JP2005167708A - Cradle device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cradle device capable of automatically cleaning a photographing lens of an apparatus having the photographing lens. <P>SOLUTION: An air blowing device 36 is comprised of a compressor 37, an air tank 38, an air valve 39, and an air blowing section 40. The air blowing section 40 is provided to be protruded from an upper surface of the cradle device in front of a placing section 33 of a cradle device 4. If it is detected by a placing detection section that a digital camera 3 is placed on the cradle device 4, the air blowing device is driven, and compressed air is blown from an outlet 45 to a photographing lens 5, thereby removing dust or waterdrops stuck on a lens surface 5a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cradle device on which a device having a photographing lens is placed.

  For example, there is a digital camera as an apparatus having a taking lens. A digital camera incorporates a photographic lens that forms a subject image on an imaging device or the like. A lens cover is provided in front of the photographing lens to protect the photographing lens. This lens cover is opened and closed manually or automatically, and is usually opened only during shooting. However, in a shooting environment where a lot of dust is flying or where there is rain or fog, dust and water droplets often adhere to the surface of the shooting lens even if the shooting time is short. . Even if the lens cover is closed, water droplets may adhere to the lens surface when the digital camera is brought to a place where the temperature or humidity has changed. These dust, water droplets, and the like deteriorate the quality of the captured image.

  Conventionally, in order to remove these dust and water droplets adhering to the lens surface, air is blown onto the lens surface with a rubber ball type or spray type blower, or the lens surface is wiped with a cleaning paper containing a cleaning liquid. Is common.

  In recent years, a cradle apparatus having a function as a camera stand and a function of transferring a captured image recorded in a digital camera to a PC (personal computer) and a function of charging the digital camera has been used. If a digital camera after photographing is placed on the cradle device, the photographed image is transferred based on the setting or the digital camera is automatically charged.

  Although it is preferable to clean the photographing lens every time photographing is performed, manual cleaning with the above-described blower or cleaning paper is time-consuming. Also, you often forget to clean. On the other hand, the act of placing the digital camera on the cradle device is rarely forgotten.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a cradle device that automatically performs lens cleaning of a device having a photographing lens.

  The present invention relates to a cradle device for mounting a device having a photographic lens, and relates to an air spraying device for blowing air onto the surface of the photographic lens of the mounted device, and detecting the mounting of the device on the cradle device. It has a detection sensor and a drive control means for controlling the drive of the air blowing device based on the detection result of the detection sensor.

  The air blowing device includes an air compressor that generates compressed air, an air tank that accumulates the generated compressed air, a nozzle that directs an opening toward a photographing lens of a mounted device, and a compression from the air tank to the nozzle Preferably, the drive control means opens the air valve after detecting the placement of the device by the detection sensor. Thereby, compressed air can be sprayed more strongly on the lens surface.

  The present invention relates to a cradle device for mounting a device having a photographing lens, a wiper device for cleaning the surface of the photographing lens of the mounted device, and a detection sensor for detecting placement of the device on the cradle device. And drive control means for controlling the drive of the wiper device based on the detection result of the detection sensor.

  When the device has a lens cover that is automatically opened and closed, it is preferable to open and close the lens cover based on the detection result of the detection sensor.

  According to the present invention, as long as a device having a photographic lens is placed on the cradle device, air is automatically blown onto the surface of the photographic lens, and lens cleaning is performed to remove dust and water droplets adhering to the lens surface. . Usually, it is common to organize and print captured images after shooting, and forget to place the device on the cradle device, so it is less likely to forget lens cleaning.

  According to the present invention, as long as a device having a photographic lens is placed on the cradle device, the surface of the photographic lens is automatically wiped by the wiper, and lens cleaning is performed to remove dust and water droplets adhering to the lens surface. .

  When the device having the photographing lens has a lens cover that is automatically opened and closed, it is preferable to open and close the lens cover based on the detection result of the detection sensor, and in particular, after the device is mounted on the cradle device and the lens If the lens cover is opened before cleaning and the lens cover is closed after lens cleaning, an efficient lens cleaning operation can be performed.

[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the camera system includes a digital camera 3 and a cradle device 4 on which the digital camera 3 is placed. On the front of the digital camera 3, a lens barrel 6 incorporating a photographic lens 5, a lens cover 7 that automatically opens and closes to protect the photographic lens 5, an objective finder window 8a that constitutes the finder 8, and a strobe toward the subject A strobe light emitting unit 9 for irradiating light, a shutter button 11 used for a shutter release operation, a self-timer light emitting unit 12 that blinks at the time of timer photographing and notifies the photographing timing, and the like are provided. The lens barrel 6 is housed in a barrel housing portion provided on the front surface of the digital camera 3 when the digital camera 3 is in a power-off state, and protrudes from the front surface of the digital camera 3 when the power is turned on. The lens cover 7 can be opened and closed regardless of the movement of the lens barrel 6.

  A memory card slot 16 in which a memory card 15 is set is provided on one side surface of the digital camera 3. A card reader that is electrically connected to the memory card 15 and reads / writes data is incorporated in the back of the memory card slot 16. The memory card slot 16 is protected by an openable protective cover 17.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an eyepiece side finder window 8b constituting the finder 8, an operation unit 23 including a plurality of operation buttons, an image display LCD 24, and the like are provided on the back of the digital camera 3. A finder light emitting unit 26 is provided on the side of the eyepiece finder 8b to light and blink to notify the state of the digital camera.

  The digital camera 3 includes a shooting mode for performing still shooting, a playback mode for displaying captured images on the image display LCD 24, a communication mode for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device such as a PC, and a connection to the PC. A plurality of operation modes of a PC camera mode functioning as a PC camera for moving image and audio input are provided, and switching of these operation modes is performed by the operation unit 23.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera 3 is provided with a battery chamber in which a battery 29 is set. An opening 30 for accessing the battery chamber is provided on the bottom surface of the digital camera 3. The opening 30 is opened and closed by a lid member. A rechargeable battery 29 is set in the battery chamber.

  The cradle device 4 has a substantially trapezoidal shape, and is provided with a concave placement portion 33 on which the digital camera 3 is placed. In the mounting portion, there are provided connection terminals 35 that fit into the connection connectors 34 on the bottom surface of the digital camera 3 to be electrically connected. The cradle device 4 functions as a table that stably holds the digital camera 3 when not in use, and also functions as a terminal that interposes charging and connection with an external device. When the digital camera 3 is set to the PC mode, it also functions as a tripod that holds the digital camera 3 toward the subject.

  The cradle device 4 is provided with an air blowing device 36. The air blowing device 36 includes a compressor 37, an air tank 38, an air valve 39 provided inside the cradle device, and an air blowing portion 40 provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the cradle device in front of the mounting portion 33 of the cradle device 4. Composed. The compressor 37 sucks air from an air inlet 43 opened on the back surface of the cradle device 4 to generate compressed air. The generated compressed air flows into the air tank 38 and is accumulated. Although not shown, a check valve is provided between the compressor 37 and the air valve 39 to prevent the backflow of compressed air to the compressor 37. An opening 38 a is provided in the air tank 38 to allow the compressed air to flow into the ventilation path 44. The air passage 44 extends to the air blowing portion 40. The air blowing part 40 is provided with a blower outlet 45 that allows air to be blown out from the air passage 44 to the outside. The air outlet 45 is provided on the rear side of the air outlet 40, and is provided so that the opening faces the photographing lens 5 of the digital camera 3 when the digital camera 3 is placed on the cradle device 4. An air valve 39 is provided on the air passage connecting the opening 38a of the air tank 38 and the air outlet 45 of the air outlet 40 to adjust the air flow.

  As shown in FIG. 2, on the back of the cradle device 4, an A / V output connector 58 for outputting a composite signal such as NTSC or the like to a monitor or a video deck, and an AC power adapter are connected to supply DC power. A connector 59 and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector 60 connected to a PC or the like are provided. These connection connectors 58, 59, 60 are connected to the connection terminal 35 inside the cradle device. The DC power connector 59 is connected to the connection terminal 35 via a charging circuit 55 (see FIG. 3) described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the system control unit 48 of the digital camera 3 controls each unit of the digital camera 3 in response to input of operation signals from the shutter button 11 and the operation unit 23. The imaging unit 49 includes a photographic lens 5, a lens cover 7, a CCD image sensor, an A / D converter, and the like. The imaging unit 49 images subject light and converts the imaging signal into digital data. The digitized image data is temporarily stored in the memory 51 via the image signal processing circuit 50.

  The image signal processing circuit 50 performs image correction processing such as white balance adjustment and gamma correction on the image data stored in the memory 51, and also stores the corrected image data in the memory card 15 when data is stored in the memory card 15. Apply compression processing. The media controller 52 accesses the memory card 15 to write and read image data.

  The charging circuit 55 charges the battery 29 of the digital camera 3. When the digital camera 3 is placed on the cradle device 4, the charging circuit 55 is connected to the battery 29 in the digital camera via the connection connector 34 and the connection terminal 35. The charging circuit 55 measures the voltage of the battery 29 and automatically charges when the measured voltage is equal to or lower than the specified voltage. The placement detection unit 56 detects the placement of the digital camera 3 on the cradle device 4 by energization, and sends a detection signal to the drive control unit 57 of the cradle device 4 and the system control unit 48 of the digital camera 3. The drive control unit 57 receives the detection signal from the placement detection unit 56, and controls the drive of the compressor 37, the open / close control of the air valve 39, and the open / close control of the lens cover 7.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. The cradle device 4 enters a standby state in which various operations can be performed by inserting a DC power supply terminal into the DC power supply connector 59 and inserting a USB terminal connected to the PC with one USB terminal into the USB connector 60. When the digital camera 3 after photographing is placed on the cradle device 4 in the standby state, a charging operation, an image transfer operation, a lens cleaning operation, and the like are performed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the digital camera 3 is placed on the placement portion 33 of the cradle device 4, the connection connector and the connection terminal are connected. If the battery voltage is below the specified voltage, charging is automatically started. Further, the placement detection unit 56 detects placement, and a detection signal is sent to the system control unit 48 and the drive control unit 57.

  The system control unit 48 receives the detection signal and starts image transfer from the memory card 15 to the PC. This image transfer is performed based on preset transfer conditions.

  Hereinafter, the lens cleaning operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When receiving the detection signal, the drive control unit 57 sends a drive start signal to the compressor 37. The compressor 37 starts driving based on this signal. The air valve 39 is controlled in a closed state in advance. When the compressor 37 is driven, compressed air is generated, and the compressed air is accumulated in the air tank 38. The drive control unit 57 sends a drive stop signal to the compressor 37 after a predetermined time has elapsed. The compressor 37 stops driving based on this signal.

  After the drive of the compressor 37 is stopped, a command is sent from the drive control unit 57 to the system control unit 48 to open the lens cover 7, and the lens cover 7 is changed from the closed state to the open state by the control of the system control unit 48. The drive control unit 57 further sends a control signal to the air valve 39 to change the air valve 39 from the closed state to the open state. When the air valve 39 is in the open state, the compressed air accumulated in the air tank 38 is blown out from the air outlet 45 toward the photographing lens 5, and dust, water droplets, and the like attached to the lens surface 5a are removed. After a predetermined time, the air valve 39 is closed and the lens cover 7 is also closed by a control signal from the drive control unit 57. Thus, the lens cleaning operation is performed.

  When the various operations such as the charging operation, the image transfer operation, and the lens cleaning operation are completed, the digital camera 3 is in a state suitable for photographing, and the cradle device 4 is in a standby state.

  In this way, as long as the digital camera 3 is placed on the cradle device 4, the lens cleaning operation is automatically performed, so that it does not take time to clean the lens. Further, since this lens cleaning operation is performed together with the charging operation and the image transfer operation, it is less likely to forget the lens cleaning.

  In the first embodiment, the air blowing device 36 includes the compressor 37, the air tank 38, the air valve 39, and the air blowing portion 40. However, any device that can blow air onto the surface 5a of the photographing lens 5 may be used. It is not limited to the configuration. For example, an air spraying device that rotates a blower blade with an electric motor may be used.

  In the first embodiment, the compressor 37 is driven and the compressed air is accumulated in the air tank 38 after detecting the placement of the digital camera 3 on the cradle device 4. However, before the placement, the compressor 37 is driven and the air tank 38 is driven. Compressed air may be accumulated in the air.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof is simplified. In the second embodiment, lens cleaning is performed using a wiper device 61 instead of the air spray device 36 used in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the wiper device 61 includes a link mechanism 62, a cleaning member 63, and a link mechanism drive unit 64, and is provided in front of the placement unit 33 of the cradle device 4. As shown in FIG. 7, the link mechanism 62 includes two crossed links 65, 66, a link 67 engaged with upper ends 65 a, 66 a of the crossed links 65, 66, and crossed links 65, 66. The link 68 includes a total of four links 68 engaged with the lower end portions 65b and 66b. The intersection 69 is a free joint. Further, the upper end portions 65 a and 66 a of the intersecting links 65 and 66 can be freely slid along the link 67 by a slider mechanism 71 provided on the front surface of the link 67. Lower ends 65 b and 66 b of the intersecting links 65 and 66 can slide along the link 68 by a slider mechanism 72 provided on the upper surface of the cradle device 4. The slide amounts of the lower end portions 65b and 66b are controlled by a link mechanism driving unit 64 described later.

  A cleaning member 63 made of cloth or the like is provided along the link 67 on the rear surface of the link 67. The cleaning liquid is infiltrated into the cleaning member 63. The cleaning member 63 is displaced in a plane parallel to the front surface of the digital camera 3 placed on the cradle device 4 by driving the link mechanism 62. At this time, the cleaning member 63 is in contact with the surface 5a of the photographing lens 5 of the digital camera 3 and pressurizes it.

  The link mechanism driving unit 64 includes a first oscillating motor and a second oscillating motor, and a first connecting part and a second connecting part. The first connecting portion connects the first swing motor and the lower end portion 65b of the link 65 on the slider mechanism, and the second connecting portion is the lower end portion of the link 66 on the second swing motor and the slider mechanism. 66b is connected. Each oscillating motor oscillates and rotates synchronously so that the rotation directions are opposite to each other. As a result, the lower end portions 65b and 66b on the slider mechanism perform reciprocating linear motion synchronously so that the sliding directions are opposite to each other. These swing motors and connecting portions are provided inside the cradle device 4.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. When the digital camera 3 is placed on the cradle device 4 in the standby state, the charging operation is started. When the placement detection unit 56 detects placement, image transfer is started.

  Regarding the lens cleaning operation, after the lens cover 7 is opened, a drive signal is sent from the drive control unit 57 to the link mechanism drive unit 64. When the link mechanism drive unit 64 drives the lower ends 65b and 66b of the links 65 and 66 to reciprocate on the slider mechanism 72 (see FIG. 7), the link mechanism 62 is driven and the cleaning member 63 moves up and down on the lens surface 5a. Reciprocate in the direction (see FIG. 7). Dust, water droplets, etc. adhering to the lens surface 5a adhere to the cleaning member 63, and dust, water droplets, etc. are removed from the lens surface 5a. After a predetermined time, the drive of the link mechanism drive unit 64 is stopped by the drive stop signal from the drive control unit 57, and the movement of the cleaning member 63 is stopped. Thereafter, the lens cover 7 is closed. Thus, the lens cleaning operation is performed.

  When the various operations such as the charging operation, the image transfer operation, and the lens cleaning operation are completed, the digital camera 3 is in a state suitable for photographing, and the cradle device 4 is in a standby state.

  In this way, as long as the digital camera 3 is placed on the cradle device 4, the lens cleaning operation is automatically performed, so that it does not take time to clean the lens. Further, since this lens cleaning operation is performed together with the charging operation and the image transfer operation, it is less likely to forget the lens cleaning.

  In the second embodiment, the wiper device 61 includes the link mechanism 62, the cleaning member 63, and the link mechanism driving unit 64. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and any mechanism that can wipe the surface 5a of the photographic lens 5 can be used. Good. For example, instead of the link mechanism 62 and the link mechanism driving unit 64, a cam mechanism and a cam mechanism driving unit may be provided, and thereby the cleaning member 63 may be brought into contact with the lens surface 5a and displaced. Other known mechanisms may be used.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the lens cleaning operation is performed immediately after the digital camera 3 is placed on the cradle device 4. However, the lens cleaning operation is performed at an arbitrary timing based on the setting of the digital camera operator. May be.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the device placed on the cradle device 4 is the digital camera 3. However, the placed device may have a photographing lens, for example, a digital video camera or a communication terminal with a camera. But you can.

It is a front side external appearance perspective view which shows a digital camera and a cradle apparatus. It is a back side external appearance perspective view which shows a digital camera and a cradle apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of a digital camera and a cradle apparatus. It is a front side external appearance perspective view which shows the cradle apparatus which mounted the digital camera. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a lens cleaning operation | movement. It is a front side external appearance perspective view which shows the cradle apparatus which mounted the digital camera in 2nd Embodiment. It is an enlarged view which shows the wiper apparatus periphery of the cradle apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the lens cleaning operation | movement in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Digital camera 4 Cradle apparatus 5 Shooting lens 5a Lens surface 7 Lens cover 36 Air blowing apparatus 37 Compressor 38 Air tank 39 Air valve 40 Air blowing part 45 Outlet 56 Placement detection part 57 Drive control part 61 Wiper apparatus 62 Link mechanism 63 Cleaning member 64 Link mechanism drive unit

Claims (3)

In a cradle device for placing a device having a photographing lens,
An air spray device that blows air onto the surface of the photographic lens of the mounted device, a detection sensor that detects placement of the device on the cradle device, and the air spray based on a detection result of the detection sensor A cradle device comprising drive control means for controlling drive of the device. In a cradle device for placing a device having a photographing lens,
A wiper device that cleans the surface of the photographing lens of the mounted device, a detection sensor that detects the mounting of the device on the cradle device, and a drive of the wiper device based on a detection result of the detection sensor And a drive control means for controlling the cradle device. 3. The cradle device according to claim 1, wherein when the device has a lens cover that is automatically opened and closed, the lens cover is opened and closed based on a detection result of the detection sensor.

Images