JP2011002681A - Accessory equipment for photography - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more accurately control accessory equipment for photography by restraining electric connection between connection terminals of the camera and the accessory equipment for photography from being hindered by an increase in electric resistance caused by an oxide film.SOLUTION: The accessory equipment for photography includes the connection terminals 12 which abut on the connection terminals X of an accessory shoe 9 of the camera and are electrically connected therewith, and a terminal holding member 13 holding the connection terminals 12 on a shoe 10 for attaching the equipment to the camera. After locking the accessory equipment with the camera, the terminal holding member 13 moves to make the connection terminals 12 slide while keeping them abutting on the connection terminals X, thereby removing the oxide film formed on surfaces of the connection terminals.

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographic accessory device such as a strobe device or an electronic viewfinder that is attached to an accessory shoe of a camera when taking a picture.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a stroboscopic device is useful as a photographic accessory device that is attached to an accessory shoe of a camera, for example, as an artificial illumination light source that illuminates a subject when taking a photograph. The strobe device has a function of electrically controlling the control of the strobe device with the control of the camera by a connection terminal provided on the shoe.

  If the connection terminal provided on the shoe of the strobe device and the connection terminal provided on the accessory shoe on the camera side are not in contact with each other at the specified position, communication between the strobe device and the camera will become unstable, Since the set exposure control and the light emission control of the strobe device cannot be interlocked, as in Patent Document 1, when the connection terminal of the strobe device has not reached the specified position, a strobe that issues a warning from the camera and the strobe device A device has been proposed.

  In addition, as a photographic accessory device used by attaching to an accessory shoe of a camera and making an electrical connection with the camera side, a GPS unit as in Patent Document 2 or an electronic viewfinder as in Patent Document 3 is used. Proposed.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-95023 JP 2002-350972 A JP 2008-244676 A

  However, photographic accessory devices that are used by being attached to an accessory shoe such as a camera are often attached to the camera and used for connection, rather than a device whose connection terminal is always connected to the camera side. Therefore, when the photographic accessory device is not attached, the connection terminals of the device and the camera are exposed to the atmosphere, and an oxide film is formed on the metal surface due to the affinity between the metal and oxygen.

  When this oxide is formed at the contact part of the connection terminal, contact resistance, which is one of the important characteristics for the connection terminal, increases, and as a result, the photographic accessory device can be controlled even when the connection terminal is in the specified position. The electrical connection is unstable, causing malfunction of the equipment.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a photographic accessory device that can easily remove the oxide film of the connection terminal in order to further stabilize the connection between the photographic accessory device and the camera.

  In order to solve the above problems, a photographic accessory device according to the present invention is used by attaching a shoe provided with a terminal to an accessory shoe of a camera, and the shoe holds the terminal slidably within a predetermined range. A terminal holding member is provided.

  According to this configuration, the terminal holding member moves, and the terminal slides on the terminal surface while being in contact with the connection terminal on the camera side, thereby removing the oxide film formed on the terminal surface and the attached dirt. It is possible to stabilize the electrical connection between the accessory device and the camera.

  In the photographic accessory device of the present invention, the terminal holding member slides the terminal in the shoe insertion direction.

  According to such a configuration, since the terminal holding member is moved and slid in a state of being accommodated in the terminal holding member without moving only the connection terminal, the shoe can be slid with a simpler structure. By sliding it forward (in the insertion direction) after insertion, the possibility that an oxide film and dirt remain at a prescribed position for terminal connection can be reduced.

  The photographic accessory device according to the present invention includes a fixing mechanism that prevents the camera from falling off the accessory shoe, and the terminal holding member moves by the operation of the fixing mechanism.

  According to such a configuration, since the connecting terminal is slid simultaneously with the operation of fixing the photographic accessory device to the camera, the user only fixes the photographic accessory device to the camera like the conventional accessory device. The formed oxide film and attached dirt can be removed, and the electrical connection between the photographic accessory device and the camera can be more easily stabilized.

  Further, in the photographic accessory device according to the present invention, the fixing means is provided at the bottom of the device, and the fixing ring that contacts the accessory shoe of the camera by the rotating operation and the urging pin that transmits the operation of the fixing ring to the terminal holding member are provided. And a lateral cam portion for urging the urging pin is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the fixing ring.

  According to such a configuration, the terminal holding member can be moved by the rotation operation of the fixing ring, and the connection terminal can be slid with a simpler structure.

  Further, in the photographic accessory device according to the present invention, as a fixing means, a lock pin that fits into the accessory shoe of the camera and a lock shaft that moves the lock pin, and a screw portion that is screwed to the terminal holding member on the lock shaft. It may be provided.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the photographic accessory device from falling off and at the same time to move the terminal holding member.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the electrical connection performed between the connection terminal provided on the accessory shoe of the camera and the connection terminal of the photographic accessory device is hindered by an increase in electrical resistance caused by the oxide film. It is possible to make the control of the accessory device more accurate by reducing the occurrence of contamination and removing dirt and the like adhering to the connection terminal.

External perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a photographic accessory device (strobe device) of the present embodiment Schematic exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the shoe of the photographic accessory device according to the embodiment Schematic sectional view of the shoe in the photographic accessory device according to the embodiment Explanatory drawing of the relationship between the terminal holding member and the lateral cam when the shoe of the photographic accessory device of the embodiment is viewed from below the device Schematic sectional view of a shoe in a photographic accessory device according to a second embodiment of the present invention

  Hereinafter, the accessory device for photography which shows embodiment of this invention is demonstrated concretely, referring drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is an external view showing a schematic configuration of the photographic accessory device of the present embodiment. The photographic accessory device in the present embodiment is, for example, a strobe device 1 including a light emitting unit 2 that stores a light source using a xenon discharge tube, and a main body unit 3 that stores a circuit unit and a power source. This is a device that is used by mounting the main body portion on the camera by the shoe 10 provided on the base portion 4 at the bottom of the portion 3.

  The strobe device 1 is attached to the accessory shoe 9 of the camera with the light emitting window portion of the light emitting portion 2 facing the subject via the shoe 10, the connection terminal 12 built in the support member 11 of the shoe 10, and the accessory The contact with the connection terminal X of the shoe 9 is electrically connected to the camera.

  Details of the structure of the shoe 10 in the strobe device 1 having the above-described structure will be described below.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view for illustrating a schematic configuration of the shoe 10 of the strobe device 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the shoe 10 in the strobe device 1 of the present embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of FIG. 1A-A 'line.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the shoe 10 is a connection terminal for communicating with the connection terminal X on the camera side in the support member 11 provided at the lower part of the base part 4 of the strobe device 1. 12, a terminal holding member 13 for housing the connection terminal 12, and a shoe fitting 14 for locking the strobe device 1 to the camera at the bottom of the support member 11.

  The connection terminal 12 is configured to be biased by a terminal spring 15 provided at an end portion on the base portion 4 side so that a distal end portion 12a on the camera side protrudes from the terminal holding member 13, The end on the base part 4 side is soldered to a lead wire (not shown) and connected to a circuit part in the main body part 3 of the strobe device 1.

  The terminal holding member 13 is provided with ribs 13 a on the side surfaces thereof, and is accommodated in a state where the ribs 13 a are engaged in rib grooves 11 a provided in the support member 11. A space is provided in the support member 11 so that the terminal holding member 13 can move, and the terminal holding member 13 is moved to the right in FIG. 3 so that the terminal holding member 13 does not move carelessly. A spring 16 that biases in the direction opposite to the insertion direction is provided.

  A fixing ring 17 is provided on the outer periphery of the support member 11 so that the strobe device 1 does not fall off from the accessory shoe 9 of the camera. The fixing ring 17 is screwed into the screw groove 11a provided on the lower outer peripheral surface of the support member 11 by the screw groove 17a provided on the inner peripheral surface. The strobe device 1 is fixed to the camera by inserting the shoe fitting 14 into the accessory shoe 9 and then rotating the fixing ring 17 to contact the upper surface of the accessory shoe 9.

  Further, a lateral cam portion 17 b is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the fixing ring 17, and the lateral cam portion 17 b is in contact with a biasing pin 18 that biases the terminal holding member 13. The urging pin 18 passes through the support member 11 so that one end of the urging pin 18 can be urged by being inserted into the terminal holding member 13, and is urged by the lateral cam portion 17 b according to the rotation of the fixing ring 17, The holding member 13 is moved in the left direction (insertion direction) in FIG. 2, and the distal end portion 12a of the connection terminal 12 is configured to slide while contacting the connection terminal X of the camera.

  Next, the sliding of the connection terminal 12 by the terminal holding member 13 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  4 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of FIG. 1B-B ′ of the strobe device 1 according to the present embodiment. When viewed from the bottom of the strobe device 1, the terminal holding member 13 and the fixing ring 17 (cam portion 17b) are shown. ) And the biasing pin 18.

  4A shows the relationship before the terminal holding member 13 moves, FIG. 4B shows the relationship when the terminal holding member 13 moves, and FIG. 4C shows the movement of the terminal holding member 13. Shows a relationship when the connection terminal 12 of the strobe device 1 stops at a specified position where the connection terminal X of the camera contacts.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the lateral cam portion 17b has a shape in which both end portions are recessed from the inner peripheral surface (dashed line portion) of the screw groove portion 17a, and the central portion is the screw groove portion 17a. It is formed to be the same height as the inner peripheral surface.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, when the strobe device 1 is attached to the camera, that is, when the shoe fitting 14 is inserted into the accessory shoe 9 of the camera, the fixing ring 17 is placed on the upper surface of the accessory shoe 9. It is in the initial position to avoid contact. At this time, one end portion of the lateral cam portion 17b is formed in a recessed shape so as not to bias the biasing pin 18, so that the terminal holding member 13 is moved toward the biasing pin 18 by the spring 16 (see FIG. 4). The connecting terminal 12 is in a state before starting to slide.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the fixing ring 17 is rotated, the lateral cam portion 17b moves in the same manner, and the central portion of the lateral cam portion 17b biases the biasing pin 18. The terminal holding member 13 moves upward in FIG. 4 in the space inside the support member 11. At this time, since the tip 12a of the connection terminal 12 slides while being in contact with the surface of the connection terminal X on the camera side, the oxide film and dirt on the connection terminal X on the surface of the terminal connection are removed. be able to.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, when the rotation of the fixing ring 17 is finished and the upper surface of the accessory shoe 9 is contacted, the lateral cam portion 17b is also positioned at the other end. At this time, since the other end portion of the lateral cam portion 17b is also formed in a recessed shape so as not to bias the biasing pin 18, the terminal holding member 13 is moved downward in FIG. 3 by the biasing force of the spring 16. The connection terminal 12 is also stopped at the specified position, and the electrical connection between the strobe device 1 and the camera is completed.

  As described above, the connection terminal 12 slides simultaneously with the operation of fixing the strobe device 1 to the accessory shoe 9 of the camera with the fixing ring 17, so that the user can fix the strobe device in the same manner as the conventional strobe device. It is possible to remove the oxide film and dirt on the surface of the connection terminal only by carrying out, and the electrical connection of the device can be further stabilized. Further, since the connection terminal 12 slides beyond a specified position where the connection terminal 12 is connected to the connection terminal X of the camera, it is possible to reduce the possibility that an oxide film or dirt remains at the specified position.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the photographic accessory device (strobe device 1) according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the part similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention, showing the relationship between the terminal holding member 13, the lock lever 21, and the lock pin 22.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the shoe 10 according to the second embodiment is provided below the base portion 4 of the strobe device 1 as in the first embodiment. A terminal holding member 13 having a connection terminal 12 is provided inside the support member 11 of the strobe device 1, and a shoe fitting 14 is provided at the bottom of the support member 11. Further, the support member 11 includes a lock pin 22 for preventing the strobe device 1 from dropping after the shoe fitting 14 is inserted into the accessory shoe 9 of the camera, and a lock lever 21 for moving the lock pin 22. Is provided.

  The lock lever 21 has a lock shaft 23 inserted in the support member 11, and a lock cam portion 24 for urging the lock pin 22 to the tip end portion (the left end portion in FIG. 5) of the lock shaft 23. A shaft screw portion 25 for moving the terminal holding member 13 is provided at an intermediate portion of the lock shaft 23. The shaft screw portion 25 of the lock shaft 23 is screwed into a screw hole 13 c that penetrates the upper end portion of the terminal holding member 13, and the terminal holding member 13 is moved by the rotation of the lock lever 21. .

  When the strobe device 1 is attached to the camera, that is, when the lock pin is released, as shown in FIG. 4, the lock cam portion 24 of the lock shaft 23 has a lock pin spring so that the lock pin 22 does not protrude from the shoe fitting 14. 26, and the terminal holding member 13 is positioned such that the connection terminal 12 is forward (left direction / insertion direction in FIG. 4) with respect to the terminal connection specified position.

  When the lock lever 21 is rotated when the strobe device 1 is mounted on the camera and the lock mechanism is operated, the lock pin 22 is urged by the lock cam portion 24 and a pin hole 9a provided in the accessory shoe 9 on the camera side. Inserted into. At the same time, the shaft screw portion 25 is rotated, and the terminal holding member 13 is moved in the right direction in FIG. 5 (opposite to the insertion direction) by the screwing of the shaft screw portion 25, so that the connection terminal 12 is in a specified position for terminal connection. The flash device 1 and the camera are electrically connected.

  As described above, by attaching the strobe device 1 to the accessory shoe 9 in a state in which the connection terminal 12 is in a position that exceeds the prescribed connection position with the connection terminal X of the camera in advance, After removing the oxide film and dirt on the surfaces of the connection terminals by using the contact / sliding of the connection terminals 12, the connection terminals 12 retreat to the specified position, so that the flash device 1 and the camera can be more easily connected. Electrical connection can be ensured.

  It should be noted that the structure of the connection terminal of the photographic accessory device according to the present invention is not limited to the strobe device according to the above embodiment, and can be applied to a photographic accessory device such as a GPS unit or an electronic viewfinder. Of course, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the shoe 10 according to the above-described embodiment, the example in which the oxide film is directly removed by sliding the connection terminal 12 in the insertion direction of the strobe device 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The oxide film may be removed by moving 13 in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction.

  In the above embodiment, the fixing mechanism (fixing ring 17 and the like) of the strobe device 1 and the connecting terminal 12 are slid simultaneously. However, a separate structure may be used, and a photographic accessory device that does not include the fixing mechanism. It is also possible to provide a mechanism for sliding the connection terminal 12.

  In the above-described embodiment, the mechanism for sliding the connection terminal 12 provided on the shoe 10 has been described. However, the mechanism is applied to a contact piece of a battery chamber in the accessory device, for example, a rectangular terminal such as a lithium ion battery. When inserting a battery with a battery, the contact piece in the battery chamber is slid to remove the oxide film formed on the contact piece / battery terminal and the human sebum attached by the insertion operation. It is also possible to perform power supply.

  The photographic accessory device according to the present invention further ensures electrical connection with the camera, and is applied to a device that performs electrical connection with the camera through a connection terminal and a device that operates according to a control signal from the camera. be able to.

1 Strobe device (photo accessories)
2 Light-emitting part 3 Body part 4 Base part 9 (Camera) accessory shoe 10 Shoe 11 Support member 11a (Thread of support member) Thread groove 12 Connection terminal 13 Terminal holding member 14 Shoe fitting 15 Terminal spring 16 Spring 17 Fixing ring 17a ( Thread groove 17b of the fixing ring 17b Lateral cam part 18 Energizing pin 21 Lock lever 22 Lock pin 23 Lock shaft 24 Lock cam part 25 Shaft screw part X Accessory shoe connection terminal

Claims (6)

A photographic accessory device used by attaching a shoe including a terminal to an accessory shoe of a camera, wherein the shoe includes a terminal holding member that slidably holds the terminal within a predetermined range. Featured accessory equipment for photography. The photographic accessory device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal holding member slides the terminal in an insertion direction of the shoe. The accessory device according to claim 1, wherein the photographic accessory device includes a fixing mechanism that prevents the camera from dropping from an accessory shoe, and the terminal holding member moves by the operation of the fixing mechanism. The fixing means includes a fixing ring that is provided at the bottom of the photographic accessory device and contacts the accessory shoe of the camera by a rotating operation, and a biasing pin that transmits the operation of the fixing ring to the terminal holding member. The photographic accessory device according to claim 1, wherein The photographic accessory device according to claim 1, wherein a lateral cam portion for urging the urging pin is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the fixing ring. The fixing means includes a lock pin that fits into an accessory shoe of the camera and a lock shaft that moves the lock pin, and a screw portion that is screwed into the terminal holding member is provided on the lock shaft. The photographic accessory device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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