JP2001235780A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera using a metallic slide cover, besides, the slide guide for which is efficiently assembled by a small number of parts. SOLUTION: The camera 2 is provided with the metallic slide cover 4 which is freely moved between a closed position where a photographic lens 6 mounted on the front surface of the camera main body 3 is covered and a photographing position where the photographic lens 6 appears, and by moving the slide cover 4 to the photographing position, the range finding opening 15 formed in the slide cover 4 in front of the range finding photodetecting part assembled in the camera main body 3 is positioned, a window member 16 which is prepared for transmitting the range finding light and which is provided with an integrally molded guide projection 16b for guiding the movement of the slide cover 4 in slidable contact with the surface of the camera main body 3 is fixed at the inside of the slide cover 4 so as to cover the opening 15. Besides, the window member 16 and the guide projection 16b are made longer than the width of the opening 15 on the inner surface side of the slide cover 4 along the moving direction of the slide cover 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera provided with a slide cover.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As described in JP-A-11-231376, a camera in which a box-shaped slide cover is placed on one side of a camera body is known. When the slide cover is slid to the right and moved from the closed position to the shooting position, the shooting lens provided on the front of the camera body is exposed, and the pulled-out slide cover is also used as a grip by holding it with the right hand can do.
As a result, the gripped right hand is separated from the photographing lens, so that so-called finger-grabbing photographing can be prevented.

[0003] A slide guide is provided between the surface of the camera body and the inner surface of the slide cover so that the slide cover can be slid smoothly and without backlash with respect to the camera body. The slide guide includes
Since a function to prevent the slide cover from moving or tilting in a direction other than the slide direction is required, a guide rail extending in the slide direction is used on at least one of the camera body side and the slide cover, and the other is provided with the guide rail. An uneven guide portion that slides on the step portion of the guide rail is provided.

[0004]

However, when the slide cover is made of a metal such as titanium or aluminum in order to improve the appearance design of the camera, the inner surface of the slide cover itself is subjected to high-precision fine processing. It is difficult to provide guide rails and uneven guides. Therefore, it is necessary to fix a guide rail or a concavo-convex guide portion made of another component to the inner surface of the slide cover, but in such a case, it becomes difficult to position these components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera capable of efficiently incorporating a slide guide with a small number of parts while using a metal slide cover. And

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention exposes a front surface of a distance measuring light emitting unit or light receiving unit incorporated in a camera body when a slide cover is moved to a photographing position. Focusing on the fact that an opening to be formed is formed in the slide cover, and a window member transparent to distance measuring light is fixed to this opening for dust prevention, and this window member serves as a guide when moving the slide cover. The guide projection is provided integrally. Since the window member is positioned by utilizing the opening formed in the slide cover, a highly reliable guiding action can be obtained, and the window member and the guide projection are made longer than the width of the opening on the inner surface side of the slide cover. Keeping it is also an effective means.

[0007]

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a camera using the present invention when used. The camera 2 includes a camera body 3 and a slide cover 4. The slide cover 4 has a substantially box-like shape according to the outer shape of the camera body 3, and is covered on the camera body 3 from the right hand grip side. The slide cover 4 is made by squeezing a thin aluminum plate,
When the slide operation is performed to the photographing position as shown in the figure, the strobe light emitting unit 5 rotates to the position shown in the figure and the power switch is turned on,
A lens barrel 7 incorporating a taking lens 6 projects from the retracted position.

The slide cover 4 has a shutter button 8 on its upper surface and a light receiving window 9 for distance measurement on its front surface. By moving the slide cover 4 to the photographing position, the shutter button 8 moves to a position where the pressing operation is effective, and the light receiving window 9 moves to the front of the light receiving section incorporated in the camera body 3. The slide cover 4 is locked at this photographing position, and can be used as a right hand grip during photographing.

When the strobe light emitting unit 5 is rotated so that its light emitting surface faces downward, the strobe light emitting unit 5 is locked at the storage position. At the same time, the lens barrel 7 retreats from the illustrated position to the retracted position, the lock at the photographing position is released, and the slide cover 4 can be slid rightward in the drawing toward the closed position. In the closed position, the strobe light emitting unit 5 and the photographing lens 6 are completely covered, and have a substantially box-shaped compact form.

After the slide cover 4 is moved to the photographing position, if the lock release knob 12 is operated and held at that position, the lock of the slide cover 4 at the photographing position is released. Then, the slide cover 4 can be further slid to the left in the drawing to move to the loading position of the film cartridge. At this loading position, a loading lid is exposed on the bottom surface of the camera body 3 and can be opened to take out and load the film cartridge. Note that the camera body 3 is further provided with a finder objective window 13 and a photometry window 17.

An autofocus device is provided in the camera body 3 so that the subject distance is measured by half-pressing the shutter button 13 and the photographing lens 6 can be automatically focused in accordance with the measured subject distance. It has been incorporated. The measurement of the object distance is performed by using the finder objective window 13.
By projecting distance-measuring light (near-infrared light) from the light-projecting window 14 provided beside the camera to the subject, and receiving the distance-measuring light reflected by the subject through the light-receiving window 9 of the slide cover 4. Done. For the light projecting window 7 and the light receiving window 9, a plastic window member that transmits distance measuring light and absorbs most of visible light is used to prevent the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion from appearing directly on the exterior. At the same time, dust is prevented from entering the inside.

If the light receiving section for distance measurement is incorporated in the vicinity of the lens barrel 7 so that the slide cover 4 is exposed to the front together with the photographing lens 6 when the slide cover 4 is moved to the photographing position, the slide cover 4 Need not be provided with a light receiving window. However, in order to improve the accuracy of the distance measurement by increasing the base line length of the distance measurement, as in this embodiment, even when the slide cover 4 is moved to the photographing position, the light receiving unit is located at a position covered by the slide cover 4. It is effective to measure the distance using the light receiving window 9 provided in the slide cover 4.

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section of a main part of the light receiving window 9. The light receiving window 9 includes an opening 15 formed in the slide cover 4 and a window member 16 fitted and fixed in the opening 15. When the slide cover 4 is moved to the photographing position, the camera body 3 incorporates a light receiving lens 18 and a light receiving element 19 which constitute a distance measuring light receiving portion at a position overlapping with the light receiving window 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the window member 16 has a shape sufficiently longer than the width of the opening 15 on the inner surface side of the slide cover 4.

In FIG. 2, a window member 16 has an opening 15
A step 16a protruding toward the front side and having a shape corresponding to the shape is integrally formed. The window member 16 is fitted from the inner surface side of the slide cover 4 and is fixed to the inner surface of the slide cover 4 with an adhesive. At this time, the opening 15 and the step 16a
The window member 16 is accurately positioned on the slide cover 4 by fitting.

On the back side of the window member 16, a guide projection 16b extending in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing is integrally formed, and is in contact with the front surface of the camera body 3. Note that the height of the guide protrusion 16b is set in consideration of the relationship between a similar slide guide provided between the rear surface of the camera body 3 and the inner surface of the slide cover 4.

When the slide cover 4 is slid between the closed position and the photographing position, the guide projection 16b formed on the window member 16 always comes into sliding contact with the front surface of the camera body 3, so that a stable guide action is provided. Can be obtained. In addition, the guide projection 16b is
, The sliding contact with the front surface of the camera body 3 can be sufficiently secured even when the slide cover 4 is opened to the photographing position, and the slide cover 4 is inclined in the front-rear direction of the camera body 3. Not even.

Although the present invention has been described based on the illustrated embodiment, the same operation can be obtained even if the light receiving window 9 and the light projecting window 14 are exchanged. When the window member 16 and the guide protrusion 16b are provided to be elongated along the sliding direction of the slide cover 4, the guide protrusion 1
The protrusion 6b does not necessarily have to be a ridge, and may be constituted by, for example, a plurality of protrusions arranged intermittently.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, a guide projection is formed integrally with a distance measuring window member fixed to a slide cover, thereby providing a guide function between the slide cover and the camera body. As a result, the operability of the slide cover can be made smooth and stable without increasing the number of parts and the number of assembling steps.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a camera using the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a main part of the camera shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Camera body 4 Slide cover 9 Light receiving window 14 Light emitting window 15 Opening 16 Window member 16b Guide protrusion

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A metal slide cover movable between a closed position for covering a photographing lens provided on a front surface of a camera body and a photographing position exposing the photographing lens, and moving the slide cover to the photographing position. By letting
In a camera in which a distance measuring opening formed in a slide cover is located in front of a distance measuring light emitting unit or light receiving unit incorporated in a camera body, a measurement is performed so that the inner surface of the slide cover covers the opening. A camera, wherein a window member that transmits distance light is fixed, and a guide projection for moving the slide cover between the two positions by sliding contact with the surface of the camera body is integrally provided on the window member. . 2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the window member and the guide protrusion are longer in the moving direction of the slide cover than the width of the opening on the inner surface side of the slide cover.