JP2003167180A - Optical equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide optical equipment with a movable lens barrel which can be moved backward and forward in an optical axis direction, whose strength is secured, and also, which is made small in size and light in weight. <P>SOLUTION: The optical equipment is provided with the integrally molded lens barrel constituted of a metallic member and a resin member by an integral molding process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical apparatus having a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an optical device such as a camera, an electronic still camera, a video camera, a projector, an overhead projector (OHP), etc., having a movable lens barrel which moves back and forth in the optical axis direction with respect to the optical device main body, has been used. Are known. Here, a camera will be described as a typical example of the optical device.

Conventionally, a camera is equipped with a lens barrel, for example, an electric motor is built in, the electric motor is rotated, and the lens barrel is extended at the time of photographing and the lens barrel is moved at the time of non-photographing. There is known a camera that is further retracted from the focal length region so that the tip of the lens does not protrude from the camera body.

In such a camera, as the material of the guide member forming a part of the mechanism for guiding the extension / retraction of the lens barrel, it is possible to easily manufacture the guide member with a mold, for example, In many cases, a resin formed by molding a synthetic resin material such as polycarbonate, is used. The guide member of the lens barrel using such a molded product of a synthetic resin material is often used also as a member constituting the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-202397, the inner barrel of the lens barrel is made of a synthetic resin material, and the outer barrel of the lens barrel is made of a pressed metal material. A lens barrel has been proposed in which the inner and outer double cylinders are bonded by means of an adhesive or the like.

In the lens barrel having an inner / outer double barrel having the structure proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-202397, the outer barrel forming the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel is made of a pressed product of a metal material. Because it is a lens barrel, it has a good-looking lens barrel. Further, this lens barrel is also a guide member forming a part of a mechanism for guiding the extension / retraction of the lens barrel, and the inner cylinder of the lens barrel is made of a synthetic resin material molded product. It also has an advantage that the guide member can be easily manufactured with a mold.

[0007]

The movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction with respect to the main body of the optical device is preferably small and lightweight, and is a compact and lightweight lens barrel. The advantage is that power consumption for driving this lens barrel can be reduced.

However, in the lens barrel using the molded product of the synthetic resin material described in the section of the prior art, it is necessary to secure the necessary strength with the molded product of the synthetic resin material itself. Therefore, it is necessary to mold and process this synthetic resin material molded product as a thick member, and to reduce the size of the lens barrel.
It is disadvantageous in weight reduction.

Further, the inner barrel of the lens barrel made of a molded product of a synthetic resin material and the outside of the lens barrel made of a pressed product of a metal material disclosed in JP-A-11-202397. Although the lens barrel including the inner and outer double cylinders has the advantages and advantages as described above, the member for molding the synthetic resin material is the same as the molding of the synthetic resin material described in the section of the prior art. As with the lens barrel that uses the lens barrel, it is necessary to process the molded product of synthetic resin material as a thick member to secure the required strength, which is also a disadvantage for downsizing and weight reduction of the lens barrel. Is.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an optical device provided with a movable lens barrel that advances and retreats in the optical axis direction, the strength being secured, and the size and weight being reduced. To aim.

[0011]

The first optical device among the optical devices of the present invention that achieves the above object is an optical device including a movable lens barrel that moves forward and backward in the optical axis direction.
The lens barrel is characterized in that a metal member and a resin member are integrally formed by integral molding.

Since the first optical device of the present invention is provided with the lens barrel in which the metal member and the resin member are integrally formed by integral molding, it is formed by molding only the resin member. In the case where the outer cylinder of the lens barrel made of metal and the inner cylinder of the lens barrel made of resin are adhered to each other, which are manufactured by separate processing, the wall thickness is thinner than that of the lens barrel. The lens barrel can be formed, and as a result, the strength is secured, and the size and weight are reduced.
An optical device including a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction is realized.

A second optical device among the optical devices of the present invention that achieves the above object is an optical device having a movable lens barrel that moves forward and backward in the optical axis direction, wherein the lens barrel is The metal member forming the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel and the resin member forming a part of the mechanism for moving the lens barrel are integrally formed by integral molding.

As described above, the extension of the lens barrel
As a material of the guide member forming a part of the mechanism for guiding the collapsible cylinder, it is formed by molding a synthetic resin material such as polycarbonate, etc., since the guide member can be easily manufactured by a mold. Are used. Further, the guide member of the lens barrel using such a molded product of a synthetic resin material is often also used as a member constituting the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel.

Therefore, when the guide member of the lens barrel, which is a molded product of a synthetic resin material, is also used as a member constituting the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel, the appearance of the appearance received from the lens barrel. Has a texture received from the synthetic resin material used as the material of the guide member.

However, the texture received from the lens barrel which is also used as the member forming the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel by the synthetic resin material as the guide member is, for example, a metal material forming the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel. When compared with the texture received from the lens barrel used as a member, there is a possibility that it may be inferior to the texture received from the lens barrel using the metal material.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-202397, the inner barrel of the lens barrel is made of a synthetic resin material and the outer barrel of the lens barrel is made of a pressed metal material. Another lens barrel has been proposed in which the inner and outer double cylinders are adhered by means of an adhesive or the like.

In the lens barrel composed of the inner and outer double cylinders having the structure proposed in this Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-202397, the outer cylinder forming the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel is made of a pressed product of a metal material. Therefore, the problem that the texture received from the lens barrel is inferior is solved. Also,
This lens barrel is also a guide member that forms a part of the mechanism that guides the extension / retraction of the lens barrel.The inner barrel of the lens barrel is made of a synthetic resin material molded product. It also has an advantage that the member can be easily manufactured with a mold.

Here, in the lens barrel using the above-mentioned molded product of the synthetic resin material, it is necessary to secure the necessary strength with the molded product of the synthetic resin material itself. Therefore, the molded product of the synthetic resin material must be molded and processed as a thick member, which is disadvantageous in reducing the size and weight of the lens barrel.

Further, the inner barrel of the lens barrel made of a molded product of a synthetic resin material and the outside of the lens barrel made of a pressed product of a metal material disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-202397. Although the lens barrel including the inner and outer double cylinders has the advantages and advantages described above, the lens barrel using a synthetic resin material molded product is used as a member for molding a synthetic resin material. Similarly, it is necessary to mold and process a synthetic resin material as a thick member to secure the required strength, which is also disadvantageous in reducing the size and weight of the lens barrel.

The second optical device of the present invention is provided with the lens barrel in which the metal member and the resin member are integrally formed by the integral molding process. Therefore, the second optical device is formed by the molding process using only the resin member. In the case where the outer cylinder of the lens barrel made of metal and the inner cylinder of the lens barrel made of resin are adhered to each other, which are manufactured by separate processing, the wall thickness is thinner than that of the lens barrel. The lens barrel can be formed, and as a result, the strength is secured, and the size and weight are reduced.
An optical device including a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction is realized.

Further, in the second optical apparatus of the present invention, since the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel is made of a metal member, the appearance of the lens barrel is good-looking. Furthermore, since a part of the mechanism for moving the lens barrel is made of a resin member, the mechanism can be easily manufactured with a mold.

Further, a third optical device among the optical devices of the present invention which achieves the above object is an optical device provided with a movable lens barrel which moves forward and backward in the optical axis direction, wherein the lens barrel is The resin member forming the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel and the metal member for reinforcing the resin member are integrally formed by integral molding.

The third optical device of the present invention is provided with the lens barrel in which the metal member and the resin member are integrally formed by the integral molding process, and therefore is formed by the molding process only with the resin member. In the case where the outer tube of the lens barrel made of metal and the inner tube of the lens barrel made of resin are adhered to each other, which are manufactured by separate processing, the wall thickness is thinner than that of the lens barrel. The lens barrel can be formed, and as a result, the strength is secured, and the size and weight are reduced.
An optical device including a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction is realized.

Here, in the third optical apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the metal member forms a part of a mechanism for moving the lens barrel while reinforcing the resin member.

As described above, if the metal member forms a part of the mechanism for moving the lens barrel, it is possible to obtain a lens barrel having abrasion resistance. Further, even if the mechanism has a complicated shape, it can be accurately manufactured as long as it is a metal member.

[0027]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

Here, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a camera for taking a photograph on a photographic film will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
A perspective view showing a retracted state in which the camera is equipped with a zoom lens and has a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction with respect to the camera body, the lens barrel being housed in the camera body. 2 is a perspective view showing the camera shown in FIG. 1 in a maximum extended state in which the lens barrel is extended to the maximum extent.

A lens barrel 11 having a zoom lens 11a therein is provided at the center of the front surface of the camera 10. Further, on the front upper part of the camera 10, a flash light emitting window 12, a viewfinder objective window 13, and an AF light projecting window 14 in which a light emitting element for autofocus (AF) is incorporated.
a, the light is guided to the AF light receiving window 14b having a built-in light receiving element for receiving the light projected from the AF light projecting window 14a and reflected by the subject and returned, and the built-in exposure adjusting AE sensor. An AE light receiving window 15 for measuring the field brightness is provided.

A shutter button 16 is provided on the upper surface of the camera 10.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the camera shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.

A finder eyepiece window 17 and a zoom operation lever 18 are provided on the rear surface of the camera 10. When one operation portion 18a of the zoom operation lever 18 is pressed, the lens barrel 11 moves from the retracted state shown in FIG. 1 toward the maximum extended state shown in FIG. When the other operation portion 18b is pressed, the lens barrel 11 moves from the maximum extended state shown in FIG. 2 toward the collapsed state shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the lens barrel of the camera shown in FIGS.

In FIG. 4, the focusing operation is performed while the distance between the plurality of lens groups is maintained by the driving of the first driving gear 1, and the mutual driving of the plurality of lens groups is performed by driving the second driving gear 2. Lens barrel 1 provided with a lens driving mechanism for performing a zoom operation accompanied by a change in the distance between
1 is shown. The first and second drive gears 1 and 2 are driven by an electric motor (not shown). This electric motor is driven by receiving electric power from a built-in battery (not shown).
The electric motor and the first drive gear 1 are connected by a gear train (not shown), and similarly, the electric motor and the second drive gear 2 are also connected by a gear train (not shown).

The lens barrel 11 has a fixed barrel 20 fixed to the camera body, a rotary ring 21 that rotates around the optical axis when the first drive gear 1 is driven, and is connected to the rotary ring 21. , A focus barrel 22 that moves straight in the optical axis direction as the rotary ring 21 rotates, and a focus barrel 22 that is locked in the focus barrel 22 in the optical axis direction and moves as the focus barrel 22 moves in the optical axis direction. With respect to the rotation direction, there is provided a rotation moving barrel 23 which is rotatable around the optical axis with respect to the focus barrel 22 and which is rotated by the drive of the second drive gear 2.

The fixed barrel 20 is provided with a fitting rotation groove 201 into which the rotary ring 21 is fitted and a straight advance key groove 202 extending in the optical axis direction.

The rotary ring 21 is provided with a cam groove 213 obliquely with respect to the optical axis direction and overlapping with a part of the straight advance key groove 202. In addition, the rotating ring 21
A driven gear 211 with which the first driving gear 1 is meshed is provided.

A cam pin 221 is provided upright on the outer wall of the focus barrel 22. The cam pin 221 is inserted in an overlapping portion of the straight advance key groove 202 and the cam groove 213. This focus tube 22
Is for retracting the rotary moving barrel 23 to a position where the camera body cannot photograph.

The rotary moving cylinder 23 is provided with a rotary connecting portion 232 connected to the focus cylinder 22 and a driven gear 231 with which the second drive gear 2 is meshed.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the rotary moving barrel shown in FIG. 4 of the lens barrel of the camera shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rotary-moving barrel 23 is a mechanism for guiding the pre-pressed metal member 23a constituting the outer peripheral portion of the rotary-moving barrel 23 and the payout / collapse of the rotary-moving barrel 23. It is composed of a synthetic resin member 23b which is a guide member forming a part of. The metal member 23a and the synthetic resin member 23b are obtained by integrating the metal member 23a and the synthetic resin member 23b, which have been pressed in advance, by insert molding.

Here, the configuration has been described using the rotary moving barrel 23 shown in FIG. 4 of the lens barrel of the camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but the rotary ring 21 and the focus barrel 22 shown in FIG. Also, the configuration is the same as that of the rotation moving cylinder 23 shown in FIG. 5 described above. To avoid redundant description, further description is omitted here.

The rotary moving cylinder 23 thus formed by the insert molding process is rotationally moved because the metal member 23a forming the outer peripheral portion of the rotary moving cylinder 23 is formed by pressing a metal material. The problem that the texture received from the cylinder 23 is inferior is solved. Further, a synthetic resin member 23b forming a part of a mechanism for moving the rotary moving cylinder 23.
Is a synthetic resin material molded product,
It also has an advantage that the synthetic resin member 23b can be easily manufactured with a mold. Furthermore, since the metal member 23a and the synthetic resin member 23b are integrated by insert molding, the metal member 23
In the case where a synthetic resin material molded article is manufactured only by the synthetic resin material, the step of integrating a and the synthetic resin member 23b is omitted, and at the same time, the molding is performed by the insert molding process in which a metal material and a metal mold are used. It is possible to make the thickness of the synthetic resin member 23b thinner than the thickness of the lens barrel, and as a result, the strength is secured and the size is reduced.
The rotation moving barrel 23, which is lightweight, is realized.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the above-described first embodiment, the present invention is directed to a metal member forming an outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel in a lens barrel integrally formed by integrally molding a metal member and a synthetic resin member, and a lens thereof. The present invention was applied to a camera provided with a lens barrel integrally formed with a synthetic resin member forming a part of a mechanism for moving the lens barrel by integral molding. On the contrary,
In a second embodiment described below, the present invention provides a lens barrel in which a synthetic resin member forming an outer peripheral portion of a lens barrel and a metal member for reinforcing the synthetic resin member are integrally formed by integral molding. Applies to cameras with. It should be noted that the camera of the following second embodiment is also the same in appearance as the camera 10 of the above-described first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 except that the material of the lens barrel is different. Yes, the operation of each part is the same. To avoid duplicate explanations,
Further description and external view here will be omitted.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a metal member that constitutes the lens barrel of a camera equipped with a zoom lens and having a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth with respect to the camera body in the optical axis direction. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a lens barrel in which the metal member and the synthetic resin member shown in FIG.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the lens barrel shown in FIG. 7.

The metal member 31 shown in FIG. 6 is a metal frame manufactured by press working, and is a member that serves to reinforce the lens barrel 30 described later.

The lens barrel 30 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is composed of a synthetic resin member 32 forming the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel 30 and a metal member 31 reinforcing the synthetic resin member 32 shown in FIG. ing. The synthetic resin member 32 and the metal member 31 are obtained by integrating the synthetic resin member 32 and the metal member 31 shown in FIG. 6 that has been pressed in advance by insert molding.

Since the metal member 31 and the synthetic resin member 32 are integrated by the insert molding process, the step of integrating the metal member 31 and the synthetic resin member 32 is omitted, and at the same time, the metal member 31 The thickness of the synthetic resin member 32 should be smaller than the thickness of the lens barrel when a synthetic resin material molded product is produced only by the synthetic resin material, because the molding is performed by insert molding. Is possible. As a result, in the lens barrel 30 formed by the insert molding process as described above, since the metal member 31 reinforces the synthetic resin member 32 forming the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel 30, strength is ensured, In addition, the rotary moving cylinder 23 that is downsized and lightweight is realized. Moreover, since the metal member 31 is a metal frame,
The weight is further reduced as compared with the first embodiment described above.

Hereinafter, the metal member 3 shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 will be described.
As another metal member used in place of No. 1, a metal member that reinforces a resin member and forms a part of a mechanism for moving the lens barrel will be described.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are perspective views of metal members constituting the lens barrel.

Metal members 41, 51 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
Are metal frames manufactured by press working respectively, and the metal member 41 shown in FIG. 9 is provided with a cam groove 411 corresponding to the cam groove 213 provided in the rotating ring 21 shown in FIG. . Further, in the metal member 51 shown in FIG. 10, cam pins 511 and 5 corresponding to the cam pins 221 provided on the outer wall of the focus cylinder 22 shown in FIG.
12 are provided.

A metal member 41, as shown in FIGS.
According to the lens barrel (not shown) formed by integrating 51 and a synthetic resin member (not shown) by insert molding, the lens barrel (not shown) is more wear resistant than the cam groove and the cam pin of the synthetic resin member. Those with improved cam grooves and cam pins are obtained. Further, by press-working, a part of a mechanism for moving the lens barrel such as a cam groove or a cam pin is manufactured, so that these mechanisms can be manufactured with high accuracy.

The metal member for reinforcing the resin member in the present invention may be the above-mentioned metal frame or a metal mesh.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the camera for taking a photograph on a photographic film as shown in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, and for example, an electronic still camera, a video camera, a projector, an overhead projector (OH).
P) or the like can be applied regardless of the type of the optical device as long as it is an optical device provided with a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction.

[0056]

As described above, according to the present invention,
(EN) Provided is an optical device provided with a movable lens barrel that advances and retreats in the optical axis direction, in which strength is ensured and size and weight are reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a camera equipped with a zoom lens, which is an example of a photographing lens with a variable focal length, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and a lens barrel that supports the zoom lens is housed in a camera body. It is a perspective view which shows a collapsed state.

2 is a perspective view showing the camera shown in FIG. 1 in a maximum extended state in which a lens barrel is extended to a maximum extent. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the camera shown in FIGS.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a lens barrel of the camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

5 is a cross-sectional view of the rotary moving barrel shown in FIG. 4 of the lens barrel of the camera shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a zoom lens is mounted, and a metal which constitutes the lens barrel of a camera having a movable lens barrel which moves back and forth in the optical axis direction with respect to the camera body It is a perspective view of a member.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a lens barrel in which the metal member and the synthetic resin member shown in FIG. 6 are integrated by insert molding.

8 is a cross-sectional view of the lens barrel shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a metal member forming a lens barrel.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a metal member forming a lens barrel.

[Explanation of symbols]

1st drive gear 2 Second drive gear 10 cameras 11,30 lens barrel 11a Zoom lens 12 flash emission window 13 Finder objective window 14a AF floodlight window 14b AF light receiving window 15 AE light receiving window 16 Shutter button 17 Finder eyepiece window 18 Zoom control lever 18a, 18b operation unit 20 Fixed tube 21 rotating ring 22 Focus tube 23 Rotating moving cylinder 23a, 31, 41, 51 Metal member 23b, 32 synthetic resin member 201 Fitting rotation groove 202 Straight keyway 211,231 Driven gear 232 Rotational connection 213,411 Cam groove 221, 511, 512 cam pins

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An optical device having a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction, wherein the lens barrel is formed by integrally molding a metal member and a resin member. Optical equipment characterized by. 2. An optical device including a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction, wherein the lens barrel moves a metal member forming an outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel and the lens barrel. An optical device, wherein a resin member forming a part of a mechanism is integrally formed by integral molding. 3. An optical device including a movable lens barrel that moves back and forth in the optical axis direction, wherein the lens barrel reinforces the resin member forming an outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel. An optical device, which is integrally formed with a metal member by integral molding. 4. The optical device according to claim 3, wherein the metal member reinforces the resin member and constitutes a part of a mechanism for moving the lens barrel.