JP2005315989A - Accessory shoe device, electronic equipment and accessory - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an accessory shoe device advantageous in terms of realizing the miniaturization of electronic equipment and an accessory, and the electronic equipment and the accessory. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of connector side guide surfaces 24 facing to each other in the width direction of a guide groove 18 and extended in an attaching direction is provided at the spot of an electronic equipment side connector 10 which forms the bottom part of a space part 22. A pair of connector side guide surfaces 24 is provided to position an accessory side connector 40 in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the guide groove 18, that is, in the width direction of the guide groove 18. A plurality of armatures 16 of the electronic equipment side connector 10 are provided at the spots of an inside member 12 between a pair of connector side guide surfaces 24 at the bottom part of the space part 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an accessory shoe device, an electronic device, and an accessory.

In many cases, an imaging device (hereinafter referred to as an electronic device) such as a digital camera or a video camera is equipped with an accessory such as a flashlight for emitting auxiliary light or a microphone for recording sound. A connector is provided.
Such an electronic device-side connector of a conventional electronic device includes a flat mounting surface, a holding portion connected to the mounting surface, and a power supply or signal transfer piece provided on the mounting surface. ing. In addition, the accessory attached to the electronic device is provided with an accessory-side connector that is attached to the electronic device-side connector, and the accessory-side connector is attached to the attachment surface of the electronic device-side connector; And a contact piece for power supply or signal exchange provided. The attachment of the accessory side connector to the electronic device side connector is performed by sliding the attachment portion linearly along the attachment surface in a state where the attachment portion of the accessory side connector is applied to the attachment surface of the electronic device side connector. This is done by holding the holding part of the side connector. And it is comprised so that each contact piece of an accessory may be electrically connected to each contact piece of an electronic device side connector in the state in which the attachment part was hold | maintained at the holding part (for example, refer patent document 1 and patent document 2). ). The electronic device side connector and the accessory side connector are collectively referred to as an accessory shoe device.
JP-A-9-163200 JP-A-9-166816

On the other hand, when attaching an accessory to an electronic device, it is necessary to securely connect the multiple contact pieces provided on the accessory side connector to the multiple contact pieces provided on the electronic device side connector. In consideration of the above, each contact piece is formed wide, and a sufficient space is secured between the plurality of contact pieces, and there is a limit in reducing the size of electronic devices and accessories.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the space occupied by the electronic device side connector or the accessory side connector, which is advantageous in reducing the size of the electronic device and the accessory. An accessory shoe device, an electronic device, and an accessory are provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electronic device side connector having a contact for power supply or signal exchange provided in an electronic device and an accessory attached to the electronic device for power supply or signal exchange. An accessory shoe device including an accessory side connector having a contact piece for the electronic device, wherein the electronic device side connector is inserted in an insertion portion of the accessory side connector and is moved in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction. A pair of connector-side guide surfaces that are provided with a space portion and that face each other in a direction orthogonal to the direction of movement and extend in the direction of movement at the location of the electronic device-side connector that forms the bottom of the space portion The contact piece of the electronic device-side connector is moved to the place between the pair of connector-side guides at the bottom of the space portion. A plurality of accessory-side guide surfaces that are slidable on the pair of connector-side guide surfaces are provided on both sides of the tip of the insertion portion. A plurality of contact pieces of the connector are provided in a position between the pair of accessory-side guide surfaces at a tip portion of the insertion portion and arranged in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction.
In addition, the present invention is an electronic device provided with an electronic device side connector having a contact piece for power supply or signal exchange, and the electronic device side connector is provided in an accessory attached to the electronic device and used for power supply Or the accessory side connector which has a contact piece for signal transmission / reception is inserted, and it is provided with the space part moved in the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction, and in the part of the electronic equipment side connector which forms the bottom of the space part Is provided with a pair of connector side guide surfaces extending in the moving direction facing each other in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction, and the contact piece of the electronic device side connector is formed at the bottom of the space portion. A plurality of the guides are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction at a position between the pair of connector side guides.
Further, the present invention is an accessory including an accessory-side connector having a contact piece for power supply or signal transmission and coupled to an electronic device-side connector of an electronic device, and the accessory-side connector is accommodated in the electronic device-side connector A pair of insertion portions that are inserted into the space portion of the electronic device and moved in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and that extend on the opposite sides of the tip of the insertion portion. The accessory-side guide surface is provided, and a plurality of contact pieces of the accessory-side connector are arranged at a position between the pair of accessory-side guide surfaces at a tip portion of the insertion portion in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction. It is characterized by being provided.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when the accessory side connector is attached to the electronic device side connector, the pair of accessory guide surfaces of the accessory side connector is slidably contacted with the pair of connector side guide surfaces of the electronic device side connector. Each of a plurality of contact pieces provided between the pair of accessory guide surfaces of the accessory side connector and a plurality of contact pieces provided between the pair of connector side guide surfaces of the electronic device side connector The relative positioning of the contact pieces in the arrangement direction can be performed with high accuracy.
Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the width of each contact piece and the interval between the contact pieces while reliably connecting the plurality of contact pieces of the accessory side connector and the plurality of contact pieces of the electronic device side connector. The space occupied by the piece can be reduced, which is advantageous in reducing the size of the accessory-side connector and the electronic device-side connector, and thus advantageous in reducing the size of the electronic device and the accessory.

  For the purpose of reducing the size of the electronic device side connector or the accessory side connector, the electronic device side connector is provided with a pair of connector side guide surfaces, and the accessory side connector is slidable on the pair of connector side guide surfaces. Realized by providing a side guide surface.

Next, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electronic apparatus according to the first embodiment when viewed from the front.
2A and 2B are perspective views of the electronic device-side connector provided in the electronic device. FIG. 2A shows a state where the shutter is in the closed position, and FIG. 2B shows a state where the shutter is in the open position.
3A is a plan view of the electronic device-side connector, FIG. 3B is a view as viewed from an arrow B in FIG. 3A, FIG. 3C is a view as viewed from an arrow C in FIG. FIG.
FIG. 4E is a view taken in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 3D, and FIG. 4F is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG.
5 is a perspective view of the accessory, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the accessory-side connector provided in the accessory, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the accessory-side connector, FIG. 8 is a view taken along arrow A in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 8.
11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the accessory-side connector is inserted into the electronic device-side connector, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the accessory-side connector is attached to the electronic device-side connector.

First, an electronic device will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the electronic device 100 is a video camera, and has a flat rectangular parallelepiped case 102 constituting an exterior. In the present specification, left and right refer to a state in which the electronic apparatus 100 is viewed from the front, the subject side is referred to as the front in the optical axis direction of the optical system, and the imaging element side is referred to as the rear.
A lens barrel 106 incorporating a photographing optical system 104 is provided on the front upper portion of the case 102 so as to face forward.
Inside the case 102 is an imaging device that captures a subject image guided by the imaging optical system 104, a recording / reproducing unit that records / reproduces still image and moving image data of the subject image captured by the imaging device on a recording medium, and the like. Is housed.
An electronic viewfinder 108 for visually recognizing a subject image picked up by the image pickup device is provided on the upper rear surface of the case 102.
On the right side surface of the case 102, a display 110 for displaying a subject image captured by the image sensor is provided to be openable and closable.
An operation switch (not shown) such as a shooting start / stop switch and a setting switch (not shown) for performing various settings are provided on the upper rear portion and the left side surface of the case 102.
A concave portion 112 having a rectangular shape in plan view is provided on the front surface of the case 102, and a lid 114 for opening and closing the concave portion 112 is detachably provided in the concave portion 112. The electronic device side connector 10 is disposed inside the recess 112. When the electronic device connector 10 is not in use, the electronic device side connector 10 is covered to the outside by attaching the lid 114 to the recess 112. When the electronic device connector 10 is used, the electronic device side connector 10 is exposed to the outside by removing the lid 114 from the recess 112.
An accessory 200 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, is attached to the electronic device 100 via the electronic device-side connector 10.

First, the electronic device side connector 10 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the electronic device-side connector 10 includes an inner member 12 that is integrally molded using a synthetic resin material, and an outer member 14 that is formed by bending a steel plate. The inner member 12 is fitted and fixed inside the outer member 14.
The electronic device-side connector 10 includes a contact piece 16 for power supply or signal transmission, a locking plate 20 in which a guide groove 18 is formed, and a space portion 22 provided so as to face the lower surface of the locking plate 20. I have.
The outer member 14 includes a bottom plate portion 14A, a side plate portion 14B that stands up from both sides of the bottom plate portion 14A, and an upper plate portion 14C that is bent in a direction facing each other from the upper end of the side plate portion 14B. Reference numeral 20 denotes an upper plate portion 14C.
A pair of edges facing each other at the position of the locking plate 20 constituting the guide groove 18 includes a first recess 2002, a first protrusion 2004, and a second recess 2006 in the extending direction of the guide groove 18. The second protrusions 2008 are provided so as to face each other in this order, both ends in the extending direction of the guide grooves 18 are opened, and the tips of the first protrusions 2004 and the tips of the second protrusions 2008 are guides. The groove 18 extends linearly in the extending direction. As shown in FIG. 3A, the first convex portion 2004 is configured such that a convex portion 2004A having a small projecting dimension and a convex portion 2004B having a large projecting dimension are arranged in the extending direction of the guide groove 18, The two convex portions 2008 are formed with the same projecting dimensions as the convex portions 2004B.
The space 22 is a space in which the accessory-side connector 40 (see FIG. 5) is inserted and moved in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction. The space 22 is below the locking plate 20 and inside the both side plates 14B. It is an upper space.
In the description of the embodiments, for convenience, when the accessory-side connector 40 is attached to the electronic device-side connector 10, the direction in which the accessory-side connector 40 is inserted into the space 22 through the guide groove 18 is referred to as the insertion direction. Is inserted into the space portion 22 and the accessory side connector 40 is moved in the space portion 22, that is, the extending direction of the guide groove 18 is referred to as the mounting direction, and the reverse direction of the insertion direction is referred to as the take-out direction. The reverse direction is the removal direction.
The location of the electronic device side connector 10 that forms the bottom of the space 22, that is, the location of the inner member 12, faces the first recess 2002 and the location below the first projection 2004 in the width direction of the guide groove 18. A pair of connector-side guide surfaces 24 extending in the mounting direction are provided. The pair of connector-side guide surfaces 24 position the accessory-side connector 40 in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the guide groove 18, that is, in the width direction of the guide groove 18.

A plurality of contact pieces 16 of the electronic device side connector 10 are provided at a position of the inner member 12 between the pair of connector side guide surfaces 24 at the bottom of the space portion 22.
More specifically, at the location of the inner member 12 that forms the bottom of the space portion 22 and between the pair of connector-side guide surfaces 24, a bottom surface 1202 and an inclined surface 1204 that gradually rises from the end of the bottom surface 1202. And a flat contact mounting surface 1206 extending in parallel with the bottom surface 1202 from the end of the inclined surface 1204. The bottom surface 1202, the inclined surface 1204, and the contact mounting surface 1206 are provided along the mounting direction. They are arranged in order.
In addition, a flat intermediate surface 1207 parallel to the bottom surface 1202 is provided at 12 locations on the inner member 12 below the second concave portion 2006 and the second convex portion 2008. The intermediate surface 1207 includes the first concave portion 2002 and the first convex portion 2004. It extends to the location of the inner member 12 along the side plate portions 14B.
In this embodiment, when the accessory-side connector 40 is inserted into the space portion 22, the tip surface 5006 (see FIG. 6) of the accessory-side connector 40 is applied to the intermediate surface 1207, so The position of the side connector 40 in the insertion direction is regulated, in other words, the positioning is performed.
The plurality of contact pieces 16 of the electronic device-side connector 10 are spaced from each other at a position of the contact piece attachment surface 1206 spaced from the boundary between the inclined surface 1204 and the contact piece attachment surface 1206 in the mounting direction. The guide grooves 18 are arranged in a straight line along the width direction of the guide grooves 18.

The plurality of contact pieces 16 of the electronic device-side connector 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4 (F), each contact piece 16 is formed by bending a narrow and long metal plate material. One end 16A is arranged to be exposed above the contact piece mounting surface 1206 through the opening, and as shown in FIG. 3A, a portion where one end 16A of each contact piece 16 is exposed on the contact piece mounting surface 1206 is The longitudinal direction extends linearly in line with the mounting direction.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the one end 16A of the plurality of contact pieces 16 of the electronic device-side connector 10 is arranged so that the end in the mounting direction is located on a straight line in the width direction of the guide groove 18, Among the plurality of contact pieces 16, the ground contact piece 1602 connected to the ground potential has one end 16 </ b> A formed larger in the longitudinal direction than the other signal contact pieces 1604, and one end of the ground contact piece 1602. The end of 16A in the removal direction protrudes from the end of the other signal contact piece 1604.
Such a layout (arrangement) of the contact pieces 1602 and 1604 is such that, when the accessory-side connector 20 is attached to the electronic device-side connector 10, as shown in FIG. The ground contact 4802 connected to the potential is connected to the ground contact 1602 of the electronic device side connector 10 prior to the other signal contact 4804, and the reference potential of the accessory 200 and the electronic device 100 is first set to the ground potential. This is done for the purpose of making it less susceptible to the influence of electrostatic noise and stabilizing the operation of accessories and electronic devices.
As shown in FIG. 4 (F), the portion excluding one end 16A of each contact piece 16 is disposed inside the inner member 12, and the other end 16B of the contact piece 16 is the end of the inner member 12 in the mounting direction. It is guided into a hole 1208 opened in the part.
As shown in FIGS. 3C, 4E, and 4F, the bottom portion of the inner member 12 and the bottom plate portion 14A of the outer member 14 are provided with a notch portion 1402 so as to communicate with the hole portion 1208. As shown in FIG. 12, the connection end 152 of the flexible substrate 150 provided in the electronic device 100 is inserted into the hole 1208 through the notch 1402, and the connection end 152 is the other end of each contact piece 16 in the hole 1208. In addition to being electrically connected to 16B, the connection end 152 is sandwiched between each other end 16B and the wall surface forming the hole 1208 by the elasticity of each other end 16B.
Accordingly, an electrical signal for driving the accessory 200 is supplied from the electric circuit inside the electronic device 100 to each contact piece 16 via the flexible substrate 150, or from each contact piece 16 to the electric circuit inside the electronic device 100. An electrical signal is supplied from the accessory 200.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, when the bottom plate portion 14 </ b> A of the outer member 14 is attached to the bottom surface of the recess 112 of the electronic device 100, the outer member 14 is provided with the notch portion 1402, and thus the flexible substrate 150. Can be bent in the notch 1402 and guided into the electronic device 100.
Therefore, when viewed from above, the flexible substrate 150 is positioned inside the contour of the outer member 14, that is, inside the contour of the electronic device-side connector 10, and the flexible substrate 150 is routed outside the electronic device-side connector 10. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a space for this purpose, which is advantageous in reducing the space necessary for attaching the electronic device side connector 10.
In FIG. 4F, reference numeral 1210 denotes a positioning boss protruding from the bottom surface of the outer member 14, and this boss 1210 is a hole provided in the bottom surface of the recess 112 (see FIG. 1) of the electronic device 100. The accessory-side connector 40 is positioned by engaging with.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, the inclined surface 1204 includes an inclined surface 1204A corresponding to the contact piece 1602 connected to the ground potential and an inclined surface 1204B corresponding to the other contact piece 1604. The step is formed between the inclined surface 1204A and the inclined surface 1204B. This includes an insertion hole 1203A (FIG. 3A) through which a screw for attaching the electronic device-side connector 10 to the bottom of the recess 112 of the imaging device 100 is inserted into the bottom surface 1202 near the inclined surface 1204B. This is because the recess 1203B that accommodates the head of the screw is formed, and the inclined surface 1204B is formed so as to be shifted in the mounting direction compared to the inclined surface 1204A while avoiding the recess 1203B.
The inclined surface 1204 has a function of smoothly guiding the contact piece 48 of the accessory side connector 40.
It is to be noted that each contact piece 16 is provided at a location of the contact piece mounting surface 1206 spaced from the boundary between the inclined surface 1204 and the contact piece mounting surface 1206 in the mounting direction. Is inserted into the electronic device side connector 10 and moved in the mounting direction, the contact piece 48 of the accessory side connector 40 is slidably contacted with the contact piece mounting surface 1206 by the interval, thereby the contact piece 48 of the accessory side connector 40. Therefore, the removal direction of each contact piece 16 from the boundary between the inclined surface 1204 and the contact piece attachment surface 1206 on the contact piece attachment surface 1206. The portion up to the end of the accessory functions as a sliding surface of the contact piece 48 of the accessory-side connector 40.

Further, the contact piece 16 of the electronic device side connector 10 is provided at a location between the pair of connector side guide surfaces 24 at the location of the inner member 12 forming the bottom of the space portion 22, specifically below the intermediate surface 1207. A cover 26 is provided so as to be movable in the mounting direction.
A spring (not shown) for biasing the cover 26 to a closed position (FIGS. 2A and 11) covering the contact piece 16 of the electronic device-side connector 10 is provided, and the cover 26 is moved in the mounting direction. To the open position (FIG. 2 (B), FIG. 12) in which the contact piece 16 is released by the insertion portion 50 by abutting against the rising surface 60 (see FIG. 6) which is the location of the insertion portion 50 of the accessory-side connector 40. It is configured to be moved.
A contact surface 1210 extends along the width direction of the guide groove 18 at the end of the intermediate surface 1207 in the removal direction.
In the present embodiment, when the accessory-side connector 40 is inserted into the space portion 22, the standing surface 60 (see FIG. 6) of the accessory-side connector 40 is applied to the contact surface 1210, so The accessory-side connector 40 is configured to be positioned so that the position in the mounting direction is restricted, in other words, positioning is performed.

Next, the accessory 200 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the accessory 200 is a small camera having a small outer shape as compared with the electronic device 100, and this small camera has a direction different from that of the electronic device 100 at the same time as photographing the electronic device 100, for example. The same subject as that of the electronic device 100 or a different subject is photographed at a photographing magnification different from that of the electronic device 100.
The accessory 200 has a rectangular parallelepiped case 202 constituting an exterior, and a lens barrel 206 in which a photographing optical system 204 is incorporated is provided in front of the case 202 so as to face the front.
In the case 202, there are an image sensor that captures a subject image guided by the imaging optical system 204, a signal processor that processes an image signal generated by the image sensor and outputs the processed image signal to the accessory-side connector 20 described later. Contained.
On the lower surface of the case 202, a columnar connecting portion 208 that protrudes downward is provided integrally with the case 202. The accessory-side connector 20 is rotatably connected to the lower portion of the connecting portion 208 around the central axis of the connecting portion 208. Note that reference numeral 210 in the drawing denotes a fixing screw that fixes the rotation of the accessory-side connector 40 with respect to the connecting portion 208.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the accessory-side connector 40 has a columnar shaft member 42 connected to the lower portion of the connecting portion 208, and the shaft member 42 has a cross-sectional shape at the lower end of the shaft member 42. A smaller prismatic insert 50 is provided.
The side surfaces on both sides of the tip portion of the insertion portion 50 are dimensioned between the tips of the pair of first convex portions 2004 constituting the innermost edge of the guide groove 18 so that the guide groove 18 can be smoothly inserted and removed. It is formed with a dimension slightly smaller than the dimension between the tips of the pair of second convex portions 2008.
On both side surfaces of the front portion of the insertion portion 50, a first locking piece 5002 that is inserted into the space portion 22 from the first recess 2002 of the electronic device side connector 10 and is movable in the space portion 22 along the mounting direction. And a second locking piece 5004 that is inserted into the space portion 22 from the second recess 2006 of the electronic device-side connector 10 and is movable in the space portion 22 along the mounting direction. Yes.
In this embodiment, the extending length of the first and second locking pieces 5002 and 5004 in the mounting direction is formed to be about 1/3 of the dimension of the insertion portion 50 in the mounting direction.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the spring pieces 52 protrude in a curved shape at locations between the first locking pieces 5002 and the second locking pieces 5004 on the side surfaces on both sides of the front portion of the insertion portion 50. The spring piece 52 is disposed by incorporating a thin plate-shaped spring steel plate into the insertion portion 50.
The spring piece 52 is provided at a location displaced closer to the base of the insertion portion 50 than the first locking piece 5002 and the second locking piece 5004, and the first locking piece 5002 of the spring piece 52 is the first recess 2002. The second locking piece 5004 is positioned in the first recess 2002 in a state where the second locking piece 5004 is positioned in the space 22 through the second recess 2004. When the second locking piece 5004 and the second locking piece 5004 move in the lower surface direction of the first and second convex parts 2004 and 2008, they elastically contact the tip of the first convex part 2004, and the first and second locking pieces 5002 and The locking piece 5004 is positioned in the second recess 2008 in a state where the locking piece 5004 is positioned on the lower surfaces of the first and second projections 2004 and 2008, and is configured to give a click feeling to the user who wears the accessory 200. . In the present embodiment, the first protrusions 5002 and the second engagement pieces 5004 move in the mounting direction in the space 22 and are positioned on the lower surfaces of the first protrusions 2004 and the second protrusions 2008. It is configured to elastically contact the end of the second recess 2006 near the portion 2004 and temporarily fix the accessory 200 at this position.

A distal end surface 5006 is provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 50, and the distal end surface 5006 abuts on the intermediate surface 1207 of the electronic device-side connector 10 when the insertion portion 50 is inserted into the space portion 22. In this embodiment, the position of the accessory-side connector 40 in the insertion direction is regulated, in other words, the positioning is performed. In this embodiment, the distal end surface 5006 constitutes a regulating part in the claims.
In the present embodiment, a pair of guide walls 58 are formed to protrude in the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion 50 (the insertion direction) so as to face each other from the base ends of the first locking pieces 5002 on both sides. The outer side surface is formed as an accessory guide surface 52 slidable on the pair of connector side guide surfaces 24, and the accessory guide surface 52 contacts the connector side guide surface 24, whereby the width direction of the guide groove 18 in the space 22. Positioning of the accessory side connector 40 is performed.
Further, in this embodiment, when the insertion portion 50 of the accessory-side connector 40 is inserted into the space portion 22 of the electronic device-side connector 10, the direction along the mounting direction of the insertion portion 50 with respect to the space portion 22 is reversed. In this case, the pair of guide walls 58 of the accessory-side connector 40 is in contact with the intermediate surface 1207 of the electronic device-side connector 10, and insertion in the reverse direction is prohibited.
A flat contact attachment surface 56 parallel to the distal end surface 5002 is provided at a position between the base portions of the pair of guide walls 58 at the distal end of the insertion portion 50, and the contact piece attachment surface 56 is more distal than the distal end surface 5006. An upright surface 60 perpendicular to the surfaces 56 and 5006 is formed between the contact piece mounting surface 56 and the tip end surface 5006.
The plurality of contact pieces 48 of the accessory-side connector 40 are provided on the contact piece mounting surface 56, and are arranged in a straight line at intervals from each other in the direction of the pair of guide walls 58.
The standing surface 60 is configured to contact the end surface of the cover 26 when the insertion portion 50 is inserted into the space portion 22 of the electronic device-side connector 10 and moved in the mounting direction.
Further, the insertion portion 50 is inserted into the space portion 22 of the electronic device-side connector 10 and is moved in the mounting direction within the space portion 22, whereby the first locking piece 5002 and the second locking piece 5004 are the first convex portion. 2004 and the 2nd convex part 2008 are located in the lower surface, It is comprised so that the some contact piece 48 of the accessory side connector 40 and the some contact piece 16 of the electronic device side connector 10 may contact in this state.

The plurality of contact pieces 48 of the accessory-side connector 40 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 10, each contact piece 48 is formed by bending a thin and narrow metal plate material, and one end 48A thereof is connected. In this embodiment, the guide walls 58 protrude from both sides of the contact piece mounting surface 56 in the width direction of the guide groove 18. One end 48 </ b> A of the plurality of contact pieces 48 is located at a position displaced toward the proximal end side of the insertion portion 50 from the distal ends of the guide walls 58 on both sides. More specifically, each contact piece 48 has its one end 48A always projecting downward from the contact piece attachment surface 56, and when the one end 48A is pressed upward, the one end 48A is in the contact piece attachment surface 56. It is configured to be elastically deformable so as to be immersed in the.
Each contact piece 48 includes a ground contact piece 4802 connected to the ground potential and another signal contact piece 4804. The ground contact piece 4802 is connected to the ground contact piece 1602 of the electronic device side connector 10, and other signals. The contact piece 4804 is configured to be connected to another signal contact piece 1602 of the electronic device side connector 10.
Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a portion excluding one end 48 </ b> A of each contact piece 48 is disposed inside the shaft portions 46 and 42, and the other end 48 </ b> B of the contact piece 48 is a wiring member 201 provided in the accessory 200. Is electrically connected.
Thus, an electrical signal for driving the accessory 200 is supplied to the electrical circuit inside the accessory 200 via each contact piece 48 and the wiring member 201, or from the electrical circuit inside the accessory 200 via the wiring member 201. An electrical signal is configured to be supplied to each contact piece 48.

Further, a male screw (not shown) is formed on the lower outer periphery of the shaft member 42, in other words, the base of the insertion portion 50, and a tightening ring 44 is screwed to the male screw.
The tightening ring 44 is engaged with the first locking piece 5002 positioned in the space 22 through the first recess 2002 and the second locking piece 5004 positioned in the space 22 through the second recess 2006. In a state where the first locking piece 5002 and the second locking piece 5004 are moved in the mounting direction in the space portion 22 and are positioned on the lower surfaces of the first convex portion 2004 and the second convex portion 2008. When the rotation operation is performed, the first convex portion 2004 and the second convex portion 2008 are configured to be clamped and fixed in cooperation with the first locking piece 5002 and the second locking piece 5004.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the accessory side connector 40 is fixed to the electronic device side connector 10 by the first locking piece 5002, the second locking piece 5004, the first convex portion 2004, the second convex portion 2008, and the tightening ring 44. The fixing means is configured.

Next, the usage method of the electronic device side connector 10 and the accessory side connector 40 is demonstrated.
When the accessory 200 is attached to the electronic device 100, the lid 114 is removed to expose the electronic device side connector 10 to the outside of the case 102, and the tip surface 5006 of the accessory side connector 40 is connected to the intermediate surface 1207 of the electronic device side connector 10. The first locking piece 5002 of the accessory-side connector 40 faces the first recess 2002 of the electronic device-side connector 10, and the second locking piece 5004 of the accessory-side connector 40 faces the electronic device-side connector 10. In this state, the insertion portion 50 of the accessory-side connector 40 is inserted between the guide grooves 18 of the electronic device-side connector 10 so that the accessory guide surfaces 52 on both sides of the accessory-side connector 40 are connected to the connector. In contact with the side guide surface 24 and in the width direction of the guide groove 18 in the space 22. Kicking the positioning of the accessory side connector 40 is carried out.
By inserting the accessory-side connector 40, the first locking piece 5002 of the accessory-side connector 40 is positioned in the space 22 through the first recess 2002, as shown in FIG. Is located in the space 22 through the second recess 2006, the tip surface 5006 of the accessory-side connector 40 abuts against the intermediate surface 1207 of the electronic device-side connector 10, and the spring piece 52 of the accessory-side connector 40 is the first. Located in the recess 2002.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, when the insertion portion 50 is moved in the mounting direction, the spring piece 52 is inserted in elastic contact with the tip of the first convex portion 2004 as the insertion portion 50 moves in the mounting direction. It is slightly immersed in the side surface of the portion 50 and moves integrally with the insertion portion 50 while elastically contacting the tip of the first convex portion 2004.
Eventually, the spring piece 52 protrudes into the second concave portion 2006 with the first locking piece 5002 and the second locking piece 5004 positioned on the lower surfaces of the first convex portion 2004 and the second convex portion 2008, and the accessory side connector 40. The standing surface 60 contacts the contact surface 1210 of the electronic device side connector 10, and positioning in the mounting direction is performed. In the present embodiment, the spring piece 52 is closer to the first convex portion 2004 in a state where the first locking piece 5002 and the second locking piece 5004 are located on the lower surfaces of the first convex portion 2004 and the second convex portion 2008. It elastically contacts the end of the second recess 2006.
Then, by moving the insertion portion 50 in the mounting direction, the cover 26 of the electronic device-side connector 10 is moved to the open position by the standing surface 60 of the accessory-side connector 40, and each contact piece 48 of the accessory-side connector 40 is moved. After being in sliding contact with the inclined surface 1204 and the contact piece mounting surface 1206, they are connected to the respective contact pieces 16 of the electronic device side connector 10 and are electrically connected.
Next, by rotating the tightening ring 44, the first convex portion 2004 and the second convex portion 2008 are fastened and fixed in cooperation with the first locking piece 5002 and the second locking piece 5004. The electronic device 100 is attached.
As a result, it is possible to simultaneously perform shooting with the accessory 200 and shooting with the electronic device 100. The imaging signal generated by the accessory 200 is transmitted from the accessory-side connector 40 to the electronic device 100 via the electronic device-side connector 10, and the electronic device 100 performs necessary signal processing on the transmitted imaging signal. .

When removing the accessory 200 from the electronic device 100, the fastening of the accessory side connector 40 and the electronic device side connector 10 is released by rotating the tightening ring 44.
Next, when the insertion portion 50 of the accessory-side connector 40 is moved in the removal direction, the first locking piece 5002 and the second locking piece 5004 are moved in a state where they are positioned in the space portion 22, and the first locking piece 5002 is moved to the first position. The second locking piece 5004 is located below the second concave portion 2004, and the spring piece 52 is elastically contacted from the second concave portion to the tip of the first convex portion. It is slightly immersed in, and moves integrally with the insertion portion 50 while elastically contacting the tip of the first convex portion 2004 and protrudes into the first concave portion 2002. By the movement of the insertion portion 50 in the take-out direction, the contact pieces 48 of the accessory-side connector 40 and the contact pieces 16 of the electronic device-side connector 10 are separated from each other, and the electrical continuity is released. Return to the closed position.
If the insertion part 50 of the accessory side connector 40 is moved in the said extraction direction in this state, the 1st latching piece 5002 of the accessory side connector 40 will pass the 1st recessed part 2002, and the 2nd locking piece 5004 will pass the 2nd recessed part 2006. It passes through the space 22 and moves upward, the insertion portion 50 of the accessory-side connector 40 is separated from the electronic device-side connector 10, and the accessory 200 is removed from the electronic device 100.

Next, Example 2 will be described.
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a wall portion is provided in the space portion 22 of the electronic device-side connector 10 to prevent the accessory-side connector 40 from being attached from the wrong direction.
13A is a perspective view of the electronic device-side connector 10 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13A illustrates a state where the shutter is in the closed position, and FIG. 13B illustrates a state where the shutter is in the open position.
As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, as in the first embodiment, recesses 1220 extending along the connector-side guide surface 24 are provided at both sides in the width direction of the guide groove 18 on the bottom surface 1202. The tip of the guide wall 58 is accommodated in the recess 1220 when the accessory-side connector 40 is inserted. In the first embodiment, the recess 1220 is formed open in the removal direction. In the second embodiment, a wall 1222 is provided at the end of the recess 1220 in the removal direction, and the end of the recess 1220 in the removal direction. The part is blocked.
The upper surface of the wall portion 1220 is located on the same plane as the bottom surface 1202.
According to such a configuration, even if the insertion portion 50 of the accessory-side connector 40 is to be inserted in the mounting direction from a position facing the removal direction of the electronic device-side connector 10, the guide wall 58 of the insertion portion 50 is the wall portion 1222. The insertion in the mounting direction is prohibited.
Therefore, an erroneous operation such as inserting the insertion portion 50 of the accessory-side connector 40 in the mounting direction from a position facing the removal direction of the electronic device-side connector 10 can be prohibited.
Thereby, when attaching the accessory side connector 40 to the electronic device side connector 10, only the operation of inserting the accessory side connector 40 into the space portion 22 from between the guide grooves 18 can be permitted. The number of operation methods when the electronic device 100 is mounted can be limited to one, and usability can be improved.

According to this embodiment, when the accessory-side connector 40 is attached to the electronic device-side connector 10, the pair of accessory guide surfaces 52 of the accessory-side connector 40 slides on the pair of connector-side guide surfaces 24 of the electronic device-side connector 10. Therefore, a plurality of contact pieces 48 provided between the accessory guide surfaces 52 on both sides of the accessory-side connector 40 and a plurality of contact pieces provided between the connector-side guide surfaces 24 of the electronic device-side connector 10. This is advantageous for the relative positioning of the contact pieces in the arrangement direction when the contact pieces 16 are brought into contact with each other with high accuracy.
Accordingly, the width of each contact piece and the interval between the contact pieces can be reduced while reliably connecting the plurality of contact pieces 48 of the accessory side connector 40 and the plurality of contact pieces 16 of the electronic device side connector 10. Therefore, the space occupied by these contact pieces can be reduced, which is advantageous in reducing the size of the accessory-side connector 40 and the electronic device-side connector 10, and is advantageous in reducing the size of the electronic device and the accessory.
In addition, since the accessory side connector 40 is located at a position where one ends 48A of the plurality of contact pieces 48 are displaced to the proximal end side of the insertion portion 50 with respect to the distal ends of the guide walls 58 on both sides, It is possible to prevent the user's finger or object from coming into contact with each contact piece 48 by the tip, which is advantageous in preventing the plurality of contact pieces 48 from being soiled or deformed.
In addition, when the insertion portion 50 of the accessory-side connector 40 is inserted into the space portion 22 of the electronic device-side connector 10, the direction along the mounting direction of the insertion portion 50 with respect to the space portion 22 is reversed. Since the pair of guide walls 58 of the accessory-side connector 40 is brought into contact with the intermediate surface 1207 of the electronic device-side connector 10 and insertion in the reverse direction is prohibited, the accessory-side connector 40 is connected to the electronic device-side connector 10. Can be reliably prevented from being mounted in the opposite direction.
In addition, a cover 26 that covers the plurality of contact pieces 16 of the electronic device-side connector 10 is provided at a location between the pair of connector-side guide surfaces 24, and the cover 26 moves when the insertion portion 50 moves in the insertion direction. Since the contact portion 16 is moved to the open position where the plurality of contact pieces 16 of the electronic device side connector 10 are opened by the insertion portion 50, the contact pieces 16 can be protected by the cover 26 when not in use. Stain and deformation can be prevented.
In addition, an inclined surface 1204 that gradually rises from the end of the bottom surface 1202 of the electronic device-side connector 10 and a contact piece attachment surface 1206 that extends in parallel with the bottom surface 1202 from the end of the inclined surface 1204 in the insertion direction are provided. Since the contact pieces 48 of the plurality of accessory-side connectors 40 are provided on the attachment surface 1206, the contact pieces 48 of the accessory-side connector 40 are smoothly guided from the inclined surface 1204 to the attachment surface 1206 to contact the electronic device-side connector 10. This is advantageous for ensuring contact with the piece 16.
Further, since the plurality of contact pieces 16 of the accessory-side connector 40 are provided at the attachment surface 1206 spaced from the boundary portion between the inclined surface 1204 and the contact piece attachment surface 1206 in the insertion direction. When the side connector 40 is inserted into the electronic device side connector 10 and moved in the mounting direction, the contact piece 48 of the accessory side connector 40 is slidably contacted with the contact piece mounting surface 1206 by the interval, thereby contacting the accessory side connector 40. It is advantageous for the piece 48 to contact the contact piece 16 in a stable state.

  In this embodiment, the accessory shoe apparatus is applied to a video camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various electronic devices such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) with a camera, Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a camera-equipped mobile phone or various imaging devices such as a digital still camera and a film camera.

It is the perspective view which looked at the electronic device of Example 1 from the front. It is a perspective view of the electronic device side connector provided in the electronic device. It is explanatory drawing of the electronic device side connector. It is explanatory drawing of the electronic device side connector. It is a perspective view of an accessory. It is a perspective view of the accessory side connector provided in the accessory. It is a top view of an accessory side connector. It is A arrow directional view of FIG. It is a B arrow line view of FIG. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state by which the accessory side connector was inserted in the electronic device side connector. It is sectional drawing which shows the state by which the accessory side connector was mounted | worn with the electronic device side connector. It is a perspective view of the electronic device side connector 10 of Example 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Electronic device, 200 ... Accessory, 10 ... Electronic device side connector, 16 ... Contact piece, 18 ... Guide groove, 20 ... Locking plate, 22 ... Space part, 24 ... Connector side guide 40, accessory side connector, 48, contact piece, 50, insertion portion, 52, accessory side guide surface.

Claims (11)

An electronic device-side connector having a contact for power supply or signal exchange provided in the electronic device, and an accessory-side connector having a contact for power supply or signal exchange provided in an accessory attached to the electronic device. An accessory shoe device,
The electronic device side connector includes a space part into which the insertion part of the accessory side connector is inserted and moved in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction,
The electronic device side connector forming the bottom of the space portion is provided with a pair of connector side guide surfaces extending in the moving direction facing each other in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction,
A plurality of contact pieces of the electronic device side connector are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction at a position between the pair of connector side guides at the bottom of the space portion,
A pair of accessory side guide surfaces slidable on the pair of connector side guide surfaces are provided on both sides of the tip of the insertion portion,
A plurality of contact pieces of the accessory side connector are provided in a position between the pair of accessory side guide surfaces at a tip portion of the insertion portion, arranged in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction.
An accessory shoe device characterized by that.   A pair of guide walls are formed on the front portion of the insertion portion so as to face each other in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction and project in the insertion direction, and the pair of accessory side guide surfaces are The outer surface of the pair of guide walls is configured in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the contact pieces of the plurality of accessory-side connectors are moved at a position between the base portions of the pair of guide walls at the tip of the insertion portion. The accessory shoe device according to claim 1, wherein the accessory shoe device is arranged side by side.   The cover that covers the contact pieces of the plurality of electronic device side connectors is moved in the moving direction at a position between the pair of connector side guide surfaces at the electronic device side connector forming the bottom of the space portion. A spring is provided to urge the cover to a closed position that covers the contact pieces of the plurality of electronic device side connectors, and the cover is moved when the insertion portion moves in the moving direction. 2. The accessory shoe device according to claim 1, wherein the accessory shoe device is moved to an open position in contact with a position of the insertion portion to open contact pieces of the plurality of electronic device side connectors by the insertion portion.   A bottom surface at a position between the pair of connector side guide surfaces at the position of the electronic device side connector forming the bottom of the space portion, and an inclined surface gradually rising from an end of the bottom surface in the moving direction; A contact piece mounting surface extending in parallel with the bottom surface from the end of the inclined surface in the moving direction is provided, and contact pieces of the plurality of accessory side connectors are provided on the contact piece mounting surface. The accessory shoe device according to claim 1, wherein   A bottom surface at a position between the pair of connector side guide surfaces at the position of the electronic device side connector forming the bottom of the space portion, and an inclined surface gradually rising from an end of the bottom surface in the moving direction; A flat contact piece mounting surface extending in parallel with the bottom surface from an end of the inclined surface in the moving direction is provided, and the contact pieces of the plurality of accessory side connectors are connected to the inclined surface and the contact surface. The accessory shoe device according to claim 1, wherein the accessory shoe device is provided at a position of the attachment surface spaced from the boundary portion with the one attachment surface in the moving direction. An electronic device provided with an electronic device side connector having a contact piece for power supply or signal exchange,
The electronic device side connector is a space provided in an accessory attached to the electronic device, into which an accessory side connector having a contact piece for power supply or signal exchange is inserted, and moved in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction Part
The electronic device side connector forming the bottom of the space portion is provided with a pair of connector side guide surfaces extending in the moving direction facing each other in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction,
A plurality of contact pieces of the electronic device side connector are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction at a position between the pair of connector side guides at the bottom of the space portion,
An electronic device characterized by that.   The cover that covers the contact pieces of the plurality of electronic device side connectors is moved in the moving direction at a position between the pair of connector side guide surfaces at the electronic device side connector forming the bottom of the space portion. A spring provided to urge the cover to a closed position that covers the contact pieces of the plurality of electronic device-side connectors, and the cover is moved when the accessory-side connector is moved in the moving direction. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the electronic device is moved to an open position where the contact pieces of the plurality of electronic device side connectors are opened by the accessory side connector.   A bottom surface at a position between the pair of connector side guide surfaces at the position of the electronic device side connector forming the bottom of the space portion, and an inclined surface gradually rising from an end of the bottom surface in the moving direction; A contact piece attachment surface extending in parallel with the bottom surface from the end of the inclined surface in the moving direction is provided, and contact pieces of the plurality of electronic device side connectors are provided on the contact piece attachment surface. The electronic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein   A bottom surface at a position between the pair of connector side guide surfaces at the position of the electronic device side connector forming the bottom of the space portion, and an inclined surface gradually rising from an end of the bottom surface in the moving direction; A flat contact piece mounting surface extending in parallel with the bottom surface from an end portion of the inclined surface in the moving direction is provided, and the contact pieces of the plurality of electronic device side connectors include the inclined surface and the The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the electronic device is provided at a position of the attachment surface spaced in the moving direction from a boundary portion with the contact piece attachment surface. An accessory that includes an accessory-side connector having a contact piece for power supply or signal exchange, and is coupled to an electronic device-side connector of an electronic device,
The accessory-side connector includes an insertion portion that is inserted into a space portion of the electronic device-side connector and is moved in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction,
A pair of accessory side guide surfaces extending in the direction of movement are provided on both sides of the tip of the insertion portion,
A plurality of contact pieces of the accessory side connector are provided in a position between the pair of accessory side guide surfaces at a tip portion of the insertion portion, arranged in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction.
Accessories characterized by that.   A pair of guide walls are formed on the front portion of the insertion portion so as to face each other in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction and project in the insertion direction, and the pair of accessory side guide surfaces are The outer surface of the pair of guide walls is configured in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the contact pieces of the plurality of accessory-side connectors are moved at a position between the base portions of the pair of guide walls at the tip of the insertion portion. The accessory according to claim 10, wherein the accessory is arranged side by side.

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