JP2003195413A - Lens adapter device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lens adapter device by which an outside lens can be easily loaded to or unloaded from a camera main body through one action. <P>SOLUTION: A swinging engaging pin 74 is provided on a 2nd adapter barrel 71 with the outside lens such as a tele conversion lens attached and when the 2nd adapter barrel 71 is loaded to a 1st adapter barrel 51, the 2nd adapter barrel 71 can be loaded with the one touch operation by allowing the engaging pin 74 of the 2nd adapter barrel 71 to be engaged with engaging grooves 54 and 55 of the 1st adapter barrel 51 which is fixed to the camera main body 30. <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 lens adapter device for a camera, and more particularly to a lens adapter device for attaching an external lens such as a teleconversion lens to a lens portion of a camera body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is desirable for a camera to be able to select a wide range of its focal length. Even a compact type camera may be required to shoot at a focal length outside the range of the built-in lens.

Therefore, an external lens such as a so-called wide conversion lens or a tele-conversion lens is prepared in front of the built-in lens for changing the magnification.

It is desirable to use a general-purpose external lens, because if the external lens is made for each camera, the lens becomes expensive.

However, it is often difficult to directly attach these external lenses due to the size limitation of the compact camera.

Therefore, in order to attach these external lenses, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-235222 by the present applicant, an adapter designed for each camera is attached to the taking lens unit or the lens barrel, and the adapter is attached. An external lens has been proposed so that it can be attached.

[0007]

By the way, in the conventional lens adapter type, an external lens is connected to one end of the adapter by screw connection, and the other end of the adapter is connected to the lens part of the camera body by screw connection. Mounting.

Since they are connected by screw joining, the external lens cannot be inserted or removed with one touch. This is not an easy task, especially in cold regions where you wear gloves especially when shooting outdoors.

If it takes a long time to remove the lens, there is a possibility that the photo opportunity may be missed or the screw portion may be destroyed by applying force.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lens adapter device in which an external lens can be easily attached to or detached from the camera body to replace the lens. Is.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a lens adapter device for connecting an external lens and a taking lens of a camera body, wherein the lens adapter device has one end attached to the camera body. A second adapter tube in which the first adapter tube and the external lens are mounted on one end portion, and the other end portion is fitted and combined with the other end portion of the first adapter tube not attached. And either the first adapter tube or the second adapter tube 1
One engaging piece that is elastically displaceable on the peripheral surface of one adapter tube and one that extends on the peripheral surface of the adapter tube on which the engaging piece is not provided and guides the engaging piece. And the engaged portion provided on the peripheral surface of the adapter cylinder on which the engaging piece is not provided so as to be connected to the guiding portion, and the engaging piece is urged and engaged. And are provided.

According to the present invention, when the external lens is attached to the first adapter cylinder of the camera body, the second adapter cylinder to which the external lens is attached is prepared in advance, and the second adapter cylinder is used as the first adapter cylinder. It can be attached or detached by engaging the adapter cylinder with one touch.

Further, according to the present invention, in a lens adapter device for connecting an external lens and a taking lens of a camera body, the lens adapter device includes a cylinder for an adapter, and one opening end of the cylinder is provided. Includes a main body mounting portion to be mounted on the camera main body, and a plurality of external lens mounting portions for mounting a plurality of external lenses at the other open end portion of the cylinder, which are concentric about the photographing optical axis. It is characterized by having different diameters for each shape.

According to the present invention, since a cylinder is provided as a lens adapter capable of selectively mounting a plurality of external lenses having different apertures such as a tele conversion lens and a wide conversion lens, one end of the cylinder is attached to the camera body. The external lens having a different diameter can be easily attached to and detached from the other end of the cylinder while being fixed to the.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a lens adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the lens adapter device.

The lens adapter device 10 is an electronic camera 2
It has a first adapter 50 attached to 0, a second adapter 70 attached to a teleconversion lens 60 as an external lens, and further attached to the first adapter 50.

The electronic camera 20 includes a camera body 30 and a lens section 40 provided on the front side of the camera body 30.
And are equipped with.

The camera body 30 has a housing 31, and the housing 31 has a control panel 3
2, a zoom lever 33, a flash 34, a viewfinder window 35, a remote control reception window 36, a release switch 37, a power switch 38, and a viewfinder eyepiece 39.

The lens portion 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and stores a zoom lens unit 42, which will be described later, and a zoom lens unit 42 as a photographing lens provided coaxially with the lens housing portion 41. Equipped with.

FIG. 2A shows the lens portion 4 of the camera body 30.
After assembling the first adapter 50 with respect to 0, a vertical sectional view showing a state in which the second adapter 70 in which the tele-conversion lens 60 is preliminarily mounted is attached to the first adapter 50 is shown. 2B, after removing the one-touch mounting type second adapter 70 from the state of FIG. 2A, the lens lid 43 is attached to the tip portion 53 of the first adapter 50 fixed to the camera side. It shows the state. In addition, in FIG. 2C, after removing the further fixed first adapter 50 from the state of FIG. 2B, the lens lid 43 is attached to the tip end portion 41 of the lens housing portion 40 of the camera body 30. It shows the state.

As shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, the lens lid 43
Can be attached to the tip 41a of the lens housing 41 or the tip 53 of the first adapter 50 in order to protect the zoom lens unit 42 when the camera is not used.

The zoom lens unit 42 is of a collapsible type so that the front end side thereof is completely hidden by the lens storage portion 41 when being stored. Reference numeral 42a indicates the front end surface of the zoom lens unit 42 (see FIG. 2A).

A screw groove 41b is formed on the inner wall of the tip portion 41a of the lens housing portion 41. Further, the lens lid 43 is provided with a protrusion 43a and an engaging portion 43b that can be engaged with the screw groove 41b or a screw groove 53a described later.

The first adapter 50 has a first adapter cylinder 51 formed in a cylindrical shape. The first adapter cylinder 51 is made of metal such as aluminum and titanium. The inner diameter of the adapter cylinder 51 is formed larger than the maximum diameter of the zoom lens unit 42 described above. Also, the first
On the outer periphery of the base end portion 52 of the adapter cylinder 51 on the camera side,
A screw groove 52a that is screwed into the above-described screw groove 41b is formed, and a screw groove 53a that can be screwed into a screw groove 62a of the teleconversion lens 60 to be described later is formed on the inner periphery of the tip portion 53 on the teleconversion lens 60 side. Has been formed.

On the outer circumference of the first adapter 50, there is formed a groove portion 54 extending from the end surface in the optical axis direction of the peripheral surface and serving as a guide portion for the engaging pin. The groove portion 54 is formed such that the groove width in the vicinity of the end face entrance into which the engagement pin 74 described later is inserted is wider than the groove path on the way. This facilitates the engagement of the engagement pin 74. Further, a groove portion 55 that is connected to the end portion of the groove portion 54 on the terminal end side and functions as an engaged portion of the engagement pin is formed in a direction around the optical axis. An engagement pin 74, which will be described later, engages with the groove 54 and the groove 55 to move, and is finally locked.

The second adapter 70 has a second adapter cylinder 71 formed in a cylindrical shape. The second adapter cylinder 71 is made of a metal such as aluminum or titanium like the first adapter cylinder 51. The inner diameter of the second adapter cylinder 71 excluding the tip portion 73 side is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the first adapter cylinder 51, and the inner surface of the second adapter cylinder 71 circumscribes the outer surface of the first adapter cylinder 51. , The second adapter tube 71
Are slidable with respect to the first adapter cylinder 51. A thread groove 73a that can be screwed into a thread groove 62a of the teleconversion lens 60, which will be described later, is formed on the inner circumference of the tip portion 73 of the second adapter cylinder 71.

On the outer periphery of the second adapter 70, two elongated holes 75a and 75b are formed by removing the light from a part of the peripheral surface, and a specific portion (hereinafter, referred to as "the specific portion" sandwiched between the elongated holes 75a and 75b. 72 is a rib (front and back) (that is, parallel to the optical axis)
It is formed in a bridge shape so that it can be easily elastically deformed in the direction. An engaging pin 74 as an engaging piece is erected almost at the center of the rib 72 so as to project to the inner surface side of the second adapter 70. The engagement pin 74 is made of metal such as stainless steel. According to such a configuration, the engagement pin 7
No. 4 has the advantage of being space-saving and economical because it can be formed integrally with the adapter cylinder without using another spring material or the like.

The teleconversion lens 60 includes a cylindrical tubular body 61 and a cylindrical mounting portion 62 formed coaxially and integrally with the tubular body 61 (with an outer diameter slightly smaller than the tubular body 61). I have it. The lens 6 is provided on the inner circumference of the cylindrical body 61.
3 to 65 are held. A screw groove 62a is formed on the outer periphery of the mounting portion 62.

In the configuration of FIG. 1, when the tele-conversion lens 60, which is an external lens, is attached to the first adapter barrel 50 that is fixed in advance to the camera body 30, the second adapter barrel in which the tele-conversion lens 60 is mounted is attached. 70 can be prepared, and the second adapter cylinder 70 can be engaged or disengaged by one-touch engagement with the first adapter cylinder 50. This mounting or dismounting is performed by the guide groove portion 54 and the engaged groove portion 55 provided in the first adapter cylinder 51 and the swingable engagement pin 74 provided so as to project to the inner surface side of the second adapter cylinder 70. It has a structure that can be easily done.

FIG. 3 (a) is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4, and shows the lens portion 40 and the first adapter 5 in FIG. 2 (a).
0, the second adapter 70 and the teleconversion lens 60 are joined, and the rib 72, the engagement pin 74, and the guide groove 54 at that time are enlarged. FIG. 3B shows the rib 72 and the engaging pin 74 in FIG. 3A in a further enlarged manner.

In FIG. 3 (a), the inner diameter of the screw 41b portion of the inner circumference of the tip portion 41a of the lens housing portion 41 and the inner diameter of the screw 53a portion of the tip portion 53 of the first adapter 50 have the same diameter. Therefore, the same lens lid 43 can be mounted as shown in FIGS. 2 (b) and 2 (c).

In FIG. 3B, the second adapter cylinder 71
Surface (lower surface in the drawing) of the engaging portion (large diameter portion) of the engaging pin 74 that is crimped to the rib 72 of FIG.
A small gap is formed between the bottom surface (top surface in the drawing) of the first adapter 50 and the second adapter 70 along the groove 54 (and 55) so that the upper and lower surfaces do not rub against each other. I am trying to do it.

The lens adapter device 10 thus constructed is used as follows. That is, at the time of normal shooting, by turning on the power switch 38, the zoom lens unit 42 housed inside the lens housing portion 41 projects from the lens housing portion 41. In addition, the photographer appropriately operates the zoom lever 33 to expand and contract the zoom lens unit 42 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2A, W indicates the position of the tip at the time of wide-angle shooting and S at the time of storage.

On the other hand, when enlarging the magnification by the zoom lens unit 42 to perform high magnification photographing, the teleconversion lens 60 is mounted as follows.

Then, the base end portion 52 of the first adapter 50.
Is screwed into the lens storage portion 41 and fixed.

Next, the tip portion 7 of the second adapter 70 is previously prepared.
The mounting portion 62 of the tele-conversion lens 60 is screwed into 3 and attached.

The camera-side base end portion of the adapter cylinder 71 of the second adapter 70 having the tele-conversion lens 60 mounted thereon is connected to the tip end portion 53 of the first adapter 50.
Attach so that it covers the outer peripheral surface of. At this time, it goes without saying that the engagement pin 74 of the second adapter 70 is engaged with the guide groove portion 54 and the engaged groove portion 55 of the first adapter 50.

The photographer appropriately operates the zoom lever 33 to expand / contract the zoom lens unit 42 as shown in FIG. 2 (a). At this time, the zoom lens unit 42
Since the outer diameter of is smaller than the inner diameter of the first adapter cylinder 51,
It does not interfere by contacting the adapter cylinder 51. Therefore, the photographer can smoothly perform the zoom operation.

The loads of the first adapter 50, the second adapter 70 and the tele-conversion lens 60 are applied to the camera body 30 via the lens housing portion 41 and are not applied to the zoom lens 42. Therefore, the zoom lens 4
There is no burden on the drive system of No. 2 and there is no risk of causing a failure.

As described above, in the lens adapter device 10 according to the present embodiment, the first adapter 50 in which the tele-conversion lens 60 is fixed to the camera body 30 side by the one-touch method using the second adapter 70. Therefore, the teleconversion lens 60 can be mounted easily and quickly.

On the other hand, when the tele-conversion lens 60 is not used, the second adapter 70 with the tele-conversion lens 60 attached is removed and the first adapter 50 remains attached to the lens section 40 of the camera body 30. But you can still take normal photos. As described above, when only the first adapter cylinder 50 is connected to the camera body 30, the appearance of the adapter cylinder 50 is outside the photographing range of the photographing lens (not within the photographing visual field). With this configuration, it is possible to perform normal shooting without an external lens even with the first adapter 50 attached. In other words, it is not necessary to remove the first adapter 50 for performing normal shooting.

When the tele-conversion lens 60 is not used, the second adapter 70 and the first adapter 50 with the tele-conversion lens 60 attached are detached from the lens section 40 together or separately, and the electronic camera 20 is removed. Ordinary shooting can be performed only by itself, and portability as a camera can be improved.

Next, the operation when the second adapter 70 with the tele-conversion lens 60 is attached to and detached from the first adapter 50 will be described.

FIG. 4 shows the operation of the engagement pin 74 when the second adapter 70 is attached to and detached from the first adapter 50.

Reference numeral 74a1 indicates that a part of the second adapter 70 to which the tele-conversion lens 60 is previously attached is the first
Circumscribes the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 53 of the adapter 50 of
Engagement pin 7 attached to rib 72 of second adapter 70
4 shows the state before engaging with the guide groove 54 which is a guide formed on the first adapter 50.

Then, when the second adapter 70 moves toward the base end side (camera body side) of the first adapter 50 from the state in which the engagement pin 74 is at the reference numeral 74a1, the engagement pin 74 is moved. , Enters from the wide portion 54a of the groove portion 54 (this is made wide so that the pin 74 can be easily inserted a little), and slides in the optical axis direction through the passage portion 54b having a constant width of the groove portion 54. To go. The engaging pin 74 is 74
At the position of a2, the inner peripheral contact surface 73b (see FIG. 3 (a)) of the thickened distal end portion 73 of the second adapter cylinder 71 is moved to the distal end portion of the first adapter cylinder 51. 53 front end surface 5
3b, the engaging pin 74 cannot slide toward the camera body beyond the position indicated by reference numeral 74a2.

At this position 74a2, a part of the outer peripheral surface of the engaging pin 74 is located slightly in front of the position of the inner wall 55a of the engaged groove 55 (inner wall) which is provided so as to be connected to the guide groove 54. It is located at a position on the left side in the figure of the position of 55a).

Therefore, the engaging pin 74 is located at this position 74a2.
When the second adapter 70 is rotated in the direction of the arrow when reaching, the outer peripheral surface of the engagement pin 74 is biased toward the camera body side by the inner wall 55a (that is, the rib 72 to which the pin 74 is attached is As the camera body moves elastically), eventually a part of the outer peripheral surface of the engaging pin 74 fits into the engaging recess 55b and is positioned (locked) at the position indicated by reference numeral 74a3. . In this locked state, pin 7
4 is positioned (fixed) by contacting two points of contact points 55c and 55d on the inner wall of the groove 55. In this positioning state, the engagement pin 74 is fixed to the inner wall 5 while the pin 74 is moving.
The biasing force received from the wall surface is weakened as compared with the case of being in contact with 5a.

On the contrary, the engaging pin 74 is fixed at this fixed position 74a.
In order to rotate the second adapter 70 in the direction opposite to the arrow in the figure from the state shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to apply a force sufficient to overcome the biasing force of the rib 72 at the pin position 74a3. A click state (click feeling) is obtained by engagement and disengagement of the pin 74 with respect to the engagement recess 55b.

There is a difference b- between the position 74a2 and the position 74a3.
There is a, and due to this difference, the pin 74 is locked (locked) in a state in which it is slightly biased to the left in the drawing with a small biasing force (of the rib 72) against the contact points 55c and 55d in the groove portion 55. ing. Therefore, when releasing the locked state of the pin 74 with respect to the engagement recess 55b, the lock can be released with a force that opposes the biasing force less than the biasing force with respect to the wall 55a. That is, the photographer simply turns the second adapter cylinder 71 in the direction opposite to the arrow direction (with a little force) to release the locked state of the pin 74, and the pin 74 is denoted by reference numeral 7.
It is possible to return from the position 4a3 to the position 74a2.

By the way, the guide groove portion 54 of the first adapter 50 and the engaging portion (large diameter portion) of the engaging pin 74 of the second adapter 70 are engaged with each other to form the first and second adapters. To attach the cylinders 51 and 71 to each other, an instruction mark as a position alignment display is required. Moreover, the instruction mark is
It is desirable that there are a plurality of sets on the outer peripheral surfaces of the first and second adapter cylinders 51 and 71.

The reason why this alignment display is required is as follows. That is, when the first adapter 50 and the lens portion 40 of the camera body 30 are connected, the first adapter 50 is screwed into the lens portion 40 and screwed, but the tip portion 41a of the lens portion 40 is connected. When forming the female screw on the inner circumference and the male screw on the outer circumference of the base end portion 52 of the first adapter 50 by processing, it is not generally decided from which position the screw is cut. Therefore, when the first adapter 50 is screwed and attached to the lens portion 40 of the camera body 30, the position of the guide groove portion 54 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first adapter 50 is not always easy for the photographer to see. The guide groove 54 may not necessarily come to the position, but may come to a lower position (back surface side position) on the outer peripheral surface, which is rather difficult for the photographer to see. Therefore, a mark (instruction mark) is required on the outer peripheral surface of each adapter cylinder as an alignment display between the first and second adapter cylinders. Furthermore, if there is only one mark (instruction mark) on the outer peripheral surface of each adapter cylinder, the instruction mark on the outer peripheral surface of the first adapter cylinder is difficult to see for the photographer due to screw processing. Position, and it is necessary to provide a plurality of marks (instruction marks) on the outer peripheral surface of the adapter cylinder.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of an instruction mark used as an alignment display for mounting the first and second adapters. FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a state before fitting and mounting, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the second adapter 70 is fitted along the guide groove portion of the first adapter. c) shows the second adapter 7 from the state of FIG.
The state where 0 is rotated and attached (locked) is shown.

As shown in FIG. 5A, when the first adapter cylinder 51 and the second adapter cylinder 71 are fitted together, the engagement pin 74
For adjusting the entrance position of the guide groove 54 and the guide groove 54
The indications 76a, 76b, 76c of the second adapter cylinder 7
Three different mark shapes (Δ, ◯, □) are formed at approximately 120 ° intervals on the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion 77 of No. 1.

Then, in order to correspond to this first display, the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 53 of the first adapter cylinder 51 is approximately 1
Three marks (shown by reference numerals 56a, 56b, and 56c) at 20 ° intervals are formed in the same mark shape (Δ, ◯, □) as the instruction mark.

The indication marks 76a, 76b, 76c on the second adapter cylinder 71 and the first adapter cylinder 5
The instruction marks 56a, 56b, and 56c in 1 can be used as marks if the end portion of either one of the adapter cylinders has a shape characteristic. Therefore, the indication marks 76a, 76b, 76c (or 56a, 56) are positively applied to only one of the second and first adapter cylinders 71, 51.
b, 56c) and the other instruction mark 56a,
It is also possible to omit 56b, 56c (or 76a, 76b, 76c).

Further, at the position where the engaging pin 74 of the second adapter cylinder 71 has reached the end of the guide groove 54 of the first adapter cylinder 51, the first indicators 76a, 76b,
The second display 56a1, 56b1, so as to correspond to 76c,
56c1 are provided on the outer peripheral surface 57 of the first adapter cylinder 51 on which the guide groove 54 is provided at the base end side, at three locations at approximately 120 ° intervals as in the case of the first display, and are similar to the instruction marks. It is formed in a mark shape (△, ○, □).

Then, at the position where the engaging pin 74 is rotated and reaches the end of the groove 55 which is the engaged portion, the first pin
Third display 5 corresponding to the displays 76a, 76b, 76c of
6a2, 56b2, 56c2 are provided at approximately 120 ° intervals on the outer peripheral surface 57 on the base end side of the first adapter cylinder 51 on which the guide groove 54 is provided, in the same manner as the first and second indications. Each of the portions is formed in the same mark shape (Δ, ○, □) as the instruction mark.

In this way, the photographer takes three kinds of mark shapes by providing at least three instruction marks for alignment display at substantially equal intervals on the peripheral surface of the first adapter cylinder 51 attached to the lens portion 40 on the camera side. (△, ○, □)
You will be able to see one of them from above. Therefore, for example, the same instruction mark 76a on the peripheral surface of the second adapter cylinder 71 on the base end side is fitted to the instruction mark 56a seen on the peripheral surface of the tip end of the first adapter cylinder 51,
As shown in FIG. 5B, when the second adapter cylinder 71 is pushed in the optical axis direction (arrow direction), the instruction mark 76a and the instruction mark 56a1 which is the second display face each other, and thereafter, As shown in FIG. 5 (c), the second adapter cylinder 7
When 1 is rotated in the direction around the optical axis (arrow direction), the state becomes locked at the position where the instruction mark 76a and the instruction mark 56a2 which is the third display face each other, and the fitting and mounting is completed.

By providing the positioning instruction marks as the first, second and third indications as described above, the first and second adapter cylinders can be locked reliably and smoothly, In addition, even when detached, there is an advantage that the detaching direction can be known at a glance.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the instruction mark used as the alignment display for mounting the first and second adapters.

In FIG. 6, in place of the instruction marks (Δ, ○, □) in the embodiment of FIG.
○○○) is used. With such a circular instruction mark, since the first and second adapter cylinders are usually made of metal such as aluminum, it is sufficient to form a recessed hole by drilling, which facilitates processing. There are advantages. In FIG. 6, the instruction mark 76 on the second adapter cylinder 71
Although only a, 76b, 76c and the instruction marks 56a, 56b, 56c of the first adapter cylinder 51 are shown,
Of the outer peripheral surface 57 on the base end side of the adapter cylinder 51 of
Similar marks (◯, ◯◯, ◯◯◯) may be used for the instruction mark (not shown) corresponding to the third display.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the instruction mark used as an alignment display for mounting the first and second adapters.

In FIG. 7, the alignment marks 76a and 56a for alignment used are all the same mark (◯) at three locations on the peripheral surface, but can be elastically deformed in the front-back direction (parallel to the optical axis). The rib 72 and the engaging pin 74 provided on the rib 72
In addition, the set of instruction marks 76a is the second adapter cylinder 71.
Three sets are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion 77 at intervals of approximately 120 °. Then, in order to correspond to this, on the outer peripheral surface of the first adapter cylinder 51, an instruction mark 76a for alignment is provided.
Further, three sets of the guide groove portion 54 and the engaged groove portion 55 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first adapter cylinder 51 at intervals of approximately 120 °. Note that, in FIG. 7, only the instruction mark 76a of the second adapter cylinder 71 and the instruction mark 56a of the first adapter cylinder 51 are shown, but in the outer peripheral surface 57 of the first adapter cylinder 51 on the base end side. Similar marks (∘) may be used for the indication marks (not shown) corresponding to the second and third displays.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second adapter cylinder 71 and the first adapter cylinder 51 are provided with a plurality of sets of ribs 72, engagement pins 74 and corresponding engagement groove portions 54 and 55 (3 in the figure). However, if a plurality of such engaging mechanisms are used, the ribs 72 or the engaging pins 74 in any one of the engaging groups may be broken. Even if it breaks and loses the function of engaging and mounting, there is an advantage that the function of engaging and mounting can be operated (maintained) in the other remaining engagement sets.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a lens adapter device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main parts of the lens adapter device.

In FIG. 8, the second adapter 7 in FIG.
The tip portion 73 of 0 (that is, the end portion side on which the external lens is mounted) has a two-stage screw structure in which the inner surface is concentric. That is, the diameters of the screw grooves 73a, 73b are made different from each other as concentric circles about the photographing optical axis as mounting parts for mounting a plurality of (two in the figure) external lenses.
It is configured to have one. As the external lens, for example, the tele conversion lens 60 and the wide conversion lens 80 can be replaced. In addition,
In FIG. 8, two types of thread grooves having different diameters are provided,
It is also possible to provide three or more types of thread grooves having different diameters.

FIG. 9A shows the tip portion 7 of the second adapter 70.
3 shows a state in which the teleconversion lens 60 is attached, and FIG. 9B shows a state in which the wide conversion lens 80 is attached to the tip portion 73 of the second adapter 70.

In FIG. 9A, the thread groove 62a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion 62 of the lens barrel 61 of the teleconversion lens 60 and the thread groove 73a of the second adapter 70 are screwed together. Then, the tele-conversion lens 60 is attached to the second adapter 70. Lenses 63 to 65 are held on the inner circumference of the lens barrel 61.

In FIG. 9B, a thread groove 82 a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion 82 of the lens barrel 81 of the wide conversion lens 80 and the thread groove 73 b of the second adapter 70.
Wide conversion lens 8 by screwing and
0 is attached to the second adapter 70. Lens barrel 81
Lenses 83 to 85 are held on the inner circumference of the.

In FIG. 9C, the one-touch mounting type second adapter 70 is removed from the state of FIG. 9A or 9B, and then the first adapter 50 fixed to the lens housing section 40 is mounted. In this state, the lens lid 4 is attached to the tip portion 53 of the fixed adapter 50.
The state where 3 is attached is shown.

In FIG. 9D, after removing the first adapter 50 fixed to the lens housing portion 40 from the state of FIG. 9C, the lens lid 43 is attached to the tip portion 41 of the lens housing portion 40. It shows the state.

In the configuration of FIG. 8, the one-touch type second adapter 70 with the teleconversion lens 60 set in advance as shown in FIG. 9A is attached to the first adapter 50 on the camera body side. One-touch installation, and tele-conversion lens 60 as needed for subsequent shooting
Can be easily replaced with the wide conversion lens 80. Alternatively, the one-touch type second adapter 70 to which the wide conversion lens 80 is set in advance as shown in FIG. 9B is attached to the first adapter 50 on the camera body side by one-touch, and at the time of subsequent photographing. It is easy to replace the wide conversion lens 80 with the tele-conversion lens 60 for use as needed.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a lens adapter device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main parts of the lens adapter device.

In FIG. 10, the one-touch type adapter 70 in the embodiment of FIG. 8 is not provided, and the inner surface of the tip portion 53 of the fixed type adapter 50 for the camera body 30 has a concentric two-stage screw structure. is there. That is, screw grooves 53a, 5 are provided as concentric circles centering on the photographing optical axis to mount a plurality (two in the figure) of external lenses.
Two 3b are provided with different diameters. As the external lens, for example, the tele conversion lens 60 and the wide conversion lens 80 can be replaced. Although two types of thread grooves having different diameters are provided in FIG. 10, three or more types of thread grooves having different diameters may be provided.

FIG. 11A shows a state in which the teleconversion lens 60 is attached to the tip portion 53 of the adapter 50, and FIG. 11B shows a state in which the wide conversion lens 80 is attached to the tip portion 53 of the adapter 50. ing.

In FIG. 11A, the screw groove 62a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion 62 of the lens barrel 61 of the teleconversion lens 60 and the screw groove 53a of the adapter 50 are screwed to each other, whereby The version lens 60 is attached to the adapter 50. Lenses 63 to 65 are held on the inner circumference of the lens barrel 61.

In FIG. 11B, the screw groove 82a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion 82 of the lens barrel 81 of the wide conversion lens 80 and the screw groove 53b of the adapter 50 are screwed to each other to widen the wide angle. The conversion lens 80 is attached to the adapter 50. Lenses 83 to 85 are held on the inner circumference of the lens barrel 81.

In FIG. 11C, after removing the adapter 50 fixed to the lens housing 40 from the state of FIG. 11A or 11B, the lens lid 43 is attached to the tip 41 of the lens housing 40. Shows the closed state.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 10, the teleconversion lens 60 is attached in advance to the adapter 50 fixed to the camera body side as shown in FIG. It is easy to replace 60 with the wide conversion lens 80 and use it. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the wide conversion lens 80 is attached in advance to the adapter 50 fixed to the camera body side, and the wide conversion lens 80 is replaced with the tele conversion lens 60 as needed during subsequent photographing. It is easy to use.

In the embodiment described above, the second adapter cylinder 71 is provided with the engagement pin 74 as an elastically displaceable engagement piece, and the first adapter cylinder 51 is provided with the guide portion and the engaged member. Although the engaging groove portions 54 and 55 that form the portion are provided, the present invention is not limited to this, and an elastically displaceable engaging piece is provided on the peripheral surface of the first adapter cylinder 51. Alternatively, the guide portion and the engaged portion may be provided by extending to the peripheral surface of the second adapter cylinder 71 on which the engaging piece is not provided.

[0082]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a lens adapter device in which an external lens can be easily attached to or detached from the camera body with one touch.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a lens adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a main part of the lens adapter device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a lens part, a first adapter,
Sectional drawing which expands and shows the joining state of a 2nd adapter and a tele-conversion lens, and the groove part for a rib, an engagement pin, and a guide.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the operation of the engagement pin of the second adapter when the second adapter is attached to or detached from the first adapter.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an instruction mark used as an alignment display for mounting the first and second adapters.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of an instruction mark used as an alignment display for mounting the first and second adapters.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of an instruction mark used as an alignment display for mounting the first and second adapters.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a lens adapter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the lens adapter device of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a lens adapter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the lens adapter device of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Lens adapter device 20 ... Electronic camera 30 ... Camera body 40 ... Lens storage section 50 ... First adapter 51 ... First adapter tube 54 ... Guide groove (guide) 55 ... Engagement groove portion (engagement portion) 60 ... Tele conversion lens (external lens) 70 ... Second adapter 71 ... Second adapter tube 72 ... Rib (specific portion) 74 ... Engaging pin (engaging piece) 75a, 75b ... long holes

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2H044 AE01 AE09 AE10                 2H083 BB08                 2H101 EE03 EE04 EE05 EE06 EE12                       EE32 EE37 EE57 EE61                 2H105 EE23

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A lens adapter device for connecting an external lens and a taking lens of a camera body, wherein the lens adapter device includes a first adapter tube having one end attached to the camera body, A second adapter cylinder in which an external lens is attached to one end portion, and the other end portion is fitted into and combined with the other end portion of the first adapter barrel that is not attached, and the first adapter barrel. Alternatively, an engaging piece elastically displaceable provided on the peripheral surface of any one of the second adapter cylinders and extending to the peripheral surface of the adapter cylinder on which the engaging piece is not provided. And a guide portion for guiding the engaging piece and a peripheral surface of the adapter cylinder on which the engaging piece is not provided, which is connected to the guide portion and urges the engaging piece. To be engaged and engaged, Lens adapter device, characterized in that the. 2. The engagement piece is planted in a specific portion formed in a portion of the peripheral surface so as to be easily elastically deformed by cutting out the periphery thereof. Lens adapter device. 3. The lens adapter device according to claim 2, wherein the specific portion is formed so as to be elastically deformable in the front-rear direction. 4. The engaged portion is formed so that an elastic displacement amount of the engaging piece is reduced at a terminal position of the engaged portion. The lens adapter device according to any one of claims. 5. The lens adapter device according to claim 1, wherein the engaged portion is a groove portion formed substantially in a direction around the optical axis. 6. The guide portion is a groove portion formed to extend in the optical axis direction of the peripheral surface from the end surface of the adapter cylinder on which the engagement piece is not provided, and the groove width near the end surface entrance. The lens adapter device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lens adapter device is formed wider than the groove width extending on the peripheral surface. 7. A position alignment display for aligning the positions of the engagement piece and the guide portion when the first adapter cylinder and the second adapter cylinder are fitted to each other is at least the first adapter cylinder or the first adapter cylinder. 7. The lens adapter device according to claim 1, wherein the lens adapter device is provided in any one of the two adapter tubes. 8. The lens adapter device according to claim 7, wherein the alignment displays are provided at intervals of approximately 120 ° in a direction around the optical axis of the peripheral surface. 9. A first adapter, which is provided in an adapter cylinder provided with the engagement piece, for introducing the engagement piece into the guide portion.
And a second display provided on the adapter cylinder provided with the guide portion so as to correspond to the first display at a position where the engagement piece has reached the end of the guide portion. A third display provided on the adapter cylinder provided with the guide portion so as to correspond to the first display at a position where the engagement piece further reaches the end of the engaged portion, 9. The lens adapter device according to claim 7, further comprising: 10. The first adapter cylinder and the second adapter cylinder are provided with a plurality of combinations of the engagement piece, the guide portion and the engaged portion. The lens adapter device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. 11. The first adapter barrel is configured so that its outer appearance does not fall within the field of view of the taking lens when only the first adapter barrel is connected to the camera body. Item 11. The lens adapter device according to any one of items 1 to 10. 12. The lens lid can be attached to the tip of the first adapter cylinder even when only the first adapter cylinder is connected to the camera body. Item 12. The lens adapter device according to item 11. 13. A plurality of mounting portions for mounting a plurality of external lenses are concentrically formed around the photographing optical axis on the end side of the second adapter cylinder where the external lenses are mounted. The diameter of each of them is set to be different, and the diameter is different.
Lens adapter device according to item 1. 14. A lens adapter device for connecting an external lens and a taking lens of a camera body, wherein the lens adapter device includes a cylinder for an adapter, and the camera has one opening end of the cylinder. A main body mounting part to be mounted on the main body is provided, and a plurality of external lens mounting parts for mounting a plurality of external lenses are concentrically formed around the photographing optical axis at the other open end of the cylinder. A lens adapter device characterized in that the lens adapter is differently provided.