JP2003274232A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera which has a lens part having a photographing lens and an object lens of an optical finder which pops up from the camera body smoothly by the minimum number of coil springs while maintaining a parallel state. <P>SOLUTION: The lens part 20, which has the photographing lens 22 and the object lens 24 of the optical finder, is popped up from the camera body by three coil springs 81, 82 and 83. As the photographing lens 22 is round, the coil spring 83 with a large diameter is placed so as to encircle around an optical path from the lens 22 to an image sensor. On the other hand, as the object lens 24 and an eyepiece 26 are rectangular, the coil springs 82 and 83 are placed on the corners of the object lens 24 in the opposite of the lens 22. These three coil springs 81, 82 and 83 balance the added force against the lens part 20. <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 camera, and more particularly to a card type digital camera having a photographing lens that pops up.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a card type digital camera,
A PC card having a size has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-248029).

In this card type digital camera, a lens portion for holding a photographing lens is freely retractable in the camera body, and is popped up from the camera body at the time of photographing so as to secure the optical path length between the photographing lens and the image pickup device. Also,
When not in use, the lens part is stored in the camera body to make the entire camera into a card shape, so that it can be stored in a pocket or the like without being bulky.

Further, the lens portion holds only the taking lens and is constructed so as to pop up by the biasing force of the plurality of coil springs.

[0005]

By the way, in order to satisfactorily pop up the lens portion, it is necessary to provide a plurality of coil springs so that the urging force acts evenly on the lens portion in the pop-up direction.

In particular, when an objective lens of an optical finder is arranged in parallel with the lens portion, it is necessary to pop up the lens portion while maintaining the parallel state of the lens portion holding the taking lens and the objective lens, and the coil spring is used. It is necessary to consider the number and arrangement of.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the lens unit holding the taking lens and the objective lens of the optical viewfinder is kept from being parallel to the camera body by a minimum number of coil springs. An object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera that can be satisfactorily popped up and can minimize the installation space of a coil spring.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 holds a camera body provided with an image pickup device and an eyepiece of an optical viewfinder, and a taking lens and an objective lens of the optical viewfinder. Lens part to
In a digital camera having a pop-up mechanism for retracting the lens unit from the camera body, first, second, and third coil springs for pushing up the lens unit are provided between the camera body and the lens unit. The first coil spring is arranged so as to surround the optical path from the photographing lens to the image pickup element, and the second and third coil springs are provided in a corner portion of the lens unit opposite to the photographing lens. The feature is that they are arranged respectively.

That is, the lens portion holding the taking lens and the objective lens of the optical finder is made to pop up by the three coil springs (the first, second and third coil springs). Since the taking lens has a circular shape, one coil spring (first coil spring) is arranged so as to surround the optical path from the taking lens to the image pickup element. On the other hand, since the objective lens and the eyepiece lens of the optical finder are rectangular, two coil springs (second and third coil springs) are arranged at the corners of the lens section on the side opposite to the photographing lens. There is. The three coil springs are arranged to balance the urging force in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the lens portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power switch which is turned on / off in conjunction with the retracting / retracting operation of the lens portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the power switch is a leaf switch which is turned on / off by the lower end surface of the lens portion, and the urging forces of the second and third coil springs are different from each other, and the leaf switch is different. It is characterized in that the biasing force of the coil spring on the same side is weaker than the biasing force of the coil spring on the opposite side.

That is, in consideration of the urging force of the leaf switch, the urging forces of the second and third coil springs are differentiated to balance the urging force of the lens portion when the lens portion pops up. .

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a digital camera according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4 are a front view, a rear view, a right side view and a left side view showing the appearance of a digital camera according to the present invention.

The digital camera 10 shown in these drawings
Is a card-type digital camera having a thickness of 6 mm and having a business card size, and includes a camera body 12 and a lens unit 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the front surface of the camera body 12, a lens unit 20 for holding a taking lens 22 and an objective lens 24 of an optical finder (inverse Galerio viewfinder) is provided.
Is provided so that it can appear and disappear freely.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the rear surface of the camera body 12, the eyepiece lens 26 of the optical finder and the liquid crystal display section 3 are provided.
0, an image quality switching / image erasing button 32, and a beep sound ON / OFF button 34 are provided. The LCD display 30 shows the number of shots and the image quality (640 x 480 pixels / 320 x 240 pixels).
Pixel), remaining battery level, beep sound, etc. are displayed.

As shown in FIG. 3, a lens pop-up switch 40 for popping up the lens portion 20 is provided on the right side surface (side surface opposite to the grip) of the camera body 12.
And a digital (USB) is provided on the left side surface (side surface on the grip side) of the camera body 12 as shown in FIG.
A terminal 42 and a strap attachment part 44 are provided. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a shutter button 50 is provided on the upper surface of the camera body 12.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the digital camera 10 as seen from the front, showing the lens unit 20 in a pop-up state.

The exterior body of the digital camera 10 is formed by a front cover 60 and a rear cover 62 made of metal (aluminum).

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the inside of the front cover 60. As shown in the figure, the front cover 60 includes a lens portion 2
An opening 60A is formed so that 0 appears and disappears.
A light shielding rubber 64 is attached around 0A. The opening 64A of the light shielding rubber 64 is formed slightly smaller than the opening 60A formed in the front cover 60,
As will be described later, the outer peripheral surface of the lens portion 20 is always in elastic contact with the outer peripheral surface. Further, in FIGS. 1 and 6, reference numeral 60B is an unevenness which becomes a finger catch when gripping.

Next, the internal structure of the digital camera 10 will be described.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the camera body with the front cover 60 and the lens portion 20 removed from the digital camera 10, and FIG. 8 is the lens portion 20 and the lens portion 2.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the camera body side where 0 is freely retractable and attached, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the lens part 20 seen from the inside.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an image pickup device (CMOS image sensor) 72 and an eyepiece lens 26 of an optical finder are attached to a plastic main frame portion 70. Further, the main frame portion 70 is formed with a light shielding wall 70A that surrounds the periphery of the CMOS image sensor 72 in the front direction.
As shown in FIG. 8, an inner rubber 74 made of a light shielding member is loaded inside.

As shown in FIG. 8, the inner rubber 74 has a flange portion 74A formed on the upper surface thereof, and an opening 74B facing the CMOS image sensor 72 formed in the central portion. The flange portion 74A is formed to be slightly larger than the outer circumference of the light shielding wall 70A, and is always in elastic contact with the inner peripheral surface of the lens portion 20.

In the main frame portion 70, as shown in FIG. 7, the CMOS image sensor 72 side and the eyepiece lens 26 are provided.
The light shielding wall 70B that separates the side is integrally formed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, light shielding walls 20A and 20B for partitioning the taking lens 22 and the objective lens 24 of the optical finder are integrally formed of plastic inside the lens portion 20. These shading walls 20A,
20B is the light-shielding wall 7 of the main frame portion 70 on the camera body side.
It is located between 0A and 70B, and the light-shielding walls of both of them prevent light from the optical finder from entering the CMOS image sensor 72.

Next, a pop-up mechanism for popping up the lens section 20 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the lens portion 20
Three coil springs 81, 82, and 83 are arranged between the main frame portion 70 on the camera body side and the main frame portion 70. The coil spring 81 surrounds the optical path from the taking lens 22 to the CMOS image sensor 72 so as to surround the inner rubber 7.
The coil springs 82 and 83 are disposed inside the opening 74B of the lens unit 2 on the side opposite to the coil spring 81.
It is located at the corner of 0.

The reason for using three pop-up coil springs is that a uniform biasing force is applied to the lens portion 20 (so that the vertical, horizontal, and biasing forces on the lens portion 20 can be balanced). This is because the minimum number has been set. Further, one coil spring 81 is arranged on the photographing lens 22 side, and two coil springs 81 and 82 are arranged on the optical finder side because the photographing lens 22 is circular and the objective lens 24 and the eyepiece lens of the optical finder are arranged. This is because three coil springs are efficiently arranged in consideration of the rectangular shape.

By the way, the main frame portion 7 on the camera body side
ON / OFF in 0 by the lower end surface of the lens unit 20.
A leaf switch 84 as a power switch is arranged. The leaf switch 84 is used for the lens unit 20.
Acts to urge in the direction of pushing up. Therefore,
Of the two coil springs 82 and 83, the coil spring 82 on the leaf switch 84 side is a coil spring weaker than the coil spring 83 by the biasing force of the leaf switch 84.

Further, the lens portion 20 is formed with three guide portions 21A, 21B and 21C, and the main frame portion 70 is provided with three guides which also function as stoppers corresponding to these guide portions 21A, 21B and 21C. Parts 71A, 71B, 7
1C is formed, and the lens portion 20 is guided by these guide portions so as to be movable in the direction in which the lens portion 20 appears and disappears with respect to the camera body.

Next, three coil springs 81, 82, 83
The lens portion 20 is urged in the protruding direction by the
A lock mechanism that locks the camera while being housed in the camera body will be described.

In FIG. 7, when the lens pop-up switch 40 is slid in the direction of arrow A, the locking rod 41 having a tapered tip portion can be moved in the direction of arrow B.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, a slide member 43 to which the lens pop-up switch 40 is fitted is provided on the side of the camera body so as to be vertically movable in FIG. The slide member 43 is urged upward by a spring 45 provided at the lower end. The slide member 43 has a taper portion, and the taper portion engages with the taper portion formed at the base end portion of the locking rod 41. The locking rod 41 is disposed on the side of the camera body so as to be movable in the left-right direction in FIG. 10, and is biased to the left by a spring 47.

Therefore, the lens pop-up switch 40
10 is slid in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 10, the slide member 43 also moves in the direction of arrow A accordingly. When the slide member 43 moves in the arrow A direction, the taper portion formed on the slide member 43 causes the locking rod 41 to move in the arrow B direction against the biasing force of the spring 47. The lens pop-up switch 40 (slide member 43) can be returned to the position shown in FIG. 10 by the spring 45 when not operated.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, inside the lens portion 20, there is formed a hook portion 21D which engages with the tip portion of the locking rod 41. The hook portion 21D has a contact surface that comes into contact with the tip end portion of the locking rod 41 when the lens portion 20 is pressed down, and is formed in a tapered shape, and overhangs (not shown).

By the lock mechanism having the above structure, the lens unit 2
When 0 is pushed down against the biasing force of the coil springs 81, 82, 83, the locking rod 41 is moved (retracted) in the direction of arrow B by the tapered surface of the hook portion 21D of the lens portion 20, and then the hook portion When retreating beyond the 21D taper surface, the overhanging hook 2
It enters into 1D and engages with the hook part 21D. As a result, the lens unit 20 is locked while being housed in the camera body.

When the lens section 20 is popped up, the lens pop-up switch 40 is slid. As a result, the locking rod 41 retracts, the engagement with the hook portion 21D of the lens portion 20 is released (the lock is released), and the lens portion 20 is shown in FIG. 5 by the biasing force of the coil springs 81, 82, and 83. Pops up like

As shown in FIG. 7, a leaf switch 84 as a power switch that is turned on / off by the lower end surface of the lens unit 20 is provided near the position where the lens unit 20 is locked, so that the camera body Even if the lower end portion or the upper end portion of the lens portion 20 housed inside is pressed, the lower end surface of the lens portion 20 pressing the leaf switch 84 does not lift, which prevents the power supply from being turned on carelessly. To prevent.

The main frame portion 7 of the camera body shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the circuit board 86 is attached to 0 by six screws 85.

In order to reinforce the strength of the circuit board 86, acrylic reinforcing plates 87 and 88 are attached to the front surface of the circuit board 86. A cutout portion 87A is formed in the reinforcing plate 87, and a buzzer 89 for generating a beep sound for notifying a camera start or the like is provided therein.

FIG. 11 shows the main frame portion 70 in the camera body.
9 is a perspective view of the circuit board 86 and the like as viewed from the back side. FIG.

As shown in the figure, the circuit board 86 has a U
An SB terminal 42, a sheet-shaped rechargeable battery 90, a flash memory 91 for storing image data, an image signal processing IC (not shown), a CPU for controlling the entire camera, and the like are mounted. Further, the liquid crystal display unit 30 is connected to the circuit board 86 by the flexible wiring pattern 92.

The image data stored in the flash memory 91 by the digital camera 10 is US
It is transferred to an external device such as a personal computer connected via the B terminal 42. In addition, the rechargeable battery 90 inside the USB terminal 4
It is automatically charged during the transfer of images through the two connections.

Next, the shutter button 50 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the key top of the shutter button 50 is provided on the upper surface of the camera body 12, and as shown in FIG. 11, the circuit board 86 is provided on the back side of the key top. A shutter switch 94 that is turned on / off by the pressing protrusion 50A (see FIG. 12) is provided.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11, a shutter support member 96 is attached to the circuit board 86.
The shutter support member 96 is attached to the circuit board 86 by two screws 97 and an adhesive as shown in FIG.

The shutter support member 96 is formed in a substantially L-shaped bracket shape as shown in FIG.
It has a shutter support surface 96A for supporting the shutter switch 94. The shutter switch 94 is
While being held on this shutter support surface 96A,
As shown in FIG. 7, it is electrically connected to the circuit board 86 by solder 95.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are sectional views showing the states of the shutter switch 94 before and during the depression of the shutter button 50, respectively.

This shutter switch 94 includes a dome-shaped metal disc spring 94A and a fixed contact 94 as shown in FIG.
It is composed of B and. When the shutter button 50 is pressed from the state before the shutter button 50 is pressed (switch OFF) shown in FIG. 12A, as shown in FIG. The metal disc spring 94A is deformed and comes into contact with the fixed contact 94B, and the switch is turned on.

The shutter support member 96 can properly receive the pressing force applied to the shutter switch 94 when the shutter button 50 is pressed, and the shutter switch 94 can withstand repeated operations of the shutter button 50. .

Further, since the shutter support member 96 of this embodiment has a substantially L-shaped bracket shape,
It also acts as a reinforcing member that reinforces the strength of the circuit board 86 in the horizontal and vertical directions.

The structure of the shutter switch 94 and the shape of the shutter support member 96 are not limited to those of this embodiment.

Next, the light shielding structure of the digital camera 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view including the lens unit 20 with the lens unit 20 housed in the camera body 12 and a partial cross section of the camera body 12, and FIG. 14 is the lens unit with the lens unit 20 popped up. 20 and camera body 12
FIG.

As shown in FIG. 14, in the main frame portion 70 on the camera body side, a light shielding wall 70A that surrounds the CMOS image sensor 72 in the front direction is divided into a CMOS image sensor 72 side and an eyepiece lens 26 side. Shading wall 70B
And a light-shielding wall 20A between the taking lens 22 and the objective lens 24 of the optical viewfinder,
20B is formed.

The light-shielding wall 20A and the light-shielding wall 70A, and the light-shielding wall 20B and the light-shielding wall 70B are slightly overlapped with each other when the lens portion 20 is popped up, as shown in FIG. Thereby, the light incident from the objective lens 24 and the eyepiece lens 26 of the optical viewfinder is
The light-shielding walls 20A and 70A and the light-shielding walls 20B and 70B shield light from entering the CMOS image sensor 72.

Shading walls 20A, 20 on the side of the lens section 20
B and the light-shielding walls 70A and 70B on the camera body side are slightly overlapped with each other because the lens portion 20 is thicker than the camera body.
This is to prevent the light-shielding walls from interfering with the storage of the lens unit 20 when the protrusion amount is maximized. The end faces of the light shielding walls 20A and 20B on the lens unit 20 side and the light shielding walls 70A and 70B on the camera body side may be flush with each other.

Next, the light shielding rubber 64 attached to the inside of the front cover 60 (see FIG. 6) and the inner rubber 7 loaded in the light shielding wall 70A of the CMOS image sensor 72.
The operation of No. 4 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, the opening 64A of the light shielding rubber 64 is formed slightly smaller than the opening 60A of the front cover 60 which is formed because the lens portion 20 of the front cover 60 appears and disappears. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the outer peripheral surface of the lens portion 20 is always elastically abutted. The light shielding rubber 64 can shield the gap between the lens portion 20 and the opening 60A of the front cover 60, and prevents light from entering the camera body. Further, the light shielding rubber 64 also has a dustproof function of preventing dust from entering the camera body.

On the other hand, the inner rubber 74 loaded in the light shielding wall 70A surrounding the CMOS image sensor 72 has a flange portion 74A formed on the upper surface and an opening 74B facing the CMOS image sensor 72 formed in the central portion. ing.

The flange portion 74A is formed to be slightly larger than the outer circumference of the light shielding wall 70A, and as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, is always in elastic contact with the inner peripheral surface of the lens portion 20. The inner rubber 74 prevents light entering the camera body from entering the CMOS image sensor 72.

In this embodiment, the light shielding wall 20A,
20B, 70A, 70B, the light shielding rubber 64, and the inner rubber 74 are combined to prevent unnecessary light from entering the CMOS image sensor 72. However, the invention is not limited to this, and each of them is used individually to perform light shielding measures. You may do it. Further, instead of the light-shielding rubber 64 and the inner rubber 74, a light-shielding member other than rubber may be used as long as it is a light-shielding member that does not hinder the pop-up operation of the lens unit 20. Further, the plastic members of the lens portion 20 and the main frame portion 70 are preferably made of black plastic in order to minimize the light transmittance, but metal plating may be applied.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention, an urging force for popping up the lens portion holding the taking lens and the objective lens of the optical finder from the camera body is applied to the lens portion by the three coil springs. On the other hand, one coil spring having a large diameter among the three coil springs can be uniformly applied in the pop-up direction, and one coil spring is arranged so as to surround the optical path from the photographing lens to the image sensor and the other two coil springs. By arranging the coil springs of the book at the corners of the lens part on the side opposite to the shooting lens,
The minimum number of coil springs can balance the upward, downward, leftward, and rightward biasing force with respect to the lens portion, and the installation space can be minimized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a digital camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the appearance of the digital camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a right side view showing the outer appearance of the digital camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a left side view showing the external appearance of a digital camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the digital camera with the lens portion popping up viewed from the front.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the inside of the front cover of the digital camera.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the camera body with a front cover and a lens portion removed from the digital camera.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of main parts of a lens unit and a camera body side.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the lens portion as viewed from the inside.

FIG. 10 is a diagram including a partial cross section used for explaining a locking mechanism of a lens unit.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the main frame portion, the circuit board, and the like in the camera body as seen from the back side.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the structure of a shutter switch.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view including a partial cross section of the lens body and the camera body when the lens body is housed in the camera body.

FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lens unit and the camera body with the lens unit popping up.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Digital camera, 12 ... Camera body, 20 ... Lens part, 20A, 20B, 70A, 70B ... Shading wall, 22
… Shooting lens, 24… Objective lens, 26… Eyepiece,
40 ... Lens pop-up switch, 50 ... Shutter button, 60 ... Front cover, 62 ... Rear cover, 64 ... Light shielding rubber, 64A ... Opening, 70 ... Main frame part, 74 ...
Inner rubber, 81, 82, 83 ... Coil spring, 84
… Power switch (leaf switch), 86… Circuit board,
94 ... Shutter switch, 96 ... Shutter support member

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (71) Applicant 000005201             Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.             210 Nakanuma, Minamiashigara City, Kanagawa Prefecture (72) Inventor Chan Raymond             Block C, 9 / F, Kaiser Este             Tote, Phase 1, 41 Man Yu             Street, hong ham, kowloon, hong             Conidity Data System             Within the limited (72) Inventor Nobuaki Higashi             Fujifu, 2-17-5, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo             Within Ilum Axia Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mikihiko Kato             2-26-30 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Fuji Photo             Shin Film Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5C022 AA13 AC42 AC51 AC77 AC78

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A camera body provided with an imaging device and an eyepiece of an optical viewfinder, a lens section for holding a taking lens and an objective lens of the optical viewfinder, and a pop-up mechanism for retracting the lens section from the camera body. A first digital camera having a first coil spring, a second coil coil spring, and a third coil spring for pushing up the lens unit between the camera body and the lens unit. The second and third coil springs are arranged so as to surround the circumference of the optical path up to, and the second and third coil springs are respectively arranged at the corners of the lens section on the side opposite to the photographing lens. 2. It is turned on in association with the retracting operation of the lens unit.
The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising a power switch for turning on / off. 3. The power switch is a leaf switch that is turned on / off by a lower end surface of the lens portion, and the biasing forces of the second and third coil springs are different from each other and are on the same side as the leaf switch. 3. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the biasing force of the coil spring is made weaker than the biasing force of the coil spring on the opposite side.