JP2004325471A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera compact and excellent in portability and having operability in use at the same time. <P>SOLUTION: In the digital camera, a refractive photographic optical system 5 refracting the subject light L made incident from an incident port 6 provided on the front 8 of a body so as to form an image on an imaging device is mounted in a box type body 2 constituted by combining a plurality of main body members 3 and 4 to freely elongate and contract in a nest system so that its optical axis on the imaging device side after refraction may be parallel with the elongating and contracting direction of the body 2. The optical system 5 is constituted to be divided into a plurality of units 10a, 10b and 17a, and the respective units are housed in the body 2 so that their relative positions may be changed with the elongating and contracting movement of the members 3 and 4. The body 2 is elongated when the camera is used, so that the respective units 10a, 10b and 17a of the optical system 5 are moved to specified positions where photographing is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a digital camera using a bending photographing optical system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to reduce the size of a camera, digital cameras equipped with a refraction imaging optical system having a refraction unit for refracting subject light in the imaging optical system have been proposed (Patent Documents 1 and 3). Since a digital camera equipped with a refraction photographing optical system can bend the photographing optical system, the size of the camera body having a zoom lens can be reduced, and portability can be improved (Patent Document 2).
[0003]
Further, for example, there is a camera in which portability is given top priority and only a function necessary for photographing is provided by omitting a flash or a rear monitor.
[0004]
However, if the configuration is made extremely small, which emphasizes portability, operability may be impaired during use. In addition, there is a problem in that the battery capacity must be reduced by making the camera compact, which is disadvantageous for long-time operation and operations with large power consumption such as moving image shooting.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-220646
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-10-282560
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-11-205641
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Therefore, a technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a digital camera which is small, has excellent portability, and at the same time has operability when used.
[0007]
Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a digital camera which can solve the problem of power shortage while being a small camera.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention provides a digital camera having the following configuration to solve the above technical problem.
[0009]
In a digital camera, a plurality of body members are telescopically combined into a box-shaped body configured by telescopically refracting subject light incident from an entrance provided on the front surface of the body. A refraction photographing optical system for forming an image is mounted so that the optical axis on the image sensor side after refraction is parallel to the expansion and contraction direction of the body. The refraction photographing optical system is divided into a plurality of units, and each unit is mounted in the body so that a relative position between the units changes with expansion and contraction of the body member. Sometimes, when the body extends, each unit of the refraction photographing optical system moves to a predetermined position where photographing is possible.
[0010]
In the above-described configuration, the body of the digital camera is formed by combining a plurality of body members such as two or three in a nested manner, and is a closed box that is elastically combined. That is, two or three body members having at least one opened are slidably combined so as to close each other, and when contracted, a part of one body member is inserted deeply into the other body member. Although the dimensions of the body are configured to be small, the inserted main body member is exposed from the other main body member at the time of extension, so that the dimension increases in the extension direction. Have. Therefore, at the time of use, the body can be extended and its size can be increased, and the operability is not impaired.
[0011]
A refraction photographing optical system is mounted in the body. The refraction imaging optical system is different from the extension type imaging optical system that extends out to the front of the camera, and all components are stored in the body. The subject light incident from the entrance provided on the entire surface of the body is refracted and forms an image on the image sensor.
[0012]
The refraction photographing optical system is composed of a plurality of divided units. Therefore, each unit can be separated and stored in the body in a foldable state. Therefore, the size of the body at the time of contraction can be made smaller.
[0013]
Further, the refraction photographing optical system is mounted in the body such that each unit constituting the refraction photographing optical system moves to a predetermined photographable position by extending the body during use. . Therefore, during use, the refraction photographing optical system is arranged at an appropriate predetermined position as the body elongates, and the photographing operation can be performed.
[0014]
According to the above-described configuration, it is not necessary to use the refraction photographing optical system when not in use, so that the size of the body is reduced by reducing the size of the refraction photographing optical system, and the refraction photographing optical system is required. Occasionally, the operability can be enhanced by enlarging the body, and the refraction imaging optical system can be assembled in a state in which imaging can be performed in the enlarged body.
[0015]
The digital camera of the present invention can be specifically configured in various modes as described below.
[0016]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the refraction photographing optical system, the lens barrel is divided in a direction substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of a driving region in which a zoom lens is driven to form a plurality of units, and the divided mirror is The body is configured to be telescopic in a telescopic manner, and each unit expands and contracts with the expansion and contraction movement of the main body member, and drives the zoom lens in the optical axis direction in an extended portion formed when the lens barrel is extended. It is configured to
[0017]
In the above configuration, the lens barrel of the refraction imaging optical system is divided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis. The drive range in which the zoom lens is driven must have a predetermined length in order for the zoom lens to move between the tele position and the wide position. By combining the lens barrels in a telescopic manner, the lens barrels can be stored short.
[0018]
On the other hand, when the body is extended at the time of use, as the body is extended, the two lens barrels are relatively moved so as to extend in that direction, and the camera is assembled in a photographable state. The zoom lens is driven in a portion formed by extending the lens barrel.
[0019]
According to the above configuration, since the lens barrel is configured to extend along with the extension of the body, the body size during contraction can be reduced. Further, by dividing the lens barrel within the driving range of the zoom lens having a small number of blocks constituting the photographing optical system, the lens barrel can be configured more easily and can be housed more compactly.
[0020]
According to a third embodiment of the present invention, when the lens barrel is contracted, the zoom lens is arranged at a position outside the lens barrel deviating from the refracted image sensor-side optical axis, and the body extends. In such a case, it is configured to move into the lens barrel.
[0021]
According to the above configuration, since the zoom lens can be disposed outside the extension region of the lens barrel contracted in a telescopic manner, the lens barrel can be stored more compactly.
[0022]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the refraction imaging optical system is divided into a lens barrel and an image sensor unit to form a plurality of units, and the divided image sensor unit is an image sensor after the refraction. It is configured to be movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the side optical axis, and is configured such that when the body is extended, the imaging surface moves to a position coinciding with the image sensor side optical axis after the refraction.
[0023]
According to the above configuration, at the time of contraction of the body, the refraction photographing optical system is configured to be shorter by the length of the imaging device, and the body can be made more compact.
[0024]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a hollow area formed in the body other than the refraction photographing optical system due to the extension of the body is used as a battery storage room in which a spare battery can be mounted.
[0025]
According to the above configuration, a spare battery can be used as a power source by using the region formed at the time of extension. Therefore, even when the body is configured to be small and only a small battery is used, the battery can be used for a long time. Operations and operations with large power consumption such as moving image shooting.
[0026]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a digital camera according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0027]
FIG. 1 is an external configuration diagram of a digital camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The digital camera 1a is provided with an entrance 6 for receiving subject light at an upper right portion with respect to a front surface 8 of the body 2. The body 2 is composed of two members (a first member 3 and a second member 4).
[0028]
The first member 3 includes an insertion portion 3a that is slightly smaller to the right as viewed from the front of the digital camera 1a, and has a configuration in which the right end of the insertion portion is open. The second member 4 has substantially the same outer dimensions as the first member, and has an open left side. The first member 3 and the second member 4 form the body 2 having the hollow lumen by inserting the insertion portion 3a of the first member into the opening of the second member and nestingly combining them.
[0029]
Various blocks for realizing a function as a digital camera are built in the body 2. One of the blocks includes a photographing optical system for forming an image of the subject light incident from the entrance 6 and converting the image into an electric signal. The photographing optical system 5 is arranged at the upper end of the body in a horizontal direction in FIG. The photographing optical system is a refraction photographing optical system that refracts subject light incident from an entrance 6 provided at the upper right of the body in FIG. 1 to the left and forms an image on an image sensor 17 (see FIG. 2). is there.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 1B, the width of the body 2 can be increased by sliding the first member 3 and the second member 4 in use, as shown by an arrow 51, as shown in FIG. it can. That is, most of the insertion portion 3 a of the first member 3 inserted into the opening of the second member 4 is pulled out from the second member and is exposed on the surface of the body 2. At a position where the first member 3 and the second member 4 extend to the maximum, the first member 3 and the second member 4 are locked at this position by a not-shown locking mechanism.
[0031]
The entrance 6 provided on the front surface of the body 2 is closed by a lens barrier 7 when the body is in the housed state shown in FIG. The lens barrier 7 is configured to move inside the body 2 and open the entrance 6 when the body is in the extended state shown in FIG. Although the mechanism is not particularly limited, as described later, it is desirable to use a relative position change between the first member 3 and the second member 4 that occurs when the body 2 is extended.
[0032]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a refraction photographing optical system used in the digital camera of FIG. The refraction photographing optical system 5 includes an objective lens 12, a reflecting member 13 such as a prism and a mirror, a zoom lens group 14, a focus lens group 15, a shutter 16, a CCD 17, a low-pass filter for preventing moiré in a cylindrical lens barrel 10. 18 and the like are stored. The subject light L received from the entrance 11 passes through the objective lens 12, is reflected by the reflection member 13, and is bent downward by about 90 ° in FIG. The object light L after bending is formed on the imaging surface of the CCD 17 through the zoom lens group 14, the shutter 16, an aperture mechanism (not shown), the focus lens group 15, and the like.
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 2, the lens barrel 10 is divided into an upper member 10a and a lower member 10b at an intermediate portion thereof. The lens barrel of the lower member 10b has a small-diameter portion at its tip so that it can be nested with the upper member 10a. When the small-diameter portion of the lower member 10b is inserted deep into the upper member 10a, the dimension of the lens barrel 10 in the optical axis direction is shortened, and the small-diameter portion of the lower member 10b is inserted shallowly into the upper member 10a. If it is, the dimension of the lens barrel 10 in the optical axis direction becomes longer. When the upper member 10a and the lower member 10b have a predetermined positional relationship, the refraction photographing optical system 5 is in a photographable state in which an image is formed on the imaging surface of the CCD 17, and the zoom magnification increases as the overall length increases. can do.
[0034]
3 and 4 schematically show the internal structure of the digital camera according to the first embodiment. When the digital camera 1a is stored as shown in FIG. 3, as described above, the digital camera 1a has a positional relationship in which the insertion portion 3a of the first member 3 forming the body 2 is inserted to the back of the second member 4. . In the body 2, the refraction photographing optical system 5 shown in FIG. 2 and other components (eg, blocks 21 and 22) such as a control board and a storage medium are stored. One of the blocks 21 and 22 is provided with a battery for driving the digital camera 1a, and is charged by being supplied with electricity from the outside.
[0035]
The refraction photographing optical system 5 has an upper member 10a fixed to the second member 4 side and a lower member 10b fixed to the first member 3 side. The blocks 21 and 22 are both fixed to the first member 3 side. Therefore, when the body slides in the extension direction, the blocks 21 and 22 and the lower member 10b move together with the first member 3, and the block 22 and the upper member 10a move together with the second member 4.
[0036]
The refraction imaging optical system 5 is in a state where the small-diameter portion of the lower member 10b is inserted to the depth of the upper member 10a so that the dimension in the optical axis direction is reduced according to the width of the body in the housed state. I have. In this contracted state, the zoom lens 14a is arranged at one end of the movable range α (see FIG. 4), and is arranged such that the small-diameter portion of the lower member 10b is inserted into the movable range α. Have been.
[0037]
Therefore, when the digital camera 1a is in the housed state, the built-in refraction photographing optical system 5 can be housed in a shorter dimension than required at the time of photographing, and the size of the body 2 is reduced. The size can be reduced in accordance with the photographing optical system 5. Therefore, when the camera is not used, the digital camera 1a can be made compact.
[0038]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the second member 4 of the digital camera 1a is pulled out in the direction of the arrow 51 and the body 2 is in the extended state, the refraction photographing optical system 5 becomes the first member constituting the body 2. As the relative positions of the third member and the second member 4 move apart, the upper member 10a and the lower member 10b change their relative positions in the direction in which the lens barrel 10 expands and contracts. As described above, the upper member 10a and the lower member 10b are located at positions where the refraction photographing optical system 5 is ready for photographing when the body 2 is maximally extended and its position is locked by the locking mechanism. Moves.
[0039]
In the extended state of FIG. 4, by operating a zoom key (not shown), the two zoom lenses 14 a and 14 b constituting the zoom lens group 14 move within the movable ranges α and β, and thereby the You can change the zoom magnification. By operating a release button (not shown), the focus lens 15 is moved to perform focus adjustment.
[0040]
Further, the barrier 7 for closing the entrance 6 provided on the front surface 8 of the body 2 during storage moves together with the insertion portion 3a of the first member of the body 2 to the left with respect to FIGS. The entrance 6 is completely opened at the maximum extended position.
[0041]
Since the blocks 21 and 22 are both fixed to the first member 3 side, when the second member 4 moves in the direction of the arrow 51, the relative position with respect to the second member changes. As a result, a hollow region 23 is formed at the left end of the body with respect to FIG. As will be described later, the hollow region 23 is preferably used as a battery storage room for storing a spare battery (not shown), and a terminal for the spare battery is arranged in the hollow region 23.
[0042]
Therefore, when the digital camera 1a is in the extended state as shown in FIG. 4, the members 10a and 10b constituting the refraction photographing optical system 5 move to positions where the refraction photographing optical system 5 can photograph. In addition, when not in use, the body that is compactly housed expands, thereby improving operability. Furthermore, the shortage of power supply can be compensated for by using the hollow area created by the extension of the body as a battery storage room for a spare battery.
[0043]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a digital camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Since the digital camera 1b has the same basic configuration as the digital camera 1a according to the first embodiment, the following description will focus on the differences.
[0044]
The digital camera 1b according to the present embodiment differs from the digital camera 1a according to the first embodiment mainly in the configuration of the mounted refraction photographing optical system 5. Specifically, the refraction photographing optical system 5 is configured to move the zoom lens 14a to a lower part outside the lens barrel 10 (10a, 10b) when the digital camera 1b is housed. The member can be inserted more deeply and stored more compactly. In addition, the block 22 is configured to be small with the arrangement of the zoom lens 14 a outside the lens barrel 10.
[0045]
The upper member 10a of the refraction photographing optical system 5 removes a part of the side wall constituting the lens barrel, and moves the zoom lens 14a into the lens barrel 10 at the time of extension, as shown in FIG. The gap 18 is formed.
[0046]
As a configuration for moving the zoom lens 14a as indicated by an arrow 56 when the body 2 is extended, for example, a zoom lens 14a as shown in FIG. 6 is used. The zoom lens 14a includes a shaft 24 that guides a frame 26 to which the lens 25 is fixed. The shaft 24 is provided substantially parallel to the lens barrel.
[0047]
When it is detected that the body 2 has been slid and is in the extended state, a drive mechanism (not shown) functions and the shaft 24 rotates about its axis, thereby rotating and driving the lens as shown by an arrow 52. . As a result, the zoom lens moves from the gap 18 provided in the lens barrel 10 to the inside of the lens barrel 10 (see FIGS. 6B and 6C). Further, when the zoom lens is present in the lens barrel 10, by operating a zoom key (not shown), the drive mechanism is activated, and the frame 26 moves along the axis of the shaft 24 as shown by an arrow 53. I do. Thereby, the zoom magnification of the refraction photographing optical system 5 can be adjusted.
[0048]
FIG. 7 is a view showing a modification of the moving mechanism of the zoom lens. As a mechanism for moving the zoom lens into the lens barrel 10, for example, a slide mechanism using a rack, a pinion, or the like can be used. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a frame 26 holding a lens 25 is provided with a rack 26a, and a pinion (not shown) is driven to reciprocate in the height direction of the camera 1b as shown by arrows 54 and 55. It is configured to be movable.
[0049]
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a digital camera according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, differences from the digital camera according to the first embodiment will be mainly described. The digital camera 1c incorporates a refraction photographing optical system 5 and other blocks in a body 2 having almost the same configuration as that shown in FIG. The photographing optical system 5 is arranged at the upper end of the body in parallel with the sliding direction of the body. The imaging optical system is a refraction imaging optical system that refracts the subject light incident from the entrance provided at the upper right of the body to the left in FIG. 8 and forms an image on the image sensor 17 (see FIG. 2). .
[0050]
As shown in FIG. 1B, the width of the body 2 can be increased by sliding the first member 3 and the second member 4 in use, as shown by an arrow 51, as shown in FIG. it can. When the first member 3 and the second member 4 extend to the maximum, their positions are locked by a not-shown locking mechanism.
[0051]
The refraction photographing optical system 5 is divided into a lens barrel 10 and an image sensor unit 17a. The imaging device unit 17a includes a CCD 17, a frame for fixing the CCD 17, and a low-pass filter for preventing moiré. The image sensor unit 17a is arranged so as to be slidable in the height direction of the camera along the side wall 3b of the first member 3 of the body 2, and when the camera 1c is housed, the image sensor unit 17a is moved downward as shown in FIG. Evacuate to
[0052]
The lens barrel portion 10 of the refraction photographing optical system 5 is fixed to the second member 4 of the body 2, and the relative position with respect to the first member 3 changes as the second member 4 slides. That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the body 2 is in the housed state, the lens barrel portion 10 slides in the depth direction of the first member 3 and overlaps the image sensor unit 17a in the height direction when housed. Move to position. Therefore, the width dimension of the camera 1c when contracted can be set to a dimension such that the lens barrel portion 10 which is a part of the refraction photographing optical system 5 fits in the longitudinal direction, and the body size during storage can be reduced. it can.
[0053]
The blocks 21 and 22 are components such as a control board and a storage medium of the digital camera 1c. The block 27 is a driving mechanism for driving the image sensor unit 17a of the refraction photographing optical system 5. The blocks 21 and 27 are fixed to the first member 3 side, and the block 22 is fixed to the second member 4 side.
[0054]
When the body extends, the lens barrel portion of the refraction photographing optical system moves in the direction shown by the arrow 51 together with the second member 4, and a space is formed at the left end portion of the first member 3 in FIG. When it is detected that the body has been extended, the drive mechanism 27 operates to move the image sensor unit 17a to the space. When the body slides in the extension direction, the blocks 21 and 27 move together with the first member 3, and the block 22 moves together with the second member 4. Therefore, a region where a part of the block 22 was present at the time of storage between the block 21 and the block 22 is formed as a hollow region 23. In the present embodiment, the formed hollow region 23 is used as a battery storage room for a battery.
[0055]
FIG. 9 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the appearance of a digital camera according to the present embodiment. In order to use the hollow region 23 as a battery housing, an opening / closing lid 29 is provided on the bottom surface 28 of the insertion portion 3a of the first member of the body 2 so as to be openable and closable. The user puts the digital camera in the extended state, opens the open / close lid 29 exposed on the outer surface of the body, and inserts the spare battery 30 into the battery storage chamber (hollow area 23).
[0056]
A terminal (not shown) is provided at a position corresponding to the terminal of the battery in the battery storage chamber, and power is supplied from the terminal. Further, since the body cannot be returned to the housed state in a state where the battery is inserted, a lock mechanism that detects the insertion of the battery and locks the body 2 in the extended state to prevent an erroneous operation of the camera user. Is preferably provided. Further, it is preferable to provide a main switch for turning off the main power while the body 2 is extended.
[0057]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a control mechanism of the digital camera according to the third embodiment. The overall control of the digital camera 1c according to the present embodiment is performed by the CPU 31. The control mechanism includes an operation unit 32 such as a release button, a zoom key, and a mode switch, a display device 33 such as a liquid crystal display that displays a state of a camera and a captured image, and an upper device for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device. Interface unit 34, a recording medium 35 for recording a captured image, and a detecting unit 36 for detecting that the body of the camera has been slid and expanded.
[0058]
When the detection unit 36 detects that the first member 3 constituting the body 2 has slid with respect to the second member 4, a drive signal is sent to the motor 27a stored in the drive mechanism 27, The moving member (the image sensor unit 17a in the present embodiment) of the refraction photographing optical system 5 moves and is arranged on the optical axis of the lens barrel 10.
[0059]
When the CPU 31 detects that the release button of the operation unit 32 is operated, the CPU 31 transmits a signal for photographing to the refraction photographing optical system, appropriately converts an image signal received from the CCD, and displays the image. The information is displayed on the device 33 and stored in the recording medium 35. The stored image signal is transmitted to an external device through the I / F 34.
[0060]
As described above, in the digital camera according to the present embodiment, among the built-in blocks of the digital camera, the largest lens barrel can be folded to be compact, so that the size of the camera body can be reduced when not used. On the other hand, when the camera is used, photographing is performed with the body extended, so that operability is not impaired.
[0061]
In addition, by using the hollow area generated by extending the body as a battery storage room for a spare battery, it is possible to solve the problem of insufficient electric capacity that tends to occur in a small camera.
[0062]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be implemented in various other modes.
[0063]
For example, in the above embodiment, the body is formed of two members (the first member 3 and the second member 4), and the insertion portion 3a inserted into the second member is integrally formed with the first member. But not limited to this. For example, two box members forming an outer shape of the body at the time of storage when they are combined so that their opening portions face each other, and a cylindrical member having the same outer diameter as the openings of the two box members. The two box members can be divided into three units including a connecting member that connects the two box members by being slidably inserted into the opening portions of the two box members.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows a stored state and (b) shows an extended state.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a refraction photographing optical system mounted on the digital camera of FIG.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams showing an internal configuration of the digital camera of FIG. 1 in a housed state, wherein FIG. 3A is a top sectional view and FIG. 3B is a front sectional view.
4A and 4B are schematic diagrams showing an internal configuration of the digital camera of FIG. 1 in an extended state, wherein FIG. 4A is a top view and FIG. 4B is a front sectional view.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are front sectional views showing a schematic configuration of a digital camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 5A is a view showing a stored state, and FIG.
6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating a zoom lens unit used in the digital camera in FIG. 5; FIG. 6A is an external configuration diagram of the zoom lens unit; FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 5C is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory views of a modification of the zoom lens unit. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 5A when the unit is mounted, and FIG. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG.5 (b).
8A and 8B are cross-sectional views illustrating a schematic configuration of a digital camera according to a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 8A is a front cross-sectional view in a stored state, FIG. () Is a front sectional view in an extended state.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the digital camera shown in FIG.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a control mechanism of the digital camera in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1a, 1b, 1c Digital camera
2 body
3 First member
4 Second member
5 Refraction photography optical system
6 entrance
7 Barrier
8 Body front
9 Back of body
10 Lens barrel
10a Upper member of lens barrel
10b Lower part of lens barrel
14 Zoom lens group
17 CCD
17a Image sensor unit
21, 22, 27 building blocks
23 hollow area

Claims (5)

Refraction for refracting subject light incident from an entrance provided on the front surface of the body into a box-shaped body configured by combining a plurality of body members so as to be telescopically expandable and contractible to form an image on an image sensor. A digital camera mounted with an imaging optical system so that an optical axis of the image sensor after refraction is parallel to a direction in which the body expands and contracts,
The refraction photographing optical system is configured by being divided into a plurality of units, each unit is mounted in the body such that relative positions thereof change with the expansion and contraction movement of the main body member,
A digital camera, wherein each unit of the refraction photographing optical system moves to a predetermined position where photographing is possible by elongating the body during use. The refraction photographing optical system is configured such that the lens barrel is divided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis in a driving area where the zoom lens is driven to form a plurality of units, and the divided lens barrel is configured to be telescopically extendable. Each unit is configured to extend and contract with the expansion and contraction movement of the main body member, and to drive the zoom lens in the optical axis direction in an extended portion formed when the lens barrel is extended. The digital camera according to claim 1, characterized in that: The zoom lens is disposed at a position outside the lens barrel deviated from the refracted image sensor-side optical axis when the lens barrel is contracted, and moves into the lens barrel when the body extends. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the digital camera is configured. The refraction imaging optical system is divided into a lens barrel and an image sensor unit to form a plurality of units, and the divided image sensor unit moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the image sensor side optical axis after the refraction. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the digital camera is configured to be capable of moving the imaging surface to a position coinciding with the refracted image sensor-side optical axis when the body is extended. camera. The hollow area formed in the body other than the refraction photographing optical system by extending the body is used as a battery storage room in which a spare battery can be mounted. Digital camera according to one of the above.

Images