JP2003172883A - Observing optical apparatus with imaging function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical apparatus with an imaging function which comprises a photographing system containing a photographing optical system and a solid state imaging element and of an observing optical system, which is constructed so that a photographing optical system is focused properly interlocking with a focus of an observation optical system when an observation optical system is focused by manual operation. <P>SOLUTION: The observing optical apparatus with the imaging function satisfies the following conditional expression. 65<y<SP>2</SP>/(1000×PF(ω/T)<SP>2</SP>)<95 and F<6, wherein F is a F-number of the photographing optical system, y is the maximum image height of the solid state imaging element (mm), ω is a half field of view of the observation optical system (rad), T is a rate of a visual field to the photographing range of the observation optical system, and P is a pixel pitch of the solid state imaging element (mm). <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 observation optical device with a photographing function equipped with a photographing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, observation optical devices such as binoculars and monoculars are used, for example, for watching sports and observing wild birds. In such a case, the spectator and the observer often encounter a scene that they would like to record as a photograph, but it is easily conceivable to miss the shutter chance while switching the observation optical device to the camera. Therefore, it has already been proposed to equip the observation optical device with a photographing function so that the observation optical device can immediately perform photographing without missing a shutter chance during watching or observing.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-2330 discloses binoculars with a photographing function of a type in which a camera section is simply mounted on top of the binoculars. Naturally, such a pair of binoculars with a photographing function is provided with a pair of observation optical systems for magnifying and observing an observation object, and a photographing optical system for photographing the observation object.

Generally, in an observation optical system such as binoculars or monoculars, when the rear focal point of the objective lens system and the front focal point of the eyepiece lens system substantially coincide with each other, an observation object at infinity is observed by the observation optical system. Objects can be observed in focus. Therefore, in order to observe an object to be observed at a short distance from infinity in an in-focus state, the objective lens system and the eyepiece lens system are separated from the in-focus state to an object to be observed at infinite, A focusing operation for focusing an object is required. Therefore, the observation optical system incorporates a focusing mechanism for relatively moving the objective lens system and the eyepiece lens system to adjust the distance therebetween. More specifically, such a focusing mechanism converts a rolling wheel arranged adjacent to the observation optical system and a rotational movement of the rolling wheel into a relative linear movement between the objective lens and the eyepiece. And motion conversion means.

By the way, in the binoculars with a photographing function as disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the pair of observation optical systems function as a finder optical system for displaying the photographing range at the time of photographing, and the observation object is the subject. It will be captured as an image by the photographic optical system. In the above-mentioned publication, there is no mention of how the subject optical image is focused by the image capturing optical system when the subject to be observed with binoculars is captured by the image capturing optical system.

On the other hand, US Pat. No. 4,067,027 discloses another type of binoculars with a photographing function, and the binoculars with a photographing function is also provided with a pair of observation optical system and photographing optical system. In the binoculars with a photographing function, the focusing mechanism of the pair of observation optical systems is also provided with a mechanism for focusing the photographing optical system. That is, when the wheel of the focusing mechanism is rotated by manual operation, the photographing optical system is moved relative to the silver salt film surface in association with the relative movement of the objective lens system and the eyepiece lens system of the pair of observation optical systems. It is moved so that the focusing operation of both the pair of the observation optical system and the photographing optical system is performed. In short, when the observation object is observed by the pair of observation optical systems in the focused state, the observation object is also captured by the photographing optical system in the focused state. Therefore, if the object to be observed is observed in focus with the pair of observation optical systems, if shooting is performed,
The observation object is focused on the surface of the silver salt film as a subject image.

In general, the focusing mechanism of a photographing apparatus needs to focus an optical system on a main subject so that a blur is contained within a permissible circle of confusion diameter δ mainly determined by a photosensitive material used. is there. Allowable circle of confusion δ is, for example, 35 mm
In the silver halide photographic system, it is said that the finished print is observed by the human eye, and it is said that it is about 1/1000 of the diagonal length of the photosensitive material or about 30 μm on the image plane from the eye resolution. When the permissible circle of confusion diameter is determined, the depth of focus can be determined from the F number of the shooting optical system. That is, the depth of focus is calculated geometrically, and the depth of focus = 2 × δ × F number. If the focus cannot be adjusted so that the focus is sufficiently within this depth of focus, it will be recognized as out of focus. Therefore, in the photographic device, the photosensitive material to be used, the permissible circle of confusion diameter δ, the F number of the photographic optical system, and the precision of the focusing method, etc. must be properly selected and set. I won't. In the above-mentioned U.S. patent specification, the mechanism of the focusing method is described, but the specifications of the optical system are not described, and it is not known at all whether sufficient focusing is possible.

[0008]

By the way, a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD is used in an observation optical device such as binoculars or monoculars.
(charge-coupled device) Even when an observation optical device with a photographing function is configured by incorporating a camera using an image sensor,
Regarding the design of the photographing optical system, the above-mentioned optical problem must be taken into consideration, and further, in designing the photographing optical system of a camera using a solid-state image sensor, a permissible circle of confusion or the like is used. In addition to that, there are conditions that should be newly considered from the characteristics of the solid-state image sensor,
It was found that it would be practically difficult to use if the observation optical system and the photographing optical system were not designed by optimally balancing them.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is an observation optical device with a photographing function, which comprises a photographing system including a photographing optical system and a solid-state image pickup device, and an observation optical system, and the observation optical system is manually focused. At this time, it is an object of the present invention to provide an observation optical device with a photographing function configured so that the photographing optical system can be properly focused in conjunction with the focusing of the observation optical system.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an observation optical device with a photographing function comprises a photographing system including a photographing optical system and a solid-state image sensor, and an observation optical system. The optical system and the observation optical system are configured such that their focusing mechanisms work together to obtain the focus. In such an observation optical apparatus with a photographing function, it is characterized that the following conditions are satisfied. 65 <y ² / (1000 × PF (ω / T) ² ) <95 and F <6 However, in the above formula, F is the f-number of the photographing optical system y is the maximum image height (mm) of the solid-state image sensor ω is Semi-field of view (rad) T is the field of view P with respect to the photographing range of the observation optical system P is the pixel pitch (mm) of the solid-state image sensor

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the observation optical device with a photographing function includes an observation optical system, and the observation optical system has an objective optical system, an erecting optical system and an eyepiece along the optical axis thereof. An optical system is included, and the objective optical system, the erecting optical system, and the eyepiece optical system are movable relative to each other along the optical axis of the observation optical system. In addition, the observation optical device with a shooting function,
A wheel barrel arranged adjacent to the observation optical system, a photographing optical system installed in the wheel barrel, and aligned with the photographing optical system at a predetermined distance from the rear side of the photographing optical system. And a solid-state image sensor. Further, in the observation optical device with a photographing function, in order to focus each observation optical system, the rotational movement of the wheel barrel is relatively linear between the objective optical system of the observation optical system and the erecting optical system and the eyepiece optical system. A first focusing mechanism for converting the photographing optical system into a motion, and a second focusing mechanism for converting the rotational movement of the wheel barrel into a linear movement of the photographing optical system so as to focus the photographing optical system on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor. And a focusing mechanism. In such an observation optical device with a photographing function, the photographing optical system is characterized by satisfying the following conditions. 65 <y ² / (1000 × PF (ω / T) ² ) <95 and F <6 However, in the above formula, F is the f-number of the photographing optical system y is the maximum image height (mm) of the solid-state image sensor ω is Semi-field of view (rad) T is the field of view P with respect to the photographing range of the observation optical system P is the pixel pitch (mm) of the solid-state image sensor

In the observation optical apparatus with a photographing function according to the second aspect of the present invention, the second focusing mechanism is adapted to convert the rotational movement of the wheel barrel into the linear movement of the photographing optical system in a linear relationship. However, it is preferable to carry out such a motion conversion in a non-linear relationship.

In the observation optical device with a photographing function, a pair of observation optical systems can be provided. That is, the observation optical device with a photographing function can be configured as binoculars with a photographing function. In such a pair of binoculars with a photographing function, it is preferable that the wheel barrel is arranged between the pair of observation optical systems.

In a preferred embodiment of the binoculars with a photographing function, a casing is provided for accommodating a pair of observation optical systems, and the casing is movable relative to each other.
Composed of two casing parts. One casing part accommodates one of the pair of observation optical systems, the other casing part accommodates the other of the pair of observation optical systems, and one of the two casing parts relative to the other casing part. The interpupillary adjustment is performed by moving the eye to.
Preferably, one of the two casing parts is slidably accommodated in the other casing part, and when the casing parts are relatively moved, the optical axes of the pair of observation optical systems are always in the same plane for adjusting the pupil distance. Moved inside.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of an observation optical apparatus with a photographing function according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In this embodiment, the observation optical device with a photographing function is configured as binoculars with a photographing function. 1 shows the internal structure of the binoculars with a photographing function according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. The binoculars with a photographing function includes a casing 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the casing 10 includes a casing body portion 10A and a movable casing portion 10B.

A pair of observation optical systems 1 is provided in the casing 10.
2R and 12L are provided, and the pair of observation optical systems 12
R and 12L have a symmetrical configuration, and are used for right eye observation and left eye observation, respectively. The right side observation optical system 12R is incorporated in the casing body portion 10A, and the right side observation optical system 12R includes an objective lens system 14R, an erecting prism system 16R, and an eyepiece lens system 18R. An observation window 19R is formed on the front wall of the casing body 10A, and the observation window 19R is aligned with the objective lens system 14R of the right observation optical system 12R. The left observation optical system 12L is incorporated in the movable casing portion 10B, and the left observation optical system 12L includes an objective lens system 14L.
L, an erecting prism system 16L and an eyepiece lens system 18L are included. An observation window 19L is formed on the front wall of the movable casing portion 10B, and the observation window 19L is aligned with the objective lens system 14L of the left observation optical system 12L.

In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the front side and the rear side are defined as an object side and an eyepiece side with respect to the observation optical system (12R, 12L) of the binoculars with a photographing function.

The movable casing portion 10B is slidably engaged with the casing body portion 10A so as to be pulled out to the left side from the casing body portion 10A. That is, the movable casing portion 10B is movable in the left-right direction between the storage position shown in FIG. 2 and the maximum withdrawal position shown in FIG. A certain amount of frictional force acts on the sliding engagement surface between the movable casing portion 10B and the casing body portion 10A, and therefore the movable casing portion 10B is moved with respect to the casing body portion 10A. In this case, it is necessary to exert a pulling-out force or a pushing-in force above a predetermined level between the two portions 10A and 10B. In short, the movable casing part 10B can be frictionally retained at any position between its stowed position (FIG. 2) and the maximum withdrawn position (FIG. 3).

As is clear from the comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3,
The movable casing portion 10B is the casing body portion 10A.
The left observing optical system 12L moves together with the movable casing portion 10B when pulled out from the, but the right observing optical system 12R is retained on the casing body portion 10A side. That is, by positioning the movable casing portion 10B with respect to the casing body portion 10A at an arbitrary withdrawal position, the eyepiece lens system 18R of the right observation optical system 12R is positioned.
It is possible to adjust the distance between the optical axes of the left observation optical system 12L and the eyepiece lens system 18L, that is, the interpupillary distance. In short, in this embodiment, when the casing body portion 10A and the movable casing portion 10B are slid relative to each other, the optical axes of the right and left observation optical systems 12R and 12L are adjusted so that the optical axis distance is adjusted, that is, the interpupillary distance. Always moved in the same plane for adjustment.

In this embodiment, the right observation optical system 1
The 2R objective lens system 14R is a casing body portion 10A.
The erecting prism system 16R and the eyepiece lens system 18R can be moved in the front-back direction with respect to the objective lens system 14R, so that the right observation optical system 12R can be focused. ) Is done. Similarly, the objective lens system 14L of the left observation optical system 12L is installed at a fixed position with respect to the movable casing portion 10B, but the erecting prism system 16L and the eyepiece lens system 18L thereof are provided.
Is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the objective lens system 14L, whereby the left observation optical system 12L is focused.

A support plate structure 20 as shown in FIG. 4 is provided on the bottom side of the casing 10 in order to perform the interpupillary adjustment and focusing operations as described above. Note that FIG.
Then, the support plate structure 20 is omitted in order to avoid complication of the drawing.

The support plate structure 20 includes a rectangular fixing plate 20A appropriately fixed to the casing body 10A,
It comprises a slide plate 20B slidably arranged on the rectangular fixed plate 20A and appropriately fixed to the movable casing portion 10B. The slide plate 20B includes a rectangular portion 22 having a width substantially equal to the width of the rectangular fixed plate 20A in the front-rear direction, and an extending portion 24 integrally extending from the rectangular portion 22 to the right side. The objective lens system 14R of the right side observation optical system 12R is fixedly installed at a predetermined position on the rectangular fixed plate 20A, and the objective lens system 14L of the left side observation optical system 12L.
L is fixedly installed at a predetermined position on the slide plate 20B.

A pair of guide slots 26 are formed in the rectangular portion 22 of the slide plate 20B, and a guide slot 27 is formed in the extending portion 24 thereof. On the other hand, the rectangular fixing plate 20A has a pair of guide pins 26 'slidably received in the pair of guide slots 26 and a guide pin 27' slidably received in the guide slot 27. And are planted. Guide slots (26, 27)
Extends the same length in the left-right direction, and the length is the moving distance of the movable casing portion 10B with respect to the casing body portion 10A, that is, the retracted position of the movable casing portion 10B (FIG. 2) and the maximum withdrawal position of the movable casing portion 10B (FIG. 3) Corresponds to the distance between.

As is apparent from FIGS. 2 and 3, the support plate structure 20 is installed in the casing 10 at a proper distance from the bottom thereof, and at this time, the rectangular fixing plate 20A is placed on the casing body 10A side. It is properly fixed, and the slide plate 20B is appropriately fixed to the movable casing portion 10B side. In the illustrated embodiment, a mounting piece 28 is provided along a part of the left side edge of the rectangular portion 22 for fixing the slide plate 20B to the movable casing portion 10B, and the mounting piece 28 is mounted on the movable casing 28. It is properly fixed to the partition wall 29 of the portion 10B.

Referring to FIG. 5, the right observation optical system 12R
Right mount plate 30R for mounting the erecting prism system 16R and the erecting prism system 1 of the left observation optical system 12L.
A left mount plate 30L for mounting 6L is shown. As is apparent from FIGS. 5 and 6, the upright plates 32R and 32L are provided along the rear side edges of the right mount plate 30R and the left mount plate 30L, respectively. Figure 1
As shown in, the right upright plate 32R is the right eyepiece system 1
The left upright plate 32L is used as a mounting seat for the left eyepiece lens system 18L.

As shown in FIG. 6, the right side mounting plate 30R
A guide shoe 34R is fixedly attached to the bottom surface of the guide along substantially the center of the right side edge thereof, and the right end edge of the rectangular fixing plate 20A is slidably received by the guide shoe 34R as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The groove 36R is formed. Further, a side wall 38R is provided along the left side edge of the right mount plate 30R, and a bottom side of the side wall 38R is formed as an enlarged portion 40R, and a bore for slidably inserting a guide rod 42R is formed in the enlarged portion 40R. It is formed. Both ends of the guide rod 42R are a pair of opposed upright support pieces 4 integrally formed on the front side edge and the rear side edge of the rectangular fixing plate 20A.
It is inserted through the hole formed in 4R and fixed appropriately.

On the other hand, a guide shoe 34L is fixed to the bottom surface of the left mount plate 30L along substantially the center of its left edge, and the guide shoe 34L is attached to the left end of the slide plate 20B as shown in FIGS. A groove 36L is formed to slidably receive the edge. Also, the left mount plate 30L
A side wall 38L is provided along the right side edge of the side wall 3L.
The bottom side of 8L is formed as a thickened portion 40L, and a bore for slidably inserting the guide rod 42L is formed in the thickened portion 40L. Both ends of the guide rod 42L are inserted through holes formed in a pair of opposed upright support pieces 44L integrally formed at the front side edge and the rear side edge of the slide plate 20B, respectively, and are appropriately fixed.

As described above, the support plate structure 20
Although omitted in FIG. 1, a pair of opposed upright support pieces 44 are shown.
R and the pair of opposed upright support pieces 44L are shown.

With the configuration as described above, when the movable casing portion 10B is pulled out from the casing main body portion 10A to the left side, the left side observation optical system 12L moves together with the movable casing portion 10B, so the right side observation optical system 12R. It is possible to adjust the inter-optical axis distance (that is, the interpupillary distance) between the eyepiece lens system 18R and the left eye observation optical system 12L.

Since the objective lens system 14R of the right observation optical system 12R is arranged in front of the right mount plate 30R, the objective lens is moved by moving the right mount plate 30R back and forth along the guide rod 42R. System 14
The distance between R and the erecting prism system 16R is adjusted, and therefore the focusing operation of the right observing optical system 12R is performed. Similarly, since the objective lens system 14L of the left observation optical system 12L is arranged in front of the left mount plate 30L, the objective lens system 14L can be moved back and forth along the guide rod 42L by moving the left mount plate 30L back and forth.
The distance between the erecting prism system 16L and the erecting prism system 16L is adjusted, so that the left observing optical system 12L is focused.

In order to move the right mount plate 30R and the left mount plate 30L synchronously along the respective guide rods 42R and 42L, and to allow the left mount plate 30L to move in the left-right direction with respect to the right mount plate 30R, 5, the right side mounting plate 30R and the left side mounting plate 30L are connected to each other by a retractable connecting means 46.

More specifically, in this embodiment, the connecting means 4 is used.
6 is an enlarged portion 42 of the side wall 40R of the right mount plate 30R.
It is composed of a rod member 46A having a rectangular cross-section and extending leftward from the front end portion of R, and a bifurcated member 46B that slidably receives the rod member 46A. Regarding the lengths of the rod member 46A and the forked member 46B, the sliding of the rod member 46A and the forked member 46B even when the movable casing portion 10B is pulled out from the stored position (FIG. 2) to the maximum withdrawn position (FIG. 3). Engagement may be maintained. Thus, the right side mounting plate 30R and the left side mounting plate 30L are synchronously moved along the respective guide rods 42R and 42L, regardless of the drawn position of the movable casing part 10B with respect to the casing body part 10A. You can A hole 47 having a rectangular cross section is formed in the rod member 46A, and the function of this hole 47 will be described later.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a vertical sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. As is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 7, a circular opening 48 is formed on the front wall surface of the casing body portion 10A, and the movable casing portion 10B is formed in the circular opening portion 48 by the casing body portion 10A.
Is located centrally in the front wall of the casing 10 when in the stowed position.

A front sleeve member 50 is integrally projected from the inner wall surface of the front side wall of the casing body portion 10A so as to surround the circular opening 48, and the top side of the front sleeve member 50 is as shown in FIG. It is integrated with the casing body portion 10A. On the other hand, a rear sleeve member 52 is arranged at a predetermined distance rearward from the front sleeve member 50, and the rear sleeve member 52 is integrally formed so as to be suspended from the inner wall surface of the top wall of the casing body portion 10A. Molded.

The front sleeve member 50 and the rear sleeve member 52 are aligned with each other, and a roller shaft cylinder 54 is interposed therebetween.
Is rotatably held as appropriate. A rolling wheel portion 56 is integrally formed on the rolling wheel barrel 54 so as to approach the rear sleeve member 52, and a part of the rolling wheel portion 56 is formed on the casing body portion 10A.
It is exposed to the outside through a rectangular opening 58 formed in the top wall of the. The pair of observation optical systems 12R and 12R
During the focusing operation of L, the exposed portion of the wheel unit 56 is rotated by, for example, the index finger of the observer of the binoculars with a photographing function according to the present invention.

The rolling wheel cylinder 54 has a front end and a rolling wheel portion 56.
A male screw 60 is formed between the male screw 60 and the male screw 60, and an annular body 62 is screwed to the male screw 60. As is apparent from FIGS. 2, 4 and 7, the annular body 62 is formed with a protrusion 64 that protrudes outward in the radial direction, and the tip of this protrusion 64 is the connecting means 4
Hole 4 having a rectangular cross section formed in the rod member 46A of No. 6
It is inserted in 7. Therefore, when the rolling wheel portion 56 is rotated, the annular body 62 is moved along the longitudinal axis direction because it is screwed to the male screw 60 of the rolling wheel barrel 54, and the moving direction is the rolling wheel portion 56. Depends on the direction of rotation.
In short, the rolling wheel cylinder 54 and the annular body 62 are
Forms a motion conversion mechanism for converting the rotational motion of the above into the linear motion of the annular body 62.

Since the tip of the protrusion 64 of the annular body 62 is fitted into the hole 47 of the rod member 46A of the connecting means 46, the right mount plate 30R and the left mount plate 30L are also moved as the annular body 62 moves. To be In short, the rotation of the wheel wheel unit 56 adjusts the distances of the erecting prism systems 16R and 16L with respect to the objective lens systems 14R and 14L, respectively, so that the pair of observation optical systems 12R and 1L is adjusted.
A 2L focusing operation is performed.

In this embodiment, a pair of observation optical systems 12R is used.
And 12L, for example, the lens design is such that when the distance between the erecting prism systems 16R and 16L with respect to the objective lens systems 14R and 14L is shortest, focusing of the observation object at infinity can be obtained. When observing an object to be observed at a short distance, the erecting prism systems 16R and 16L are separated from the objective lens systems 14R and 14L, respectively, by the rotation of the roller shaft cylinder 54 to focus the image of the object to be observed. Of course, the optical erecting prism systems 16R and 16L
When the object is moved to the maximum distance from each of the objective lens systems 14R and 14L, the focus of the observation object at the shortest distance by design is obtained.

A lens barrel 66 is installed inside the wheel barrel 54, and a first lens group 68 is placed inside the lens barrel 66.
A photographing optical system including the second lens group 70 and the second lens group 70 is held. On the other hand, an upright circuit board 72 is attached to the inner wall surface of the rear side wall of the casing body portion 10A, and a solid-state image pickup device such as a CCD (charge-co) is mounted on the upright circuit board 72.
Upled device) An image pickup device 74 is mounted, and the CCD image pickup device 74 is arranged such that its light receiving surface is aligned with the photographing optical system (68, 70). An inner flange portion is formed on the rear end surface side of the rear sleeve member 52, and the optical low-pass filter 76 is supported on the inner flange portion.
In short, according to the present invention, the binoculars with a photographing function are given a photographing function as a so-called digital camera, and the subject is passed through the optical low-pass filter 76 by the photographing optical system (68, 70) onto the light receiving surface of the CCD image pickup device 74. Is imaged.

In order to enable the binoculars with a photographing function according to the present invention to photograph, for example, a subject two mails ahead, a focusing mechanism may be incorporated in the lens barrel 66 as well. This is necessary, and the focusing mechanism must be linked with the focusing mechanism of the pair of observation optical systems 12R and 12L. That is, regarding the photographing optical system (68, 70), it is necessary to move the photographing optical system (68, 70) to focus on a subject at a short distance.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a female screw is formed on the inner peripheral wall surface of the wheel barrel cylinder 54, while a male screw is formed on the outer wall surface of the lens barrel 66, whereby the lens barrel 66 is rotated. It is screwed in 54. The front end portion of the lens barrel 66 is inserted into the front sleeve member 50, and a pair of key grooves 78 is formed in the front end portion in the diametrical direction as shown in FIG. 7, and each key groove 78 is a lens mirror. The cylinder 66 extends from the front end edge along the longitudinal axis direction by a predetermined length. On the other hand, a pair of bores are diametrically formed at a position close to the rear end surface of the front sleeve member 50, and a pin element 80 adapted to engage with the key groove 78 is implanted in each bore. In short, the engagement of the key groove 78 and the pin element 80 prevents the lens barrel 66 from rotating.

Thus, the roller shaft cylinder 54 has its roller portion 56.
When the lens barrel 66 is rotated by the operation of, the lens barrel 66 is moved along its optical axis. That is, the internal thread formed on the inner peripheral wall surface of the wheel barrel cylinder 54 and the male thread formed on the outer peripheral wall surface of the lens barrel 66 convert the rotational movement of the wheel barrel cylinder 54 into the linear movement of the lens barrel 66. The motion converting function is formed, and this motion converting mechanism is made to function as the focusing mechanism of the lens barrel 66.

The male screw 60 formed on the outer peripheral wall surface of the roller wheel cylinder 54 and the female screw formed on the inner wall surface thereof are opposite to each other, so that the roller wheel cylinder 54 is erected in the upright prism system 1.
6R and 16L are objective lens systems 14R and 14
When the lens barrel 66 is rotated so as to be separated from L, the lens barrel 66 is moved away from the CCD image pickup device 74, and thus the subject is imaged in a state of being properly focused on the light receiving surface of the CCD image pickup device 74. Can be made. As a matter of course, the male thread pitch of the outer peripheral wall surface of the roller wheel cylinder 54 and the female thread pitch of the inner peripheral wall surface thereof depend on the optical characteristics of the pair of observation optical systems 12R and 12L and the optical characteristics of the photographing optical system (68, 70). Be different.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 7, a female screw hole 81 is formed on the lower wall surface of the bottom wall of the casing body 10A so as to be screwed into the male screw of the tripod platform. . As is apparent from FIG. 2, the movable casing part 1
When 0B is in the storage position with respect to the casing body portion 10A, the female screw hole 81 is located substantially in the center of the left-right length of the casing 10, and the position is immediately below the optical axis of the photographing optical system (68, 70). Further, as is clear from FIG. 7, the female screw hole 81 is arranged close to the front side edge of the casing body portion 10A.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the power supply circuit board 82 is provided in the right end portion of the casing body portion 10A.
Is provided, and the power supply circuit board 82 is appropriately held with respect to the casing body portion 10A. 2 and 3
As shown in FIG. 5, a main control circuit board 84 is provided between the bottom wall of the casing body portion 10A and the support plate structure 20, and the main control circuit board 84 is provided in the casing body portion 10A.
It is suitably supported by the bottom wall of A. Main control circuit board 8
4, electronic components such as a microcomputer and a memory are mounted, and a CCD mounting circuit board 72 and a power supply circuit board 8 are provided.
2 is appropriately connected to the main control circuit board 84 via a flat flexible wiring cord (not shown).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 7, an LCD (liquid crystal display) display 86 is arranged on the outer surface of the top wall of the casing body 10A. Is rotatably mounted on a rotary shaft 88 provided along the front side edge of the top wall as shown in FIG. The LCD display 86 is normally placed in the storage position shown by the solid line in FIG. 7. At this time, since the liquid crystal display surface of the LCD display 86 faces the top wall side of the casing body 10A, the liquid crystal display surface is observed. You cannot do it. CC
When the photographing operation is performed by the D image sensor 74, the LC
The D display 86 is manually rotated from its storage position to a display position partially shown by a broken line in FIG.
At this time, the liquid crystal display surface of the LCD display 86 can be observed from the eyepiece lens systems 18R and 18L.

As is apparent from FIGS. 1, 2 and 3,
A partition wall 29 is provided inside the left end of the movable casing portion 10B.
It is partitioned by, and the inside thereof is constructed as a battery charging chamber 90. The battery charging chamber 90 is filled with two batteries 92, the power supply circuit board 82 receives power from the battery 92 via a power supply wiring cord (not shown), and the CCD image pickup device 74 on the CCD mounting circuit board 72, Electronic components such as a microcomputer and a memory on the main control circuit board 84 and the LCD display 86 are supplied with power from the power supply circuit board 82.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, two connection connectors, that is, a video output terminal connector output 94 and a USB output terminal connector 95 are mounted on the power supply circuit board 82 side by side in the vertical direction. Connector 94
And 95 are used for connection with, for example, an image processing computer (not shown). The power supply circuit board 82 is covered by a shield cover 96 together with the connectors 94 and 95, and the shield cover 96 can be formed of a suitable conductor material, for example, a steel plate having a suitable thickness.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a CF (Compact Flash) card holder 97 is provided below the main control circuit board 84, and the CF card holder 97 has a C
The F card can be inserted and removed freely as a memory card.

Various switches (not shown) required for causing the CCD image pickup device 74 to perform photographing operation,
For example, a power switch, an image display switch, a release switch, etc. are appropriately provided outside the top wall of the casing body 10A. When the power switch is turned on and the image display switch is turned on, the subject image formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD image pickup device 74 is photoelectrically converted into image data for one frame, and the image signal for the one frame is converted. It is sequentially read out at a predetermined time interval, appropriately subjected to image processing, and then converted into digital image data for one frame. Next, the image data for one frame is once written in the frame memory on the main control circuit board 84 and read out as a digital video signal from the frame memory. Subsequently, the digital video signal is converted into an analog video signal and then appropriately subjected to image processing and sent to the LCD display 86, whereby a subject image is reproduced and displayed as a moving image on the liquid crystal display screen of the LCD display 86.

When the release switch is turned on, the image data for one frame written in the frame memory is read out as still image data and is taken into the memory in the microcomputer on the main control circuit board 84. The image is appropriately processed there and then written in the CF card 97 according to a predetermined format. CF card 9
The image data 7 is taken out from the CF card holder 97 as needed and loaded into, for example, a CF card driver of an image processing computer, where the image data for one frame is appropriately processed and then output as a captured image by, for example, a printer. On the other hand, the binoculars with a photographing function are connected to the connector 9
When the CF card is connected to the image processing computer via 4 or 95, the image data can be transferred to the image processing computer with the CF card loaded in the CF card holder 97.

As described above, according to the present invention, the photographic optical system (68, 70) can be focused on an object from infinity to a very short distance (for example, about 1.5 m in front of the photographic optical system). However, in order to obtain desired focusing accuracy (focus accuracy) under such conditions, the photographic optical system (6
8 and 70) is related to the subject side depth, and the subject side depth is mainly the focal length f of the photographing optical system (68, 70), its F number F, and the permissible circle of confusion δ of the CCD image pickup device 74. It depends on parameters such as.

In the case of a silver salt camera, δ is set to a value of about 1/1000 of the diagonal line of the silver salt film, but in the case of a so-called digital camera using a solid-state image pickup device such as the CCD image pickup device 74. Is determined by the pixel pitch P.
Therefore, the permissible circle of confusion diameter δ can be determined as follows. δ = aP where a is an appropriate constant, and when the permissible circle of confusion diameter δ is simply defined as the pixel pitch of the CCD image pickup device 74, a
= 1 can be set. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the periodic characteristic on the subject side, that is, the spatial frequency is the CCD image pickup device 74.
Since the optical low-pass filter 76 is provided in order to eliminate the moire that may occur when the pixel arrangement pitch of 1 is matched, it is not always necessary to give 1 to the constant a. Eg 1.4 to 3
A value of degree may be given.

Thus, when the subject side depth of the photographing optical system (68, 70) is Do, Do is obtained as follows. Do = f ² / Di = f ² / aPF However, Di is the image side depth of the photographing optical system (68, 70), and Di = aPF.

On the other hand, the focal length f of the photographing optical system (68, 70) is calculated by the following equation. f = y / tan (ω / T) where y is the maximum image height (mm) of the CCD image pickup device 74, half the distance of the diagonal line of the light receiving surface, and ω is the observation optical system (12R, 12L). Semi-field of view (rad), T is the field ratio of the observation optical system (12R, 12L) with respect to the photographing range, that is, the half-field of view ω of the observation optical system (12R, 12L) with respect to the half angle of view θ of the photographing optical system (68, 70). Is the ratio of (T =
ω / θ).

Therefore, the subject side depth Do of the photographing optical system (68, 70) can be expressed as follows. Do = y ² / (tan ² (ω / T) × aPF)

The observation optical system (12R, 12L) has a function as a so-called telescope for enlarging and observing a distant view, and its actual field of view becomes narrow, so that it can be regarded as tan ω≈ω. Further, the constant a is a value that varies depending on how the image data obtained by the CCD image pickup device 74 is processed, and therefore is omitted. That is, the constant a is set to a different value depending on whether the captured image is displayed on the LCD display 86 or is output by the printer, and therefore it is not specified here and is omitted. Thus, the above equation can be rewritten as: Do∝y ² / ((ω / T) ² × PF)

In short, the above equation is used in the photographing optical system (68, 7).
It is a guideline for the depth when focusing at 0) at infinity. As described above, since meters are normally used for displaying the distance from the photographing optical system (68, 70) to the subject, dividing the above expression by 1000 gives the following. y ² / (1000 × PF (ω / T) ² ) Therefore, if various parameters in the above equation are determined so that 65 <y ² / (1000 × PF (ω / T) ² ) <95, The focusing mechanism of the image pickup optical system may be suitable for focusing by manually operating the wheel assembly 56.

When the lower limit value 65 of the above conditional expression is exceeded,
Since the lens design of the taking optical system (68, 70) is close to that of the pan focus design and the depth on the image side becomes deep, the taking optical system (12R, 12L) is linked with the focusing of the taking optical system (12R, 12L). No complicated focusing mechanism for focusing 68, 70) is required. That is, for example, the lens barrel of the photographic optical system is slidably movable, and the lens barrel is visually moved between the infinity in-focus position and the closest shadow in-focus position to obtain sufficient focus. When the lens design of the photographing optical system is the pan focus design, the focusing mechanism itself of the photographing optical system becomes unnecessary.

To determine the various parameters in the above equation, the following must be considered.

First, the pixel pitch P is determined by the CCD image pickup device 74 used, and the pixel pitch P also affects the sensitivity, and therefore the F number F of the photographing optical system (68, 70). In order to increase the sensitivity of the CCD image pickup element 74, it is necessary to increase the pixel pitch P to reduce the number of pixels of the CCD image pickup element 74, or to increase the maximum image height y of the CCD image pickup element 74. is there. If the maximum image height y is fixed and the number of pixels is reduced, the image quality of the photographed image is deteriorated. If the maximum image height y is fixed and the number of pixels is increased, the area per pixel is reduced and the sensitivity is reduced. Will be reduced. In order to increase the sensitivity, the maximum image height y may be increased with a predetermined number of pixels, but in that case, the entire CCD image pickup device 74 becomes large, and accordingly, the photographic optical system (68, 70) becomes large. If the angle of view is kept constant, the focal length f becomes large and the size becomes large, which is a problem. Further, the sensitivity of the CCD image pickup device 74 is generally lower than that of the silver salt photosensitive material. Therefore, the shooting optical system (6
It is necessary to give a value smaller than 6 for the F number (8, 70) (F <6).

In order to reduce the value below the lower limit value 65 of the above conditional expression, either y / (ω / T) is decreased, the pixel pitch P is increased, or the F number F is increased. It is. In order to reduce y / (ω / T), it is necessary to reduce the maximum image height y or the field of view T. As described above, if the maximum image height y is reduced without reducing the number of pixels, the sensitivity of the CCD image pickup device 74 is reduced, and if the number of pixels is reduced to maintain the sensitivity, the image quality of a captured image is reduced. . On the other hand, when the field ratio T is increased, the photographing range of the photographing optical system (68, 70) is larger than that of the observation optical system (12R, 12L), and the observation optical system cannot function as a finder. On the other hand, the problem when the pixel pitch P and the F number F are simply increased has already been described.

On the other hand, when the value exceeds the upper limit value 95 of the above conditional expression and becomes large, the image side depth of the photographing optical system (68, 70) becomes very shallow, so that the focus of the present invention is achieved in conjunction with the observation optical system. In the mechanism, the focus detection accuracy is the detection accuracy of the eye looking into the observation system, and since the human eye has an adjusting action, it is usually ± 1.
It is only as accurate as Dptr., Making it difficult to focus by manually operating the focusing mechanism, and it is necessary to incorporate an automatic focusing mechanism (AF) in the photographic optical system (68, 70). Become.

In consideration of the above points, various parameters in the above equation can be set as follows, for example. When a 1/3 inch CCD image sensor is used y = 2.98 mm ω = 0.06231 rad (3.57 °) P = 0.0047 mm (4.7 μm) T = 0.78 F = 4 When the parameters are set in this way, the above conditions are satisfied. The numerical value of the formula is 74.

As another example, a 1 / 2.7 inch CCD
When an image sensor is used y = 3.32 mm ω = 0.06231 rad (3.57 °) P = 0.0042 mm (4.2 μm) T = 0.70 F = 4 When the parameters are set in this way, the numerical value of the above conditional expression is 83 Become.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 7, showing a modification of the above-described embodiment. In the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a motion converting mechanism for converting the rotary motion of the wheel barrel 54 into the linear motion of the annular body 62 and the rotary motion of the wheel barrel 54 into the linear motion of the lens barrel 66. The binoculars with a photographing function of FIG. 8 are substantially the same as the binoculars with a photographing function shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. . In FIG. 8, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those shown in FIG. 7.

More specifically, in the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a cam groove 98 is formed on the outer peripheral wall surface of the roller shaft cylinder 54 (in FIG. 8, the cam groove 98 is shown in a state of being developed on a plane by a broken line). Is formed, and the annular body 6 is formed in the cam groove 98.
Short shaft 10 protruding as a cam follower from the inner wall surface of 2
0 is slidably engaged, and the cam groove 98 and the short shaft 100 form a motion conversion mechanism for converting the rotational motion of the wheel barrel cylinder 54 into the linear motion of the annular body 62. on the other hand,
The cam groove 102 (in FIG. 8, in the inner peripheral wall surface of the roller wheel cylinder 54,
(Shown by a broken line in a state where the cam groove 102 is developed on a plane) is formed, and a short shaft 104 protruding as a cam follower from the outer wall surface of the lens barrel 66 is slidably engaged with the cam groove 102, This cam groove 102 and the short shaft 1
04, the rotational movement of the roller shaft cylinder 54 is transferred to the lens barrel 6
A motion conversion mechanism for converting into a linear motion of 6 is formed.

As in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7,
When the motion converting mechanism is formed by screwing the male screw and the female screw, the rotation amount of the wheel shaft barrel 54 has a linear relationship with the linear motion amount of the annular body 62 or the lens barrel 66. However, regarding the in-focus position of the pair of observation optical systems 12R and 12L or the photographing optical system (68, 70), the erecting prism system 16R with respect to the objective lens systems 14R and 14L is used.
And 16L or the distance to the taking optical system (68, 70) with respect to the light receiving surface of the CCD image pickup element 74 does not necessarily have a linear relationship.

Therefore, the pair of observation optical systems 12R and 12R
In order to obtain an accurate focus position for L or the photographing optical system (68, 70), as in the case of the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the motion converting mechanism has a cam groove (98,
102) and the minor axis (100, 104). Of course, it is possible to easily make the relationship between the rotation amount of the wheel shaft barrel 54 and the linear momentum of the annular body 62 or the lens barrel 66 non-linear, and as a result, the pair of observation optical systems. This is because an accurate focus position can be obtained for 12R and 12L or the photographing optical system (68, 70). However, in reality, the pair of observation optical systems 12R and 12L or the photographing optical system (6
8 and 70), a certain depth of focus can be obtained. Therefore, as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the motion converting mechanism may be formed by screwing a male screw and a female screw. .

However, in general, the distance between the focusing positions of the pair of observation optical systems 12R and 12L or the photographing optical systems (68, 70) and the erecting prism systems 16R and 16L with respect to the objective lens systems 14R and 14L, or Photographing optical system (68, 70) for the light receiving surface of the CCD image pickup device 74
Is approximated by a linear relationship, the focusable observation image or subject image is a pair of observation optical systems 12R.
And 12L or the closer to the photographing optical system (68, 70), the paraxial arrangement of the observation optical system and the photographing optical system is different, so the difference in the so-called blur amount between the respective optical systems increases and cannot be ignored. Therefore, the shooting optical system (68,
70) close to the subject, for example, the photographing optical system (68, 7)
For a subject about 1 meter ahead of (0), if a well-focused captured image is obtained, the above-described motion conversion mechanism includes the cam grooves (98, 102) and the short axis (1).
00, 104), and the relationship between the rotation amount of the roller shaft cylinder 54 and the linear momentum of the annular body 62 or the lens barrel 66 is non-linear, and the pair of observation optical systems 12R and 12L.
Alternatively, a proper focus position should be obtained for the photographing optical system (68, 70).

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, even when the motion converting mechanism is formed by screwing the male screw and the female screw, the male screw and the female screw are formed as a so-called helicoid screw. In the roller shaft cylinder 54
It is possible to make the relationship between the amount of rotation of and the linear momentum of the annular body 62 or the lens barrel 66 non-linear.

In the above-described embodiment, the observation optical apparatus with a photographing function is constructed as the binoculars with a photographing function, but of course, it may be constructed as a monocular with a photographing function. Further, in the above-described embodiment, in order to make the entire configuration of the binoculars with a photographing function compact, the photographing optical system is installed in the wheel cylinder, but a photographing optical system with a large aperture is required. In this case, it is not necessary to install the photographing optical system inside the wheel cylinder.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the casing composed of the two casing parts which are relatively movable, the immediate casing body part and the movable casing part is used for adjusting the interpupillary distance of the binoculars. It is also possible to rotate the pair of observation optical systems around the cylinder so that the interpupillary distance adjustment can be performed.

[0075]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the observation optical system is provided in the observation optical device with a photographing function, which includes the camera including the photographing optical system and the solid-state image pickup device, and the observation optical system. When focusing manually, the focusing of the photographic optical system is performed properly in conjunction with the focusing, so the observation image focused by the observation optical system is always taken as the subject image in the focused state. It becomes possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view showing an embodiment of binoculars with a photographing function according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1, showing a movable casing portion of the binoculars with a photographing function in a storage position.

FIG. 3 is a similar sectional view of FIG. 2, showing the movable casing portion of the binoculars with a photographing function in a maximum withdrawn position.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a support plate structure provided in a casing of binoculars with a photographing function.

5 is a plan view of a right mount plate and a left mount plate installed on the support plate structure shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

6 is a view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7, showing a modified embodiment of the binoculars with a photographing function according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 casing 10A casing body part 10B movable casing part 12R Right observation optical system 12L left observation optical system 20 Support plate structure 20A rectangular fixed plate 20B slide plate 30R Right side mounting plate 30L left side mounting plate 46 connection means 46A rod member 46B Bifurcated member 50 Front sleeve member 52 Rear sleeve member 54 wheel cylinder 56 Rolling part 62 annular body 66 lens barrel 68 First lens group 70 Second lens group 74 CCD image sensor 76 Optical low-pass filter 86 LCD display

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ identification code FI theme code (reference) G02B 7/12 G02B 23/06 23/06 23/18 23/18 G03B 17/48 G03B 17/48 H04N 5/232 A H04N 5/232 G02B 7/04 Z (72) Inventor Shuji Yoneyama 2-39 Maeno-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Moriyasu Kanai 2-36 Maeno-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo No. 9 Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Gouji Funatsu No. 36-9 Maenocho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo Asahi Kogaku Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H039 AA05 AA06 AB14 AB16 AB22 AB41 AC04 2H044 AE01 AJ06 BF01 CA02 CA04 DA01 DB01 HA01 2H104 AA01 CC06 5C022 AB21 AC31 AC42 AC51 AC77 AC78

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An observation optical device with a photographing function, which comprises a photographing system including a photographing optical system and a solid-state image sensor, and an observation optical system, wherein the photographing system and the observation optical system have their focusing mechanisms interlocked with each other. An observation optical apparatus with a photographing function, which is configured to operate as follows, satisfying the following conditions. 65 <y ² / (1000 × PF (ω / T) ² ) <95 and F <6 However, in the above formula, F is the f-number of the photographing optical system y is the maximum image height (mm) of the solid-state image sensor ω is Semi-field of view (rad) T is the field of view P with respect to the photographing range of the observation optical system P is the pixel pitch (mm) of the solid-state image sensor 2. An observation optical system is provided, and the observation optical system includes an objective optical system, an erecting optical system, and an eyepiece optical system along the optical axis thereof, and the objective optical system and the erecting optical system. And the eyepiece optical system are movable relative to each other along the optical axis of the observation optical system, and further, a wheel barrel arranged adjacent to the observation optical system and installed in the wheel barrel. The photographing optical system, the solid-state imaging device aligned with the photographing optical system at a predetermined distance from the rear side of the photographing optical system, and the rotational movement of the wheel barrel to focus each observation optical system. A first focusing mechanism for converting the objective optical system of the observation optical system to the relative linear movement between the erecting optical system and the eyepiece optical system, and the photographing optical system on the light receiving surface of the solid-state image sensor. The rotational movement of the wheel barrel is converted into the linear movement of the photographic optical system in order to bring it into focus. An observation optical device with a photographing function, comprising: a second focusing mechanism that allows the observation optical device with a photographing function to be satisfied. 65 <y ² / (1000 × PF (ω / T) ² ) <95 and F <6 However, in the above formula, F is the f-number of the photographing optical system y is the maximum image height (mm) of the solid-state image sensor ω is Semi-field of view (rad) T is the field of view P with respect to the photographing range of the observation optical system P is the pixel pitch (mm) of the solid-state image sensor 3. The observation optical apparatus with a photographing function according to claim 2, wherein the second focusing mechanism converts the rotational movement of the wheel barrel into a linear movement of the photographing optical system in a linear relationship. An observation optical device with a photographing function characterized by being configured. 4. The observation optical apparatus with a photographing function according to claim 2, wherein the second focusing mechanism converts the rotational movement of the wheel barrel into a linear movement of the photographing optical system in a non-linear relationship. An observation optical device with a photographing function, which is configured as follows. 5. The observation optical apparatus with a photographing function according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a pair of the observation optical systems is provided, and the wheel barrel is provided between the pair of observation optical systems. An observation optical device with a photographing function, which is arranged. 6. The observation optical apparatus with a photographing function according to claim 5, wherein a casing that accommodates the pair of observation optical systems is provided, and the casing includes two casing portions that are movable relative to each other. One of the pair of observation optical systems is accommodated in one casing portion, the other of the pair of observation optical systems is accommodated in the other casing portion, and one of the two casing portions is attached to the other casing portion. An observation optical device with a photographing function, characterized in that the interpupillary distance is adjusted by moving the eye relatively. 7. The observation optical apparatus with a photographing function according to claim 6, wherein one of the two casing portions is slidably accommodated in the other casing portion, and the pair of the casing portions is moved when the casing portions relatively move. An observation optical device with a photographing function, characterized in that the optical axis of the observation optical system is always moved in the same plane for adjusting the pupil distance.