JP2002077677A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain a common use of an exterior panel used for positioning of a liquid crystal panel in spite of change of shape and size of the panel. SOLUTION: In a digital camera, a liquid crystal panel holder 35 which is formed by bending a holding piece 37, a positioning piece 38 and an abutting piece 39 on the perimetery edge of a plate part 36 is prepared. The panel 30 and the holder 35 are connected integrally by overlapping the part 36 on the back of the panel 30, and by holding through compression bonding of an outer periphery of the panel 30 with tip bending part of the piece 37. A tip bending part of the piece 38 is engaged to ribs 31 and 32 formed integrally on the inner surface of a rear panel 12 so that the panel 30 is positioned in the in-plane direction together with the holder 35. In the out-of-plane direction, an abutting piece 39 is positioned by abutting on a circuit board 42 incorporated on a front panel 11 side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital camera in which a liquid crystal panel serving as a view finder during photographing and a monitor of a photographed image is incorporated on the inner side of an outer panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various digital cameras for recording image data obtained by imaging with an image sensor in a memory are commercially available.
Some of them are capable of capturing not only still images but also moving images. A digital camera has a liquid crystal panel so that the subject image can be checked through the viewfinder at the time of imaging, and the image can be reproduced and observed after imaging, regardless of whether the image corresponds to a still image or a moving image. It has been incorporated.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional method of incorporating a liquid crystal panel. Rear panel 2 to be the back side of the digital camera
Is manufactured by injection molding of plastic, and the liquid crystal panel 3 is positioned on the inner surface side. An opening having a size corresponding to the display screen of the liquid crystal panel 3 is formed in the rear panel 2, and the liquid crystal panel 3 is positioned in accordance with the opening. Note that, in order to protect the display screen of the liquid crystal panel 3, a transparent cover plate is usually placed over the opening. A holder 4 made of a thin metal plate is also used for positioning the liquid crystal panel 3. The holding pieces 5 are bent and formed on the left and right peripheral edges of the holder 4 two by two. The bent end portions of the holding pieces 5 are pressed against the left and right outer peripheries of the liquid crystal panel 3, and are integrally connected so as to sandwich the liquid crystal panel 3.

[0004] Ribs 6 and 7 are integrally formed inside the rear panel 2 corresponding to the size of the liquid crystal panel 3. These ribs 6 and 7 respectively contact the outer periphery of the liquid crystal panel 3 and perform positioning in an in-plane direction (x-axis and y-axis directions in the figure) parallel to the display screen. In the z-axis direction, a contact piece 8 is formed by bending the periphery of the holder 4 and a circuit board incorporated in the camera body is brought into contact with the tip of the contact piece 8, thereby positioning and incorporating the liquid crystal panel 3. ing.

[0005]

According to the above-mentioned conventional method, ribs 6 and 6 are provided on the rear panel 2 according to the outer shape of the liquid crystal panel.
Since the liquid crystal panel 7 is integrally formed, it is simple when the outer size of the liquid crystal panel is constant, but cannot cope with the case where the shape or size of the liquid crystal panel is changed. In particular, the digital camera is one of the products with a very high metabolism. A new model with a different internal mechanism has been manufactured while sharing the basic exterior as a series product. Along with this, it is not uncommon for liquid crystal panels to have different display screen sizes or to use other liquid crystal panels with different part numbers or manufacturers in consideration of performance and cost.

[0006] However, when the display screen size of the liquid crystal panel is changed, or when the product number or manufacturer of the liquid crystal panel is different, the shape and external size of the liquid crystal panel usually change. Therefore, even if the shape and size of the basic exterior panel are almost the same, the external shape and size of the liquid crystal panel are required to position the rib integrally formed on the rear panel in contact with the outer periphery of the liquid crystal panel. The rear panel has to be changed every time. Since the rear panel is a plastic injection-molded product, the mold must be prepared in accordance with the change of the rear panel, which is a factor that increases the manufacturing cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to easily and surely maintain a common exterior panel even if the shape or external size of the liquid crystal panel slightly changes. An object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera capable of assembling a liquid crystal panel.

[0008]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a liquid crystal panel is positioned on the inner surface of an exterior panel using a holder mounted on the liquid crystal panel. For this reason, the liquid crystal panel holder used in the present invention has ribs integrally formed on the inner surface of the exterior panel on the periphery of the holder plate connected to the rear side of the liquid crystal panel by holding pieces pressed against the outer periphery of the liquid crystal panel. A circuit incorporated in the body to form a positioning piece that engages with the holder plate and positions the liquid crystal panel together with the holder plate in an in-plane direction parallel to the display screen, and further, for positioning in a direction perpendicular to the display screen. It has a structure in which a contact piece that contacts the substrate is formed by bending. Such a liquid crystal panel holder can be prepared at low cost by pressing a thin metal plate. Also, considering that the size or shape of the display screen of the liquid crystal panel does not necessarily match the display window provided on the exterior panel, a transparent plate is provided on the display window, and the periphery of the display screen of the liquid crystal panel is provided on this transparent plate. The limit frame to be shielded is printed.

[0009]

1 and 2 show appearances of a digital camera using the present invention on the front side and the back side. The camera body 10 has a front panel 11 as its exterior panel.
And a rear panel 12. An imaging window 13 is provided in the front panel 11, and an imaging lens 14 is built in the back of the imaging window 13. This digital camera can use a liquid crystal panel, which will be described later, as a viewfinder, and has a real image type optical finder to save power, and its objective window 15 is provided above the imaging window 7. In addition, when the release button 16 is pressed and the subject brightness is equal to or lower than a predetermined level, strobe light is automatically emitted from the strobe light emission window 17.

A display window 20 is provided on the rear side of the camera body 10, and a display screen 21 of a liquid crystal panel incorporated therein appears. On the display screen 21 of the liquid crystal panel, a subject image captured by the image sensor through the imaging lens 14 is displayed in real time, and can be used as a viewfinder at the time of capturing. At the time of reproduction, it is also possible to read out image data obtained by imaging from the memory, display the image on the display screen 21, and monitor the image. Note that image data obtained by imaging can be recorded on a removable memory card in addition to the memory built in the digital camera.

On the back of the camera body 10, various operation buttons and keys are provided in addition to the eyepiece window 23 of the optical finder. For example, the mode dial 24 is operated to switch between an imaging mode and a reproduction mode, and various operations are performed. Initial settings can be made. At the time of the initial setting operation, an appropriate menu is displayed on the display screen 21 of the liquid crystal panel. Reference numeral 25 indicates an on / off switch for the liquid crystal panel.

In FIG. 3 showing a state in which the rear panel 12 is removed, an opening 27 is formed in the rear panel 12.
This opening 27 is covered with a transparent plate 28 joined from the outside of the rear panel 12. A restriction frame 29 is printed on the inner surface side of the transparent plate 28 with black ink, so that only a range corresponding to the display screen 21 of the liquid crystal panel 30 can be observed from the back side, and the periphery thereof is shielded. Therefore, by changing the printing plate of the restriction frame 29 according to the shape and size of the display screen 21 of the liquid crystal panel 30, display windows 20 corresponding to various liquid crystal panels 30 can be obtained.

On the inner surface of the rear panel 12, ribs 31, 32, and 33 are integrally formed at predetermined positions surrounding the opening 27. A liquid crystal panel holder 35 is mounted on the liquid crystal panel 30 from the rear side, and the liquid crystal panel 30 is positioned with respect to the rear panel 12 by the liquid crystal panel holder 35. The liquid crystal panel holder 35 is made of a thin metal plate. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of holding pieces 37, positioning pieces 38, and abutting pieces 39 are provided on the periphery of a plate portion 36 that is superimposed on the back surface of the liquid crystal panel 30. Is bent, and such a liquid crystal panel holder 35 can be easily manufactured by press working.

The holding pieces 37 protrude from the upper edge and the left and right peripheral edges of the plate portion 36, and the respective tips are bent toward the rear panel 12, and the liquid crystal panel 30 is fitted between the bent portions of each holding piece 37. . Since the length of each holding piece 37 is determined by the outer shape and size of the liquid crystal panel 30, the outer periphery of the liquid crystal panel 30 is clamped and held by these holding pieces 37. In addition, as shown in the drawing, holes are formed in some of the holding pieces 37 so that projections provided on the outer periphery of the liquid crystal panel 30 are formed therein.
The liquid crystal panel 30 and the liquid crystal panel holder 35 are integrally connected without displacement.

As in the case of the holding piece 37, the positioning piece 38 has its distal end bent. The length of each positioning piece 38 is determined by the ribs 31 formed on the rear panel 12,
32 are determined according to the position. The contact piece 39 is bent from the plate portion 36 toward the front panel 11 and away from the rear surface of the liquid crystal panel 30. The bent height is adjusted so that the tip comes into contact with a circuit board 42 (shown by a virtual line in FIG. 3) incorporated in the front panel 11 side. In the illustrated example, the contact piece 39 is bent vertically. However, the contact piece 39 may be bent obliquely so as to have elasticity so that when the tip is brought into contact with the circuit board 42, it is elastically deformed. .

The circuit board 42 includes an IC for driving an image sensor for imaging, various operation buttons and keys provided on the rear panel 12, and a contact portion for detecting an operation input from the mode dial 24. An IC and the like for driving the liquid crystal panel 30 are mounted, and the front panel 11
Fixed on the side with screws. And the liquid crystal panel 3
The lead wire 30a for lighting the light source and the flexible wiring board 30b for displaying an image drawn from 0 are connected to the circuit board 42 via an appropriate connector.

By using the liquid crystal panel holder 35, the liquid crystal panel 30 can be positioned on the inner surface side of the rear panel 12, as shown in FIG. The liquid crystal panel 30 is held by the liquid crystal panel holder 3 by the holding pieces 37.
5, the liquid crystal panel holder 3
5 may be positioned with respect to the rear panel 12. For this purpose, a positioning piece 38 and a contact piece 39 are used.

The lower edge of the outer periphery of the liquid crystal panel 30 is
The ribs 33 are supported by the second rib 33, and the bent portions of the tip of the positioning piece 38 are engaged with the inner edges of the ribs 31 and 32. As described above, the length of the positioning piece 38 is determined in advance by the rib 3.
The liquid crystal panel 30 is adjusted together with the display panel holder 35 in a plane parallel to the display screen 21 (shown in the figure) because the positioning piece 38 including the bent end portion is easily elastically deformed. (x-axis, y-axis directions). Then, the rear panel 12 is connected to the front panel 1
1 so that the contact piece 39 is attached to the circuit board 4.
2, the liquid crystal panel 30 is also positioned in a direction perpendicular to the display screen 21 (the z-axis direction in the figure).

As described above, if the positioning piece 38 of the liquid crystal panel holder 35 is set to a size corresponding to the ribs 31 and 32 of the rear panel 12, the shape and size of the liquid crystal panel 30 itself are changed with the change of the model of the digital camera. Even if it is slightly changed, the position and length of the holding piece 37 are changed accordingly, or the contact piece 39 is changed according to the thickness of the liquid crystal panel 30.
By simply preparing a liquid crystal panel holder 35 having a different bending height, it is possible to easily cope with the problem, and the rear panel 12 can be shared without any change.

In the illustrated example, the ribs 31 and 32 are
Although the bent portion of the positioning piece 38 is engaged with the edge near the opening 27, the bent portion may be slightly separated from the plate portion 36, and the bent portion may be engaged with the edge far from the opening 27. A similar effect can be obtained. The rear panel 12 has ribs 3 discretely around the opening 27.
Although 1, 32 and 33 are provided, these may be ribs connected in series in a rectangular frame shape.

Further, in the present invention, not only the rear panel 12, but also a front panel serving as an exterior panel of a digital camera or a camera body whose top surface is covered with a top panel, a liquid crystal panel is assembled to the top panel. Can be used equally.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, even when the size or shape of the liquid crystal panel incorporated in the camera body is slightly changed, the liquid crystal panel holder corresponding to the shape is used together. By doing so, it is not necessary to change the exterior cover that positions the liquid crystal panel, so it is possible to use the exterior panel commonly when manufacturing digital cameras of different models, which is very important in reducing the manufacturing cost. It is effective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the digital camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the digital camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a liquid crystal panel is positioned on a rear panel using the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique for positioning a liquid crystal panel on a rear panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 12 rear panel 20 display window 21 display screen 30 liquid crystal panel 31, 32, 33 rib 35 liquid crystal panel holder 36 plate portion 37 holding piece 38 positioning piece 39 contact piece 42 circuit board

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) G09F 9/00 362 G09F 9/00 362 5G435 // H04N 101: 00 H04N 101: 00

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A digital camera in which a liquid crystal panel for image display is incorporated on the inner surface side of an exterior panel provided with a display window, wherein the outer periphery of the liquid crystal panel is provided on the periphery of a holder plate mounted from the back side of the liquid crystal panel. A plurality of holding pieces which are respectively pressed against a plurality of places to hold the liquid crystal panel from the outer peripheral side, and a rib integrally formed so as to at least discretely surround the display window on the inner surface of the outer panel; A plurality of positioning pieces that position the liquid crystal panel sandwiched between the pieces in a plane parallel to the display screen, and are bent in a direction away from the back of the liquid crystal panel to abut a circuit board on which a driving circuit of the liquid crystal panel is mounted. A digital camera comprising a liquid crystal panel holder formed by bending a plurality of abutting pieces for positioning the liquid crystal panel in a direction perpendicular to the display screen. La. 2. A display device according to claim 1, wherein said display window is covered with a transparent plate, and said transparent plate is printed with a limit frame for shielding a periphery of a display screen of a liquid crystal panel.
Digital camera as described.