JP2003174573A - Camera device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To miniaturize and thin a camera in a simple constitution by bending an optical system to an eyepiece about 180 degrees and mounting it when incorporating an electronic view finder composed of a liquid crystal display or the like inside a camera case body. <P>SOLUTION: For this camera device 1, a TFT 10 for confirming a photographing image is arranged on a back surface side of the camera case body 2 and a strobe unit 8 and an electronic view finder unit 13 are disposed at an upper part of the camera case body 2. The electronic view finder unit 13 is constituted by providing a TFT 13c for observing an object image, an eyepiece 13a disposed at a camera case body back surface part so as to observe the object image of the TFT 13c and a prism 13b provided adjacent to the TFT 13c and the eyepiece 13a, which is an optical path converting member bending emitted light from the object image displayed at the TFT 13c about 180 degrees and making it incident on the eyepiece 13a, inside a unit main body 13A. Thus, a miniaturized electronic view finder unit 13 is obtained and the camera is miniaturized and thinned as a result. <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 a camera device equipped with an electronic viewfinder such as a liquid crystal display, and more particularly, when the electronic viewfinder is incorporated into a camera housing, the optical system up to the eyepiece lens is bent. The present invention relates to a camera device that can be mounted in a compact and thin structure with a simple configuration.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of electronic devices such as personal computers, a subject image formed by an image pickup optical system is displayed as a C image.
There is great demand for what is called a digital camera that captures images with a CD (charge-transfer imaging device) for recording and reproduction.

In this type of digital camera, a subject image formed by an image pickup optical system is picked up by a CCD to obtain a video signal, and the picked up image is displayed on a display such as an LCD (liquid crystal display device). Since it is configured to check the shooting screen, it has been strongly desired to reduce the size and power consumption.

Considering the functions required of a digital camera, the viewfinder function is essential for confirming the image at the time of shooting, but has a large display for reproducing the recorded and recorded images. preferable.

Considering the viewfinder provided for realizing the finder function, it is well known that this finder can be realized by an optical finder or an electronic viewfinder.

However, if an attempt is made to realize this with an optical viewfinder, and the taking lens is a zoom lens, the interlocking mechanism with the taking lens becomes complicated, and as a result, the camera can be made smaller and thinner. It is difficult to realize.

It is also possible to construct a single-lens reflex type finder, but in this case, the position of the finder with respect to the taking lens is restricted, and a large constraint condition when pursuing miniaturization of the camera. Will be.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a conventional camera device provided with an electronic viewfinder to realize a finder function.

As shown in FIG. 13, a camera device 50 of this type has a camera exterior body 51 that constitutes a camera housing.
A photographing lens 52, a control substrate 53, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as TFT) 54, an electronic viewfinder unit 55, a power substrate 57 and the like are arranged.

In general, the taking lens 52 is arranged in the lower part of the camera exterior part 51, picks up a subject image by its optical system, and gives the picked-up light to an image forming element such as a CCD arranged on the control board 53. . The control board 53 is used for the camera exterior body 5.
It is arranged on the back side in 1 and is equipped with optical members such as the CCD, various electronic parts, and a signal processing circuit for converting image-forming light into a video signal.

A first TFT 54 for displaying a picked-up image is arranged behind the control board 53, that is, the first TFT 54 is provided on the rear side of the camera exterior body 51 so that its display surface is exposed. There is.

On the other hand, the electronic viewfinder unit 55
Has a finder function for observing the subject image at the time of shooting, and displays the captured image and the subject image.
6 and an eyepiece lens 55a for observing the display image of the second TFT. The electronic viewfinder unit 55 is arranged in the upper portion of the camera exterior body 51 as shown in the figure, and a power for strobe emission or the like is provided between the electronic viewfinder unit 55 and the photographing lens 52. A substrate 57 is arranged.

Incidentally, the first TFT 54 and the control substrate 5
3 is a connector 58 provided on the control board 53.
b, electrically connected through the flexible substrate 54a, and the second TFT 56 and the control substrate 53 are
The electronic viewfinder unit 55 is electrically connected via a flexible board 56a that is laid on the bottom of the electronic viewfinder unit 55 and a connector 58a provided on the rear surface side of the control board 53.

As described above, in the configuration in which the electronic viewfinder is used to realize the finder function, a complicated interlocking mechanism such as zooming and a camera housing are used, like a camera device using an optical finder and having a zoom lens. Although there is no restriction on the arrangement position in the body, as shown in the camera device 50 described in FIG. 13, in the electronic viewfinder unit 55, the second TFT 56.
Since a predetermined optical path length is required between the eyepiece lens 55a and the eyepiece lens 55a, it occupies the space as shown in the figure, which is a major obstacle in reducing the thickness of the camera.

As a related technique of this kind, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-243499 has been proposed for the purpose of obtaining a further downsized viewfinder device in which a downsized video camera device or the like can be incorporated. There is a viewfinder device as described.

The viewfinder device according to this proposal is
By arranging and fixing multiple electronic circuit boards in the lens holder in the empty space behind the mirror that bends the optical axis of the image light beam from the liquid crystal display board, and by configuring these circuit boards with flexible boards A substrate that requires a large area can be efficiently accommodated in a narrow space, and an attempt is being made to reduce the size of the camera.

However, although the above-mentioned proposal describes the structure in which the image from the liquid crystal display panel is bent at a right angle, the size and thickness of the camera cannot be sufficiently reduced only with this structure. Only when there is a total idea that includes a large display on the back of the camera is it possible to achieve a sufficiently small and thin design.

[0018]

As described above, in the conventional camera device, in order to achieve the downsizing and thinning of the camera, in the structure in which the finder function is realized by the optical finder, especially in the zoom lens, In such a case, it is difficult because the interlocking mechanism with the taking lens becomes complicated, and it is possible to configure it as a single-lens reflex type finder, but the finder position with respect to the taking lens is restricted, It is difficult because it becomes a big constraint condition when pursuing miniaturization of the camera. Therefore, a configuration in which the electronic viewfinder realizes the finder function is conceivable, but in this case, although there is no complicated interlocking mechanism such as zooming and the arrangement position within the camera housing, as described above, in the conventional camera device, The electronic viewfinder unit cannot be downsized, and it is also difficult to realize the downsizing and thinning of the camera.

Further, as a related technique of this type, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
The viewfinder device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-243499 describes a configuration in which an image from a liquid crystal display panel is bent at a right angle. However, the electronic viewfinder realizes the viewfinder function, and at the same time, the camera is made compact and thin. The current situation is that we are not satisfied with the realization.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when an electronic viewfinder including a liquid crystal display or the like is incorporated in a camera housing, the optical system up to the eyepiece is bent by about 180 degrees and mounted. By doing so, it is an object of the present invention to provide a camera device that can be made compact and thin with a simple configuration. Another object of the present invention is to make the camera smaller and thinner by cleverly disposing the liquid crystal display and the circuit board after bending the optical system by about 90 degrees.

[0021]

A camera device according to the present invention is a display member for displaying an image from a subject, and a rear surface of a camera casing for observing the image displayed on the display member. And an optical path which is provided adjacent to the display member and the eyepiece lens, and which makes the light emitted from the image displayed on the display member bent approximately 180 degrees and enters the eyepiece lens. And a conversion member.

The camera device of the present invention according to claim 2 is
The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the display member is arranged substantially parallel to the rear surface of the camera housing.

The camera device of the present invention according to claim 3 is
The camera device according to claim 2, wherein the display member and the eyepiece lens are arranged adjacent to each other on a projection plane from the rear side of the camera housing.

The camera device of the present invention according to claim 4 is
The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the eyepiece lens is arranged adjacent to the display member on the camera upper surface side.

The camera device of the present invention according to claim 5 is
The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the optical path changing member is configured to have two mirrors or is an integral prism.

The camera device of the present invention according to claim 6 is
The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a strobe light is provided in a space formed between a rear surface side portion of the mirror or a sloped surface portion of the prism and an upper surface of the camera housing. It is characterized by mounting large parts such as a light emitting charge storage capacitor.

The camera device of the present invention according to claim 7 is
The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a housing portion of a component that is projectable with respect to the camera housing is provided on a camera front side of the optical path changing member. It is what

The camera device of the present invention according to claim 8 is
The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a circuit board for performing display control of the display member is provided substantially parallel to a rear surface of the camera housing, and the display member and the circuit board are provided. It is characterized by connecting and.

The camera device of the present invention according to claim 9 is
The camera device according to claim 8, wherein a cutout portion is provided in the circuit board, and an optical path from the eyepiece lens or the optical path conversion member to the eyepiece lens is provided in the cutout portion. is there.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the camera device according to the eighth or ninth aspect, the display member is directly mounted on the circuit board, or It is characterized in that it is connected to the circuit board via a connecting member.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is a camera apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, which is capable of displaying an image from a subject on the rear surface of the camera housing. A second display member is provided.

A camera device according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the camera device according to the eleventh aspect, wherein
The display member of (1) is directly mounted on the circuit board or is connected to the circuit board via a connecting member.

A camera device according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the camera device according to the eleventh aspect or the twelfth aspect, wherein the display member and the second display member are the front surface side and the back surface of the circuit board. It is characterized in that they are respectively arranged on the side and the side.

A camera device according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the camera device according to any one of the eleventh to thirteenth aspects, wherein the display member and the second display member are the circuits. It is characterized in that it is arranged on the same surface side of the substrate.

A camera device according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the camera device according to the seventh aspect, wherein the constituent elements can be switched between a housed state and a projected state with respect to a housing portion of the camera housing. Therefore, it has two connecting portions connected to the camera housing, and when the component is stored in the camera housing, the optical path is provided between the two connecting portions. It is characterized in that the conversion member is located.

A camera device according to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the camera device according to the eighth aspect, characterized in that the circuit board is provided inside the camera housing near a rear surface thereof. Is.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera device comprising: a first display member which is arranged substantially parallel to a bottom surface of a camera housing and which displays an image from a subject; From the image displayed on the first display member, which is provided adjacent to the eyepiece lens provided on the back surface of the camera housing for observing the image, the first display member, and the eyepiece lens. Optical path conversion member that bends the emitted light of about 90 degrees and makes it enter the eyepiece lens, a second display member provided on the back surface of the camera housing, the first display member, and the second display. A circuit board that is provided between the display member and the display member and that is connected to both of the display members.

The camera device of the present invention according to claim 18 is the camera device according to claim 17, wherein the display member is disposed between the optical path changing member and the taking lens. Is.

[0039]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment: FIGS. 1 to 9 show a first embodiment of a camera device according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the camera when the camera device is viewed from the front side. FIG. 1A is a state in which the strobe unit is stored, FIG.
(B) shows the driving state of the strobe unit,
2 is a cross-sectional view of a camera for explaining a layout that is a feature of the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an electronic viewfinder unit provided in the camera device, and FIGS. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of the electronic viewfinder unit, and FIG. 4B is an arrow A of FIG. 3A for explaining a specific configuration of the electronic viewfinder unit shown in FIG. FIG. 4 (c) is a sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of the electronic viewfinder unit, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the electronic viewfinder unit when viewed from the direction. It is an exploded perspective view. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the main components that characterize the camera of this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a sectional view for explaining the positional relationship between the strobe unit and the electronic viewfinder unit. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in the vicinity of a main part for explaining the structure. Further, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a modified example in which the characteristic part of the present embodiment is applied to another camera.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the external appearance of the camera device 1 of the present embodiment is mainly composed of a camera housing 2, which is composed of a camera body exterior body 3. Has been done.

On the front surface of the camera housing 2, a taking lens 4 fitted in a lens cover 5 of the camera body exterior body 3 is arranged. The taking lens 4 is an optical system member that takes in subject light and guides the subject light to an imaging element (hereinafter referred to as CCD, which is mounted inside the camera body) that forms the subject light.

A release button 6 is arranged on the upper surface of the camera housing 2. The release button 6 is a switch means for executing a photographing operation by pressing the release button 6.

The camera device 1 of the present embodiment comprises a retractable strobe light emitting unit 8 and an electronic viewfinder unit 13 (see FIG. 2).

The strobe unit 8 irradiates a subject with light from a light emitting body (such as a discharge tube) at the time of photographing to obtain a satisfactory subject exposure amount. In the present embodiment, the retractable type is used for the camera. It is mounted on the device 1.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the strobe unit 8 comprises a light emitting window 8a and legs 8b extending on both sides of the lower part of the unit body for driving the unit body. It is arranged on the front side of the upper surface of the body 2. In this case, the leg portion 8b of the strobe unit 8 is fitted in a predetermined position of the camera body exterior body 3, and the strobe unit itself is rotated so that it can be accommodated in the accommodation groove 3A of the camera body exterior body 3. It is installed as possible.

A locking recess 8e is provided on one side of the strobe unit 8. This locking recess 8
e is engaged with an engagement portion 9b (see FIG. 8) of a strobe lock button 9 provided in the vicinity of the accommodation groove of the camera body exterior body 3 to cause the accommodation groove 3 of the strobe unit 8 to be accommodated.
Lock the storage state in A.

The strobe lock button 9 is slidably mounted in a slide groove 3a formed in the outer casing 3 of the camera body. When the strobe lock button 9 is slid, the strobe lock button 9 is engaged with the locking recess 8e. The combined state is released, and the strobe light emitting unit 9 is turned so that the light emitting window 8a is turned toward the subject as shown in FIG.

In this state, the strobe light emitting unit 8
Is a discharge tube 8c as a light emitting body that emits light in conjunction with the release button 6 when the strobe mode is set (see FIG. 2).
The light from is reflected by the strobe umbrella 8d and emitted toward the subject through the light emitting window 8a. The details of the mounting structure of the strobe light emitting unit 8 will be described later.

Further, an eyepiece window 7 for looking into the electronic viewfinder unit 13 is formed in the upper portion on the back side of the camera body exterior body 3, and a photographer can take a picture through the eyepiece window 7 during photography. It is possible to observe the subject image displayed by the electronic viewfinder unit 13 mounted inside the body 3.

By the way, in the camera device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the electronic viewfinder unit 13 having a characteristic structure is mounted. That is, the electronic viewfinder unit 13 can realize the finder function of the camera device 1.

In the camera 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a strobe light emitting unit 8 is provided on the upper side in the camera body exterior body 3, and an electronic viewfinder unit 13 is provided behind the strobe unit 8 (on the subject direction side). ing.

On the other hand, on the back side inside the camera body 3 is a TFT as a first display member for displaying a subject image.
10 is mounted, and its display surface is exposed through an opening 3B formed in the camera body exterior body 3.

Therefore, the electronic viewfinder unit 13 and the TFT 10 are arranged adjacent to each other on the projection plane from the rear side of the camera housing 2.

In the lower part of the camera body exterior body 3,
The taking lens 4 and the control substrate 11 are arranged so as to be adjacent to the TFT 10. The control board 11 is mounted on the rear end of the taking lens 4, and the CC board is mounted on the surface of the control board 11.
Optical members such as D, various electronic components, and various processing circuit groups such as signal processing circuits for converting image forming light into video signals are mounted.

Further, in the camera device 1 of the present embodiment, the strobe unit 8 can be arranged on the object side of the electronic viewfinder unit 13 by applying the miniaturized electronic viewfinder unit 13. Besides, it is possible to dispose the power board 12 on which various electronic components for stroboscopic light emission are mounted near the lower portion of the stroboscopic unit 8. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the power board 12 is arranged between the strobe unit 8 and the electronic viewfinder unit 13 and the taking lens 4.

By applying the miniaturized electronic viewfinder unit 13 as described above, the camera device 1 is arranged in a layout suitable for reducing the size and thickness of the camera as shown in the layout of FIG. Various components can be mounted in the camera body exterior body 3.

Next, the structure of the electronic viewfinder unit applied to the camera device 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

The electronic viewfinder unit 13 is miniaturized and can be arranged on the upper back surface side inside the camera body exterior body 3 as described above.

As a basic configuration, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the electronic viewfinder unit 13 is electrically connected to the unit main body 13A and the control board 11 to display a subject image. As a display member for
13c, an eyepiece 13a for observing a display image of the TFT 13c, a TFT 13c and an eyepiece 13a
And a prism 13b as an optical path changing member which is provided adjacent to and which optically bends the light emitted from the image displayed on the TFT 13c by approximately 180 degrees and makes the light incident on the eyepiece lens 13a. .

The unit main body 13A is, for example, a triangular housing case whose corners are cut, and as shown in FIG. 3, the eyepiece lens 13a is fixed on the surface having the longest distance on one side. .

The TFT 13c is fixed inside the surface of the unit main body 13A to which the eyepiece lens 13a is fixed. The TFT 13c is electrically connected to the control substrate 11 via a connection flexible substrate 14 (see FIG. 4B), which will be described later.

The prism 13b is formed in a triangular shape by using, for example, plastic, glass, acrylic, or the like as an optical member, and is arranged so that its plane faces the eyepiece lens 13a as shown in FIG. And is attached to the unit main body 13A.

Therefore, basically, in the electronic viewfinder device 13 having the above-described structure, as shown in FIG. 3, the light emitted from the image displayed on the TFT 13c is bent approximately 180 degrees by the two sides of the prism 13b. And enters the eyepiece lens 13a. As a result, the size of the electronic viewfinder unit 13 in the thickness direction of the camera can be significantly reduced, which can greatly contribute to the thinning of the camera.

FIG. 4 shows an actual configuration example of the electronic viewfinder unit having such optical characteristics.

As shown in FIG. 4A, in the electronic viewfinder unit 13, the unit body 13A to which the eyepiece lens 13a is attached is formed so as to slightly project toward the subject.

Further, the electronic viewfinder unit 1
When 3 is viewed from the direction of the arrow A, the appearance is as shown in FIG. 4 (b). That is, the unit body 1
A through hole is formed on the bottom surface of 3A at a position corresponding to the TFT 13c fixed inside, and the lead wire 15a electrically connected to the TFT 13c and the connection flexible substrate 14 are connected to the unit main body 13A through the through hole. It is designed to be pulled out.

The lead wire 15a is a lead wire for supplying backlight power to the TFT 13c.
A connector 15 is provided at the base end of the. That is, by connecting the connector 15 to a connector (not shown) of the power board 12 (see FIG. 2) arranged near the lower portion of the electronic viewfinder unit 13,
Power from the power substrate 12 is supplied to the backlight of the TFT 13c.

Further, the connection flexible board 14 is made of TF.
A connection member for supplying an image signal of T13c and other control signals, and as shown in FIG. 6, is arranged near the lower part of the electronic viewfinder unit 13 via a connector 18 provided on the control board 11. The control board 11 is electrically connected to the control board 11.

Electronic viewfinder unit 13 of this example
As shown in FIG. 4C, a mask member 16 is provided between the surface of the prism 13b on which the light emitted from the TFT 13C is incident and the display surface of the TFT 13c so as to interpose a mask member 16 for making it easier to see the finder field. There is. As a result, TF
Since the light emitted from the display image of T13c is surely masked by the mask member 16 and is incident on the prism 13b, a bright and clear subject image is obtained from the eyepiece lens 13a irradiated through the prism 13b. It is possible to observe.

Next, a more detailed structure and manufacturing method of the electronic viewfinder unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic viewfinder unit 13 applied to the camera device of this embodiment has a housing groove 13 formed at a predetermined position of the unit main body 13A.
It is configured by accommodating corresponding constituent members in C, accommodating portions 13D, 13E, and the like, and closely attaching the unit lid portion 13B that closes the opening of the unit main body 13A.

First, the unit main body 13A and the unit lid portion 13B are molded by injection molding or the like. In this case, with respect to the unit main body 13A, an accommodation groove 13C for accommodating the eyepiece lens 13a is formed in the protruding portion of the unit main body 13A, and an accommodation portion 13D for accommodating the prism 13b is formed at a position facing the accommodation groove 13C. Then, the housing 13E for housing the TFT 13c and the mask member 16 is formed in the vicinity of the housing 13D.

Further, the unit lid 13B is molded so that an edge 13d for fitting and fixing it in the opening edge of the unit body 13A is formed on the back side surface thereof.

The above-described through hole is formed in the bottom surface of the housing groove 13E of the unit body 13A as shown in FIG. 4 (b).

Next, the unit main body 1 thus constructed
The eyepiece lens 13a is fitted into the housing groove 13C of 3A and fixed using an adhesive or the like.

After that, the housing groove 13 of the unit main body 13A
While inserting the TFT 13c into the C, the connecting flexible substrate 14 and the lead wire 15a having the connector 15 attached to the tip are passed through a through hole (not shown), and the TFT 1 is inserted.
3c is fixed with an adhesive or the like.

While the mask member 16 is placed on the side surface of the TFT of the prism 13b, the mask member 16 is placed on the unit main body 13
It is fitted in the housing portion 13D of A and fixed by an adhesive or the like.

The order of these strokes is not limited to the order described above, and highly accurate positioning is possible.
Moreover, it is sufficient if the work can be simplified.

In this way, after the respective component parts are housed in the unit main body 13A, the unit lid 13B is fitted and fixed with an adhesive or the like. As a result, the electronic viewfinder unit 13 is downsized, which is a feature of the present embodiment.

The prism 13 as the optical path changing means.
Instead of b, two mirror members may be used so that similar optical characteristics can be obtained.

Therefore, by using the electronic viewfinder unit 13 having the above configuration, the arrangement of various main components mounted in the camera housing 2 of the camera device 1 can be reduced as shown in FIG.・ Most suitable for thinning.

That is, as shown in FIG.
On the side opposite to the subject, the control board 1 for performing display control of the TFT 10 and the like substantially parallel to the back side of the camera housing 2.
1 is arranged, and the TFT 10 is arranged near the control substrate 11. In this case, as shown in the figure,
The flexible substrate 10 of the TFT 10 is electrically connected to the control substrate 11 via the connector 19.

Further, as described above, the electronic viewfinder unit 13 is arranged near the upper portion of the control board 11 and electrically connected to the control board 11 via the connection flexible board 14 and the connector 18. Therefore, the wiring distances between the control substrate 11 and the TFT 10 and between the control substrate 11 and the electronic viewfinder unit 13 are extremely short. Therefore, connection work will be extremely easy, and
It is also extremely effective in generating noise.

Further, the power substrate 12 is arranged near the upper side of the taking lens 4, and the size of the electronic viewfinder unit 13 in the depth direction is shortened by adopting the miniaturized electronic viewfinder unit 13. In the space vacant above the power board 12 on the object side of the electronic viewfinder unit 13, as shown in FIG.
The strobe unit 8 shown in can be arranged.

In the vicinity of the TFT 10 on the control board 11, there is mounted a media socket 17 in which a card-shaped recording medium such as a memory card for storing captured image data can be attached / detached.

The layout of the electronic viewfinder unit 13 and the flash unit 8 is as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the strobe unit 8 is housed.
The main unit of the electronic viewfinder unit 1
By configuring so as to avoid 3, the miniaturization of the camera body exterior body 3 can be realized.

Camera body exterior body 3 of strobe unit 8
With respect to the mounting structure for, the base end portions of the leg portions 8b formed on both sides of the lower portion of the strobe unit 8 are rotatable in the fitting holes 3b provided at predetermined positions in the housing groove 3A of the camera body 3, respectively. It is mounted by fitting.

The strobe unit 8 is attached to the bent portion of the leg portion 8b on one side (camera housing release button side).
A drive spring 22 is mounted to rotate the motor in the upward direction. The drive spring 22 has a leg 8b at the base end.
Of the strobe lock button 9 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 8 while engaging the bent portion of the other end with the engaging portion (not shown) in the camera body exterior body 3 at the other end. When the engagement state is released by, the strobe unit 8 can be driven as shown in FIG. 1B by the upward biasing force of the strobe unit 8.

Further, the lead wire 20 for supplying electric power to the discharge tube 8c mounted inside the unit main body of the strobe unit 8 is, as shown in FIG.
It is arranged in one leg portion 8b and is electrically connected to the power board 12 having a strobe circuit (not shown).

With respect to the lock mechanism using the strobe lock button, as shown in FIG. 8, when the strobe unit is housed, the strobe lock button 9 is engaged with a locking recess 8e formed on one side surface of the strobe unit 8. Engagement of the mating portion 9b (see FIG. 8) locks the storage state of the strobe unit 8 in the storage groove 3A.

The strobe lock button 9 includes a main body 9A,
An operating portion 9a for slidingly operating the strobe lock button, an engaging portion 9b engaging with the locking recess 8e,
Engagement portion 9 engaged with the base end portion of the return spring 23 that constantly urges the strobe lock button 9 toward the strobe unit 8 side.
It is configured with c and.

The main body 9A of the strobe lock button 9 is slidably fitted in the mounting hole 3c formed inside the camera body exterior body 3 and, at the same time, is formed to project from the upper surface of the camera body exterior body 3. Similarly, the operation portion 9a is slidably fitted in the slide groove 3a formed on the surface of the camera body exterior body 3.

As described above, the base end of the return spring 23 is locked to the locking portion 9c projecting from the lower portion of the main body 9A, and the other end of the return spring 23 is attached to the exterior body of the camera body. It is locked in the vicinity of the mounting hole 3c inside 3. Therefore, the return spring 23 always urges the strobe lock button 9 toward the strobe unit 8 and the engagement state between the engagement recess 8e and the engagement portion 9b can be maintained. is there. On the other hand, when the strobe unit is used, by sliding the strobe lock button 9 in the direction opposite to the strobe unit direction, the engagement state with the locking recess 8e is released, and the strobe light emitting unit 8 is driven by the drive spring. By the biasing force of 22, the light emitting window 8a is turned so as to face the subject as shown in FIG.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the electronic viewfinder unit 13 can be downsized, the strobe unit 8 can be arranged in the vacant space, and the control board 11 and the power can be disposed. The main components such as the substrate 12 and the TFT 10 can be effectively mounted in the camera body exterior body 3. Also,
It is also possible to shorten the electric path between the TFT 13c of the electronic viewfinder unit 13 and the control board 11 and the electric path between the strobe unit 8 and the power board 12.
As a result, when the finder function is to be realized in the electronic viewfinder, the camera can be made compact and thin at low cost and easily.

Modified Example: Next, a modified example of the camera device according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The camera device of this embodiment is equipped with the electronic viewfinder unit 13 and the strobe unit 8 which are the features of the camera device of the first embodiment, and in addition to the power board 12, the strobe capacitor 32 and the battery. It is characterized in that various power supply components such as the battery 31 are mounted in a layout suitable for downsizing and thinning of the camera.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, in the camera device of this example, the power substrate 1 disposed below the electronic viewfinder unit 13 and the strobe unit 8 is arranged.
A strobe capacitor 32 for accumulating the electric charge supplied to the strobe unit 8 is mounted on the back surface side of the base end portion of 2. Since the stroboscopic capacitor 32 is a large-sized component, it is difficult to mount the stroboscopic capacitor 32 with the downsizing and thinning of the camera. Since it is arranged inside and electrically connected to the back surface side of the power substrate 12 via the connection terminal 32a, the layout is suitable for downsizing and thinning the camera.

Further, the taking lens 4 of the camera body exterior body 3
Inside the opposite side, a battery chamber 30 that accommodates a plurality of batteries 31 required as batteries is provided.

The battery chamber 30 is provided in the lower portion of the camera body exterior body 3 and closes an opening for accommodating each battery 31 in the battery chamber 30, and an inner surface side of the battery chamber cover 3C. The battery contact piece 30 provided on the battery and in contact with the electrode of each battery
a and a battery contact piece 30b provided on the back surface side of the power substrate 12 and in contact with the opposite electrode of each battery 31. Therefore, the electric power of these batteries 31 is conducted between the batteries 31 by the battery contact pieces 30a and 30b, and one of the battery contact pieces 30a is connected to the power board 12.
By being electrically connected to, the power is supplied to the main power supply circuit of the power board 12 through the shortest electric path.

Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the strobe unit 8 and the power board 12 are electrically connected by the lead wire 20 via the leg portion 8b of the strobe unit 8, and the electrical connection between them is made. The route is the shortest distance as shown in the figure.

Therefore, also in the camera device of this example, it is possible to reduce the size and thickness of the camera as in the first embodiment.

Second Embodiment: FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of a camera device according to the present invention, and is a sectional view of a camera for explaining a characteristic layout of the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, the same components as those of the camera device of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Only different portions will be described.

In this embodiment, regarding the optical characteristics of the electronic viewfinder unit 13, the prism 13b is used.
The number of times the image light is reflected twice is set to 1 and the image light from the TFT is reflected at approximately 90 degrees to be guided to the eyepiece lens. The arrangement is the difference from the first embodiment.

The camera device 1A according to the present embodiment has a configuration shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0, an improved electronic viewfinder unit 33 is provided.

This electronic viewfinder unit 33
The overall components are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, except that the bottom surface of the unit body 33A has a T-shape.
A prism 33 having an optical characteristic that fixes the FT 33c and bends the image light from the TFT 33c by one reflection at about 90 degrees and makes it enter the eyepiece lens 33a.
b is provided.

The prism 33b is formed in a triangular shape as shown in the figure, and reflects the image light from the TFT 33c incident from one surface on the bottom side of the unit main body 33A to approximately 90 degrees, and the eyepiece lens. The light is incident on the eyepiece lens 33a from one surface on the 33a side.

An insertion hole is provided in the bottom surface of the unit body 33A to which the TFT 33c is fixed.
By connecting the flexible substrate 14 of the TFT 33c to the outside of the unit main body 33A through the insertion hole and connecting to the connector 18 on the control substrate 11 arranged near the lower portion of the electronic viewfinder unit 33, It is possible to electrically connect the TFT 33c and the control substrate 11 with an extremely short electric path. The TFT 10 is arranged on the opposite side of the control substrate 11 as in the first embodiment, and is electrically connected via the flexible substrate 10a.

In the electronic viewfinder unit 33 having the above-described structure, the image light from the TFT 33c disposed on the bottom surface of the unit main body 33A is bent to about 90 degrees by the prism 33b disposed on the upper side, and the camera housing 2
It has the optical characteristic that it is incident on the eyepiece 33a on the back side same as the back side of the TFT 33c.
Since the display image of is visible by the eyepiece lens 33a, the visually recognized image is reversed. For this reason,
In the present embodiment, a normal image that is not inverted can be visually recognized through the eyepiece 33a by performing inversion processing on the display image displayed on the TFT 33c in advance by the signal processing circuit or the like on the control substrate 11. .

Further, in the present embodiment, by using the electronic viewfinder unit 33 having the above structure,
Since it is possible to form a vacant space in the front side of the electronic viewfinder unit 33 in the camera body exterior body 3, a large electronic component that makes it difficult to reduce the size and thickness of the camera in this vacant space. The strobe condenser 34 is arranged. That is,
As shown in the figure, the electronic viewfinder unit 33
The strobe capacitor 34 is mounted on the surface of the power board 12 located under the object in the direction of the subject.

In the camera device 1A of the present embodiment, the strobe unit is not mentioned, but the retractable strobe unit 8 mounted in the first embodiment is used as the camera housing. The electronic viewfinder unit on the upper surface may be provided at a position shifted to the left or right, or a normal embedded strobe unit may be provided inside the camera body exterior body 3.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the TF
An empty space can be formed in the camera body exterior body 3 by using the electronic viewfinder unit 33 in which the image light of T33c is reflected by one bending of approximately 90 degrees and is incident on the eyepiece lens 33a. Therefore, it becomes possible to mount the strobe capacitor 34, which is a large electronic component, on the power board 12 in this empty space.
Similar to the embodiment described above, the camera can be downsized and thinned with a simple configuration. Further, since the prism 33b can be formed more easily than in the first embodiment, the cost can be further reduced. Also, T
The length of the flexible board for connecting the FT 33c and the control board 11 can be shortened, which is also advantageous for noise generation.

Third Embodiment: FIGS. 11 and 12 show a third embodiment of a camera device according to the present invention, which is for explaining the layout which is the feature of the present embodiment. 11 is a sectional view of the camera when it is cut horizontally with respect to the optical axis direction of the taking lens, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 11 and 12, the same components as those of the camera device of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Only different portions will be described.

In this embodiment, the TFT 13c provided in the electronic viewfinder unit 13 used in the first embodiment is connected to the control board 11 on the object side.
It is characterized in that it is arranged and fixed on the upper side, and is configured to be bent by approximately 180 so that the image light from the TFT is incident on the eyepiece lens of the electronic viewfinder unit.

The camera device 1A of the present embodiment is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the taking lens 4 is arranged on the left side in the camera body exterior body 3, while the battery chamber 30 accommodating four batteries 31 is arranged on the right side in the camera body exterior body 3. Has been done.

A control board 11 is mounted on the base end portion of the taking lens 4 as in the first embodiment, and the control board 11 is disposed on the rear side of the camera housing 2.
It is arranged to be substantially parallel to T10.

A TFT 35c for displaying a subject image for observation is directly mounted on the central portion of the control substrate 11 on the side face of the subject, and an electronic viewfinder unit 35 is provided on the subject side of the TFT 35c. It is arranged so as to be surrounded by the main body 35A.

Further, the power board 12 is arranged between the electronic viewfinder unit 35 and the front side portion of the camera body exterior body 3.

Further, the characteristic portion of the present embodiment will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 12, the central portion of the camera body exterior body is substantially the same as the electronic viewfinder unit 13 of the first embodiment. The electronic viewfinder unit 35 formed in the vertical direction is arranged in the vertical direction, and the TFT 35c is controlled by the control substrate 11 as described above.
It is configured to be mounted directly on the upper side of the subject side.

That is, in the electronic viewfinder unit 35, the lower part of the unit main body 35A is constructed to have an opening, and the image light of the TFT 35c provided on the control substrate 11 is made a prism in the unit main body 35. It can be made incident on 35b. In this case, the prism 35b bends the image light of the TFT 35c by approximately 180 degrees and makes it enter the eyepiece lens 35a, as in the first embodiment.

Therefore, with the above structure,
The connection flexible substrate 14 that electrically connects the TFT 35c and the control substrate 11 can be made extremely shorter than in the second embodiment. Control substrate 1 with TFT 35c
It is possible to eliminate the need for a flexible substrate by directly surface-mounting on 1.

Further, in the camera device 1B of the present embodiment, the electronic viewfinder unit 35 is used and is arranged at the upper part of the central portion in the camera body exterior body 3, so that the electronic viewfinder unit 35 is provided at the lower part thereof.
It becomes possible to form an empty space. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the power board 12 is arranged in the lower front direction of the electronic viewfinder unit 35, and in the formed empty space, the camera is made smaller and thinner as in the second embodiment. A strobe capacitor 34, which is a large electronic component that is difficult to realize, is arranged. That is, as shown in the figure, the power substrate 1
The strobe capacitor 34 is mounted on the rear surface of the second board 2 so as to be interposed between the strobe capacitor 34 and the control board 11.

In the camera device 1B of the present embodiment, although the strobe unit is not mentioned, the retractable strobe unit 8 mounted in the first embodiment is used as the camera housing. It may be configured by being provided on the upper side of the taking lens 4 side or the battery chamber 31 side, or by being provided with a normal embedded type strobe unit in the camera body exterior body 3 at a similar arrangement position. .

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, TF
T35c is arranged on the control substrate 11 and the TFT 35
The electronic viewfinder unit 35 is configured so that the image light of c is bent approximately 180 degrees and is incident on the eyepiece lens 35a.
With this configuration, the electric path between the TFT and the control substrate can be significantly shortened as compared with the first and second embodiments, and reliability can be improved, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. And cost reduction can be achieved. Further, since a vacant space can be formed in the camera body exterior body 3, it becomes possible to mount the strobe capacitor 34, which is a large electronic component, on the power board 12 in this vacant space. As in the second embodiment, the camera can be made smaller and thinner.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned first to third embodiments, and the application and combination of these are also applied to the present invention.

[0125]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a camera device which can be made compact and thin with a simple structure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a camera device of the present invention and showing an external configuration of the camera when the camera device is viewed from the front side.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a camera for explaining a layout that is a feature of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an electronic viewfinder unit provided in the camera device.

4 is a configuration diagram for explaining a specific configuration of the electronic viewfinder unit shown in FIG.

5 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic viewfinder unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a configuration perspective view of main components that characterize the camera of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view for explaining a positional relationship between a strobe unit and an electronic viewfinder unit.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a main part for explaining a strobe unit mounting structure.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a modified example in which the characteristic part of the present embodiment is applied to another camera.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the camera showing the second embodiment of the camera device of the present invention and illustrating a layout that is a feature of the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the camera showing the third embodiment of the camera device of the present invention and illustrating a layout that is a feature of the present embodiment.

12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the camera device of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional camera device configured using an electronic viewfinder.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Camera device, 2 ... camera housing, 3 ... Camera body exterior body, 4 ... Shooting lens, 6 ... Release button, 7 ... Eyepiece window, 8 ... Strobe unit, 9 ... Strobe lock button, 10 ... TFT (first display member), 11 ... Control board, 12 ... Power board, 13 ... Electronic viewfinder unit, 13A ... Unit body, 13a ... eyepiece, 13b ... Prism (optical path changing member), 13c ... TFT (second display member), 14 ... Connection flexible substrate.

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) // H04N 101: 00 H04N 101: 00 F term (reference) 2H018 AA32 2H088 EA25 HA13 HA21 HA24 MA20 2H091 FA14X FA21X FA26X GA11 LA11 MA10 2H100 BB07 BB09 BB11 CC07 5C022 AA13 AC03 AC09 AC42 AC70 AC77 AC78

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A display member for displaying an image from a subject, an eyepiece provided on a rear surface of a camera housing for observing the image displayed on the display member, the display member and the eyepiece. Is provided adjacent to
The light emitted from the image displayed on the display member is approximately 180
An optical path changing member which is bent to be incident on the eyepiece lens, and a camera device. 2. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the display member is arranged substantially parallel to a rear surface of the camera housing. 3. The camera device according to claim 2, wherein the display member and the eyepiece lens are arranged adjacent to each other on a projection plane from the rear side of the camera housing. 4. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the eyepiece lens is arranged adjacent to the display member on the camera upper surface side. 5. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the optical path changing member is a structure having two mirrors or an integral prism. 6. A large component such as a strobe light emitting charge storage capacitor is mounted in a space formed between a rear surface portion of the mirror or an inclined surface portion of the prism and an upper surface of the camera housing. The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is characterized. 7. The camera front surface side from the optical path changing member,
The camera device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a housing portion for a component that can project freely is provided in the camera housing. 8. A circuit board for controlling display of the display member is provided substantially parallel to a rear surface of the camera housing, and the display member and the circuit board are connected to each other. Item 8. The camera device according to any one of items 7. 9. The camera device according to claim 8, wherein a cutout portion is provided in the circuit board, and an optical path from the eyepiece lens or the optical path changing member to the eyepiece lens is provided in the cutout portion. . 10. The display member is directly mounted on the circuit board or is connected to the circuit board via a connecting member. Item 10. The camera device according to Item 9. 11. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein a second display member capable of displaying an image from a subject is provided on the rear surface of the camera housing. . 12. The second display member is directly mounted on the circuit board or is connected to the circuit board via a connecting member. 11. The camera device according to item 11. 13. The camera device according to claim 11, wherein the display member and the second display member are arranged on a front surface side and a rear surface side of the circuit board, respectively. 14. The camera according to claim 11, wherein the display member and the second display member are arranged on the same surface side of the circuit board. apparatus. 15. The component has two connecting portions that are connected to the camera housing so as to be able to switch between a stored state and a projected state with respect to the housing portion of the camera housing,
8. The camera device according to claim 7, wherein the optical path changing member is located between the two connecting portions when the component is stored in the camera housing. 16. The camera device according to claim 8, wherein the circuit board is provided inside the camera housing, near the rear surface thereof. 17. A first display member arranged substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the camera housing to display an image from a subject, and a back surface of the camera housing for observing the image displayed on the first display member. An eyepiece provided in a portion, the first display member and the eyepiece are provided adjacent to the eyepiece, and the light emitted from the image displayed on the first display member is bent by about 90 degrees, and An optical path changing member to be incident on the eyepiece lens, a second display member provided on the back surface of the camera housing, and a second display member provided between the first display member and the second display member. A camera device comprising: a circuit board connected to the member. 18. The display member is arranged between the optical path changing member and a taking lens.
7. The camera device according to 7.