JP2002244187A - Dustproof and waterproof housing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dustproof and waterproof housing, which is usable for cameras having various kinds of lens barrels, etc., and has superior versatility. SOLUTION: The dustproof and waterproof housing, which can house a camera therein has body-housing members (10 and 30) which cover the body segment of the camera and at least one options mounting member 20 which is disposed at the, the body-housing members according to the kinds of cameras and at least one of the options mounted on the camera. The option mounting member is constituted exchangeably with respect to the body housing members.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dustproof and waterproof housing for a camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, dustproof and waterproof housings (hereinafter referred to as "housings") for covering cameras are commercially available for underwater photographing and the like. This housing is
For example, it is made of polycarbonate resin, and is configured so that the camera is housed inside the housing such that the camera is sandwiched between the front and rear covers. Further, the outside and the inside are shut off by crimping the front and rear covers of the housing with O-rings.

In such a housing, in the case of a camera in which the lens barrel is exchangeable, the size of the lens barrel to be exchanged is variously different. It is necessary to purchase a housing according to the size of the. The camera body 4
Even if the exterior body of the lens 0 has substantially the same shape, in the case of products having different lens barrel lengths, similar problems such as the necessity of purchasing a housing corresponding to the length of the lens barrel are required. appear.

[0004] Even if the camera has a common lens barrel, the position of operation buttons on the back of the camera or the like may be changed due to the lineup of cameras. In this case, the same problem as described above occurs.

[0005]

As described above, the conventional housing is not versatile. For example, only the length of the lens barrel and the arrangement of the operation buttons are changed, and it is necessary to purchase a housing corresponding to the length. was there.

An object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof housing which can be used for a camera having various lens barrels and the like and has excellent versatility.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the following means have been taken in order to solve the above-mentioned problems.

A dustproof and waterproof housing according to the present invention is a dustproof and waterproof housing capable of housing a camera therein, comprising a main body housing member for covering the main body of the camera, at least a camera type and an option mounted on the camera. At least one option mounting member provided on the main body housing member according to one of the above, and the option mounting member is configured to be replaceable with respect to the main body housing.

In the dustproof and waterproof housing described above, the camera has a lens barrel, and the optional mounting member is a replaceable lens barrel housing member that covers the lens barrel.

Further, in the dustproof and waterproof housing, the main body housing member is provided with an opening for the lens barrel, and the lens barrel is attached to the opening when the lens barrel housing member is attached. A waterproof and dustproof member for filling a gap between the housing member and the opening is provided. Here, it is preferable that the waterproof and dustproof member is integrally provided at a rear end of the lens barrel housing member.

In the dustproof and waterproof housing described above, the optional mounting member is an operation unit cover provided corresponding to an operation button arranged on a camera.

Another dustproof / waterproof housing according to the present invention comprises:
A dustproof and waterproof housing capable of housing a camera inside, a front housing member covering a front side of the camera,
And a rear housing member that covers the rear side of the camera, wherein the rear housing member and the front housing member are configured to be replaceable with respect to the respective housing members.

Still another dustproof / waterproof housing according to the present invention is a dustproof / waterproof housing capable of accommodating a camera having a lens barrel therein, the body housing member covering a body portion of the camera, and the lens barrel. A lens barrel housing member that covers the lens barrel, wherein the lens barrel housing member is configured to be able to expand and contract along the optical axis direction of the lens barrel housed therein.

In the dustproof and waterproof housing described above, it is preferable that the dustproof and waterproof housing further includes a protection portion for protecting the lens barrel housing member.

Further, it is preferable that the dustproof / waterproof housing further includes a structure for bleeding air at least inside the lens barrel housing member.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an example in which the housing has versatility when the length of the lens barrel is different will be described.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The housing according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a case front part 10, a replaceable part 20, and a case rear part 30. In FIG. 1, the camera body 4
Reference numeral 0 denotes a lens having the lens barrel 42. The replaceable part 20 includes a protection part 21 for protecting the lens barrel 42 and a crimping part 22 made of, for example, a rubber material provided on a contact surface between the case front part 10. The lens barrel 42 is set on the protection part 21, and the protection part 21 is set so as to pass through the through-hole 11 of the case front part 10, and the case front part 10 and the case rear part 3 are set.
When the lock portion 31 is fixed to the hook 12, the case 0 is crimped, and the case front portion 10 and the crimp portion 22 are crimped, so that the case front portion 10 and the replaceable component 20 are kept airtight. The airtightness between the case front part 10 and the case rear part 30 can be determined by, for example, arranging an O-ring (not shown) on either the case front part 10 or the case rear part 30 and crimping, as in the related art. Can be kept. In such a configuration, for example, when the size or length of the lens barrel 42 changes, only the replaceable part 20 having the protection part 21 corresponding to the length is prepared, and the case front part 10 and the case Since the rear part 30 can be used as it is, a versatile housing can be provided. In the present embodiment, the replaceable component 20 does not cover the entire front surface of the camera, but may include only the protection unit 21 and the crimping unit 22 as shown in FIG. In this way, many types of lens barrels 4 can be configured with a simple configuration.
2 can be handled.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a housing according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Also in this embodiment,
The camera body 40 is illustrated. The present embodiment is an embodiment in which the replaceable part 20 is not crimped to the front part of the camera, but the case front part 10 of the housing itself can be replaced as it is. In this way, by making the housing front part 10 replaceable, it is not necessary to purchase the entire housing, but only by replacing that part, so that the lens mirror can be used when the camera size is almost the same. When only the size of the cylinder 42 and the arrangement of buttons are different, a housing with excellent versatility can be provided. In addition, as will be described later in detail, the case rear portion 30 may of course be replaceable.

In the above-described first and second embodiments, an example is described in which a replaceable part 20 corresponding to the length of the lens barrel 42 is prepared, and the replaceable part 20 corresponding to the lens barrel 42 is attached. However, in the third embodiment, an example is shown in which, when the length of the lens barrel 42 is different, versatility is provided without preparing the replaceable part 20. In the third embodiment, an example is shown in which a bellows that can expand and contract according to the length of the lens barrel 42 is used as the protection unit 21 of the lens barrel 42. FIG. 4A is a side sectional view, and FIG.
Is an exploded perspective view. As shown in FIG. 4, by employing such a bellows structure, the bellows 23 expands and contracts according to the length of the lens barrel 42, thereby providing a housing having excellent versatility regardless of the length of the lens. can do.
The bellows 23 is preferably, for example, spirally reinforced with metal or the like and excellent in elasticity. FIG. 5 shows a modification of the type in which the protection part 21 of the lens barrel 42 expands and contracts. In FIG. 5A, the tip part 21a of the protection part 21 is made of, for example, resin. A flexible portion 21c (for example, rubber) is provided between the distal end portion 21a of the protection portion 21 and the main body portion 21b, and can be expanded and contracted by the flexible portion 21c. FIG. 5 (b)
In this case, the protection portion is doubled so that the inner cylinder is movable so as to expand and contract. As described above, when the protection portion 21 of the lens barrel expands and contracts, it is preferable to protect the lens barrel 42 from water pressure. FIG. 6 is an example of this, and 24 is provided to protect the bellows. This adapter is made of, for example, polycarbonate. With this adapter 24, the bellows protection portion is configured so as not to be further shrunk by the stopper at the tip, thereby effectively protecting the lens barrel. . In addition,
For example, in FIG. 5B as well, it is effective to provide a cylindrical 24 for preventing the lens barrel 42 from pushing the lens barrel 42 in the direction of the camera body 40 due to the water pressure of the distal end 21a.

Up to the third embodiment, an example of a versatile housing has been described even if there is a difference in the length of the lens barrel 42. For example, an electronic camera has a large number of operation units and a product. The arrangement of the operation buttons is slightly different depending on the lineup. In this case, conventionally, as in the case where the length of the lens barrel is different, a housing has to be prepared for each button. In order to solve this problem, as a fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in a lineup of products in which the buttons 35 are almost the same, the button arrangement is, for example, as shown in FIG. Even when the arrangement is changed from the arrangement to the arrangement (b), the option mounting member 36 in which only the button arrangement corresponding to the product is changed is prepared in the same manner as in the lens barrel described above, so that various arrangements can be made. Can respond.

The present invention can be appropriately implemented by combining the above-described embodiments. For example, the first embodiment and the fourth embodiment can be combined. FIG. 8 shows an exploded perspective view in this case. FIG.
Is a mere combination of the first embodiment and the fourth embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment of the present invention. For example, as for attachment of the camera body 40, the lens barrel 42 and the interchangeable part 20 to the body, for example, as shown in FIG. In this case, as for the lens barrel 42, a member 25 (for example, rubber) for keeping security is attached around the lens barrel 42, and the case front 1 of the main body housing is mounted.
0. The same applies to the option mounting member 36 on the back. Replaceable parts 2
When the camera is used underwater and the bellows 23 are unnecessarily extended, as shown in FIG. 4, the bellows 23 extend unnecessarily, and the tip 21a of the replaceable part 20 and the lens of the lens barrel 42 are used. There is a possibility that a problem that a part is separated may occur. to solve this problem,
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, it is preferable to provide a structure for bleeding air at least inside the lens barrel. FIG. 10 is a view showing a structure for bleeding air from the inside of the housing. For example, a structure having a guide 32 for mounting a tube for bleeding air and a check valve 33 may be used. With such a simple configuration, it is possible to prevent a problem that the bellows 23 is unnecessarily extended. Note that FIG.
In the above, the configuration in which the air vent structure is attached to the housing body 30 is shown, but it may be provided at the bellows 23 of the replaceable part 20.

Of course, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0023]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

For example, since parts having different lens barrels and button arrangements are prepared as replaceable parts, that is, optional mounting members, they can be applied to various cameras having substantially the same main body shape, and are excellent in versatility. .

Further, in a camera equipped with a lens barrel, it can be used for cameras having various lens barrels simply by replacing only the barrel housing member, and is excellent in versatility.

Since the waterproof dustproof member for waterproofing and dustproofing the opening is provided, even if the lens barrel housing member is replaceable, a good waterproof and dustproof effect can be obtained.

Since the waterproof and dustproof member is integrally provided at the rear end of the lens barrel housing member (that is, the optional mounting member), only the optional mounting member needs to be considered waterproof and dustproof.

Since the operation unit cover is also included as an optional member, the layout of the operation buttons can be easily changed.

Since only the rear housing member or the front housing member can be replaced, it can be used for cameras having various lens barrels and cameras having different button arrangements, and is excellent in versatility.

Since the lens barrel housing member can be expanded and contracted, it can be used for cameras having various lens barrels, and is excellent in versatility. Further, in the case of the retractable lens, if the lens is in the retracted state, the lens barrel housing member can be made smaller, and it becomes easier to carry.

Since the protection portion for protecting the extendable lens barrel housing is provided, there is no possibility of damaging the lens barrel. In addition, since a structure for bleeding air at least inside the lens barrel housing member is further provided, it is possible to prevent the telescopic lens barrel housing member from being unnecessarily extended, for example, in water.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a housing according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a housing according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a housing according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a modification of a type in which a protection portion of a lens barrel expands and contracts.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a protection unit of the lens barrel housing.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an embodiment in which an optional member is provided on the back side.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view when the first embodiment and the fourth embodiment are combined.

FIG. 9 is a view showing another example of the waterproof / dustproof method.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a structure for bleeding air inside the housing.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Case front part 11 ... Through-hole 12 ... Hook 20 ... Replaceable parts 21 ... Protective part 21a ... Tip part 21b ... Body part 21c ... Flexible part 22 ... Crimping part 23 ... Bellows 24 ... Adapter 25 ... Security maintaining member 30 ... Case rear part 31 Lock part 32 Guide 33 Check valve 35 Button placement part 36 Optional mounting member 40 Camera body 42 Lens barrel

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A dustproof / waterproof housing capable of housing a camera therein, the body housing member covering a body portion of the camera, and the body housing according to at least one of a type of camera and an option attached to the camera. A dustproof and waterproof housing, comprising: at least one option mounting member provided on a member, wherein the option mounting member is configured to be replaceable with respect to the main body housing. 2. The dustproof and waterproof housing according to claim 1, wherein said camera has a lens barrel, and said optional mounting member is a replaceable lens barrel housing member for covering said lens barrel. Dustproof and waterproof housing. 3. The dustproof and waterproof housing according to claim 2, wherein the main body housing member is provided with an opening for the lens barrel, and wherein the lens barrel housing member is attached to the opening. And a waterproof and dustproof member for filling a gap between the lens barrel housing member and the opening. 4. The dustproof and waterproof housing according to claim 3, wherein the waterproof and dustproof member is provided integrally with a rear end of the lens barrel housing member. 5. The dustproof and waterproof housing according to claim 1, wherein the optional mounting member is an operation unit cover provided corresponding to an operation button arranged on the camera. 6. A dustproof and waterproof housing capable of housing a camera therein, comprising: a front housing member that covers a front side of the camera; and a rear housing member that covers a rear side of the camera. A dustproof and waterproof housing, wherein the housing member and the front housing member are configured to be exchangeable with respect to each housing member. 7. A dustproof and waterproof housing capable of housing a camera having a lens barrel therein, comprising: a body housing member that covers a body portion of the camera; and a lens barrel housing member that covers the lens barrel. A dustproof and waterproof housing, wherein the lens barrel housing member is configured to be extendable and contractible along the optical axis direction of the lens barrel housed therein. 8. The dustproof and waterproof housing according to claim 7, further comprising a protection portion for protecting the lens barrel housing member. 9. The dustproof and waterproof housing according to claim 7, further comprising a structure for bleeding air at least inside the lens barrel housing member.