JP2011075697A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve positioning accuracy of a connecting terminal of a mount in an imaging device. <P>SOLUTION: This imaging device includes: a mount having a reference surface to an interchangeable lens; and a terminal unit positioned to the mount and having a connecting terminal abutted to the connecting terminal of the interchangeable lens. In the imaging device, the terminal unit and the mount may be respectively provided with positioning parts fitted to each other to determine the relative positions of the terminal unit and the mount. Further, in the imaging device, the terminal unit may be freely moved to a body part for supporting the mount. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus.

  Patent Document 1 below describes a camera system including an interchangeable lens that can be attached to and detached from a camera body. When the interchangeable lens is mounted on the camera body, the interchangeable lens side contact and the camera body side contact come into contact with each other, and the interchangeable lens and the camera body are also electrically coupled.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-163728

  The interchangeable lens attached to the camera body is positioned by a mount on the camera body side. The mount is supplied as a metal part and is fixed to the camera body. Further, from the viewpoint of ease of assembling work, the contact is supplied as a contact unit in which a plurality of metal contacts are integrated with a resin material or the like, and is mounted by fixing the contact unit to the camera body. For this reason, the positional tolerance of the mount with respect to the camera body and the positional tolerance of the contact unit with respect to the camera body may be superimposed, resulting in a large variation in the relative position of the contact unit and the mount.

  Accordingly, in order to solve the above problems, as one aspect of the present invention, a mount having a reference surface for an interchangeable lens, and a terminal unit having a connection terminal that is positioned with respect to the mount and abuts on the connection terminal of the interchangeable lens are provided. An imaging device is provided.

2 is a perspective view showing a shape of an interchangeable lens 100. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a shape of a camera body 200. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of a camera system 300. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view around the mount ring 260. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view around the mount ring 260, with a different viewpoint. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the attachment structure of the contact unit 400. It is sectional drawing which shows the other attachment structure of the contact unit.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of the interchangeable lens 100 alone from an obliquely rear side. The interchangeable lens 100 as a whole has a cylindrical lens barrel whose diameter changes along the longitudinal direction, and an optical system accommodated in the lens barrel. In the drawing, the optical axis of the optical system is indicated by a one-dot chain line X.

  The interchangeable lens 100 has a fixed cylinder 110, a zoom ring 120, a focus ring 130, and a slide switch 101 on the peripheral surface. The zoom ring 120 can be rotated along the peripheral surface of the interchangeable lens 100. When the zoom ring 120 is rotated, the magnification (focal length) of the interchangeable lens 100 changes.

  The focus ring 130 can also be rotated along the peripheral surface of the interchangeable lens 100. When the focus ring 130 is rotated, the focal position of the interchangeable lens 100 changes. The fixed cylinder 110 supports the slide switch 101 without rotating. The slide switch 101 is used for limiting the magnification range of the interchangeable lens 100, switching the optical system to the close-up mode, and the like.

  An insertion index 118 is arranged near the rear end of the peripheral surface of the interchangeable lens 100. The insertion index 118 serves as a mark for alignment with a corresponding index on the camera body side when the interchangeable lens 100 is attached to the camera body.

  On the rear end surface of the interchangeable lens 100, a mount surface 112, a mount claw 114, an interlocking claw 221 and a movable contact 116 are disposed. A plurality of movable contacts 116 are arranged on the peripheral surface of the arc-shaped rib 115 protruding rearward from the rear end surface of the interchangeable lens 100.

  Each of the movable contacts 116 protrudes from the peripheral surface of the rib 115 in a state in which the movable contact 116 is urged toward the radially outer side of the interchangeable lens 100. As a result, when contact is made with a contact on the camera body side, variations in the gap between the contacts are absorbed to ensure electrical connection.

  The mount surface 112 forms a flat annular surface that is orthogonal to the optical axis X of the optical system of the interchangeable lens 100. By bringing the mount surface 112 into close contact with the mount surface of the camera body, which will be described later, the optical system of the interchangeable lens 100 is accurately positioned with respect to the camera body. In addition, the mounting surface 112 is also provided with a lock hole 102. The lock hole 102 will be described later.

  A plurality of mount claws 114 are arranged at a substantially rear end where the interchangeable lens 100 has the smallest diameter. Each of the mounting claws 114 has an arc shape and is fixed to the fixed cylinder 110.

  The interlocking claw 221 protrudes backward from the rear end surface of the interchangeable lens 100. The interlocking claw 221 mechanically engages with the interlocking lever on the camera body side, and when the user previews, when the release button is pressed and the image sensor is exposed, the interlocking claw 221 transmits a driving force to the aperture device.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the shape of a camera body 200 that can be used with the interchangeable lens 100 shown in FIG. The camera body 200 includes a connector cover 150, a lever switch 160, a dial switch 180, a push button 190, and a lock release button 192 disposed on the surface of the housing 140. A mount ring 260 is disposed on the front surface of the housing 140.

  The connector cover 150 covers and protects a connector for connecting a sync cable, a remote controller or the like. The lever switch 160 is used for a switching operation when there are few options such as a power switch. The dial switch 180 is used for a selection operation when there are many options, a continuous value increase / decrease operation, or the like. The push button 190 includes an electrical switch used for temporary operation mode switching, two-way switching operation, and the like, and a device having mechanical functions such as mounting lock and preview.

  The mount ring 260 includes a mount surface 262 and a mount claw 264. The mount surface 262 forms an annular plane having an opening through which the aperture can be seen, and is in close contact with the mount surface 112 of the mounted interchangeable lens 100. Each of the mounting claws 264 has an arc shape and protrudes inward in the radial direction inside the mounting surface 262.

  Further, a lock pin 194 that stops the rotation of the mounted interchangeable lens 100 protrudes from the mount surface. The lock pin 194 is urged in a direction protruding from the mount surface, and sinks into the mount surface 262 when the lock release button 192 is pressed, allowing the interchangeable lens 100 to rotate.

  Further, the insertion index 144 is disposed on the surface of the housing 140 near the mount ring 260. The insertion index 144 is a mark that matches the insertion index 118 on the interchangeable lens 100 side when the interchangeable lens 100 is attached to the camera body 200.

  Furthermore, the contact unit 400, the main mirror 240, the focusing screen 272, and the like arranged inside the housing 140 can be seen inside the opening of the mount ring 260. The contact unit 400 includes a plurality of electrically independent fixed contacts 410 disposed on the back surface of the mount surface 262, and a unit body 420 that integrates the fixed contacts 410 while being insulated from each other.

  When the interchangeable lens 100 is attached to the camera body 200 as described above, the following operation is performed. First, the insertion indexes 118 and 144 are aligned with each other with the interchangeable lens 100 and the mount surfaces 112 and 262 of the camera body 200 facing each other.

  Thereby, the mount claw 264 on the camera body 200 side and the mount claw 114 on the interchangeable lens 100 side have a complementary positional relationship. Accordingly, when the rear end of the interchangeable lens 100 is inserted into the opening of the mount ring 260, the mount claw 114 on the interchangeable lens 100 side passes between the mount claws 264 on the camera body 200 side and the back surface side of the mount surface 262. Get into.

  Subsequently, when the interchangeable lens 100 is rotated around its optical axis X, the mount claw 114 on the interchangeable lens 100 side enters the back side of the mount claw 264 on the camera body 200 side, and both engage. A plate spring biased in the thickness direction of the mount claw 114 is disposed on at least one of the mount claws 114 and 264, and the mount surfaces 112 and 262 come into close contact with the rotation of the interchangeable lens 100. Thereby, the interchangeable lens 100 is coupled to the camera body 200.

  Further, when the interchangeable lens 100 is rotated to a position where the lock pin 194 enters the lock hole 102, the movable contact 116 and the fixed contact 410 come into contact with each other. Thereby, an electrical connection between the interchangeable lens 100 and the camera body 200 is formed. Here, since the mounted interchangeable lens 100 is positioned by the mount surface 262, if the position of the contact unit 400 is shifted, there may be a case where electrical connection cannot be obtained.

  When the interchangeable lens 100 rotates to a predetermined position, the tip of the lock pin 194 on the camera body 200 side enters the lock hole 102 on the interchangeable lens 100 side, and the interchangeable lens 100 does not rotate. When removing the interchangeable lens 100, the lock release button 192 is pressed to remove the lock pin 194 from the interchangeable lens 100, and the above series of operations is executed in reverse.

  The equipment to be mounted on the mount ring 260 of the camera body 200 is not limited to the interchangeable lens 100, and an intermediate ring, a conversion adapter, a conversion lens, or the like may be attached. Some types of equipment have a function of relaying the movable contact 116 on the interchangeable lens 100 side and the fixed contact 410 on the camera body 200 side. When such equipment is mounted, the object to which the movable contact 116 of the interchangeable lens 100 or the fixed contact 410 of the camera body 200 contacts is a contact of a camera accessory such as an intermediate ring, a conversion adapter, or a conversion lens.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of the camera system 300 formed by the camera body 200 to which the interchangeable lens 100 is attached. That is, the camera system 300 indicates the whole including the camera body 200 and the interchangeable lens 100 coupled to each other. Note that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2, and redundant description is omitted.

  The interchangeable lens 100 includes a plurality of lenses L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, and L6, and a lens barrel control unit 111. The lenses L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, and L6 are arranged on a common optical axis X and form an optical system as a whole. Further, the aperture device 222 is also held in the lens frame that holds the lens L5.

  The lens barrel control unit 111 is electrically connected to the camera body 200 side via a contact unit 400 disposed adjacent to the mount ring 260. Accordingly, the interchangeable lens 100 can receive power from the camera body 200 and can communicate with a main control unit 250 described later.

  The camera body 200 houses an optical system including a main mirror 240, a pentaprism 270, and a finder optical system 290, and a main control unit 250. The primary mirror 240 is located between a photometric position inclined on the optical path of incident light incident through the optical system of the interchangeable lens 100 and an imaging position (indicated by a dotted line in the figure) that rises while avoiding the incident light. To move.

  The primary mirror 240 in the photometric position guides most of the incident light to the focusing screen 272 disposed above. The focusing screen 272 is disposed at a position where an image is formed when the optical system of the interchangeable lens 100 is focused, and visualizes the image.

  The image formed on the focusing screen 272 is observed from the finder optical system 290 via the pentaprism 270. Thereby, the image on the focusing screen 272 can be viewed as a normal image from the finder optical system 290.

  A half mirror 292 is disposed between the pentaprism 270 and the finder optical system 290. The half mirror 292 superimposes the display image formed on the finder LCD 294 on the image on the focusing screen 272. As a result, the image on the focusing screen 272 and the image on the viewfinder LCD 294 can be seen together at the exit end of the viewfinder optical system 290. The viewfinder LCD 294 displays information such as shooting conditions and setting conditions of the camera system 300.

  A part of the light emitted from the pentaprism 270 is guided to the photometry unit 280. The photometry unit 280 measures the intensity of incident light, its distribution, and the like, and refers to the measurement result when determining imaging conditions.

  On the other hand, a secondary mirror 242 is disposed on the back surface of the primary mirror 240 with respect to the incident light incident surface. The secondary mirror 242 guides part of the incident light transmitted through the primary mirror 240 to the focus detection device 230 disposed below. Thereby, when the primary mirror 240 is in the standby position, the focus detection device 230 detects the focus adjustment state of the optical system. When the primary mirror 240 is moved to the photographing position, the secondary mirror 242 is also retracted from the optical path of the incident light.

  A shutter 220, an optical filter 212, and an image sensor 210 are disposed along the optical axis behind the primary mirror 240 with respect to the incident light from the interchangeable lens 100. When the shutter 220 is opened, the primary mirror 240 moves to the photographing position immediately before that, so that the incident light travels straight and enters the image sensor 210. As a result, the image formed by the incident light is converted into an electrical signal in the image sensor 210.

  In addition, the camera body 200 includes a main LCD 296 facing the outside on the back surface of the interchangeable lens 100. The main LCD 296 can display various setting information for the camera body 200 and can also display an image formed on the image sensor 210 when the primary mirror 240 is moved to the shooting position.

  The main control unit 250 comprehensively controls the various operations as described above. In addition, the focusing information detected by the focus detection device 230 is referenced to control the autofocus mechanism of the interchangeable lens 100 and the light control mechanism such as the flash device. In addition, the main control unit 250 can notify the lens barrel control unit 111 of exposure information obtained from the photometry unit 280 to control the operation of the aperture device 222. Further, in these operations, the focal length of the interchangeable lens 100, the state of the slide switch 101, and the like are referred to.

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the attachment structure of the contact unit 400 and the mount ring 260. This figure shows a state seen from the front side of the camera body 200, as in FIG.

  The mount ring 260 and the contact unit main body 420 are attached to the front body 310. The front body 310 is supplied as an integrated shaped product, and itself forms a structural material of the camera body 200, and forms a mirror box that houses the primary mirror 240, and a support member such as the pentaprism 270.

  A front surface of the front body 310 is provided with a mount ring mounting surface 312, a screw hole 313, and a contact unit mounting surface 314. The mount ring attachment surface 312 has a substantially annular shape, and when the mount ring 260 is attached, the mount ring attachment surface 312 is in close contact with the back surface of the mount ring 260 to position the mount ring 260.

  A plurality of screw holes 313 are arranged on the mount ring mounting surface 312, and the tip of a set screw (not shown) inserted into the screw hole 266 of the mount ring 260 is screwed into the screw hole 313, thereby mounting the mount ring mounting surface 312. A ring 260 is fixed to the front body 310.

  The contact unit mounting surface 314 has a screw hole 313. A through hole is formed in the unit main body 420 of the contact unit 400, and the contact unit 400 is attached to the front body 310 by screwing the stepped screw 440 inserted therethrough into the screw hole 313 of the contact unit mounting surface 314. Attached.

  However, a rubber bush 430 is fitted into the through hole of the unit body 420, and the stepped screw 440 is inserted inside the rubber bush 430. Therefore, when the stepped screw 440 is screwed into the screw hole 315, the stepped screw 440 is fixed to the front body 310, but the contact unit 400 is supported by the stepped screw 440 via the rubber bush 430. Is done.

  A pair of positioning holes 428 are disposed on the front surface of the unit main body 420 of the contact unit 400. The function of the positioning hole 428 will be described later.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the attachment structure of the contact unit 400 and the mount ring 260. This figure shows a state seen from the rear side of the camera body 200, contrary to FIG.

  As illustrated, a pair of positioning pins 268 are disposed on the back surface of the mount ring 260 facing the front body 310. The positioning pin 268 is fitted into the mount ring 260 and is integrated with the mount ring 260.

  The mount ring 260, the contact unit 400, and the front body 310 as described above are assembled in the following procedure. First, the rubber bush 430 is fitted into the unit main body 420 of the contact unit 400, and the stepped screw 440 inserted through the rubber bush 430 is inserted into the rubber bush 430. The tip of the stepped screw 440 is screwed into the screw hole 315 of the front body 310. Thus, the contact unit 400 is attached to the front body 310.

  Subsequently, a screw (not shown) is inserted into the screw hole 266 of the mount ring 260, and the tip thereof is screwed into the screw hole 313 of the mount ring mounting surface 312. Thus, the mount ring 260 is fixed to the front body 310 in close contact with the mount ring mounting surface 312 while covering the front side of the contact unit 400. Thus, since both the mount ring 260 and the contact unit 400 are attached to the front body 310, the work procedure of the assembly process is the same as before.

  FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the mount ring 260, the contact unit 400, and the front body 310 attached as described above. Elements common to FIGS. 4 and 5 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As illustrated, both ends of the rubber bush 430 inserted into the through hole 426 of the unit main body 420 form a flange portion 432 having a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the through hole 426. The flange portion 432 at one end is sandwiched between the front body 310 and the unit main body 420. The flange portion 432 at the other end is sandwiched between the screw head 442 of the stepped screw 440 and the unit main body 420.

  Further, the intermediate portion of the rubber bush 430 is sandwiched between the peripheral surface of the stepped screw 440 and the unit main body 420. As a result, the unit main body 420 is elastically supported from the front body 310 without directly contacting any of the contact unit mounting surface 314 and the stepped screw 440.

  On the other hand, the tip of the positioning pin 268 fitted to the mount ring 260 is fitted into the positioning hole 428 of the unit main body 420. Thereby, the unit main body 420 is positioned with respect to the mount ring 260, and the contact unit 400 is also positioned with respect to the mount ring 260.

  As already described, the interchangeable lens 100 is positioned with respect to the mount surface 262 of the mount ring 260. Therefore, the contact unit 400 positioned with respect to the mount ring 260 is also accurately positioned with respect to the interchangeable lens 100.

  In place of the rubber bushing 430, a bushing formed of an elastic material such as another elastomer or resin may be used. Further, if the condition that the play of the contact unit 400 with respect to the front body 310 is larger than the play of the contact unit 400 with respect to the mount ring 260 is maintained, the contact unit 400 is made to move to the front body 310 by another structure such as a spring or a wire. You may attach to.

  In the above mounting structure, the positioning pin 268 is fixed to the mount ring 260, and the positioning hole 428 is disposed on the contact unit 400 side. However, a positioning portion protruding on the contact unit 400 side and a positioning portion recessed on the mount ring 260 side may be provided and positioned by fitting with each other.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing another attachment structure of the contact unit 400. Elements having the same functions as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  In this attachment structure, the contact unit 400 is fixed to the mount ring 260. That is, the unit main body of the contact unit 400 has the positioning protrusion 422 that protrudes toward the mount ring 260. On the other hand, the back surface of the mount ring 260 has a positioning hole 263 having a shape complementary to the positioning protrusion 422.

  Further, the unit main body 420 has a through hole 426 that is orthogonal to the mount surface 262. A screw hole 261 is disposed on the back surface of the mount ring 260. The unit main body 420 is fixed by screwing the tip of a set screw 444 through which the through hole 426 is inserted into the screw hole 261.

  Here, the inner diameter of the through hole 426 is larger than the outer diameter of the set screw 444. For this reason, the set screw 444 does not regulate the position of the unit main body 420 in the plane direction parallel to the mount surface 262. Accordingly, the contact unit 400 is positioned exclusively by the positioning protrusion 422 and the positioning hole 263.

  As described above, the contact unit 400 is positioned with respect to the mount ring 260. For this reason, the relative position of the contact unit 400 with respect to the front body 310 is not always constant.

  For this reason, the rear end 412 of the fixed contact 410 of the contact unit 400 is pressed against the anisotropic conductive elastic body 450 disposed on the front body 310. The anisotropic conductive elastic body 450 is an insulating elastic material sheet in which a conductive material such as metal is dispersed. When pressed, the anisotropic conductive elastic body 450 exhibits conductivity only in the pressurized region in the pressurizing direction. To do. Thereby, the region where the rear end of the fixed contact 410 is pressed is conducted to the flat cable 452 connected to the back surface of the anisotropic conductive elastic body 450. Thereby, the electrical connection with respect to the contact unit 400 is securable, maintaining the insulation of the adjacent fixed contacts 410 mutually.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

100 Interchangeable Lens, 101 Slide Switch, 102 Lock Hole, 110 Fixed Tube, 111 Lens Barrel Control Unit, 112 Mount Surface, 114 Mount Claw, 115 Rib, 116 Movable Contact, 118, 144 Insertion Index, 120 Zoom Ring, 130 Focus Ring , 140 housing, 150 connector cover, 160 lever switch, 180 dial switch, 190 push button, 192 lock release button, 194 lock pin, 200 camera body, 210 image sensor, 212 optical filter, 220 shutter, 221 interlocking claw, 222 Aperture device, 230 focus detection device, 240 primary mirror, 242 secondary mirror, 250 main control unit, 260 mount ring, 261, 266, 313, 315 screw hole, 262 mount surface, 263 positioning hole, 2 4 mount claw, 268 positioning pin, 270 pentaprism, 272 focusing screen, 280 metering unit, 290 finder optical system, 292 half mirror, 294 finder LCD, 296 main LCD, 300 camera system, 310 front body, 312 mount ring mounting surface 314 Contact unit mounting surface, 400 Contact unit, 410 Fixed contact, 412 Rear end, 420 Unit body, 422 Positioning protrusion, 426 Through hole, 428 Positioning hole, 430 Rubber bushing, 432 Flange part, 440 Stepped screw, 442 Screw Head, 444 Set screw, 450 Anisotropic conductive elastic body, 452 Flat cable

Claims (4)

A mount having a reference surface for the interchangeable lens;
And a terminal unit having a connection terminal positioned with respect to the mount and abutting on a connection terminal of the interchangeable lens.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the terminal unit and the mount includes a positioning unit that is fitted to each other and determines a relative position of the terminal unit and the mount.   The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal unit is movable with respect to a main body that supports the mount.   The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal unit is fixed to the mount.

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