JP2001149130A - Charging camera case - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging camera case in which a chargeable battery in the camera can be charged by a solar cell without enlarging the case nor exposing the camera to high temperature environment. SOLUTION: The chargeable battery provided in the camera 5 is charged by a the solar cell 2 while the camera 5 is connected to the charging camera case 1 by a charging cord 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera case for protecting a camera, and more particularly to a charging camera case capable of charging a charging battery provided in the camera by providing a solar cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 56-79126, a solar battery is provided in a camera case for protecting a camera, and a secondary battery in the camera housed in the camera case by the solar battery. There has been proposed a camera case with a solar cell that can be charged.

[0003]

However, in the case of a solar cell having a size sufficient to be provided in the camera case, the power to be generated is extremely weak, and it is necessary to charge the battery provided in the camera in a desired manner. In addition, the camera must be left in direct sunlight for a long time with the camera housed in the camera case. Under such circumstances, the camera becomes extremely hot and may cause a failure.

In order to solve this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 8-
In Japanese Patent No. 84619, a heat insulating material is provided inside the camera case, but in this case, there is a problem that the camera case becomes large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to charge the inside of a camera with a solar cell without increasing the size of the case and exposing the camera to a high-temperature environment. It is an object of the present invention to provide a charging camera case capable of charging a simple battery.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging camera case including a solar cell for charging a rechargeable battery provided in a camera. , A rechargeable battery case provided by charging the rechargeable battery provided in the camera by connecting the camera and the charging camera case with a charging cord.

In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the solar cell is formed of a flexible material.

Further, according to a third aspect, in a camera system comprising a camera having a rechargeable battery and a camera case accommodating the camera, a camera system provided in the camera for charging the rechargeable battery. A camera system comprising: one solar cell; and a second solar cell provided in the camera case for charging the rechargeable battery.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] Hereinafter, a charging camera case according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a charging camera case 1 and a camera 5 housed in the charging camera case 1. The charging camera case 1 is formed of a material having sufficient strength and flexibility to protect the camera 5 from external force in a stored state, such as cloth or vinyl.

On the upper surface of the charging camera case 1, a solar cell 2 having flexibility enough to be bent is provided (FIG. 2). The solar cell 2 is divided into a plurality of regions and is connected to a flexible substrate. In the camera 5, a charging battery (not shown) serving as a camera power supply is provided, and a pin 4 of a charging cord 3 extending from the charging camera case 1 is connected to a charging terminal 6 provided on the camera 5.
, The charging battery can be charged. The charging cord 3 has such a length that the charging camera case 1 and the camera 5 can be sufficiently separated from each other.

Next, the configuration of the charging camera case 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 is a perspective view of the charging camera case 1, FIG. 4 is a top view of the charging camera case 1, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the solar cell, and FIG. 6 is a top view of the charging camera case 1 having a strap connection portion. is there.

As described above, the camera 5 includes the solar cell 2
A charging battery is provided as a power source of the camera (not shown) which is charged by the camera. As shown in FIG. 3, a spare charging battery 7 used when the charging battery is exhausted is used.
Are provided in the charging battery storage section 8 of the charging camera case 1. Note that the spare charging battery 7 includes a charging circuit 9.
Is connected to

The charging cord 3 is detachable from both the charging camera case 1 and the camera 5, and the detached charging cord 3 is provided in a charging cord storage section provided on a side surface of the charging camera case 1. 10 can be stored. The charging cord storage section 10 can prevent the charging cord 3 removed from the charging camera case 1 and the camera 5 from being lost (FIG. 4).

Next, the configuration of the solar cell 2 will be described. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a light transmitting member 15 formed of a light transmissive material is provided on the upper surface side of the solar cell 2 divided into a plurality of regions, and a cloth, vinyl, or the like is provided on the lower surface side. A flexible member 16 made of a material is provided. The light transmitting member 15 transmits light and guides sunlight or the like to the solar cell 2, and also serves to protect the surface of the solar cell 2.

As shown in FIG. 6, the distal end side of the charging cord 3 is turned back, the pin 4 is engaged with the ring member 11 to form an annular portion 12, and the annular portion 12 is attached to the charging camera case 1. Hook-shaped strap connection part 1 provided in
The charging cord 3 can also be used as a portable strap by engaging with the charging strap 3.

Next, a charging method using the charging camera case 1 having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, the charging camera case 1 is placed on a dashboard 21 of an automobile 20 so that the solar cell 2 is irradiated with direct sunlight. At this time, it should be noted that the camera 5 connected to the charging camera case 1 via the charging cord 3 is arranged at a position where direct sunlight is not irradiated. By arranging the charging camera case 1 and the camera 5 in this manner, sufficient charging by the charging camera case 1 is possible, and at the same time, it is possible to prevent the camera 5 from being exposed to direct sunlight and becoming hot. Can be. In addition, charging using the charging camera case 1
The operation is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 7 and may be performed in a place where sunlight or the like is sufficiently irradiated.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, charging is performed in a state where the charging camera case 1 and the camera 5 are connected by the charging cord 3 having a sufficient length. Can be charged sufficiently in the place where the camera 5 is irradiated, while the camera 5 can be charged in the place where the direct sunlight is not irradiated.
Can be arranged. That is, without increasing the size of the charging camera case 1, the camera 5
Can be prevented from breaking down.

Next, a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. In this modification, the basic configuration is the first
The configuration is the same as that of the embodiment, except that a solar cell 26 is provided in addition to the solar cell 2.

As shown in FIG. 8, the charging camera case 2
5 is provided with a solar cell 26 in addition to the solar cell 2 similar to that of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the charging camera case 25. As shown in FIG.
The solar battery 26 is configured to be housed in a solar battery housing 27 in the charging camera case 25. The camera 5 is stored in the camera storage unit 28.

That is, the solar cell 26 is normally stored in the solar cell storage section 27, but is drawn out of the charging camera case 25 at the time of charging (FIG. 8) and is charged together with the solar cell 2. Can be.

According to this modification, two solar cells 2,
26, the charging can be completed in a shorter time than in the first embodiment. Also, when not charging, the solar cell 26 is
Since it is housed inside, there is no hindrance when carrying the charging camera case 25.

[Second Embodiment] Next, FIGS.
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment in that a solar battery is provided on the charging camera case side, but has the first configuration in that a solar battery and a liquid crystal display unit are provided on the camera side.
The configuration is different from the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the charging camera case and the internal structure of the camera. The charging camera case 30 is provided with a case-side solar cell 31. The camera 32 is also provided with a camera-side solar cell 43. Is provided.

When the case-side solar cell 31 is irradiated with light, a weak current is generated.
3. After flowing into the camera 32 through the camera side contact 34 and being rectified by the rectifying diode 35a, it reaches the secondary battery 36. As a result, energy such as sunlight
The next battery 36 is charged. Similarly, the current generated in the camera-side solar cell 43 provided in the camera 32 is also rectified by the rectifier diode 35b, and then reaches the secondary battery 36, whereby energy such as sunlight is transferred to the secondary battery 36. Charged. That is, in this embodiment, even the camera 32 alone can be charged by the camera-side solar cell 43. In addition, since the two solar cells 31 and 43 are provided, charging can be performed in a short time.

The energy stored in the secondary battery 36 is supplied via a filter 37 to a CPU 38 and a photographing control circuit 40 for controlling exposure and focusing of a photographing lens 39. The liquid crystal display unit 41 capable of dot matrix display is controlled by the CPU 38.
Further, a strap 42 is attached to the camera 32.

Although the camera-side solar cell 43 may be a silicon-based hard one, the case-side solar cell 31
It is formed of a flexible material as in the embodiment. Specifically, a structure in which an a-Si solar cell formed on a plastic film substrate is covered with a protective film or the like is suitable. The thickness of the solar cell in this state is about 0.3 m
It is as thin as m.

Next, the charging camera case 3 of the present embodiment
FIG. 11 shows an external view of the camera 0 and the camera 32. As shown in FIG. 11, the camera 32 is stored in the direction of arrow A with respect to the charging camera case 30. When the camera 32 is stored in the charging camera case 30, the camera-side solar cell 43
And the charging camera case 31 close to the liquid crystal display unit 41
Is formed of a transparent member 45 having transparency. The transparent member 45 allows the camera-side solar cell 43 to be charged even when the camera 32 is housed in the charging camera case 30, and allows the photographer or the like to check the display state of the liquid crystal display unit 41. (FIG. 12).

FIG. 13A shows that the person 45
FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the camera 32 is carried with the camera 2 suspended from the neck, and at this time, the camera-side solar cell 43 faces upward so that direct sunlight is emitted from the sun 46. By doing so, the camera-side solar cell 4
3 can be charged.

FIGS. 13B to 13D show the liquid crystal display section 41.
It is a figure showing the display mode of. FIG. 13B shows a display mode in the photographing mode, in which the number of film frames, date, strobe mode, and self-timer mode are displayed. FIG.
(C), (d) is a figure which shows the display mode in the charge mode. In this case, a sunlight amount display 50 indicating the intensity of the amount of sunlight applied to the solar cell and a battery capacity display 51 indicating the presence or absence of the battery capacity are displayed.
13D shows a state where the amount of sunlight is higher and the battery capacity is larger than the state of FIG. 13C.

Next, display control of the liquid crystal display unit 41 by the CPU 38 will be described with reference to FIG. First,
It is determined whether or not the mode of the camera 32 is a shooting mode (S1). Here, if the mode is not the photographing mode (NO) but the charging mode, the liquid crystal display section 41 displays the state shown in FIG.
A sunlight amount display 50 and a battery capacity display 51 as shown in (d) are performed (S2). If the mode is the shooting mode in S1 (YES), the display in the normal shooting mode as shown in FIG. 13B is performed (S3).

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the camera 32 is also provided with the camera-side solar cell 43, so that the camera 32 can be charged by itself. In addition, since the transparent member 45 is provided, even when the camera 32 is stored in the charging camera case 30, charging by the camera-side solar cell 43 is possible, and the camera case 30 and the camera 32
The total solar cell light receiving area increases, and the charging time is shortened. Further, by providing the transparent member 45,
Since the display state of the liquid crystal display unit 41 can be confirmed even when the camera 32 is stored in the charging camera case 30, the user of the camera can use the camera with confidence in the remaining battery level and the like.

The above-described embodiment of the present invention includes the following inventions. (1) In a charging camera case provided with a solar cell for charging a rechargeable battery provided in the camera, the charging camera case is provided by connecting the camera and the charging camera case with a charging cord. A charging camera case for charging a charged rechargeable battery. (2) The charging camera case according to (1), wherein the solar cell has a light receiving surface divided into a plurality of regions. (3) The charging camera case according to (2), wherein the solar cells are connected by a flexible substrate. (4) The charging camera case according to (1), wherein the charging cord is detachable from both the charging camera case and the camera. (5) The charging camera case includes a first layer formed of a flexible material, a second layer formed of the solar cell formed outside the first layer, and the second layer. The charging camera case according to the above (1), wherein the charging camera case has a three-layer structure of a third layer formed of a protective member for protection. (6) The charging camera case according to the above (1), wherein the charging camera case has a charging cord storage section for storing the charging cord. (7) The charging camera case according to (1), wherein the charging cord serves as a strap. (8) The charging camera case according to (1), further including a second solar cell that can be stored in the charging camera case. (9) In the camera case having the first solar cell light receiving surface on the camera exterior part, when the camera is stored,
A camera case, comprising: a first transparent window for transmitting light on the first solar cell light receiving surface. (10) The camera case according to (9), further including a second solar cell light receiving surface and a connector portion for connecting to the camera, wherein the connector portion can be charged from the two solar cells when the connector portion is connected. . (11) The camera case according to the above (9), further including a second transparent window portion that allows the display means of the camera to be viewed when the camera is stored. (12) The camera case according to the above (11), wherein the display means performs sunlight amount display for indicating the intensity of sunlight amount applied to the solar cell.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, the battery in the camera can be charged by the solar cell without increasing the size of the case and exposing the camera to a high-temperature environment. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a charging camera case and a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state where a solar cell is bent.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a charging camera case.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a charging camera case.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a solar cell.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a charging camera case having a strap connection portion.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a charging method using a charging camera case.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a charging camera case according to a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a charging camera case.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an internal structure of a charging camera case and a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an external view of a charging camera case and a camera.

FIG. 12 is a view near a transparent member in a state where the camera is housed in a charging camera case.

FIG. 13A is a diagram showing a state where a person is carrying a camera with a strap hung from his neck.

FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating a display mode of a liquid crystal display unit in a shooting mode.

FIG. 13C is a diagram showing a display mode of a liquid crystal display unit in a charging mode.

FIG. 13D is a diagram illustrating a display mode of a liquid crystal display unit in a charging mode.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart relating to display control of a liquid crystal display unit by a CPU.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera case for charging 2 Solar battery 3 Receiving cord 4 pin 5 Camera 6 Charging terminal 7 Spare charging battery 9 Charging circuit 10 Charging cord storage unit 31 Case side solar cell 36 Secondary battery 41 Liquid crystal display unit 43 Camera side solar cell 45 transparent material

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A charging camera case provided with a solar cell for charging a rechargeable battery provided in the camera, wherein the camera is connected to the charging camera case with a charging cord. A rechargeable battery provided in the camera case. 2. The charging camera case according to claim 1, wherein the solar cell is formed of a flexible material. 3. A camera system comprising a camera having a rechargeable battery and a camera case containing the camera, a first solar cell provided in the camera for charging the rechargeable battery, A second solar cell provided in the camera case for charging the rechargeable battery.