JP2004212884A - Lens barrel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lens barrel capable of obtaining smoothness and high-class feeling in manual operation by making the rotational torque of a focus ring stable. <P>SOLUTION: The focus ring is constituted of a ring main body 41, a focus ring gear 43, and artificial suede 44 coated with silicone oil. The suede 44 is stuck to the gear 43 with an adhesive or the like. The gear 43 is fixed on the main body 41 by a screw 47 and rotates integrally with the main body 41 when the focus ring is operated to be turned. The suede 44 is always set to abut on the inner peripheral surface of a cover barrel 15. When the focus ring is operated to be turned, frictional resistance is generated by the sliding of the suede 44 and the inner peripheral surface of the cover barrel 15 in contact with each other, so that the rotational torque of the focus ring is adjusted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lens barrel capable of moving a movable barrel in an optical axis direction by manual operation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Some conventional lens barrels have two operation mechanisms, automatic and manual, and can selectively perform focus adjustment. In such a lens barrel, when performing automatic focus adjustment, the drive of the motor for automatic focusing is transmitted to the lens moving means by gear connection or the like. Further, when performing manual focus adjustment, a manual focus operation is performed by rotating a manual operation ring such as a focus ring.
[0003]
In such a lens barrel, if the rotational load of the manual operation ring is too light, it is not preferable because the manual operation at the time of performing the focus adjustment using the manual operation ring does not have a solid feeling. For this reason, it is known that by applying frictional resistance to the rotation of the manual operation ring by a friction material such as a leaf spring or rubber, a good operational feeling can be obtained by applying an appropriate load to the rotation operation of the manual operation ring. (For example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Patent No. 2561921 [0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described configuration of the lens barrel, frictional resistance is added to the rotation of the manually operated ring by a leaf spring, rubber, or the like. It was difficult to feel smoothness and luxury in the rotation operation. In addition, when frictional resistance is applied using a leaf spring, rubber, or the like, there is a problem that it is difficult to control the rotational torque of the manually operated ring during mass production.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide a lens barrel which stabilizes the rotational torque of a manual operation ring and has smoothness and a high-class feeling in manual operation.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, a lens barrel according to the present invention includes a fixed barrel, a manually operated ring rotatably supported by the fixed barrel, and a lens that holds the lens and interlocks with the rotation of the manually operated ring. In a lens barrel having a movable barrel that moves in the optical axis direction, an artificial suede is fixed to a manually operated ring so as to slide on a fixed barrel or an annular member integrally fixed to the fixed barrel, and the fixed barrel or the annular The amount of force when rotating the manually operated ring is adjusted by friction between the member and the artificial suede. Further, an artificial suede is fixed to the fixed cylinder or an annular member integrally fixed to the fixed cylinder so as to be in sliding contact with the manual operation ring, and the manual operation ring is rotated by friction between the manual operation ring and the artificial suede. You may adjust the amount of force when doing.
[0008]
The lens barrel of the present invention includes a manual operation ring rotatably supported by a fixed cylinder, a drive cylinder rotatably supported by the fixed cylinder and rotating in conjunction with the rotation operation of the manual operation ring, A moving cylinder that moves in the optical axis direction in conjunction with the rotation of the motor; and a motor drive ring that rotates by driving a motor rotatably supported by the fixed cylinder to rotate the drive cylinder. A lens barrel in which one of the rings is stopped and the other is rotated so that the drive cylinder is selectively rotated by one of a manual operation ring and a motor drive ring. The artificial suede is fixed so as to be in sliding contact with the annular member fixed integrally to the cylinder or the fixed cylinder, and is driven by rotating the manually operated ring to overcome the friction between the fixed cylinder or the annular member and the artificial suede Ring Is rolling, when rotating the drive cylinder by a motor drive ring includes a fixed cylinder or annular member, it is characterized in that the rotation of the manual operation ring by friction with artificial suede has to be prohibited. In addition, an artificial suede is fixed to the fixed cylinder or an annular member integrally fixed to the fixed cylinder so as to be in sliding contact with the manually operated ring, and the friction between the manually operated ring and the artificial suede is overcome to rotate the manually operated ring. When the drive ring is rotated by the operation and the drive cylinder is rotated by the motor drive ring, the rotation of the manually operated ring may be prohibited by friction between the manually operated ring and the artificial suede.
[0009]
Further, the above-mentioned artificial suede is characterized by impregnating oil for adjusting frictional force.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a lens barrel 10 of the present invention. The lens barrel 10 includes a movable barrel 12 that holds the lens 11, a fixed barrel 13 that is fixed to the camera body and holds the movable barrel 12 so as to be movable in the optical axis direction, and a focus ring 14 that is a manually operated ring. It comprises a cover barrel 15 and the like attached so as to cover the rear end of the fixed cylinder 13.
[0011]
The lens barrel 10 allows the movable barrel 12 to move back and forth along the optical axis between a retracted position (retracted position) shown in FIG. 1A and a extended position shown in FIG. Have been. The movement of the movable cylinder 13 in the optical axis direction is performed by two methods. The first method is performed by rotating the focus ring 14 by a photographer. The second method is performed by driving a motor of a lens driving unit provided in the fixed barrel 13.
[0012]
Next, the configuration of the lens barrel 10 will be described with reference to an exploded perspective view of FIG. A fixed barrel 13 is provided at the rear end of the lens barrel 10, and the fixed barrel 13 is fixed to the camera body. A lens drive unit (not shown) is provided on the back surface of the fixed barrel 13. The lens drive unit is driven by a motor, and an output gear 20 is exposed from an opening 19 at a rear end of the fixed barrel 13. The output gear 20 meshes with a gear 31 provided on the rear side of a motor drive ring 30 described later, and rotational driving force from the motor is transmitted to the gear 31 of the motor drive ring 30. A guide groove 21 for guiding the movable barrel 12 in the optical axis direction is provided on the outer periphery of the fixed barrel 13.
[0013]
The moving barrel 12 includes a moving barrel main body 24 that holds a lens 27 and a lens holder 25 that holds the lens 11. The lens holder 25 has a focus ring 14 described later attached to the lens barrel 10. After that, it is attached to the movable cylinder main body 24. A cam pin 26 is provided on the outer periphery of the rear end of the movable cylinder main body 24 and engages with the guide groove 21 described above. Thereby, the movement of the movable cylinder 12 in the optical axis direction is guided.
[0014]
The motor drive ring 30 is attached to the rear side of the fixed cylinder 13 so that the gear 31 formed on the rear inner side meshes with the output gear 20 of the lens drive unit as described above. A gear 32 is formed on the front side of the motor drive ring 30.
[0015]
On the cam cylinder 33, a planetary gear 34 meshing with the gear 32 on the front side of the motor drive ring 30 is rotatably supported on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The outer peripheral surface is engaged with the cam pin 26 described above. The cam groove 35 is formed so as to draw a spiral. The cam cylinder 33 is disposed in front of the motor drive ring 30 so that the cam groove 35 engages with the cam pin 26 of the moving cylinder main body 24 described above, and the planetary gear 34 meshes with the gear 32 of the motor drive ring 30. Is done. In the present embodiment, the cam cylinder 33 corresponds to a driving cylinder.
[0016]
An index ring 36 is attached to the cam cylinder 33 with a screw or the like so as to cover the cam cylinder 33 from the outside, and when the cam cylinder rotates, it rotates integrally with the cam cylinder. An index 37 is displayed on the outer peripheral surface of the index ring 36 and is observed by a photographer via a display window 38 provided on the outer periphery of the cover barrel 15.
[0017]
The focus ring 14 is disposed in front of the cam barrel 33. As shown in FIG. 3, the focus ring 14 includes a rubber cover 40, a ring main body 41, a focus ring gear 43 having a gear 42 formed on the back side, and an artificial suede 44 which is a friction material. I have.
[0018]
On the outer periphery of the focus ring gear 43, an artificial suede 44 is wound around a portion shown by oblique lines in the figure and is attached with an adhesive or the like. The artificial suede is artificial leather composed of ultra-fine fibers. As the artificial suede 44, for example, Exeine (registered trademark) is used. The artificial suede 44 is a friction material and contacts the inner peripheral surface of the cover barrel 15. When the focus ring 14 is rotated, the artificial suede 44 comes into sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cover barrel 15, and rotation resistance is generated due to friction. The frictional resistance of the artificial suede 44 is more stable than when a leaf spring or a rubber ring is used, and the rotational torque can be kept constant.
[0019]
Due to the frictional resistance of the artificial suede 44, the rotational torque increases when the focus ring 14 is rotated. However, the artificial suede 44 is coated with silicon oil, and the frictional resistance is further increased to increase the rotational torque. ing. Since the artificial suede 44 is made of ultrafine fibers, it has a high liquid holding property and the applied oil does not flow out even at high or low temperatures. Further, other oils may be used instead of the silicone oil.
[0020]
Furthermore, since the rotational resistance of the focus ring 14 is set to be larger than the rotational resistance of the cam barrel 33, the rotational torque of the focus ring 14 is larger than the rotational torque of the cam barrel 33. In addition, if the width of the artificial suede 44 is changed, the coefficient of friction is changed by increasing or decreasing the contact area with the inner peripheral surface of the cover barrel. Thereby, the operating torque can be changed by increasing or decreasing the rotational torque.
[0021]
A screw hole 45 is formed on the outer periphery in front of the focus ring gear 43, and an insertion hole 46 through which a screw is inserted is formed on the outer periphery on the rear side of the ring main body 41. A screw 47 is inserted through the insertion hole 46 and is screwed into the screw hole 45. Thus, the focus ring gear 43 is fixed to the ring main body 41.
[0022]
The leaf spring 49 is attached to the focus ring gear 43 at three places by screws 48. The leaf spring 49 is a friction material, and is urged so that the projection 50 provided on the upper surface always comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cover barrel 15. Thus, when the focus ring 14 rotates, the protrusion 50 slides on the inner peripheral surface to generate frictional resistance. The leaf spring 50 is attached as a preventive measure when the artificial suede as the friction material is deteriorated.
[0023]
Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the lens barrel 10. FIG. 4A shows the retracted state (retracted state) of the movable barrel 12, and FIG. 4B shows the extended state.
[0024]
First, the first method (operation using the focus ring) will be described. When the focus ring 14 is rotated by the photographer, the planetary gear 34 starts rotating because the planetary gear 34 is engaged with the gear 42 of the focus ring gear 43. On the other hand, the motor drive ring 30 in which the planetary gear 34 meshes on the opposite side (rear side) does not rotate because the rotational resistance is set to be larger than the cam cylinder 33 and the rotational torque is larger than the cam cylinder 33. Therefore, the planetary gear 34 rolls on the gear 32 and revolves while rotating. Since the planetary gear 34 is supported by the cam barrel 33, the cam barrel 33 rotates by the revolution of the planetary gear 34.
[0025]
The rotation of the cam barrel 33 causes the cam surface of the cam groove 35 to press the cam pin 26 of the movable barrel 12, so that the movable barrel 12 moves along the guide groove 21 of the fixed barrel 13 as shown in FIG. It moves in the optical axis direction between the position and the extended position shown in FIG.
[0026]
As described above, when the focus ring 14 is rotated by the photographer, the artificial suede 44 and the inner surface of the cover barrel 15 are in sliding contact with each other to generate frictional resistance, so that resistance is added to the rotational operation. In addition, since the projection 50 provided on the leaf spring 49 is also always in contact with the inner surface of the cover barrel, when the focus ring 14 is rotated, friction between the projection 50 and the cover barrel 15 is generated. Resistance occurs and adds resistance to the rotating operation.
[0027]
As a result, when the focus ring 14 is rotated, it does not rotate easily and lightly, but a resistance force is applied to the rotation, so that the rotational torque is increased, the operational feeling becomes heavy, and the solid feeling and luxury A feeling is obtained. Further, since the artificial suede 44 is coated with silicone oil, a unique moist feeling can be obtained for the rotating operation. Since the artificial suede 44 has higher durability than rubber and a leaf spring, the change in the friction coefficient due to deterioration is small, and thus the rotational torque is stable for a long period of time.
[0028]
Next, a second method for moving the movable barrel in the optical axis direction by the lens driving unit will be described.
[0029]
The output gear 20 of the lens driving unit meshes with a gear 31 provided on the rear side of the motor driving ring 30, and the rotational driving force from the motor is transmitted to the gear 31 of the motor driving ring 30, and the motor driving ring 30 is rotated. 30 is rotated. Since the gear 32 formed on the front side of the motor drive ring 30 meshes with the planetary gear 34, the planetary gear 34 starts rotating. The planetary gear 34 is rotatably supported by the cam barrel 33, and the rotational torque of the focus ring 14 is larger than the rotational torque of the cam barrel 33. Therefore, the focus ring 14 does not rotate. The planetary gear 34 starts to revolve while rotating on the gear 42 of No. 14.
[0030]
Due to the revolution of the planetary gear 34, the cam barrel 33 that supports the planetary gear 34 also rotates. Accordingly, the moving barrel 12 moves between the retracted position in FIG. 4A and the extended position in FIG. 4B as in the case of the manual operation of the focus ring 14.
[0031]
In this embodiment, as the friction material, a leaf spring is used together with the artificial suede, but the leaf spring may not be used. Although the artificial suede contains silicone oil, the present invention is not limited to this, and other oils may be contained.
[0032]
Further, in this embodiment, the artificial suede is fixed to the manually operated ring so as to be in sliding contact with the cover barrel which is an annular member integrally fixed to the fixed cylinder. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The artificial suede may be fixed to the manually operated ring so as to be in contact therewith.
[0033]
Further, in this embodiment, the artificial suede is fixed to the manually operated ring. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The manually operated ring and the sliding member are integrally fixed to the fixed cylinder or the fixed cylinder. An artificial suede may be fixed so as to be in contact therewith.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the focus lens barrel of the present invention is provided with an artificial suede as a friction material on a focus ring, which is a manually operated ring, and controls the rotation of the manually operated ring by the frictional force between the artificial suede and the cover barrel. As a result, the rotational torque of the manual operation ring has been increased, and the rotational resistance has been kept constant, so it is possible to feel a moderate load and enjoy good manual operation, and it is possible to enjoy a smooth and profound feeling during operation. And a sense of quality can be obtained.
[0035]
In addition, since the artificial suede has higher durability than rubber or a leaf spring, the change in the friction coefficient due to deterioration is small, and the rotational torque is kept constant for a long period of time, so that the quality is less deteriorated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a focus lens barrel in which a lens barrel according to the present invention is implemented.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal configuration of a focus lens barrel.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a focus ring.
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a focus lens barrel.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 lens barrel 11, 27 lens 12 moving barrel 13 fixed barrel 14 focus ring 15 cover barrel 30 motor drive ring 33 cam barrel 41 ring body 42 focus ring gear 44 artificial suede 48 leaf spring 50 projection

Claims (5)

A lens barrel including a fixed barrel, a manually operated ring rotatably supported by the fixed barrel, and a movable barrel that holds the lens and moves in the optical axis direction in conjunction with the rotation operation of the manually operated ring. ,
An artificial suede is fixed to the manual operation ring so as to be in sliding contact with the fixed cylinder or an annular member integrally fixed to the fixed cylinder, and the friction between the fixed cylinder or the annular member and the artificial suede A lens barrel characterized in that an amount of force when rotating the manual operation ring is adjusted. A lens barrel including a fixed barrel, a manually operated ring rotatably supported by the fixed barrel, and a movable barrel that holds the lens and moves in the optical axis direction in conjunction with the rotation operation of the manually operated ring. ,
An artificial suede is fixed to the fixed cylinder or an annular member integrally fixed to the fixed cylinder so as to be in sliding contact with the manual operation ring, and the manual operation ring is formed by friction between the manual operation ring and the artificial suede. A lens barrel characterized in that the amount of force when rotating the lens is adjusted. A manually operated ring rotatably supported by the fixed cylinder, a drive cylinder rotatably supported by the fixed cylinder and rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the manual operation ring, and an optical axis interlocked with the rotation of the drive cylinder A moving cylinder that moves in the direction, and a motor driving ring that rotates by driving a motor rotatably supported by the fixed cylinder to rotate the driving cylinder. One of the manually operated ring and the motor driving ring is stopped and the other is stopped. By rotating, in the lens barrel so that the drive cylinder is selectively rotated by one of a manual operation ring and a motor drive ring,
On the manual operation ring, an artificial suede is fixed so as to be in sliding contact with the fixed cylinder or an annular member integrally fixed to the fixed cylinder, and friction between the fixed cylinder or the annular member and the artificial suede is reduced. When the drive ring is rotated by overcoming and rotating the manual operation ring to rotate the drive cylinder with the motor drive ring, the friction between the fixed cylinder or the annular member and the artificial suede causes the friction. A lens barrel characterized in that rotation of a manually operated ring is prohibited. A manually operated ring rotatably supported by the fixed cylinder, a drive cylinder rotatably supported by the fixed cylinder and rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the manual operation ring, and an optical axis interlocked with the rotation of the drive cylinder A moving cylinder that moves in the direction, and a motor driving ring that rotates by driving a motor rotatably supported by the fixed cylinder to rotate the driving cylinder. One of the manually operated ring and the motor driving ring is stopped and the other is stopped. By rotating, in the lens barrel so that the drive cylinder is selectively rotated by one of a manual operation ring and a motor drive ring,
An artificial suede is fixed to the fixed cylinder or an annular member integrally fixed to the fixed cylinder so as to be in sliding contact with the manually operated ring, and the manual suede is overcome by overcoming friction between the manually operated ring and the artificial suede. When the drive ring is rotated by rotating the operation ring and the drive cylinder is rotated by the motor drive ring, the rotation of the manual operation ring is prohibited due to friction between the manual operation ring and the artificial suede. A lens barrel characterized in that the lens barrel is adapted to be operated. 5. The lens barrel according to claim 1, wherein said artificial suede is impregnated with oil for adjusting a frictional force.

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