JP2002139787A - Luminous display device for camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a luminous display device for a camera which can be easily viewed from a wide area in every direction of the camera. SOLUTION: As for a spherical display case 45 constituted of cases 45a and 45b molded of orange plastic transparent material, the case 45 is molded to the spherical shape so that the maximum cross-sectional area may be larger than the cross-sectional area of a base part 46 adjoining the camera main body 11, and the case 45 is arranged so that it may drastically project from the outline of the camera main body 11. The prism storing part 32a of a finder unit 32 with an LED 21 mounted on the top face is partly stored in the display case 45 through an opening 46 formed in a rear cover 11a. At the end of charging the stroboscopic device, light is emitted from the LED 21, and then, the emitted light is viewed from the wide area in every direction of the camera through the display case 45.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a light-emitting display device for a camera, and more particularly to a light-emitting display device for a camera which can be viewed from a wide range of front, rear, left and right of the camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a light emitting display device for notifying a user of a camera state, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) embedded near an eyepiece window of a viewfinder is well known. This LED is lit in green when the charging of the strobe device is completed, for example, to notify the photographer that strobe shooting is possible. In addition, an LED that is turned on when the autofocus device is in focus is also known.

[0003] Such a light emitting display device cannot be visually recognized from the side to be photographed (subject side). For this reason, for example, when flash photography is performed by self-timer photography, it is not known from the subject side whether or not the charging of the flash device has been completed. In order to remedy such a drawback, the present applicant sold a flash Fujika (trade name) having a light emitting display device called a strobe light emitting OK lamp in 1976.

The strobe light emitting OK lamp is a green neon lamp, and is disposed so as to face a semicylindrical case formed of a colorless and transparent plastic material protruding from an upper surface of the exterior of an upper cover of the camera. This allows
When charging of the strobe device is completed, there is an advantage that the green neon lamp is turned on and can be visually recognized from the outside through the transparent case.

[0005]

However, a light-emitting display device such as the above-mentioned strobe light-emission OK lamp, which is slightly protruded from the upper surface of the exterior of the upper cover of the camera, can be visually recognized from above the camera body. It was not enough to view from a wide range of front, rear, left and right.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a light emitting display of a camera which can be easily viewed from a wide range of front, rear, left and right of the camera.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a light emitting display of a camera according to the present invention has a hollow three-dimensional shape formed of a transparent material and a base having a maximum cross-sectional area connected to the camera body. A case having a larger cross-sectional area is provided so as to protrude from the contour of the camera body, and a light-emitting means which lights up according to the state of the camera is provided in the case. Also,
The case has a substantially spherical shape or a substantially regular polyhedron. Further, in the case, in addition to the light emitting means, a camera mechanical element other than the light emitting means is housed in the case. Further, as a mechanical element of the camera other than the light emitting means, there is a part of a finder optical system. Further, a light emitting diode is used as the light emitting means.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1 showing the appearance of an instant camera embodying the present invention, an upper cover 12 of a camera body 11 has a mono-sheet type self-developing film unit (hereinafter referred to as an instant film). 2) is provided with an elongated opening 13 for discharging after exposure. A cover 14 made of synthetic rubber is provided in the opening 13 so as to cover the opening 13 so as to block light and prevent dust and dirt from entering.
Is affixed. A discharge port 14a, which is a slit-shaped cut through which the instant film 2 passes, is formed in the central portion.

The upper cover 12 is formed of a transparent plastic having an elliptical shape in appearance. The upper cover 12 has various setting buttons 1 along the outlet 13.
5a to 15d are arranged. This setting button 15
a to 15d are formed on the mold member 15 (see FIG. 2) by integral molding of a flexible plastic material,
The surface opposite to the operation surface has conductivity. Further, a liquid crystal panel 16 (FIG. 2) is provided at an end of the upper surface of the upper cover 12.
The display window 17 is provided so as to face the display window 17).

The display case 45 made of an orange transparent plastic material has a maximum sectional area of the camera body 11.
Has a spherical shape that is larger than the cross-sectional area of the base 46 that continues to
The camera body 11 is provided so as to protrude greatly from the contour of the rear cover 11a. Therefore, when the LED 21 (see FIG. 2) emits light due to the completion of charging of the built-in strobe, the light emission of the LED 21 can be visually recognized from the wide range of the front, rear, left and right of the camera through the display case 45, and it can be known that the strobe has been charged. . Further, a finder eyepiece window 20 (see FIG. 2) formed integrally with the display case 45, which is slightly below the spherical shape of the display case 45, is provided below the spherical display case 45 on the camera rear side. Even when looking through the finder through the finder eyepiece window 20, the light emission of the LED 21 can be visually recognized, and there is no need to remove the eyes from the finder one by one to confirm the completion of charging.

At the center of the front surface of the camera body 11, there is provided a lens barrel 18 which supports the photographing lens 22 and changes its position with respect to the camera body 11 before and during use of the camera. Above this, the shutter button 23, finder objective window 24, strobe light emission window 25, strobe light control window 26, automatic exposure (A
E) window 27, light emitting window 2 for auto focus (AF)
8 and a light receiving window 29 are arranged.

In FIG. 2, which shows a state in which the front cover 11b is removed from the rear cover 11a of the camera body 11, the upper cover 12 is provided in the camera body 11 below the upper cover 12.
The plate-like member 30 formed in an elliptical shape according to the shape of the above is horizontally arranged. The plate-shaped member 30 has the opening 1
A guide tube 30 a for guiding the instant film 2 having been exposed at 3 is formed so as to protrude toward the opening 13.

Below the guide tube 30a, a pair of pressure contact rollers 3 for unfolding and transporting the instant film 2 is provided, and further below the guide tube 30a, a film pack containing the instant film 2 stacked and stored therein is loaded. The film pack storage chamber 4 is provided, and a film unfolding drive mechanism 5 is disposed on an outer surface of a side wall of the film pack storage chamber 4. The film developing drive mechanism 5 is configured to drive the instant film 2 by discharging the instant film 2 from the film pack storage chamber 4 after exposure to the pressing roller 3 and to drive the instant film 2 by rotating the pressing roller 3. It comprises a pressing roller driving mechanism for developing and conveying for processing, and a feeding motor 6 as a driving source.

A flexible substrate 31 is mounted on the upper surface of the plate member 30. Printed contacts 31a to 31d that are short-circuited by the operation buttons 15a to 15d are formed on the flexible substrate 31. Also,
The liquid crystal panel 16 is attached to the flexible substrate 31 via a well-known zebra contact (not shown). A finder unit 32 is formed integrally with the plate-shaped member 30 on one end side of the plate-shaped member 30. The finder optical system of the finder unit 32 is a so-called real image type, and is arranged beside the strobe light emitting unit 35. The LED 21 is mounted on the upper part of the prism housing 32a of the finder unit 32.

A printed circuit board 33 is vertically attached to the lower part of the plate member 30 and to the front part (the front cover 11b side) of the pair of pressure contact rollers 3. The printed board 33 is a so-called rigid board which is generally widely used, and both sides thereof are utilized as mounting surfaces for electronic components and the like. The flexible board 31 is connected to the printed board 33.

On the mounting surface of the printed circuit board 33, in addition to the microprocessor 34, a strobe light emitting unit 3 of a built-in strobe is provided.
5, light receiving unit 36 for dimming, light receiving unit 37 for AE of automatic exposure control device, oscillation transformer 39 for charging main capacitor 38 of built-in strobe, light projecting unit 41 for AF, and light receiving unit 4
2, a built-in strobe oscillation control circuit 43, a dimming circuit, a control circuit for a feed motor 6 for feeding and discharging the exposed instant film 2, an exposure control circuit for an automatic exposure control device, and an AF control circuit. A distance measuring circuit, a lens driving circuit, a power supply circuit, and the like are mounted.

By assembling the printed circuit board 33 at a predetermined position in the camera body 11, the strobe light emitting section 35,
The light receiving unit for light control 36, the light receiving unit for AE 37, the light emitting unit 41, and the light receiving unit 42 are connected to the strobe light emitting window 25 of the front cover 11b.
It is positioned at a position corresponding to the strobe light control window 26, the AE window 27, the light projecting window 28, and the light receiving window 29, respectively.
Various IC chips, resistors, and the like are mounted on the back surface of the printed circuit board 33. Each of the light receiving sections 36, 3
As is well known, reference numerals 7 and 42 each include a condensing lens and a sensor corresponding to each function, and the light projecting unit 41 includes a condensing lens and a light emitting element.

As shown in FIG. 3, the spherical display case 45 includes a front case 45a and a rear case 45b, each of which is formed of an orange transparent plastic material. A part of the prism housing portion 32a of the finder unit 32 is inserted into the display case 45 through an opening 46 formed in the rear cover 11a. The LED 21 is mounted on the upper part, and the LED 21 is housed in the display case 45.
The LED 21 emits, for example, red light when charging of the strobe device is completed, and this light emission can be visually recognized through the transparent display case 45 having the orange color. Also,
The viewfinder eyepiece window 20 (see FIG.
), The light emission of the LED 21 can be confirmed while looking through the finder eyepiece window 20.

The strobe device according to the present embodiment employs a so-called constant light emission type automatic light control strobe which emits light regardless of the brightness of the subject. The subject of an instant photo is empirically a person-centered subject.To prevent shadows created on a person's face due to ambient light indoors and outdoors, always take strobe shots with the aim of eliminating shadows. Is the standard.

In typical use conditions, where the camera is used continuously, the operating sequence is completed after the strobe has been charged. When taking a picture, the user first looks into the viewfinder at the subject, adjusts the composition, and then half-presses the shutter button 23 to perform distance measurement by the auto-focus device, photometry by the automatic exposure adjustment device, and then presses the shutter button 23. . Thus, after the focus is adjusted, the shutter is released, the shutter is opened and closed with an appropriate exposure amount, and an appropriate amount of strobe light is obtained by the automatic light control strobe, and exposure is given to the instant film 2, thereby completing the shooting. .

After passing through the above-described operation sequence, the above-described feed motor 6 is driven to operate the film unfolding drive mechanism 5 to discharge the instant film 2 out of the camera. A positive image appears on the top.

In the embodiment described above, the LED is used as the light emitting means housed in the display case. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a neon lamp, a small tungsten A lamp, a fluorescent display tube, a liquid crystal panel with a backlight, or the like may be used. In addition, although the above-described LED is used to light up in red, it may be, for example, lighted up in green or the like. In addition, the above LED
Is turned on when the charging of the strobe device is completed. However, it may be turned on when, for example, autofocus is performed. Alternatively, a plurality of LEDs, each illuminating in a different color, may be provided in the case, and the color illuminated for each different display may be changed to perform a plurality of displays.

Further, in the above embodiment, the LEDs are arranged in the case of the finder eyepiece through the prism housing of the finder unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be attached to the side of the camera body, or may be attached to the inner wall of the case via an attachment member.

In the above embodiment, the display case 45
Is formed of an orange transparent plastic material, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be formed of a transparent plastic material colored blue. Although the shape of the case is spherical, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a polygonal three-dimensional hollow shape.

The above embodiment is an instant camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a digital camera, a compact camera using 135-type film, a camera of an advanced photo system, and the like. is there.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, a case having a hollow three-dimensional shape formed of a transparent material and having a maximum cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of a base portion connected to the camera body is taken out of the contour of the camera body. Since the light emitting means is provided so as to protrude and is turned on according to the state of the camera in the case, it can be easily visually recognized from a wide range of front, rear, left and right of the camera. Also,
Since the case has a substantially spherical shape or a substantially regular polyhedron, the effect on design is great. In addition, since the mechanical elements of the camera other than the light emitting means are housed in the case in addition to the light emitting means, it is possible to contribute to downsizing of the entire product without enlarging the entire contour of the camera body.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an instant camera embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of a configuration inside the instant camera.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a display case and an arrangement of light emitting means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 LED 32 Finder unit 45 Display case 46 Base

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03B 15/05 G03B 15/05 17/02 17/02 17/20 17/20 // G03B 17/52 17 / 52 D (72) Inventor Kazuhisa Horikiri 2-26-30 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H018 AA02 BE01 BE02 2H053 AA03 AC14 AC16 CA41 2H100 AA01 AA32 AA41 BB05 BB06 BB09 2H102 AB13 BB05 CA05 CA34 2H104 CC00 CC06

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A case having a hollow three-dimensional shape formed of a transparent material and having a maximum cross-sectional area larger than a cross-sectional area of a base connected to the camera body, protruding from a contour of the camera body,
A light-emitting display device for a camera, wherein a light-emitting unit that lights according to the state of the camera is provided in the case. 2. The light emitting display device according to claim 1, wherein the case has a substantially spherical shape or a substantially regular polyhedron shape. 3. The light-emitting display device for a camera according to claim 1, wherein a mechanism element of the camera other than the light-emitting means is housed in the case in addition to the light-emitting means. 4. A light-emitting display device for a camera according to claim 3, wherein the mechanical elements of the camera other than the light-emitting means are part of a finder optical system. 5. The light emitting display device for a camera according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting means is a light emitting diode.