first imaging device having a large size as the electronic device is in contact with the periphery of the lens portion of the first imaging device, which accommodates a smaller second imaging device in size is Since a part of the attachment member is in contact with the periphery of the lens unit of the second image pickup device, extraneous light incident on the lens unit of each image pickup device can be blocked. Sometimes a stable photographed image can be obtained.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In this example, a waterproof case for housing a digital still camera (hereinafter simply referred to as a camera) which is an imaging device as an electronic device is shown.

Waterproof case of the present embodiment is obtained by the size small second camera, and the two cameras of the second first camera larger in size than the camera can selectively accommodated.
1 and 2 are perspective views of the second camera 1 (S) having a small size as viewed from the front and the rear, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first camera 1 (L) having a large size as viewed from the front. It is. These two types of cameras are of the same series with the same functions, and have different external designs and sizes. The large first camera 1 (L) has a vertical dimension and thickness dimension of about 2 mm, and a horizontal dimension. The size is about 8 mm, which is larger than the small second camera 1 (S).

  The camera 1 has a power button 7 and a shutter button 8 on the upper surface of the camera body 2, and a lens unit 3, a strobe light emitting unit 4, and a distance measuring illuminator 5 are provided on the front surface. A liquid crystal display unit 6, a liquid crystal display on / off switching button 9, a menu button 10, an image deletion button 11, a zoom operation button 12, and control buttons 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 are provided on the rear surface of the camera body 2. Further, a slide mode changeover switch 18 is provided on the side surface. These arrangement configurations are common to the small camera 1 (S) and the large camera 1 (L).

  The basic structure of the waterproof case of this example that can accommodate the camera in common will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a perspective view seen from the rear with the waterproof case opened, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views seen from the front and the rear with the waterproof case closed.

The waterproof case 21 is a combination of a front case body 22 that is a first case body that covers the front side of the camera 1 and a rear case body 23 that is a second case body that covers the rear side of the camera 1. These are made of an entirely transparent synthetic resin material, such as polycarbonate or acrylic resin, and have a space for accommodating the camera 1 therein.

  Sealing materials 26 and 27 made of rubber rings are attached to the combined surfaces of the outer peripheral edge portions of the front case body 22 and the rear case body 23, and the front case body 22 and the rear case body 23 are combined. Then, the internal space of the waterproof case 21 is sealed by the sealing materials 26 and 27.

  The front case body 22 and the rear case body 23 are coupled to each other at one side portion via a hinge shaft 24 so as to be openable and closable, and are closed so that the front case body 22 and the rear case body 23 are combined. The waterproof case 21 is held in a sealed state by fixing it with the buckle 25 in a state where it is in a closed state.

  In this waterproof case, the front case body 22 is provided with a glass window portion 60 at a position corresponding to the lens portion 3 of the camera 1. When the camera 1 is accommodated, the camera is photographed through the glass window portion 60. It has come to be.

Inside the waterproof case 21, on the back side of the front case body 22, fixed support portions 31 for positioning the first camera 1 (L) having a large size are provided at the four corners, and a second having a small size . Attachment members 32 and 33 for positioning the camera 1 (S) are detachably provided . That is, when accommodating a small camera, the camera is positioned with the attachment members 32 and 33 attached, and when accommodating a large camera, the fixed support portion 31 with the attachment members 32 and 33 removed. In the structure, the camera is positioned.

  Further, support members 34, 35, and 36 for holding the camera 1 positioned on the front case body 22 are attached to the back side of the rear case body 23. That is, when the waterproof case 21 is closed, this support member is attached. The cameras 34, 35, and 36 hold the rear side of the camera 1 so as to reliably support the camera in a positioning state.

  The fixed support portion 31 and the attachment members 32 and 33 and the support members 34, 35, and 36 are all made of a flexible material such as an elastomer or a rubber material. While suppressing the play of the camera 1, the vibration transmitted to the camera 1 from the outside of the waterproof case 21 is effectively absorbed, and the camera 1 is stably supported.

  In the waterproof case 21, the camera 1 can be operated from the outside of the waterproof case 21 while the camera 1 is accommodated. That is, by pressing the operation buttons 41 to 51 from the outside of the waterproof case 21, the pressing elements 41 a to 51 a on the inside of the case interlocking with the operation buttons press and operate the buttons 7 to 17 of the camera 1, respectively. Further, when the operation dial 71 is rotated, the slide plate 72 inside the case is slid in conjunction with the operation dial 71, and the engagement arm 73 provided on the slide plate 72 slides the mode switch 18 of the camera. It is structured to operate.

Next, the camera positioning structure in the waterproof case 21 of the present example configured as described above will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the front case body as seen from the back side. 8 and 9 are also plan views, in which FIG. 8 shows a state in which the attachment member is removed, and FIG. 9 shows a state in which the attachment member is mounted.

  The fixed support portion 31 is configured by fixing support members made of a flexible material such as an elastomer or a rubber material to the four corners on the back side of the front case body 22 and accommodates the camera 1 (L) having a large size. Sometimes, as shown in FIG. 8, the camera 1 (L) is positioned by the fixed support portion 31. That is, in this case, the ribs 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 31e, 31f, 31g, and 31h formed on the fixed support portion 31 receive the outer peripheral portion of the camera 1 (L) and the convex seat portions 31i, 31j, 31k, 31m and 31n are supported so as to receive the front surface portion of the camera 1 (L), whereby the camera 1 (L) is reliably positioned within the waterproof case 21 without rattling.

  On the other hand, the attachment members 32, 33 are detachably provided on the left and right sides of the back side of the front case body 22, and are made of a flexible material such as an elastomer or a rubber material like the fixed support portion 31. The attachment members 32 and 33 are formed by inserting and fitting rail portions 32 a and 33 a having a T-shaped cross section formed on the side portions thereof into recessed groove portions 55 and 56 formed on the left and right sides on the back side of the front case body 22. Thus, when the camera 1 (S) having a small size is mounted in a predetermined position so as to partially overlap the fixed support portion 31, the attachment members 32 and 33 and the fixed support portion 31 are accommodated as shown in FIG. The positioning of the camera 1 (S) is performed. That is, in this case, the ribs 32b, 32c, 33b, 33c of the attachment members 32, 33 and the ribs 31f, 31g of the fixed support portion 31 receive the outer peripheral portion of the camera 1 (S), and the convex seat portions of the attachment members 32, 33. 32d, 32e, 32f and the convex seat portions 31k, 31m of the fixed support member 31 are supported so as to receive the front surface portion of the camera 1 (S), whereby the camera 1 (S) is rattled inside the waterproof case 21. Positioning is ensured without any problems.

  As described above, the waterproof case 21 of this example is equipped with the attachment members 32 and 33 when accommodating the small camera 1 (S), and the attachment members 32 and 33 when accommodating the large camera 1 (L). By removing the camera, it can be used for two types of cameras of different sizes, and can be positioned and accommodated reliably without rattling.

FIG. 10 shows the structure of the glass window 60 in the waterproof case 21 of this example.
Two transparent glass plates, an outer glass plate 61 and an inner glass plate 62, are fitted in the glass window portion 60, and a sealing material 63 made of a rubber ring is incorporated between them to ensure hermeticity. Yes. The outer glass plate 61 and the inner glass plate 62 have a structure that is supported by the front case body 22 through light shielding frames 63 and 64 incorporated in the glass window 60, respectively. It is made of a synthetic resin material having a high light-shielding property, for example, black, so that extra light does not enter the glass window 60 from the periphery of the outer glass plate 61 and the inner glass plate 62.

  Here, the light shielding frame body 65 that supports the inner glass plate 62 has an end face 65a that is widely exposed on the back side of the front case body 22, and when the large-sized camera 1 (L) is accommodated, the light shielding frame body 65 is provided. The end surface 65a of the camera 1 (L) is in contact with the lens unit 3 so that the periphery of the lens unit 3 is in close contact. As a result, the periphery of the lens unit 3 of the camera 1 (L) is covered with the light-shielding frame body 65, so extra light incident on the lens unit 3 of the camera 1 (L) from the outside other than the glass window unit 60. Can be effectively blocked.

  Further, in the waterproof case 21 of this example, when the small camera 1 (S) is accommodated, the periphery of the lens portion 3 of the camera 1 (S) is covered by the attachment members 32 and 33 for positioning the camera 1 (S). It has a structure that is called. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the attachment member 32 has a covering portion 32g that covers the periphery of the glass window portion 60, and a hole 32h corresponding to the glass window portion 60 is formed in the covering portion 32g. Is formed with a raised portion 32i. In the state where the small camera 1 (S) is accommodated, the periphery of the lens portion 3 of the camera 1 (S) comes into close contact with the raised portion 32i around the hole 32h of the attachment member 32. As a result, the periphery of the lens unit 3 of the camera 1 (S) is covered with the attachment member 32. Here, the attachment member 32 is colored, for example, in black similar to the light shielding frame 65, and therefore, extra light incident on the lens unit 3 of the camera 1 (S) from the outside other than the glass window unit 60 is reliably ensured. Blocked.

  Further, a frame-like portion 32j corresponding to the strobe light emitting portion 4 of the camera is integrally formed on the attachment member 32 so as to be continuous with the covering portion 32g covering the periphery of the glass window portion 60, so that the small size camera 1 ( When S) is accommodated, the frame-shaped portion 32j is in contact with the periphery of the strobe light emitting portion 4 of the camera 1 (S) so as to be in close contact. As a result, the periphery of the strobe light emitting unit 4 is also covered with the attachment member 32 at the same time as the lens unit 3 of the camera 1 (S), so that the light directly incident on the lens unit 3 from the strobe light emitting unit 4 is reliably blocked. be able to.

  As described above, the waterproof case 21 of this example is incident on the lens unit 3 of the camera in both cases of accommodating the small camera 1 (S) and accommodating the large camera 1 (L). Therefore, a stable captured image can always be obtained when shooting with the camera.

FIGS. 11 to 13 show the structure of the slide switch operating means 70 for operating the mode switch 18 of the camera in the waterproof case of this example.
The slide switch operating means 70 rotates the operation dial 71 from the outside of the waterproof case 21, and the slide plate 72 on the inner side of the waterproof case 21 is slid in conjunction with the operation dial 71. The provided engaging arm 73 is configured to slide the mode changeover switch 18 of the camera 1.

  In this configuration, the operation dial 71 is assembled so as to be rotatable integrally with a shaft 74 that is pivotally supported through a shaft hole 76 formed in the rear case body 23. Here, a sealing material 75 made of a rubber ring is fitted into the shaft 74 to ensure hermeticity. On the other hand, the slide plate 72 is assembled on the back side of the rear case body 23 so as to be slidable in the same direction as the operation direction of the mode change switch 18 of the camera 1. A cam plate 77 is provided between the slide plate 72 and the shaft 74. It has been.

  The cam plate 77 is pivotally coupled to the shaft 74 so that an engagement protrusion 78 protruding from the slide plate 72 is engaged with an engagement recess 77 a formed at the tip of the cam plate 77. Thereby, the rotation operation of the operation dial 71 is converted into the linear slide operation of the slide plate 72 via the cam plate 77.

  A tongue-like engagement arm 73 is attached to the end of the slide plate 72. When the camera 1 is housed in the waterproof case 21, the mode change switch 18 of the camera 1 is engaged with the engagement arm 73. In this state, the operation dial 71 is rotated to slide the slide plate 72, whereby the mode change switch 18 is slid by the engagement arm 73. Here, as shown in FIG. 13, the engagement arm 73 has a notch-like recess 73 a formed at the center thereof engaged with a finger-hanging projection 18 a protruding from the center of the mode switch 18. The mode changeover switch 18 is slid.

  In this configuration, the engagement arm 73 is movable according to the size of the camera to be accommodated. In this example, the engagement arm 73 is rotatable with respect to the slide plate 72 via the shaft 79. It is attached. Further, the engagement arm 73 is always urged in a direction to engage with the mode switch 18 by the force of a spring 80 which is an elastic means attached to the shaft 79 between the engagement arm 73 and the slide plate 72.

In the waterproof case of the present embodiment by employing such a configuration, the case housing the second camera 1 (S) small size as shown in FIG. 11 (A), the second as in FIG. (B) The engagement arm 73 is flexible according to the difference in the position of the mode changeover switch 18 due to the difference in camera size between the case where the first camera 1 (L) having a size larger than that of the second camera 1 (S) is accommodated. Since the engagement arm 73 is reliably engaged with the mode change switch 18 by the force of the spring 80, the mode change switch 18 can be reliably operated in any case.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the structure of this Example. In the embodiment, the waterproof case capable of accommodating two types of cameras having different sizes is shown. However, by increasing the number of types of attachment members in this configuration, it is possible to deal with more types of cameras.

  In the above embodiments, the waterproof case for the imaging device is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other examples include a display monitor device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable game machine, and the like. Of course, it can be widely used as a waterproof case for various electronic devices.

It is the perspective view which looked at the camera of small size from the front. It is the perspective view seen from the back same as the above. It is the perspective view which looked at the big camera from the front. It is the perspective view seen from back in the state which opened the waterproof case by this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the front in the state where the waterproof case was closed. It is the perspective view seen from the back same as the above. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the front case body of the waterproof case from the back side. It is a state with the attachment member removed in the top view. It is a state with the attachment member mounted in the plan view. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the glass window part of a waterproof case. FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a slide switch operating means in a waterproof case, where (A) shows a case where a small camera is accommodated and (B) shows a case where a large camera is accommodated. It is a block diagram of the main parts. It is explanatory drawing of the engagement structure of a slide switch and an engagement arm.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital still camera (electronic device), 18 ... Mode changeover switch (slide switch), 21 ... Waterproof case, 22 ... Front side case body, 23 ... Rear side case body, 26, 27 ... Seal material, 31 ... Fixed support part 32, 33 ... Attachment member, 60 ... Glass window, 65 ... Shading frame, 70 ... Slide switch operating means, 71 ... Operation dial, 72 ... Slide plate, 73 ... Engaging arm

Claims (2)

The first case body and the second case body are combined through a sealing material, and there is a space for accommodating an electronic device inside the first case body and the second case body. In a waterproof case for electronic devices,
Provided inside the first case body and the second case body is a fixed support portion for positioning the first electronic device, and includes an attachment member that is detachably attached to the fixed support portion,
The attachment member is for positioning a second electronic device having a smaller size than the first electronic device,
The fixed support part and the attachment member are formed of a flexible material,
A structure that can accommodate a plurality of types of electronic devices having different sizes using the fixed support portion and the attachment member,
The first electronic device and the second electronic device each have a slide switch provided with a convex portion ,
A slide switch operating means for operating the slide switch is provided in the second case body,
The slide switch operating means has an operation dial provided with a cam plate having an engagement recess, an engagement protrusion engaged with the engagement recess, and the electronic device on the inner side of the second case body. a slide plate which is movably supported in accordance with the size of the device, engage arm Rutotomoni recess rotatably mounted through a shaft to the slide plate is provided, and the mounted on the shaft Elastic means for urging the engaging arm to engage the concave portion with the convex portion ,
The rotation operation of the operation dial is converted into a linear slide operation by the engagement of the engagement recess of the cam plate and the engagement protrusion of the slide plate,
The elastic means always urges the engagement arm in a direction to engage the slide switch ,
A waterproof case for electronic equipment in which the slide switch is slid by the sliding movement of the engagement arm . The first electronic device and the second electronic device are imaging devices,
The first case body includes a glass window portion corresponding to the lens portion of the imaging device,
A shading frame is incorporated in the glass window,
When the first imaging device is accommodated in the interior, the light shielding frame is in contact with the periphery of the lens portion of the first imaging device, and when the second imaging device is accommodated in the interior, one of the attachment members The waterproof case for an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the unit is configured to contact a periphery of the lens unit of the second imaging device.

Images