JP2008015126A - Electronic camera with monitor cover and monitor cover - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a monitor cover existing at an opening position (position where a monitor screen is not covered) from becoming a hindrance to the handling of a camera. <P>SOLUTION: The monitor cover 50 existing at the opening position is fixed in such a state that it is housed in a recessed part 3A formed on the base of the camera. Meanwhile, the monitor cover 50 existing at a closing position is fixed in such a state that it is housed in a recessed part 2A formed on the back of the camera, so as to cover over the monitor screen. The monitor cover 50 is fixed at the opening position and the closing position by the attraction of a magnet 54 provided on the monitor cover 50 and magnetic substances 32 and 33 provided in the respective recessed parts 3A and 2A. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitor cover that covers a monitor screen and an electronic camera having the same.

  An electronic camera having a liquid crystal monitor capable of displaying an image and capable of covering the screen with a monitor cover (liquid crystal cover) is described in Patent Document 1. The monitor cover can be rotated between a closed position that covers the monitor screen and an open position that exposes the monitor screen. In the closed position, the monitor screen can be viewed through a window provided in the monitor cover. On the other hand, when the monitor cover is in the open position, the display on the monitor screen can be reflected by being reflected by the inner surface of the monitor cover.

Japanese Patent No. 3631610

  In the camera of the cited document 1, when the display on the monitor screen is reflected by the monitor cover, the monitor cover needs to be in a half-open state with respect to the camera body. However, in the case of a normal monitor cover that does not have a reflective function, the half-open cover is a significant obstacle to handling the camera.

An electronic camera with a monitor cover according to the present invention includes a monitor screen disposed on an exterior cover of the camera, a monitor cover movable between a closed position covering the monitor screen, and an open position retracted from the monitor screen, and a monitor The cover is fixed at the closed position, and at the open position, a fixing mechanism is provided for fixing the monitor cover along the appearance cover.
The monitor cover in the open position may be fixed in a state of being accommodated in a recess formed in the appearance cover.
At least a portion of the monitor cover corresponding to the monitor screen may be made of a transparent member so that the monitor screen can be visually recognized even when the monitor cover is in the closed position. The portions other than the portion corresponding to the monitor screen in the monitor cover may have the same color as the surface of the appearance cover on which the monitor screen is arranged.
The monitor screen may be disposed on the bottom surface of the monitor placement recess formed in the external cover, and the monitor cover in the closed position may be fixed in a state of being accommodated in the monitor placement recess.
The monitor cover in the open position may be fixed in a state along a surface intersecting with the surface on which the monitor screen is provided. A monitor screen may be provided on the back of the camera, and the monitor cover in the open position may be fixed in a state along the bottom of the camera.
The monitor cover in the closed position may also cover the operation member provided adjacent to the monitor screen.
The monitor cover may be detachably attached to the external cover.
A monitor cover according to the present invention includes a cover body, and a support portion that supports the cover body on the camera so that the cover body can move between a closed position where the cover body covers the monitor screen of the camera and an open position where the cover body is retracted from the monitor screen. And a fixing part for fixing the cover body in the closed position and fixing the cover body in the open position along the outer surface of the camera.

  According to the present invention, the monitor cover in the open position (a position where the monitor screen is not covered) does not obstruct the handling of the camera.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 and 3 are rear views of a single-lens reflex electronic camera according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 4 are cross-sectional views, respectively. Reference numeral 1 denotes an upper cover constituting an external appearance cover of the camera, 2 denotes a back cover, and 3 denotes a bottom cover. A finder eyepiece window 11 and an eyepiece eyepiece 12 are provided on the back surface of the upper cover 1. A monitor screen 21 (FIG. 3) such as a liquid crystal monitor is disposed on the back cover 2, and a plurality of operation members 22 are disposed on both sides thereof. Since the monitor screen 21 is disposed on the bottom surface of the recess 2 </ b> A formed in the back cover 2, the monitor screen 21 is at a position one level lower than the surface on which the operation member 22 is provided. The monitor screen 21 can display a captured image, display a menu, and the like.

  The monitor cover 50 for protecting the screen is formed by forming a substantially rectangular window on an opaque cover body 51 made of resin, for example, and a transparent member 52 (for example, an acrylic plate) is fitted in the window. A hinge portion 53 provided on the cover body 51 is pivotally supported by a shaft member 31 attached to the bottom cover 3, so that the monitor cover 50 is moved to the closed position shown in FIGS. 3 and can be rotated between the open positions shown in FIG.

  The monitor cover 50 has substantially the same shape as the recess 2A of the back cover 2, and is housed in the recess 2A when in the closed position. At this time, the permanent magnet 54 embedded in the cover main body 51 and the magnetic body 23 embedded in the recess 2A of the back cover 2 are attracted, and the monitor cover 50 is fixed in the closed position. In this closed position, the entire monitor screen can be viewed through the transparent member 52 while the monitor cover 50 covers the monitor screen 21 to protect the screen.

  As can be seen from FIG. 2, the monitor cover 50 accommodated in the recess 2A does not protrude rearward from the surface of the back cover 2 (the surface on which the operation member 22 is provided), so that the monitor cover 50 does not appear to float up. , The camera looks good. Furthermore, by making the cover body 51 the same color (for example, black) as the back cover 2 and the same surface treatment, it is possible to make the monitor cover 50 appear as if it is a part of the back cover 2. is there.

  Therefore, it is usually desirable from the viewpoint of screen protection to fix the monitor cover 50 in the closed position. However, when the transparent member 52 is soiled or scratched, or the reflection of the transparent member 52 is a concern. The monitor cover 50 is moved from the closed position to the open position so that the monitor screen 21 can be directly viewed. To move, it is only necessary to apply a force in the opening direction to the monitor cover 50 to release the lock by the magnet 54, and to turn it about 270 degrees to bring it to the open position. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the monitor cover 50 is opened about 180 degrees. In the open position, the monitor cover 50 is accommodated in the recess 3A provided in the bottom cover 3, the magnet 54 of the cover main body 51 and the magnetic body 32 (FIG. 4) embedded in the recess 3A are attracted, and the monitor cover 50 is It is fixed in this state.

  Thus, since the monitor cover 50 can be fixed along the bottom surface of the camera, there is no obstacle to handling the camera. Further, since it is not necessary to remove the monitor cover 50 from the camera and store it separately, there is no fear of losing it, and there is no fear that the monitor cover 50 will be dropped and damaged. Although the bottom cover 3 is provided with a tripod seat (not shown), it is located at a position away from the recess 3A and does not interfere with the tripod attachment regardless of the open / closed state of the monitor cover 50.

Moreover, as can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, the monitor cover 50 accommodated in the recess 3 </ b> A does not protrude downward from the surface of the bottom cover 3, that is, the bottom surface of the camera, so that the stability is impaired when the camera is placed on a desk or the like. There is no problem even when an accessory such as a battery pack is attached to the bottom of the camera.
To return the monitor cover 50 from the open position to the closed position, it is only necessary to rotate the monitor cover 50 in the opposite direction.

  Here, since the hinge portion 53 of the monitor cover 50 is formed of a flexible member, the monitor cover 50 can be easily pulled as shown in FIG. 6 by pulling the monitor cover 50 in a half-open state. Can be removed from. Moreover, the mounting to the shaft member 31 is easy. Therefore, when the monitor cover 50 is damaged or broken, it can be easily replaced with a new one.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which the operation button 22 is also covered with the monitor cover 50 ′, and members having the same functions as those of the previous embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. By doing so, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation of the operation button 22 and to prevent entry of dust from the gap between the operation button 22 and the back cover 2.

  In the above description, the monitor cover 50 is rotated about 270 degrees between the closed position and the open position. For example, the monitor cover 50 is rotated about 90 degrees from the closed position to be parallel to the camera bottom surface, In this state, the monitor cover 50 may be slid together with the rotation shaft and stored in the recess 3A (closed position), and the reverse operation may be brought to the open position. Or the structure which opens and closes only by sliding a monitor cover may be sufficient.

  Further, when it is assumed that the monitor cover is opened and the monitor screen is visually recognized, the window and the transparent member are not necessarily required for the monitor cover. Conversely, the entire monitor cover may be made of a transparent member. A transparent, partially transparent, and opaque monitor cover may be prepared so that the user can change it according to his / her preference.

  The mechanism for fixing the monitor cover in the closed / open position is not limited to a magnet, and may be a snap-fit type, for example. Also, the position of the monitor screen is not limited to the back surface, and the surface along which the monitor cover is open is not limited to the bottom surface. Furthermore, although the single-lens reflex type electronic camera has been described, the present invention can also be applied to a compact type electronic camera.

It is a rear view of the electronic camera in one Embodiment, and shows the state which has a monitor cover in a closed position. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the camera of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a state where the monitor cover is in the open position. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the camera of FIG. 3. The side sectional view of a camera when a monitor cover is in a half-open state. The side surface sectional view of a camera which shows the state where a monitor cover was removed. The rear view of the electronic camera in other embodiments.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Top cover 2 Back cover 2A, 3A Concavity 3 Bottom cover 21 Monitor screen 22 Operation button 23,32 Magnetic body 31 Rotating shaft 50 Monitor cover 51 Cover main body 52 Transparent member 53 Hinge part 54 Magnet

Claims (10)

A monitor screen placed on the exterior cover of the camera;
A monitor cover movable between a closed position covering the monitor screen and an open position retracted from the monitor screen;
An electronic camera with a monitor cover, comprising: a fixing mechanism for fixing the monitor cover in the closed position and fixing the monitor cover in a state along the outer appearance cover in the open position.   The electronic camera with a monitor cover according to claim 1, wherein the monitor cover in the open position is fixed in a state of being accommodated in a recess formed in the appearance cover.   The monitor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion corresponding to the monitor screen is made of a transparent member so that the monitor screen can be visually recognized even in the closed position. Electronic camera with cover.   4. The electronic camera with a monitor cover according to claim 3, wherein a portion of the monitor cover other than the portion corresponding to the monitor screen has the same color as the surface of the appearance cover on which the monitor screen is arranged.   The monitor screen is disposed on a bottom surface of a monitor placement recess formed in the exterior cover, and the monitor cover in the closed position is fixed in a state of being accommodated in the monitor placement recess. Item 5. An electronic camera with a monitor cover according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   The monitor cover according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the monitor cover in the open position is fixed in a state along a surface intersecting with a surface on which the monitor screen of the appearance cover is provided. Electronic camera.   The electronic camera with a monitor cover according to claim 6, wherein a surface on which the monitor screen is provided is a rear surface of the camera, and the monitor cover in the open position is fixed in a state along the bottom surface of the camera.   The electronic camera with a monitor cover according to claim 1, wherein the monitor cover in the closed position also covers an operation member provided adjacent to the monitor screen.   The electronic camera with a monitor cover according to claim 1, wherein the monitor cover is detachably attached to the appearance cover. A cover body;
A support portion for supporting the cover body on the camera so that the cover body can move between a closed position where the cover body covers the monitor screen of the camera and an open position where the cover body is retracted from the monitor screen;
A monitor cover comprising: a fixing portion for fixing the cover main body in the closed position and fixing the cover main body in the open position along the outer surface of the camera.

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