JP2000000055U - Retractable camera - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] By automatically storing a lens barrel at a retracted position when a shooting operation of a camera is not performed for a predetermined time,
A collapsible camera capable of protecting a lens barrel. [Constitution] With the ON operation of the power switch of the camera, the lens barrel is extended from the retracted position to the shooting preparation position, and the lens barrel is extended or retracted within the zoom range from the wide end to the telephoto end according to the operation of the zoom switch. A retractable camera in which the lens barrel is retracted to a retracted position in response to an OFF operation of a power switch. Measures the lapse of time from when the lens barrel is extended to the shooting preparation position, determines whether a camera operation member such as a shutter release button has been operated within a predetermined time, and has operated the camera operation member When the timer is reset and the operation of the camera operation member is not performed for a predetermined time, control for driving the lens barrel to the retracted position is performed.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a retractable camera, and more particularly, to a control based on a timer function of a retractable camera that can electrically drive a lens barrel.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 When a power switch is turned on, this type of conventional collapsible camera moves the lens barrel (movable barrel) 1 at a collapsed position shown by a broken line to a shooting preparation position shown by a solid line as shown in FIG. Is turned off, the movable barrel 1 is retracted to the retracted position and stored in the fixed barrel 2 in the camera. In FIG. 3, 3 is a chassis, and 4 is a film.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 By the way, if the power switch of the conventional collapsible camera is turned on, that is, if the camera is carried around with the lens barrel protruding, the possibility that the lens barrel hits something increases, and as a result, the camera performance deteriorates. Or failure. Further, in the retractable camera, there are many movable parts for which light shielding measures must be taken, and as shown in FIG. 3, when the movable barrel 1 is extended, it is much more vulnerable to light leakage than in the retracted state. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a retractable camera that can automatically retract a lens barrel at a retracted position and protect the lens barrel.

[0004]

[Means for solving the problem]

 In order to achieve this object, the present invention extends the lens barrel from the retracted position to the shooting preparation position when the power switch of the camera is turned on, and moves the lens barrel from the wide end to the tele end according to the operation of the zoom switch. When the retractable camera is extended or retracted within the zoom range up to and retracted to the retracted position when the power switch is turned off, the time since the lens barrel was extended to the shooting preparation position A timer that measures the progress of the camera operation, and determines whether or not a camera operation member such as a shutter release button has been operated within a predetermined time. When it is determined that the camera operation member has been operated, the timer is reset, and the lens barrel is reset. When the operation of the camera operation member is not performed for a predetermined time based on the measurement time of the timer in the state where the lens is in the extended state, the lens barrel is driven to the retracted position. It is characterized in that a control means for controlling is provided.

In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the camera operation member is a shutter release button.

[0006]

[Action]

 According to the present invention, when the operation of the camera operation member such as the shutter release button for the photographing operation of the camera is not performed for a predetermined time in a state in which the lens barrel is extended to the photographing preparation position, the mirror is not moved. The torso is driven to the retracted position. At this time, when the power switch of the camera is in the ON state, when the camera operation member is operated again for photographing, the lens barrel can be extended to the photographing preparation position again. Further, in order to inform the user that the retracted state is different from the state when the power switch is turned off, a message to that effect is displayed on an external display means. You can also turn off the power to prevent battery drain.

[0007]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the retractable camera according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a retractable camera according to the present invention. In the figure, the taking lens is a retractable zoom lens, and its lens barrel 10 can be moved between a retracted position (a position shown by a dashed line) and a photographing preparation position (a position shown by a broken line). A predetermined zoom range from a position (wide end) to a tele end (position indicated by a solid line) can be electrically moved stepwise or steplessly by the zoom switch 12. The central processing unit (CPU) 14 controls and controls the operation of the camera as a whole. Here, only the control of the lens barrel and the like related to the operation of the control means of the present invention will be described. The CPU 14 outputs a signal indicating whether or not a button operation or touch has been performed from the shutter release button 16, and whether or not a camera hold (touch on the camera hold detector 18) has been detected from the camera hold detector 18 disposed on the camera grip. A signal indicating whether the camera power is ON or OFF is supplied from the power switch 20. Next, the processing operation of the CPU 14 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2, the processing operation of the CPU 14 is started when the power switch 20 is turned on. At the same time as the power switch 20 is turned on, the lens barrel 10 is extended from the retracted position to the photographing preparation position (step 100). . That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when a signal indicating the ON state is applied from the power switch 20, the CPU 14 sends a signal for moving the lens barrel 10 to the shooting preparation position at the time of the rise of the signal. The lens barrel 10 is electrically driven to the photographing preparation position by the lens driving device 22. Thereafter, when a zoom signal is applied from a zoom switch 12 which is one of the camera operation members, the lens barrel 10 is moved via the lens driving device 22 within the zoom range from the photographing preparation position (wide end) to the tele end. Can be moved.

[0009] The CPU 14 has a timer, and when the lens barrel 10 is extended, measures the time from that point. Then, before the measurement time which elapses for a predetermined time T _1, when the power switch 20 is turned OFF, is moved to the collapsed position the lens barrel 10 as in the conventional camera (step 110, 120). Next, a case where the power switch 20 is not turned off will be described. In this case, within a predetermined time T _1, button operation of the shutter release button 16, it is determined whether a touch like the Kameraho Rudo detector 18 (Step 130,14 0). Then, when a button operation or the like of the shutter release button 16 within a predetermined time T _1, the timer is reset and the lens barrel 10 is again photographing preparation position because barrel 10 which is in the photographing preparation position The process returns to the step 110 via the step 150 without executing.

On the other hand, if the shutter release button 16 is not operated within the predetermined time T ₁ and the time T ₁ elapses, the lens barrel 10 is moved to the retracted position (step 160). In order to inform the user that the state is different from the state when the power supply step is turned off, the external display 24 is displayed to that effect, for example, "TIME OVER" (step 170). Thereafter, it is further determined whether or not a predetermined time T ₂ (T ₂ > T ₁ ) has elapsed (step 180). When the predetermined time T _{2 has} elapsed, the power switch 20 is turned off. The process ends (step 190). Incidentally, during the period from the predetermined time T ₁ to time T _2, when the power supply is a button operation or the like in the ON state, the lens barrel 10, which is temporarily stored in the collapsed position Ru fed back to the photographing preparation position (step 130 , 150).

[0011]

[Effect of the invention]

 As described above, according to the collapsible camera according to the present invention, if the camera operation member is not operated for a predetermined time while the power is on, the lens barrel is automatically collapsed. Since the lens barrel is driven to the position, the lens barrel can be protected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a retractable camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart used to explain the operation of the CPU in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an example of a retractable camera.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 lens barrel 14 central processing unit (CPU) 16 shutter release button 18 camera hold detector 20 power switch 22 lens driving device 24 external display

Claims (3)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. A lens barrel is extended from a retracted position to a shooting preparation position in accordance with an ON operation of a power switch of a camera, and the lens barrel is extended within a zoom range from a wide end to a telephoto end in response to operation of a zoom switch. Alternatively, in a retractable camera in which the lens barrel is retracted to the retracted position in accordance with the turning-off operation of the power switch, the elapsed time from when the lens barrel is extended to the shooting preparation position is measured. A timer to determine whether or not the camera operating member has been operated within a predetermined time, and reset the timer when it is determined that the camera operating member has been operated, in a state where the lens barrel is in the extended state. When the operation of the camera operation member is not performed for a predetermined time based on the measurement time of the timer, control means for performing control for driving the lens barrel to the retracted position is provided. Vignetting was, collapsible camera, characterized in that. 2. The retractable camera according to claim 1, wherein the camera operation member is a shutter release button. 3. The control means, when the camera operating member is operated in a state where the lens barrel is driven to the retracted position without operating the camera operating member for a predetermined period of time, the lens barrel is returned to the shooting preparation position. A retractable camera characterized by being controlled so as to be fed out.