JP2006133297A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus advantageous to miniaturization while securing the degree of freedom in a design or a plan. <P>SOLUTION: A case 2004 for a light emitting part is formed so that the front end of a light source housing chamber 2006 may be located more backward than the front end of a lens barrel 10 and the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 may be located at nearly the same position as a front wall 102A in a front-and-rear direction as shown in Figure (A) in a state where the case 2004 for the light emitting part is located at a non-use position. The case 2004 is formed so that the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 may be located at nearly the same position as the front end of the lens barrel 10 and the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 may be located more forward than the front wall 102A in the front-and-rear direction as shown in Figure (B) in a state where the case 2004 is located at a use position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to an arrangement structure of light emitting units attached to the imaging apparatus.

As an imaging apparatus such as a digital video camera, there is an apparatus provided with a light emitting unit (a strobe for still image shooting or a video light for moving image shooting) that irradiates a subject with auxiliary light.
Such an imaging device has a light emitting part fixed to the case that constitutes the exterior of the case and a light emitting part incorporated in the case projecting outward from the case when in use, and inside the case when not in use. There are some that employ a so-called pop-up mechanism (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).
JP 2002-250962 A JP 2002-296648 A JP 2003-307769 A

When the light emitting part is fixed to the case of the imaging device so as not to move as in the former case, the light emitting part is arranged radially outward of the lens barrel so that the illumination light emitted from the light emitting part is not blocked by the case part. Therefore, there is a disadvantage in securing the design and the degree of freedom of design.
In addition, when the pop-up mechanism is employed as in the latter case, the structure is complicated and the number of parts is large, so that an occupied space is required, which is disadvantageous in reducing the size of the imaging apparatus.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that is advantageous in reducing the size while ensuring the design and the degree of freedom of design.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, an image pickup apparatus of the present invention includes an image pickup element, an optical system that includes a plurality of optical members, guides a subject image to the image pickup element, and houses the optical system and the image pickup element. An imaging device including a main body case and a light emitting unit that is provided on the main body case and irradiates light forward on the subject side, wherein the optical system is a first frontmost one of the plurality of optical members. The light emitting section is located at a position behind the first optical member, and is located at the front side of the non-use position and at a side of the first optical member. It is characterized by being provided so as to be movable between use positions to be used.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when the light emitting unit is fixed to the case of the imaging device so as not to move as in the prior art, the light emitting unit is configured so that the illumination light emitted from the light emitting unit is not blocked by the portion of the case. Has to be greatly separated outward in the radial direction of the lens barrel. Therefore, the light emitting part has to be protruded outward from the case, which is disadvantageous in ensuring design and design freedom. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the simple configuration of moving the light emitting portion in the front-rear direction eliminates the need to greatly separate the light emitting portion outward in the radial direction of the lens barrel, which is advantageous in securing design and design freedom. It becomes.
In addition, when a pop-up mechanism is employed as a light emitting unit as in the past, the structure is complicated and the number of parts is large, so an occupied space is required, which is disadvantageous in reducing the size of the imaging device. Since the configuration in which the light emitting unit is moved in the front-rear direction is sufficient, the structure is simple and the number of parts is small, which is advantageous for downsizing.

  The light emitting unit is positioned at the rear of the first optical member positioned at the foremost position among the plurality of optical members, and positioned at the side of the first optical member at the front of the unused position. The above-mentioned object is realized by providing it so as to be movable between use positions.

Next, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a perspective view of the image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment when viewed from the front, FIGS. 2A and 2B are operation explanatory views of the image pickup apparatus according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views taken along line BB in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging apparatus 100 is a digital video camera, and includes a main body case 102 that constitutes an exterior. The main body case 102 has a height in the vertical direction and a length in the front-rear direction that is shorter than the height. And a width in the left-right direction that is shorter than the length. In the present specification, the left and right sides of the main body case 102 are in a state in which the main body case 102 is viewed from the front (subject side).
The main body case 102 has a front wall 102A that faces the front, a rear wall 102B that faces the rear, an upper wall 102C that faces the upper side, 102D that faces the lower side, and left and right side walls 102E and 102F that face the left and right sides.
The lens barrel 10 is incorporated in the upper part of the main body case 102, and the image sensor 18 is incorporated in the rear part of the lens barrel 10, and the optical system 14 that guides the subject image to the image sensor 18 is incorporated in the lens barrel 10.
The optical system 14 includes a plurality of optical members including a zoom lens, a focus lens, an objective lens, and the like, and an objective lens 1402 is disposed at the front end of the lens barrel 10. The objective lens 1402 is located in the forefront among the plurality of optical members, and corresponds to the first optical member in the claims.
An MF ring 103 for manual focus adjustment made of an annular member is rotatably attached to the outer periphery of the front end of the lens barrel 10.

A viewfinder 104 for visually recognizing an image being photographed is provided on the upper part of the rear wall 102B of the main body case 102. As shown in FIG. In addition, a moving image shooting start / stop switch 108 is provided.
Near the rear of the upper wall 102C of the main body case 102, an accessory mounting shoe 110 and a recording microphone 112 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction.
The right wall 102F of the main body case 102 is provided with a display panel 114 (FIG. 5) on which images such as still images and moving images, characters, symbols, and the like are displayed.
An annular hand strap 116 is attached between a position closer to the lower side behind the left wall 102E of the main body case 102 and a position closer to the front at the boundary between the lower wall 102D and the left wall 102E. The main body case 102 can be firmly held by passing the hand inside the strap 116.
A switch case 40 that protrudes from the left wall 102E and extends in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction is provided at a location near the upper portion of the left wall 102E of the main body case 102.
The switch case 40 includes a zoom switch 118 for performing a zoom operation of the optical system 14, a photo switch 120 for performing still image shooting, a mode switching switch 122 for switching between a moving image shooting mode and a still image shooting mode, and the like. Operation switches for shooting are arranged.

The light emitting unit 20 that irradiates the subject with light is provided on the left wall 102A of the main body case 102, and is provided at the front portion of the switch case 40 in this embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 4 (A), the light emitting unit 20 is in a non-use position (A) located behind the objective lens 1402, and in FIGS. 2 (B) and 4 (B). As shown, it is provided so as to be movable between a non-use position (A) and a use position (B) located in front of the objective lens 14.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the light emitting unit 20 includes a light source 2002 and a light emitting unit case 2004 that houses the light source 2002, and the light emitting unit case 2004 is in a non-use position with respect to the main body case 102. In this embodiment, the light emitting unit case 2004 is provided so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the optical system 14.
As the light source 2002, for example, a light source that generates flash light such as a flashlight, or a light source that continuously generates light such as a video light may be used.
As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting unit case 2004 is coupled to the main body case 102 on a rail 107 provided on the main body case 102 and extending forward from the front portion in the switch case 40. This is done by slidably engaging the slider 2005 on the back surface. In addition, a click mechanism, a stopper, or the like that holds the light emitting unit case 2004 so that the light emitting unit case 2004 stays at the non-use position and the use position in a non-use position and a use position. Is provided. As described above, various known structures can be employed as a structure for supporting the light emitting section case 2004 so as to be movable back and forth, and a structure for retaining the light emitting section case 2004 at the non-use position and the use position.

The light emitting unit case 2004 has a light source housing chamber 2006 that is open on the front side that reflects light from the light source 2002 forward. The wall surface of the light source housing chamber 2006 is formed as a reflecting surface and is irradiated from the light emitting unit 20. The central axis of the light beam is configured to be parallel to the optical axis of the objective lens 1402.
In a state where the light emitting unit case 2004 is located at the non-use position, as shown in FIG. 4A, the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 is located behind the front end of the lens barrel 10, and FIG. As shown, the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 is formed so as to be located at substantially the same position as the front wall 102A in the front-rear direction. In the non-use position, the light emitting unit case 2004 is positioned at the front end of the switch case 40, the rear end of the light emitting unit case 2004 and the front end of the switch case 40 are continuous, as if the light emitting unit case 2004 A light emitting part case 2004 is formed so that the switch case 40 has an integral shape.
4B, the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 is positioned at substantially the same position as the front end of the lens barrel 10 in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 (B), the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 is formed so as to be positioned in front of the front wall 102A in the front-rear direction. The reason why the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 is set to be substantially the same as the front end of the lens barrel 10 in the front-rear direction is to irradiate the subject with light from the light source 2002 without being blocked by the lens barrel 10 as will be described later. From such a point of view, it is desirable that the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 be at least approximately the same position as the front end of the lens barrel 10 at least in the front-rear direction. It is more desirable to be positioned forward.
In the state where the light emitting part case 2004 is located at the use position, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 4B, there are two operations on the left wall 102E at the rear of the light emitting part case 2004. The switch 124 is provided so as to be exposed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the imaging element 18 is configured by a CCD, a CMOS sensor, or the like that captures a subject image formed by the optical system 14.
An image picked up by the image pickup device 18 is output as an image pickup signal to the image processing unit 150, and the image processing unit 150 generates image data of a still image or a moving image based on the image pickup signal and records it in the storage medium 152. The image data is displayed on the display 114 by the display processing unit 154.
A drive unit 156 is connected to the light source 2002, and the light source 2002 emits light by a drive current supplied from the drive unit 156.
The imaging apparatus 100 includes an image processing unit 150, a display processing unit 154, and a driving unit in accordance with operations of a shooting start / stop switch 108, a zoom switch 118, a photo switch 120, a mode switch 122, an operation switch 124, and various operation switches. A control unit 158 including a CPU for controlling 156 is provided.
The control unit 158 is configured to adjust the light emission amount and the light emission time of the light source 2002 by controlling the drive unit 156.
Further, a detection switch 160 that detects whether the light-emitting unit case 2004 is in the non-use position or the use position is provided at a position where the main body case 102 faces the light-emitting unit case 2004.
The control unit 158 detects the non-use position and the use position of the light emitting unit case 2004 based on the detection signal of the detection switch 160. When the light emitting unit case 2004 is in the non-use position, the light emitting unit 20 prohibits the light emission operation and emits light. When the part case 2004 is in the use position, the light emitting unit 20 is allowed to emit light, and the control unit 158 constitutes the control means of the claims.

Next, the function and effect will be described.
When shooting is performed without irradiating the subject with light by the light emitting unit 20, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 4A, the light emitting unit case 2004 is in a non-use position. To do.
In this case, the control unit 158 is prevented from performing the light emitting operation by the light emitting unit 20 based on the detection signal of the detection switch 160, and thus can prevent the light emitting unit 20 from performing the erroneous light emitting operation.
When shooting by irradiating the subject with light by the light emitting unit 20, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 4B, the light emitting unit case 2004 is in a use position.
In this case, since the controller 158 is allowed to emit light by the light emitting unit 20 based on the detection signal of the detection switch 160, the light emitting operation by the light emitting unit 20 is performed.
In this case, since the light emitting unit case 2004 is located at the use position and the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 and the front end of the lens barrel 10 are located at substantially the same position in the front-rear direction, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 20 Is irradiated toward the subject without being blocked by the front end of the lens barrel 10.

According to the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 20 includes a non-use position positioned behind the objective lens 1402 positioned in the forefront among the plurality of optical members, and a front position of the objective lens 1402 positioned before the non-use position. Since it is provided so as to be movable between the use position located on the side, when the subject is irradiated with light, the light from the light emitting unit 20 is transmitted to the lens barrel 10 by positioning the light emitting unit 20 at the use position. The light can be emitted toward the subject without being obstructed by the light source, and when the light is not directed toward the subject, the light emitting unit 20 is positioned at a non-use position to obstruct the light emitting unit 20 with respect to the main body case 102. It can be made a position that does not become.
Therefore, when the light emitting unit is fixed to the case of the imaging device so as not to move as in the past, the light emitting unit is arranged in the radial direction of the lens barrel so that the illumination light emitted from the light emitting unit is not blocked by the case part. In this embodiment, it is necessary to make the light emitting part greatly protrude outward, and thus the light emitting part has to be protruded largely outward from the case, which is disadvantageous in ensuring the design and freedom of design. Then, it is not necessary to largely separate the light emitting unit 20 outward in the radial direction of the lens barrel by a simple configuration in which the light emitting unit 20 is moved in the front-rear direction, which is advantageous in securing design and design freedom.
In addition, when a pop-up mechanism is used as a light emitting unit as in the past, the structure is complicated and the number of parts is large, so an occupied space is required, which is disadvantageous in reducing the size of the imaging device. Since the structure which moves the light emission part 20 to the front-back direction may be sufficient, since a structure is simple and there are few number of parts, it is advantageous when aiming at size reduction.
In the present embodiment, the light emitting part case 2004 is formed so that the light emitting part case 2004 and the switch case 40 are formed in an integrated shape at the non-use position. is there.
Further, in this embodiment, since the two operation switches 124 are provided so as to be exposed on the surface of the main body case 102 only when the light emitting unit case 2004 is located at the use position, the two operation switches 124 emit light. The operation becomes impossible when the part case 2004 is located at the non-use position, and the operation is possible when the light-emitting part case 2004 is located at the use position. For this reason, assigning an operation switch that is not frequently used as the operation switch 124 is advantageous in avoiding an erroneous operation. For example, if the operation switch 124 is assigned with a light-emitting unit operation switch for performing various settings related to the light-emitting operation of the light-emitting unit 20, an erroneous operation of the operation switch 124 when the light-emitting unit 20 is not in use can be avoided, and operability can be improved. It is advantageous for improvement.
In this embodiment, a detection switch 160 for detecting whether the light emitting unit case 2004 is in the non-use position or the use position is provided. When the light emitting unit case 2004 is in the non-use position, the light emitting unit 20 Although the case where the light emitting operation is prohibited and the light emitting operation by the light emitting unit 20 is allowed when the light emitting unit case 2004 is in the use position has been described, it goes without saying that such a detection switch 160 may be omitted. However, when the detection switch 160 is provided as in the embodiment, it is advantageous to prevent the light emitting unit case 2004 from erroneously emitting light in a state where it is in the non-use position.

Next, Example 2 will be described.
In the first embodiment, the light emitting unit case 2002 is provided to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the switch case 40, whereas in the second embodiment, the light emitting unit case 2002 is integrated with the front portion of the switch case 40. The switch case 40 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction.
6A and 6B are operation explanatory diagrams of the image pickup apparatus according to the second embodiment.
In the following, the same parts and members as in the first embodiment are described with the same reference numerals, and the switch case 40 is provided with operation switches related to photographing such as the zoom switch 118, the photo switch 120, and the mode switch 122. ing.
The light emitting unit case 2002 is integrally provided at the front portion of the switch case 40, and the configurations of the light source 2004 and the light source accommodating chamber 2006 in the light emitting unit case 2002 are the same as those in the first embodiment.
When the switch case 40 is moved to the rear end position, the light emitting section case 2004 is positioned at the non-use position. In this state, as shown in FIG. It is located behind the front end of the tube 10 and the front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 is formed so as to be located at substantially the same position as the front wall 102A in the front-rear direction.
Further, as the switch case 40 moves to the front end position, the light emitting unit case 2004 is located at the use position. In this state, as shown in FIG. The front end of the light source housing chamber 2006 is formed to be positioned forward of the front wall 102A in the front-rear direction.
Further, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B, the light emitting unit case 2004 is located at the use position, and the left wall 102E at the rear of the switch case 40 is located in the same manner as in the first embodiment. These two operation switches 124 are provided so as to be exposed.
Even in the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In the first and second embodiments, the light emitting unit case 2004 is provided so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the optical system 14. However, the moving direction of the light emitting unit case 2004 is arbitrary, and in short, the use position. Therefore, it is sufficient that the front end of the light emitting unit case 2004 is substantially at the same position as the front end of the lens barrel 10, and therefore the light emitting unit case 2004 is not in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the optical system 14 but the optical axis of the optical system 14. It may be provided so as to be movable in the intersecting direction.
In the second embodiment, the case where the switch case 40 integrally provided with the light emitting unit case 2004 is movably provided in the front-rear direction has been described. However, the switch case 40 not including the light emitting unit case 2004 is described. May be provided to be movable in the front-rear direction.
In this embodiment, a digital video camera is exemplified as the imaging device. However, the present invention can of course be applied to an imaging device such as a digital still camera or a television camera.

1 is a perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1 as viewed from the front. (A), (B) is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the imaging device in Example 1. FIG. It is AA sectional view taken on the line of FIG. (A), (B) is BB sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment. (A), (B) is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the imaging device in Example 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Imaging device, 102 ... Main body case, 18 ... Image sensor, 14 ... Optical system, 1402 ... Objective lens, 20 ... Light emission part.

Claims (11)

An image sensor;
An optical system composed of a plurality of optical members for guiding a subject image to the image sensor;
A main body case that houses the optical system and the imaging device and constitutes an exterior;
An imaging device including a light emitting unit that is provided in the main body case and emits light in front of the subject,
The optical system has a first optical member located in the forefront among the plurality of optical members,
The light emitting unit is located between a non-use position located behind the first optical member and a use position located in front of the non-use position and lateral to the first optical member. Provided to be movable,
An imaging apparatus characterized by that.   The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit is provided so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the optical system.   The light emitting unit includes a light source and a light emitting unit case that houses the light source, and the light emitting unit case is coupled to the main body case so as to be movable between the non-use position and the use position. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The light emitting unit includes a light source and a case for the light emitting unit that accommodates the light source, the imaging device includes a plurality of operation switches related to imaging, and at least one of the plurality of operation switches is attached to the main body case. It is arranged in a switch case provided to be movable back and forth, and the light emitting part case is provided in a front part of the switch case so as to be movable between the non-use position and the use position. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1.   The imaging apparatus includes a plurality of operation switches related to imaging, and at least one of the plurality of operation switches is provided in a switch case coupled to the main body case so as to be movable back and forth, and the light-emitting unit includes the switch The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus is provided at a front portion of the case.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical system is housed in a lens barrel, and the first optical member is an objective lens provided at a front end of the lens barrel.   The optical system is housed in a lens barrel, the first optical member is an objective lens provided at a front end of the lens barrel, and the light emitting unit includes a light source and a light emitting unit case that houses the light source. The light-emitting unit case is provided so as to be movable between the non-use position and the use position with respect to the main body case, and the light-emitting unit case has a front surface that reflects light from the light source forward. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an open light source storage chamber, wherein the front end of the barrel and the front end of the light source storage chamber are substantially the same in the front-rear direction at the use position. .   The optical system is housed in a lens barrel, the first optical member is an objective lens provided at a front end of the lens barrel, and the light emitting unit includes a light source and a light emitting unit case that houses the light source. The light-emitting unit case is provided so as to be movable between the non-use position and the use position with respect to the main body case, and the light-emitting unit case has a front surface that reflects light from the light source forward. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an open light source storage chamber, wherein the front end of the light source storage chamber is positioned forward of the front end of the lens barrel at the use position.   A detection switch for detecting whether the light emitting unit is located at the non-use position or the use position is provided, and the light emission when the detection switch detects that the light emission unit is located at the non-use position. 2. The imaging according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that prohibits the light emitting operation of the light emitting unit and permits the light emitting operation of the light emitting unit when it is detected that the light emitting unit is located at the use position. apparatus.   The main body case is provided with an operation switch for photographing that is hidden by the light emitting unit in a state where the light emitting unit is located at the non-use position and is exposed when the light emitting unit is located at the use position. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1. The imaging device according to claim 10, wherein the operation switch is a switch for operating the light emitting unit for performing various settings related to a light emitting operation of the light emitting unit.

Images