JP2003215667A - Camera with built-in stroboscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a mechanism of returning a charging switch to an off position compact such that this operation can be easily carried out by operating lens barriers to a close position. <P>SOLUTION: A barrier operating member 41 is attached to the inner wall of a front cover in the state of exposing an operating control 14 to the outside and is operated to move in an arcuate form to encircle a body tube 11 when the lens barriers 38 and 39 are opened. A switch plate 32 is attached to the inner wall of the front cover in the state of exposing a charging switch 17 to the outside and is operated to move in the arcuate form so as to intersect with the moving path of the member 14. When the member 14 is moved to the position where the lens barriers 38 and 39 are closed, a linking section 55 intrudes into the moving path of the switch plate 32 and returns the charging switch 17 to the off position. <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 built-in flash type camera having a lens barrier that covers a taking lens when not in use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent compact cameras and film units with lenses, a lens barrier for covering a taking lens when not in use is used. Providing the lens barrier is effective because it can prevent the taking lens from being damaged when being carried, and can also prevent dirt and dust from adhering to the taking lens.

In addition, a camera having a built-in strobe device and a film unit with a lens have to perform a lens barrier movement operation and a charge switch ON / OFF operation each time a picture is taken, so that preparation for shooting is extremely difficult. It is annoying, and it detracts from the original advantage of a low-cost camera and lens-fitted film unit that allows you to enjoy shooting easily.

Therefore, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-29104, a slide type barrier is provided on the front surface of the camera body,
The barrier covers not only the front surface of the taking lens but also the front surface of the finder objective window, and the charging switch is turned off in conjunction with the operation of moving the barrier to the unused position.
There has been proposed a film unit with a lens that is moved to the F position. This barrier is movable in the longitudinal direction of the camera body, that is, the barrier is movable in the left-right direction when the camera body is viewed from the front, and the shooting lens and viewfinder are exposed to the front by sliding the barrier during shooting. It is supposed to do.

Further, in the one described in the above publication, the movement operation of the strobe charging switch is in the vertical direction. This is returned to the OFF position by a barrier that moves horizontally.

[0006]

However, in general,
When a barrier or cover that covers the taking lens and the viewfinder is provided so as to be openable and closable, a space must be provided in which the barrier and the cover can be retracted in the left-right direction or the vertical direction of the camera body. Therefore, there is a problem that the camera becomes larger than necessary. Furthermore, since the strobe charge switch is a type that moves vertically, it is necessary to convert the horizontal operation force into a vertical operation force and transmit it to the charge switch when the barrier is operated to the closed position. Therefore, a great deal of force is required to operate the barrier.

Further, when the barrier operating member and the strobe charging switch are moved linearly in the horizontal direction, the stroke of each moving operation becomes long, and the camera becomes large in size.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and makes it possible to easily and easily perform the operation of turning off the strobe charge in conjunction with the closing operation of the lens barrier, and to make the entire body compact. It provides a built-in flash type camera that can be used at low cost.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, in the flash built-in type camera according to claim 1, the moving path of the barrier operating member is formed in an arc shape so as to surround the photographing optical axis, and the charging switch is provided. The moving path is formed in an arc shape so as to intersect with the moving path of the barrier operating member, and when not in use, part of the barrier operating member enters the moving path of the charging switch to return the charging switch to the OFF position, and This is to prevent the subsequent movement to the ON position. Then, the barrier operating member, the charging switch, and the lens barrier are attached to the front inner wall of the outer cover, which contributes to making the camera thinner. Furthermore, it is preferable to lock the shutter release by closing the lens barrier. In this case, a barrier interlocking member that opens and closes the lens barrier by rotating around the photographing optical axis in conjunction with the movement operation of the barrier operation member is rotatably attached to the inner wall of the front surface of the outer cover. It is preferable to provide a member that enters the operation path of the shutter button provided on the outer cover so as to be externally operated and prohibits the release operation when the barrier operation member is in the unused position.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 1, a camera 10 has a front cover 8 and a rear cover 9 which form an outer cover. On the front surface of the camera 10, a cylindrical lens barrel 11 protruding forward is provided. An imaging opening 13 is formed on the front surface of the lens barrel 11. Below the lens barrel 11, a barrier operation knob 14 is provided. Barrier operation knob 1
4 is moved and operated along the slot 12. The slot 12 is formed in the front cover 8 in an arc shape surrounding the lens barrel 11, and guides the movement of the barrier operation knob 14 between the unused position and the photographing position. Barrier operation knob 1
When 4 is in the non-use position, the lens barrier is closed behind the photographing opening 13 to cover the lens. When in the shooting position,
The lens barrier opens, and the lens is exposed through the photographing opening 13.

A finder objective lens 15 is provided on the lens barrel 11, and a stroboscopic light emission window 16 is provided on the right side thereof. A charging switch 17 is provided below the strobe light emitting window 16. The charging switch 17 is moved and operated in an arc shape inside the slot 23. Slot 23 turns on to turn on the charging circuit of the strobe device
Charge switch 1 between position and OFF position to turn off
Guide the movement of 7. A main capacitor is connected to the charging circuit, and when charging to the main capacitor is completed, a lamp provided behind the display window 18 provided on the upper surface of the body blinks or lights up to indicate the completion of charging to the outside. .

A shutter button 19 and a number-of-photos display window 20 are provided on the upper surface of the body. On the back of the body, a back cover 21 that is opened and closed when changing the photo film.
Is provided, and the winding knob 22 is provided on the upper right in a rear view.

A main body 24 is built inside the outer cover. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 24 is provided with a cartridge loading chamber 25 and a film winding chamber 26 on both sides along the film feeding direction. A dark box 29 is arranged between the cartridge loading chamber 25 and the film winding chamber 26, and a finder optical system 28 is arranged thereon. A strobe device 27 is incorporated between the dark box 29 and the film winding chamber 26. The strobe device 27 includes a strobe board 27a on which circuit components such as a charging circuit are mounted, a main capacitor 27b, a light emitting portion having a strobe light emitting window 16, and a lamp for charging completion indication. The main capacitor 27b has a columnar shape and is laid sideways on the film winding chamber 26. On the strobe board 27a, mounting components such as a charging circuit are provided in the film winding chamber 26 and the dark box 29. It is attached to the main body 24 with the back surface facing the front cover so as to enter the space between them.

A winding knob 22 is arranged above the cartridge loading chamber 25. By rotating this after shooting, the spool of the cartridge loaded in the cartridge loading chamber 25 is rotated, and the photographed film which has been photographed is wound up toward the film winding chamber 26. A shutter mechanism, a film counter mechanism, a film winding stop mechanism and the like are incorporated between the finder optical system 28 and the cartridge loading chamber 25.

Although not shown, a rewinding mechanism is provided below the cartridge loading chamber 25. The rewinding mechanism is provided with a rewinding operation section that is operably exposed to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front cover 8 incorporates a shutter button 19, a lens barrier mechanism, a charging switch 17, and the like. The shutter button 19 is
It is made of a plastic material so as to be elastically deformable, and is attached to the front cover 8 so as to rotate about the shaft 19a when pressed. The shutter button 19 is formed with a stopper 19b. Stopper 1
9b is in contact with the inner wall of the front cover 8, and when rotated by a pressing operation, elastically deforms while pressing the inner wall to return the shutter button 19 to the original position. Shutter button 1
Below the reference numeral 9, the pressing rod 30 for operating the shutter mechanism by the rotation in response to the pressing operation, and the engaged portion 3 which is engaged with a part of the lens barrier mechanism to prevent the release.
1 and 1 are integrally formed.

The charging switch 17 is provided integrally with a switch plate 32 exposed to the outside from the slot 23. One end 33 of the switch plate 32 is rotatably attached to the inner wall of the front cover, and the other end 34 opposite to the one end 33 rotates in an arc shape around the one end 33 so that the switch plate 32 is turned on and off. Rotate between positions. When it is in the ON position, the convex portion 35 provided behind the strobe board 27a
The switch 27c provided in the above is turned on to operate the charging circuit. The other end 34 of the switch plate 32 is formed with a click claw 36 that is partially cut away and is elastically deformable. The click claws 36 are click-coupled to the two engaged portions 37 provided on the front cover 8 to hold the switch plate 32 at the ON position and the OFF position, respectively.

The lens barrier mechanism includes a pair of lens barriers 38 and 39, a barrier interlocking member 40, and a barrier operating member 4.
1, a fixed plate 42, and a spring 43. The pair of lens barriers 38 and 39 respectively rotate about a pair of shafts 44 and 45 provided on the inner wall of the lens barrel 11 of the front cover. The barrier interlocking member 40 includes an annular portion 46 and a rising piece 4 that rises from the annular portion 46 in one radial direction.
7 and 7 are integrally formed. The barrier operating member 41 is integrally formed with the barrier operating knob 14 exposed to the outside from the slot 12.

The annular portion 46 is rotatably fitted into the inner wall of the lens barrel 11 using the peripheral edge of the inner wall of the lens barrel 11 as a guide.
The annular portion 46 has an opening 48 for exposure and a pair of holes 4
9 and 50 are formed. The exposure opening 48 is for passing the subject light. A pair of holes 49,
The shafts 51, 52 provided on the pair of lens barriers 38, 39 are engaged with the shaft 50. Ring part 46
Is a pair of lens barriers 38, 39 due to its rotation.
Are respectively rotated about the respective axes 51 and 52.
As a result, the lens barriers 38 and 39 are respectively attached to the shafts 44 and 4.
5 rotate in opposite directions to each other,
Open or close. The annular portion 46 is urged toward the closed position by the urging force of the spring 43. The spring 43 has one end attached to the annular portion 46 and the other end attached to the inner wall of the front cover 8.

The annular portion 46 is formed with an engagement pin 53 protruding rearward. When the barrier operating member 41 is operated toward the photographing position, the engagement pin 53 engages with the linking portion 54 provided on the barrier operating member 41 from one direction to rotate the annular portion 46 toward the open position. . When the barrier operating member 41 is operated toward the closed position, the linking portion 54 separates from the engagement pin 53 together with the barrier operating member 41, but the annular portion 46 is rotated toward the closed position by the bias of the spring 43. The engagement pin 53 follows the link portion 54 and returns.

The rising piece 47 is engaged with the engaged portion 3 of the shutter button 19 when the annular portion 46 is rotated to the closed position.
When the shutter button 19 is pressed, the shutter button 19 is prevented from being pressed.

The barrier operating member 41 is rotated along the arc direction surrounding the lens barrel 11 by operating the barrier operating knob 14 to rotate the barrier interlocking member 40 about the photographing optical axis O. The movement locus of the barrier operating member 41 intersects with the movement locus of the switch plate 32. Barrier operation knob 1
When 4 is in the non-use position, the blocking portion 55 formed at one end of the barrier operating member 41 enters the movement path of the switch plate 32 and comes into contact with the protrusion 56 provided on the switch plate 32 from one direction. When the blocking portion 55 comes into contact with the protrusion 56, the movement operation of the charging switch 17 to the ON position is prohibited. When the barrier operation knob 14 is at the photographing position, the blocking unit 55
Is retracted from the movement path of the switch plate 32, so that the charging switch 17 can be moved to the ON position.

Further, the barrier operating knob 14 is formed with an elastically deformable click claw 57. The click claw 57 has a pair of recesses 58, 59 provided on the inner wall of the front cover.
And the barrier operation knob 14 is held at the non-use position or the photographing position, respectively.

The fixing plate 42 is fixed to the inner wall of the front cover 8 and movably supports the barrier interlocking member 40 and the barrier operating member 41 between them. An opening 60 for exposure is also formed in this fixed plate 42.

The shutter mechanism is of a well-known kick-off type, which is composed of a locking lever, a shutter drive lever, shutter blades, etc., as is known from Japanese Patent Publication No. 32-32615. After the shooting is completed, the locking lever is in a locking position where the sprocket and the winding knob 22 are prevented from rotating, and the film winding operation transmits the transfer force of the photo film to the sprocket, thereby rotating the sprocket. Utilizing this, the lock lever is rotated to the lock release position against the bias of the spring, and the shutter drive lever is rotated to the charge position. The locking lever is
When in the unlocked position, the shutter drive lever enters the moving path of the shutter drive lever and holds the shutter drive lever in the charge position.

When the shutter button 19 is depressed, the shutter button 19 is elastically deformed and the pressing rod 30 pushes the locking lever to rotate the locking lever toward the locking position. At this time, the holding of the shutter drive lever at the charge position is released, and the shutter drive lever is momentarily rotated toward the traveling completion position by the bias of the spring, and one end of the shutter blade is kicked in the meantime. As a result, the shutter blades rotate so as to cross the photographing optical axis to open the shutter opening, and exposure is performed. After that, the shutter blade is urged by the pull-back spring to return to the position where the shutter opening is closed. When the shutter drive lever rotates to the traveling completion position, it enters the movement path of the locking lever and holds the locking lever at the locking position. This prepares for shooting.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the front surface of the dark box 29,
The shutter blades 62 are arranged, and the shutter cover 63 that covers the front surface of the shutter blades 62 is provided with a lens receiving portion 64 protruding in a cylindrical shape on the front surface. The taking lens 65, the pressing plate 66, the meniscus lens 67, and the lens pressing member 68 are sequentially inserted into the lens receiving portion 64 from the front. The lens retainer 68 is locked to the lens receiving portion 64 by the claw coupling, and holds the taking lens 65, the retainer plate 66, and the meniscus lens 67 together with the lens receiving portion 64.

The lens retainer 68 is a barrier interlocking member 40.
And an exposure opening 48 formed in the fixed plate 42,
Step inside 60. The barrier interlocking member 40 is guided by the side wall of the inner wall of the lens barrel 11 which is recessed one step and rotates about the photographing optical axis O. Lens barrier 38, 39
Is rotatably incorporated while being sandwiched between the inner wall of the lens barrel 11 and the front surface of the barrier interlocking member 40.

The meniscus lens 67 is a non-power lens having a curved front surface on the object side and a rear surface on the imaging surface side with a convex shape toward the object side and curved surfaces having the same radius of curvature. Is. The meniscus lens 67 is arranged in front of the taking lens 65.

As the taking lens 65, one having a focal length from a wide angle is used. On the shutter cover 63, a fixed diaphragm 70 is formed behind the taking lens 65 and on the taking optical axis O. The camera 10 is of a pan-focus type that uses the fixed aperture 70 and the short-focus shooting lens 65 to create a focused image from a near view to a distant view. Reference numeral 90 shown in FIG. 4 is a photographic film, and reference numeral 91 is a cartridge loading chamber 25 and a film winding chamber 26.
It is an aperture formed between and.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be briefly described.
In the non-use state of the camera 10, as shown in FIG. 5, the barrier operation knob 14 is operated to the non-use position, and the lens barriers 38 and 39 close the photographing opening 13. At this time, since the barrier interlocking member 40 is rotated to the closed position, the rising piece 47 contacts the engaged portion 31 and prohibits the pressing operation of the shutter button 19. This allows the camera 1
It is possible to prevent the shutter release from being inadvertently performed in the unused state of 0. In addition, the barrier operation knob 14
Is in the non-use position, the blocking portion 55 causes the switch plate 32 to
And enters the moving path of the above and abuts on the protrusion 56. As a result, the operation of moving the charging switch 17 to the ON position is also prohibited.

When taking a picture, first, the back cover 21 is opened and a photographic film is loaded. Next, the barrier operation knob 14 is operated to the photographing position. By this operation, the barrier operating member 41 is rotated in an arc shape (arrow A shown in FIG. 6), and the linking portion 54 presses the engaging pin 53. As a result, the barrier interlocking member 40 rotates toward the open position against the bias of the spring 43 while being guided by the peripheral edge of the inner wall of the lens barrel 11.
By rotating the barrier interlocking member 40, the pair of lens barriers 3
The reference numerals 8 and 39 respectively rotate about the axes 45 and 46 in opposite directions to open the photographing opening 13.

When the barrier operating knob 14 is operated to the photographing position, the click claw 57 is click-connected to the engaging portion 59 and the barrier operating member 41 is held at that position. Also,
When the barrier operation knob 14 is operated to the photographing position, the blocking unit 55 is retracted from the movement path of the protrusion 56, so that the movement operation of the charging switch 17 to the ON position is allowed. Further, when the barrier interlocking member 40 is rotated to the open position, the rising piece 47 retracts from the movement path of the engaged portion 31, so that the pressing operation of the shutter button 19 is also allowed.

After opening the lens barriers 38 and 39,
The photographic film 90 is wound by rotating the winding knob 22 in the film winding direction. When the photographic film 90 is transferred by a length corresponding to one frame, the film winding stop mechanism is activated to transfer the photographic film 90 and the winding knob 2
Lock with 2 rotations. During this time, the transfer force of the photographic film 90 is utilized to charge the shutter of the shutter mechanism.

When the shutter button 19 is pushed down, the push rod 30 pushes the locking lever to operate the shutter mechanism. When the shutter mechanism operates, the shutter blade 62 makes one reciprocating movement across the photographing optical axis O to perform exposure.
At this time, the subject light is incident on the meniscus lens 67 and then on the taking lens 65.
Since 7 is non-powered, a subject image is formed on the photographic film by the taking lens 65. After that, the film winding operation and the shutter release are sequentially performed, so that the frames of the photographic film are sequentially photographed. In the case of performing flash photography, the shutter release is performed after the charging switch 17 is moved to the ON position.

After the photographing of all the photographing frames is completed, the rewinding operation section is rotated in the film rewinding direction to rewind the photographed film into the cartridge. Then, after rewinding the entire photographed photo film, the back cover 21 is opened and the photo film cartridge is taken out from the camera 10.

When the camera 10 is not used,
The barrier operation knob 14 is moved toward the unused position. Then, the linkage portion 54 moves together with the movement of the barrier operating member 41, and the linkage portion 54 separates from the engagement pin 53.
As a result, the barrier interlocking member 40 is rotated toward the closed position by the bias of the spring 43. The rotation of the barrier interlocking member 40 causes the pair of lens barriers 38 and 39 to move to the respective axes 45 and 4.
6 are rotated respectively to close the photographing opening 13.

Further, when the barrier operating knob 14 is operated toward the non-use position, the blocking portion 55 of the barrier operating member 41 enters the moving path of the projection 56. At this time, when the charging switch 17 is in the ON position, the blocking portion 55 comes into contact with the protrusion 56 during the movement operation of the barrier operation knob 14, and the protrusion 56 is pushed by the remaining movement operation to automatically activate the charging switch 17. Move it to the OFF position.
After operating the barrier operation knob 14 to the unused position,
The blocking portion 55 is at a position that blocks the movement path of the protrusion 56. Therefore, subsequent movement of the charging switch 17 to the ON position is prevented. The barrier operation knob 14 and the charging switch 17 are held in that position by click coupling with each other.

Although the above embodiment describes the photographic camera, the present invention can be applied to a lens-fitted film unit, an electronic still camera, a video camera, and the like.

[0040]

As described above, in the camera with a built-in strobe according to the present invention, since the moving path between the barrier operating member and the charging switch is arcuate, it can be made compact even if the operation stroke is long. Further, the charging switch is turned on by crossing the moving path between the barrier operating member and the charging switch.
Since it is returned to the FF position and is prohibited from moving to the ON position after that, the number of parts can be small and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a camera of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main body section.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of a lens barrier mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part around a lens barrel.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a closed state of the lens barrier mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an open state of a lens barrier mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 cameras 13 Shooting aperture 14 Barrier operating member 17 Charge switch 27 Strobe device 29 Dark Box 38,39 lens barrier 40 Barrier interlocking member

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A closed position that covers a front surface of a photographing lens when an externally operable barrier operating member is moved to a non-use position, and an open position that exposes the photographing lens when the barrier operating member is moved to a photographing position. Between the lens barrier that can be moved between and, and the ON position that is provided so that it can be operated externally and that activates the charging circuit of the strobe device built into the camera body, and the OFF position that stops the operation of the charging circuit. A flash built-in camera having a charging switch and moving the charging switch from an ON position to an OFF position in association with movement of the barrier operating member from a photographing position to a non-use position. The moving path is arcuate so as to surround the photographing optical axis, and the moving path of the charging switch is arcuate so as to intersect with the moving path of the barrier operating member. In addition, a part of the barrier operating member enters the movement path of the charging switch to return the charging switch to the OFF position and prevents the subsequent movement to the ON position when in the non-use position. Built-in flash camera. 2. The built-in flash type camera according to claim 1, wherein the barrier operating member, the charging switch, and the lens barrier are attached to the inner wall of the front surface of the outer cover. 3. A barrier interlocking member that rotatably attaches to a front inner wall of the outer cover, the barrier interlocking member opening and closing the lens barrier by rotating around the optical axis of the photographing in conjunction with the movement operation of the barrier operating member. 3. The strobe built-in type according to claim 2, wherein the barrier interlocking member is provided with a member for entering the operation path of the shutter button, which is provided on the outer cover so as to be able to be externally operated at the use position, and prohibiting the shutter release operation. camera.