JPH10142666A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the mulfunction of a shutter switch by separating the height directional distances of the position having the shutter switch and the position having a finder switch by a prescribed distance or more. SOLUTION: A shutter switch 3 and a finder switch 5 are set with a height difference of 15mm or more so that the finder switch 5 is higher than the shutter switch 3, and an equipment body 1 around the shutter switch 3 is dented so that the shutter switch 3 is never protruded the outermost form of the equipment body 1. A power source is ON by a power source switch 6, and the finder switch 5 provided in a higher part distant from the shutter switch 3 is pressed, whereby a finder 4 is raised to a photographable position. Then, this camera is turned in the direction of a subject to be photographed through the finer 4 to determine the subject. The shutter switch 3 provided so as not to be protruded from the outermost shape of the equipment body 1 by denting the equipment body 1 around it is pressed to photograph the subject.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a digital camera for storing digital image data captured by a CCD camera or the like in a storage medium such as a memory card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, cameras that do not require a film, so-called digital cameras, have rapidly become popular with the spread of personal computers. Images taken with this digital camera are recorded as image data, so the recorded image data can be freely processed on the personal computer side, and then printed as digital photographs using an ink jet printer or sublimation printer. be able to.

In addition, since a digital camera does not have a film, it is sufficient that the optical path from the optical system to the image pickup device can be secured at least linearly, and from then on, any form that can be electrically coupled is used. It does not matter. Therefore, compared to an analog camera using a film, a great degree of freedom is given to the shape of the housing of the digital camera.

Among them, in a digital camera characterized in that a finder that can be raised and lowered can be stored in a housing, the height of a shutter switch and that of a finder switch are substantially the same. Further, the shutter switch was more convex than the product outer shape (see FIG. 7).

[0005]

The operation procedure of such a digital camera is as follows. First, a current is turned on, then the finder is raised by pressing a finder switch to a photographable position, and the photographer looks into the finder to take a picture. Determine the subject to be shot, press the shutter switch, and shoot. If the shutter switch and the viewfinder switch are provided at approximately the same height, the shutter switch may be pressed at the same time as the viewfinder switch is pressed, causing accidental shooting or the shutter switch being out of the product outline. There was a problem that a switch was pressed carelessly.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide a digital camera capable of preventing a malfunction of a shutter switch.

[0007]

A digital camera for converting incident light from an optical system into an electric signal by an image sensor and recording the digital signal, wherein a finder that can be moved up and down can be stored in a housing. In the camera, the shutter switch for taking a picture and the finder switch for raising the finder to a position where the picture can be taken are not located at the height of the finder switch, but at least 15 mm apart, and the casing around the shutter switch is arranged. The body is recessed, and the shutter switch is recessed from the outer shape of the product.

With this configuration, a digital camera in which erroneous operation of the shutter switch is prevented can be obtained.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a digital camera for converting incident light from an optical system into an electric signal by an image pickup device and recording the electric signal on a storage medium. A shutter switch for photographing, a finder provided to be able to move up and down, a finder switch for moving the finder up and down, and a position where the shutter switch is provided and a position where the finder switch is provided. With the configuration in which the distance in the height direction is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance, the shutter switch and the finder switch are not operated simultaneously.

[0010]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the rear.
1 is a side view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a housing, 2
Is a lens cover for capturing the incident light and protecting the camera unit, 3 is a shutter switch for capturing the image of the subject in the main body, 4 is a finder for determining the subject, and 5 is a position where the finder 4 can be photographed. A finder switch for raising, and 6 is a power switch.

The operation of the digital camera having the above-described configuration at the time of shooting will be described with reference to FIG. First, the power is turned on by the power switch 6. To prevent erroneous operation of the shutter switch 3, the finder 4 is raised to a photographable position by pressing a finder switch 5 provided at a distance of 15 mm or more (dimension A) from the height of the shutter switch 3 and provided above. Next, the user looks into the viewfinder 4 and points the camera in the direction of the subject to be photographed to determine the subject. Once the subject is determined,
The surrounding housing 1 is depressed so that it cannot be inadvertently pressed, and the shutter switch 3 provided so as not to protrude from the outermost system of the housing 1 is pressed to perform photographing.

Next, an elevation mechanism of the finder 4 will be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention at the time of shooting (at the time of ascending), and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure during a descent.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the finder 4 is stored, the hook 5-a provided on the finder switch 5 which is insulated by the finder switch spring 10 held in the housing is connected to the finder 4. By holding the provided hook 4-a, the finder 4 is held at a predetermined storage position. At the time of photographing with the viewfinder 4, by pressing the viewfinder switch 5, the viewfinder switch 5 is rotated about the viewfinder switch rotation fulcrum 5-b, and the viewfinder holding hook 5-a is disengaged from the viewfinder rear hook 4-a. The finder 4 is urged upward by the finder spring 9 held by the body, and the finder 4 is raised, and the finder 4 is moved from the front and rear stoppers 1-a and 1-b provided on the housing.
The positions of the front and rear hooks 4-b and 4-a are regulated so that the finder position at the time of photographing is fixed.

Next, an outline of an electric system in photographing will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the photographer presses the shutter switch 3 at the time of photographing, the tact switch 8 associated therewith is depressed, and an interrupt is generated in the CPU 11 responsible for the overall control of the digital camera. Then, the CPU 11 immediately activates the image reading control circuit 12 to start image reading. Upon receiving a command from the CPU 11, the image reading control circuit 12 converts the incident light passing through the optical system 7-a including a lens and an aperture into an image pickup device 7-b such as a CCD.
Is controlled to convert the optical signal into an electric signal, and then the A / D converter 13 is controlled to convert analog image data into digital image data. The image data sent from the A / D converter 13 is compressed by an image compression circuit 14 and recorded in a memory 15 such as a flash memory. The image data recorded in the memory 15 is transmitted to the interface means 16 for infrared communication or RS232C communication.
External device 17 such as a personal computer via
To a still image on a screen such as a CRT.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, the height difference between the shutter switch and the finder switch is made 15 mm or more, the height of the finder switch is made higher than the shutter switch, and the housing around the shutter switch is depressed. In addition, since the housing is configured so as to be recessed from the outermost shape of the housing, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation of the shutter switch when pressing the finder switch.

Further, since the shutter switch is provided at a position depressed from the outer shape of the main body, careless contact with the shutter switch when the product is stored in a pocket or the like, and erroneous operation such as pressing the shutter switch can be prevented. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the digital camera according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the digital camera at the time of shooting with a finder (ascending) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the digital camera according to the embodiment of the present invention when the viewfinder is housed (descent).

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an external view of a digital camera in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 housing 1-a rear stopper 1-b front stopper 2 lens cover 3 shutter switch 4 finder 4-a finder rear hook 4-b finder front hook 5 finder switch 5-a finder switch hook 5-b finder switch rotation fulcrum Reference Signs List 6 power switch 7 camera unit 7-a optical system 7-b image sensor 8 tact switch 9 finder spring 10 finder switch spring 11 CPU 12 image reading control circuit 13 A / D converter 14 image compression circuit 15 memory 16 interface means 17 external machine

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A digital camera for converting incident light from an optical system into an electric signal by an image pickup device and recording the electric signal on a storage medium, comprising: a housing having an outer shape of the digital camera; and a shutter switch for photographing. A finder provided so as to be vertically movable; a finder switch for moving the finder up and down; and a distance in a height direction between a position where the shutter switch is provided and a position where the finder switch is provided is more than a predetermined distance. A digital camera. 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance is 15 mm. 3. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein a position at which the finder switch is provided is higher than a position at which the shutter switch is provided. 4. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a recess, and said shutter button is provided in said recess.