JP2003244492A - Digital still camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an elastic support member from being protruded forwards on an optical path rather than an optical member. <P>SOLUTION: In the digital still camera equipped with an imaging device 10 for receiving photographic light flux and applying a photoelectric conversion thereto, an optical member 30 provided within the photographic optical path and an elastic supporting member 40 for integrally supporting the optical member 30 and the imaging device 10 on a fixed part 50, the elastic support member 40 has a pusher part 41b for crimping and pressing the optical member 30 and the imaging device 10 with the fixed part 50 and an elastic deforming part 42 expanded from the pusher part 41b in the direction orthogonal to a photographic optical axis and fixed on the fixed part while being elastically deformed for making the pusher push. <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 digital still camera in which an image pickup device and an optical member are integrally elastically supported by a fixed portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a digital still camera, the light transmitted through a photographing lens is received by an image pickup device such as a CCD, an output signal of the image pickup device is subjected to predetermined processing, and then recorded as image data in a memory card. In some digital still cameras of this type, an optical low-pass filter is arranged in front of the optical path of the image pickup device, and the low-pass filter and the image pickup device are integrally supported by a fixed portion by an elastic support member.

[0003]

In the support structure using the elastic support member as described above, the supported body is sandwiched between the fixed portion and the elastically deformable portion of the elastic support member, and is integrally attached to the elastically deformable portion. It is common to fix the part to the fixed part. As a result, the supported body is supported while being pressed against the fixed portion side by the elastic force of the elastically deformable portion. This structure is also used for supporting a conventional low-pass filter and image sensor. However, in order to exert the elastic force, the elastically deforming portion has to have unevenness in the pressing direction, so in the above structure, a part of the elastically deforming portion is projected more toward the front of the optical path than the low-pass filter, resulting in a narrow space. There was a problem that it was difficult to place it.

An object of the present invention is to provide a digital still camera in which the elastic support member does not project further forward than the optical member in the optical path in a structure in which the image pickup device and the optical member are supported by the elastic support member. is there.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises an optical member provided in a photographing optical path and an image pickup device for receiving a light beam passing through the optical member and photoelectrically converting the light flux, and the image pickup device and the optical member are elastic. It is applied to a digital still camera in which a fixed member is integrally supported by a supporting member. The elastic support member is pressed against the fixed part to sandwich and press the optical member and the image pickup device, and the elastic support member is projected from the pressing part in a direction orthogonal to the photographing optical axis and elastically deformed to fix the fixed part. It has an elastically deformable portion that applies a pressing force to the pressing portion by being fixed to the portion, and this configuration solves the above problems. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the elastically deformable portion is composed of a plurality of cantilever type leaf springs, and the free end of the leaf spring is fixed to the fixed portion. According to a third aspect of the present invention, a pair of leaf springs projecting from the pressing portion in a first direction orthogonal to the photographing optical axis and arranged so that the end surfaces of the free ends face each other, and the pressing portion may have the first surface. A pair of leaf springs projecting in a second direction opposite to the above direction and arranged so that the end faces of the free ends face each other. In the invention of claim 4, the pressing portion has a positioning portion for positioning the optical member with respect to the elastic support member in a direction orthogonal to the photographing optical axis. The invention of claim 5 uses an optical low-pass filter as an optical member. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the elastically deformable portion is constituted by a leaf spring whose both ends are supported by the pressing portion, and the central portion of the leaf spring is fixed to the fixing portion.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a single-lens reflex type digital still camera will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side view of a digital still camera according to the present invention. The photographing light flux that has been guided through the lens barrel (not shown) into the camera body is reflected upward by the main mirror 1 and observed through the finder optical system 2. A focus detection unit 3 receives the light flux transmitted through the main mirror 1 and reflected by the sub mirror 4 to perform focus detection. At the time of shooting, the mirror 1 is flipped up, the shutter 5 is opened and closed, and the shooting light flux is transferred to the imaging unit UN.
Be led to.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the image pickup unit UN. The image pickup unit UN is a CCD as an image pickup device.
It has a mask member 20 for blocking harmful light, and an optical low-pass filter (hereinafter simply referred to as a low-pass filter) 30 for cutting high frequency components. The photographing light flux that has passed through the opening of the shutter 5 passes through the central thick portion 31 of the low-pass filter 30, and of the transmitted light, the light that has passed through the opening 21 of the mask member 20 is the CCD 10.
The light is received by the light receiving surface 11 of and is converted into an analog image signal. The analog image signal is converted into a digital signal, subjected to predetermined image processing, and then recorded as image data in a memory card (not shown).

The CCD 10, the mask member 20, and the low-pass filter 30 are integrally supported by a base (fixed portion) 50 via an elastic support member 40. The details of the support structure will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the elastic support member 40 is composed of a substantially rectangular frame portion 41 and an elastic deformation portion 42 integrated with the frame portion 41. The opening 41 is provided in the frame portion 41.
a is formed, and the illustrated left and right portions 41b of the opening 41a form a pressing portion that presses the thin portion 32 of the low-pass filter 30. The low-pass filter 30 is provided on the outer edge of the pressing portion 41b.
Is provided in the longitudinal direction, and a positioning portion 41d for positioning the low pass filter 30 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is formed at the upper and lower inner edges of the opening 41a.

The elastically deforming portion 42 is composed of a total of four cantilever type leaf springs 42a, which are a pair of upper and lower portions which are extended from each corner of the frame portion 41 in a direction orthogonal to the photographing optical axis. These four leaf springs 42a are formed at the tips of the legs 41e projecting from the frame portion 41 in the optical axis direction, and are therefore closer to the base 50 than the frame portion 41. The pair of upper and lower leaf springs 42a extend in directions facing each other along the longitudinal direction of the frame portion 41 and gradually rise toward the frame portion 41 side as shown in FIG. Face each other. A screw through hole 42b is formed at each free end. On the other hand, the base 50 has three support protrusions 51 for supporting the CCD 10 and the through holes 42 of the leaf spring 42a.
Four screw holes 52 corresponding to b are formed.

5 to 8 show a state in which the image pickup unit UN is assembled. When assembling, first, the CCD 10 and the mask member 2 are provided between the base 50 and the elastic supporting member 40.
0, the low-pass filter 30 is sandwiched. At that time, the low-pass filter 30 includes a pair of positioning portions 41 formed on the frame portion 41 of the elastic support member 40 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8.
Positioning is performed by the c and 41d in the longitudinal direction and the direction orthogonal thereto (the direction orthogonal to the photographing optical axis). The pair of pressing portions 41b of the frame portion 41 are in surface contact with the pair of thin portions 32 of the low-pass filter 30, and the thick portion 3 at the center.
1 is located in the opening 41a.

In this state, the screw through hole 42 of the leaf spring 42a is
After the screw BS is passed through b, the screw BS is screwed into the screw holes 52 of the base 50 to be fixed. By screwing the screw BS, each leaf spring 42a elastically deforms from the solid line state in FIG. 4 to the two-dot chain line state, and applies a pressing force in the base direction to the frame portion 41. As a result, the pressing portion 41b presses the thin portion 32 of the low-pass filter 30 toward the base 50 side, and as shown in FIG. 8, the tip bulge portion of the positioning portion 41d presses the mask member 20 toward the base 50 side. Therefore, the low-pass filter 30, the mask member 20 and the C
The CD 10 is supported while being pressed by the base 50.
The back surface of the CCD 10 (the surface opposite to the light receiving surface 11)
Are supported by three support protrusions 51 protruding from the base 50.

Here, the frame portion 41 includes a positioning portion 41c,
By forming 41d, the rigidity is higher than that of the elastically deforming portion 42 (the leaf spring 42a), and the elastic deformation portion 42 is less likely to be deformed. Therefore, absorption of the pressing force applied from the elastically deforming portion 42 is suppressed, and the three members 10 to 30 are It can be firmly supported. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent rattling and displacement of the members 10 to 30.

According to the above supporting structure,
Since the elastic deformation portion 42 does not project forward of the low-pass filter 30 in the optical path, the image pickup unit UN can be arranged in a relatively narrow space. In particular, in a single-lens reflex type camera as in this embodiment, parts of a conventional silver salt camera are often diverted in order to reduce costs, but since the silver salt camera does not assume a low-pass filter, the exposure surface The gap between the (film surface) and the shutter is designed to be relatively small. Therefore, in the configuration in which the elastic support member projects toward the front of the optical path, there is a possibility that the image pickup unit UN cannot be arranged at the regular position. According to the support structure of the present embodiment, since the elastic support member does not project to the front of the optical path, the imaging unit UN can be arranged in the narrow space with a relatively large margin, and the parts of the silver halide camera can be diverted. Becomes

In the above description, the partial elastic deformation portion 42 is provided at the upper and lower positions in FIG. 3, but it may be provided at the left and right positions or other positions depending on the structure of the base. Further, the number and shape of the leaf springs are not limited to those in the embodiment. For example, the structure may be such that both ends of the leaf spring are supported by the pressing portion and the central portion of the leaf spring is fixed to the base. In this case, the number of component parts can be further reduced. The image sensor is also C
The element is not limited to the CD, and may be a C-MOS or other element. Further, the optical member arranged in front of the optical path of the image sensor is not limited to the optical low pass filter or the mask member, and may be, for example, a protective cover of the image sensor or other optical members.

Further, the description has been made on the single-lens reflex type digital still camera, but other digital still cameras may be used. In short, if the arrangement space of the optical member arranged in front of the optical path of the image pickup device is relatively narrow, the advantage of applying the support structure according to the present invention is great.

[0017]

According to the present invention, the optical member and the image pickup element are sandwiched between the pressing portion and the fixing portion of the elastic supporting member, and the elastic deformation is projected from the pressing portion in the direction orthogonal to the photographing optical axis. Since the pressing force is applied to the pressing part by fixing the part to the fixing part in a state where it is elastically deformed, the elastically deforming part does not project to the front of the optical path of the optical member in the supported state, and can be moved to a narrow space. Is easy to arrange.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a digital still camera according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an image pickup unit of a digital camera.

FIG. 3 is a view of an elastic support member as seen from the front of the optical path.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view seen from the IV direction in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the image pickup unit viewed from the front of the optical path.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram viewed from the line VII-VII in FIG.

8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 CCD 11 Light receiving surface 20 Mask member 21 opening 30 Optical low-pass filter 40 Elastic support member 41 frame 41b pressing part 41c, 41d Positioning part 42 Elastic deformation part 42a leaf spring 50 base 51 support protrusion 52 screw holes BS screw UN Imaging unit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An optical member provided in a photographing optical path, and an image pickup device for receiving a light beam that has passed through the optical member and performing photoelectric conversion, wherein the image pickup device and the optical member are fixed to a fixed portion by an elastic supporting member. In the digital still camera integrally supported, the elastic supporting member includes a pressing portion that clamps and presses the optical member and the image pickup device between the fixing portion, and the elastic supporting member that is stretched from the pressing portion in a direction orthogonal to a photographing optical axis. A digital still camera, comprising: an elastically deformable portion that applies a pressing force to the pressing portion by being fixed to the fixing portion in a state of being elastically deformed. 2. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein the elastically deformable portion is composed of a plurality of cantilever type leaf springs, and a free end of the leaf springs is fixed to the fixing portion. . 3. A pair of leaf springs, wherein the plurality of leaf springs project from the pressing portion in a first direction orthogonal to the photographing optical axis, and are arranged so that end surfaces of the free ends face each other. And a second direction that is opposite to the first direction from the pressing portion.
3. The digital still camera according to claim 2, further comprising a pair of leaf springs projecting in the direction of, and arranged so that the end surfaces of the free ends face each other. 4. The pressing section has a positioning section for positioning the optical member with respect to the elastic supporting member in a direction orthogonal to the photographing optical axis. 3. The digital still camera according to any one of 3 above. 5. The digital still camera according to claim 1, wherein the optical member includes an optical low pass filter. 6. The elastically deformable portion is composed of a leaf spring whose both ends are supported by the pressing portion, and a central portion of the leaf spring is fixed to the fixing portion. Digital still camera.