JP2012198447A - Camera cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that a conventional camera cooling system is large in size and heavy in weight and in the conventional camera cooling system, it is necessary that an exclusive air duct is provided so that the number of parts becomes larger, the cost is increased, and an electronic camera is heavy in weight as well.SOLUTION: When a knurl machine screw 14 of an air blower 2 is engaged with a tripod seat 7 of a digital camera 1, to attach the air blower 2 to the digital camera 1, the interior space of the digital camera 1 and the interior space of the air blower 2 are communicated with each other through a camera side opening 10 and an air blower side opening 15. Air generated by the drive of a fan 17 flows in the digital camera 1 through an intake port 19 of the air blower 2, the air blower side opening 15, the camera side opening 10, and an exhaust port 12 of the digital camera 1, to cool an imaging sensor as a heat generation source.

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera cooling system that creates a flow of air inside a camera by a fan and cools a heat source inside the camera.

  Conventionally, as this type of camera cooling system, for example, there is an electronic camera cooling system disclosed in Patent Document 1. The electronic camera described in Patent Document 1 includes an air suction port provided in the upper part of the camera body, a movable imaging unit (a heat generation source) configured by an imaging device and the like, and a discharge port for discharging air. Further, a blower duct is provided between the air suction port and the movable imaging unit, and a blower duct is also provided between the movable imaging unit and the discharge port. When the battery holder is mounted on the electronic camera as a cooling device, the air sucked from the air suction port of the camera body is guided to the movable image pickup unit such as the image pickup device through the air duct by the fan in the battery holder. Air heated by the movable imaging unit passes through the exhaust duct through the exhaust duct, and is forcedly exhausted from the exhaust hole of the battery holder by the fan in the battery holder, thereby cooling the movable imaging unit as a heat source. .

JP 2009-71516 A

  However, in the conventional camera cooling system described above, since the large battery holder containing the battery for supplying power to the electronic camera is further used as the external cooling device, the external cooling device itself is large and heavy. In addition, since it is necessary to provide a dedicated air duct in the electronic camera and the battery holder, the number of parts increases and costs increase, and the electronic camera also becomes heavy.

The present invention has been made to solve such problems,
A camera cooling system comprising a camera and a blower,
The camera
An intake / exhaust port leading to the inside of the camera,
A tripod mounting means to which the tripod can be attached and detached;
A camera side opening leading to the inside of the camera provided in the tripod mounting means,
The blower is
A blowing means having an intake and exhaust port and a fan;
Camera mounting means detachable from the tripod mounting means;
A blower side opening provided in the camera mounting means and leading to the inside of the blower,
When the air blower is attached to the camera, the air flows into the internal space of the camera by the air blowing means by connecting the internal space between the camera and the air blower through the camera side opening and the air blower side opening. It is characterized by making.

  According to this configuration, when the camera mounting means of the air blower is engaged with the camera tripod mounting means and the air blower is attached to the camera, the camera side opening provided in the tripod mounting means and the camera mounting means The internal space of the camera and the air blower communicates with the air blower side opening provided. In this state, when the fan of the blowing unit is driven, an air flow is generated in the internal space of the camera. The air generated by driving the fan flows inside the camera and the air blower through the air intake / exhaust port of the air blower, the air blower side opening, the camera side opening, and the air intake / exhaust port of the camera. Cool down the heat source.

  According to the present invention, since the blower including only the fan is an external cooling device, the external cooling device can be reduced in size. In addition, since it is not necessary to newly provide a dedicated air duct for the camera and the air blower, the number of parts can be reduced, so that the cost of the camera cooling system can be reduced and the camera cooling system can be reduced in size and weight. In addition, since the tripod mounting means for attaching and detaching the tripod has a camera side opening that leads to the internal space of the camera, there is no need to provide a new opening on the side of the camera in order to communicate with the blower, and the appearance of the camera can be improved. There is no loss.

(A) And (b) is a front view which shows the outline of the internal structure of the digital camera and the air blower which comprise the camera cooling system by the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (c) is a side view of a digital camera It is. It is a top view of the cap provided in the digital camera shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the outline of the internal structure of a digital camera and an air blower in case the digital camera shown in FIG. 1 and the air blower are engaged. (A) is a front view which shows the outline of the internal structure of the digital camera and the air blower which comprise the camera cooling system by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, (b) is the digital camera engaged with the air blower. It is a top view. (A) is a top view of the digital camera which comprises the camera cooling system by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a side view of the upper surface wall of the digital camera shown to (a).

  Next, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention when the camera cooling system according to the present invention is applied to a digital camera will be described.

  FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are a front view showing an outline of the internal structure of the digital camera 1 and the air blower 2 constituting the camera cooling system according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the digital camera 1. FIG.

  First, the internal structure of the digital camera 1 will be described. The digital camera 1 includes a camera body 1a and a lens 1b. A main substrate 3 is provided in the camera body 1a. On the main substrate 3, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 4, an image sensor 5, a temperature sensor 6, and the like are provided.

  Light from the subject is taken into the digital camera 1 through the lens 1b. The subject light taken into the digital camera 1 is photographed by the image sensor 5 and image data is generated by the CPU 4. The image sensor 5 includes an image sensor that captures a subject image, and generates heat when activated. In particular, when the camera is operated for a long period of time, such as during continuous shooting of still images or when shooting moving images, the temperature rises and tends to be high. The temperature sensor 6 is provided in the vicinity of the image sensor 5 and measures the internal temperature of the digital camera 1, particularly the ambient temperature of the image sensor 5. Further, the CPU 4 operates various device functions of the digital camera 1.

  An exhaust port 12 that also serves as an intake port communicating with the inside of the digital camera 1 is provided in the upper part of the camera body 1a. The inside of the digital camera 1 at the exhaust port 12 is covered with a filter 13a. Further, a tripod seat 7, a female communication connector 8a, and a positioning hole 9a are provided in the lower part of the camera body 1a.

  The tripod seat 7 has a flange shape, and a female screw groove to be screwed with the mounting screw of the tripod is cut in the inner surface of the hollow cylindrical portion at the center. The tripod seat 7 constitutes a tripod attachment part to which the tripod can be attached and detached. The hollow cylindrical portion of the tripod seat 7 penetrates in the axial direction, and this hollow cylindrical portion constitutes a camera side opening 10 that communicates with the inside of the digital camera 1. A cap 11 made of an elastic member such as rubber is press-fitted to the head of the tripod seat 7 and covers the camera side opening 10. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 2, the cap 11 has a circular shape in plan view, and has a notch that is divided into eight sectors connected by the circumference.

  The communication connector 8a and the main board 3 are connected by a flat cable 18a. The communication connector 8a is connected to a battery (not shown) via a flat cable 18a, and power is supplied from the battery of the digital camera 1 to the blower 2 constituting the external cooling device.

  Next, the structure of the blower 2 will be described. On the upper surface of the blower 2, a knurled screw 14, a male communication connector 8b, and a positioning pin 9b protruding upward are provided.

  The knurled screw 14 has a flange shape, and a male screw groove that is screwed with the female screw groove of the tripod seat 7 is cut around the screw head 14 a of the hollow cylindrical portion protruding from the upper surface side of the blower 2. Yes. The knurled screw 14 constitutes a camera mounting portion that can be attached to and detached from the tripod seat 7. The hollow cylindrical part of the knurled screw 14 penetrates in the axial direction, and this hollow cylindrical part constitutes a blower side opening 15 leading to the inside of the blower 2. A ring-shaped rubber member 16 that constitutes an elastic member is provided between the inner surface of the upper wall of the housing of the blower 2 and the flange portion of the knurled screw 14.

  The male communication connector 8b is connected to the fan 17 provided inside the blower 2 via a flat cable 18b. In addition, an intake port 19 that also serves as an exhaust port is provided on the side surface of the blower 2 in the vicinity of the back surface of the fan 17 and is covered with a filter 13b. The air inlet 19 and the fan 17 constitute a blower.

  When the air blower 2 is attached to the tripod seat 7 of the digital camera 1, the internal space between the digital camera 1 and the air blower 2 communicates through the camera side opening 10 and the air blower side opening 15. In this state, the air flow is generated in the internal space of the digital camera 1 by driving the fan 17 of the blower. This air flow is indicated by arrows shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b).

  Here, the case where the digital camera 1 and the air blower 2 are engaged will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a front view showing an outline of the internal structure of the digital camera 1 and the blower 2 when the digital camera 1 and the blower 2 shown in FIG. 1 are engaged. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG.

  When the digital camera 1 and the air blower 2 are engaged, the positioning hole 9a of the digital camera 1 and the positioning pin 9b of the air blower 2 are fitted, whereby the digital camera 1 and the air blower 2 are positioned relative to each other. Done. Further, when the digital camera 1 and the blower 2 are engaged, the screw head 14 a of the knurled screw 14 is positioned on the tripod seat 7 of the digital camera 1. In this state, the male screw of the knurled screw 14 is screwed into the female screw groove of the tripod seat 7 by manually turning the flange portion of the knurled screw 14 that protrudes outward from the side surface of the blower 2. The blower 2 and the digital camera 1 are engaged.

  The cap 11 has a shape that covers the camera-side opening 10 as described above, and constitutes an opening / closing part that opens and closes the camera-side opening 10. In other words, when the cap 11 is not engaged with the knurled screw 14 and the tripod seat 7, the eight fan-shaped portions are closed as shown in FIG. 2, and the camera-side opening 10 is closed. On the other hand, when the knurled screw 14 and the tripod seat 7 are engaged with each other, the cap 11 is pushed from the lower surface side by the screw head 14a of the knurled screw 14, and the eight fan-shaped portions warp upward, as shown in FIG. Open the camera side opening 10. In this case engaged with the tripod mount 7, the blower side opening 15 leads to the internal space of the digital camera 1 through the camera side opening 10.

  When the air blower 2 is attached to the digital camera 1, the rubber member 16 between the inner surface of the upper wall of the air blower 2 and the flange portion of the knurled screw 14 is compressed and crushed by the knurled screw 14. 14, that is, the airtightness between the upper wall inner surface of the blower 2 and the flange portion of the knurled screw 14 is enhanced.

  In addition, when the digital camera 1 and the blower 2 are engaged, the communication connector 8a of the digital camera 1 is fitted and connected to the communication connector 8b of the blower 2, and the power of the battery in the digital camera 1 is flat. It is supplied to the fan 17 via the cable 18a, the communication connector 8a, the communication connector 8b, and the flat cable 18b. The battery in the digital camera 1 constitutes a power supply unit that supplies power from the digital camera 1 to the blower 2.

  The CPU 4 of the digital camera 1 constitutes a control unit that controls the operation of the blower 2, and outputs a signal to the fan 17 via the communication connectors 8a and 8b when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 6 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. Then, the fan 17 is driven. When the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 6 is less than a predetermined value, the fan 17 is stopped. When the fan 17 is driven, a flow of air passing through the internal space of the digital camera 1 that enters from the air inlet 19 and exits from the air outlet 12 is created as indicated by an arrow. That is, air generated by driving the fan 17 is the air inlet 19 of the blower 2, the internal space of the blower 2, the blower-side opening 15, the camera-side opening 10, the internal space of the digital camera 1, and the digital camera. The imaging sensor 5 is cooled by flowing through one exhaust port 12.

  According to such a camera cooling system according to the present embodiment, when the knurled screw 14 of the blower 2 is engaged with the tripod seat 7 of the digital camera 1 and the blower 2 is attached to the digital camera 1, the camera side The internal space between the digital camera 1 and the blower 2 is communicated through the opening 10 and the blower-side opening 15. In this state, when the fan 17 of the blower is driven, an air flow is generated in the internal space of the digital camera 1. Air generated by driving the fan 17 flows in the digital camera 1 through the air inlet 19 of the air blower 2, the air blower side opening 15, the camera side opening 10, and the air outlet 12 of the digital camera 1. As a result, the image sensor 5 as a heat source is cooled. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the camera side opening 10 of the tripod seat 7 faces upward, the wind sent from the blower 2 to the digital camera 1 is as shown in FIG. The imaging sensor 5 above the opening 10 is efficiently cooled.

  For this reason, in order to cool the heat source inside the digital camera 1, a large battery holder with a built-in battery is not used as an external cooling device as in the prior art, but a blower device 2 with only a fan 17 is used as an external cooling device. Therefore, the external cooling device can be reduced in size. Moreover, since the camera side opening 10 of the tripod seat 7 also serves as a blower duct and no dedicated blower duct is provided in the digital camera 1, the digital camera 1 becomes lighter by the amount of the blower duct. Further, since the blower side opening 15 of the knurled screw 14 also serves as a blower duct, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated blower duct as a new part in the blower 2. That is, since it is not necessary to newly provide a dedicated air duct in the digital camera 1 and the air blower 2, the number of parts is reduced, and the cost of the camera cooling system can be reduced. In addition, when the camera cooling system is reduced in size and weight and the digital camera 1 is used in a state in which the blower 2 is not attached, the digital camera 1 is reduced in weight because there is no blower duct in the digital camera 1. Further, since the tripod seat 7 to which the tripod is attached and detached has the camera side opening 10 that communicates with the internal space of the digital camera 1, it is also necessary to provide a new opening on the side of the digital camera 1 in order to communicate with the blower 2. In addition, the appearance of the digital camera 1 is not impaired.

  Accordingly, there is provided a camera cooling system having the above-described effects that enables long-time shooting without exceeding the use limit temperature of the image sensor 5 even when shooting is performed for a long time.

  Further, according to the camera cooling system of the present embodiment, electric power is supplied from the digital camera 1 to the blower 2 by the battery in the digital camera 1, and the fan 17 of the blower is driven by this electric power. For this reason, compared with the case where a dedicated battery is provided in the air blower 2 in order to supply power to the fan 17 in the air blower 2, the air blower 2 is downsized and the digital camera 1 is mounted even if the air blower 2 is attached. Becomes easier to handle.

  Further, according to the camera cooling system according to the present embodiment, the digital camera 1 has the fan 17 provided in the blower 2 by the control unit (CPU 4) when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 6 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. Drive. In particular, according to the camera cooling system of the present embodiment, the fan 17 is driven and the image sensor 5 is driven only when the image sensor 5 becomes high temperature and the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 6 exceeds a predetermined value. Is cooled. For this reason, compared with the case where the fan 17 is always driven, the power consumption of the battery in the digital camera 1 is reduced.

  Moreover, according to the camera cooling system according to the present embodiment, the camera can be attached to and detached from the tripod base 7 of the digital camera 1, and when the digital camera 1 is engaged with the tripod base 7, the inside of the digital camera 1 through the camera side opening 10. The digital camera 1 and the air blower 2 can be easily engaged with each other using the knurled screw 14 having the air blower side opening 15 leading to the space, and the usability is improved.

  Further, according to the camera cooling system according to the present embodiment, the rubber member 16 is provided between the housing of the blower 2 and the knurled screw 14, and when the blower 2 is attached to the digital camera 1, the rubber member 16. As a result, the airtightness around the knurled screw 14 is improved, so that dust and the like can be prevented from entering the blower 2 and the digital camera 1 from the periphery of the knurled screw 14, and the air generated by the fan 17 can be removed from the housing of the blower 2. Leaking from between the body and the knurled screw 14 is suppressed. For this reason, the inside of the digital camera 1 can be effectively cooled by the air flow generated inside the digital camera 1.

  Further, according to the camera cooling system according to the present embodiment, when the cap 11 formed of an elastic member is attached to the camera side opening 10 and the knurled screw 14 and the tripod seat 7 are not engaged, the cap 11 is The camera side opening 10 is closed. For this reason, when the knurled screw 14 and the tripod base 7 are not engaged, the cap 11 closes the camera side opening 10, so that dust or the like enters the digital camera 1 through the camera side opening 10. Is prevented.

  Moreover, according to the camera cooling system according to the present embodiment, the exhaust ports 12 and the intake ports 19 of the digital camera 1 and the blower 2 are provided with the filters 13a and 13b. The dust and the like are prevented from entering the digital camera 1 through the air inlet 12 and the air inlet 19.

  In this embodiment, the filters 13a and 13b are provided in the exhaust port 12 and the intake port 19 of the digital camera 1 and the blower 2, but the exhaust port 12 and the digital camera 1 and the blower 2 are You may make it the structure by which the filter is provided in at least 1 of the inlet port 19 and the air blower side opening part 15. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 6 is configured to measure the ambient temperature of the image sensor 5, but may be configured to measure the ambient temperature of an engine such as the CPU 4 other than the image sensor 5. In this case, when the ambient temperature of the engine is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the fan 17 is driven and the engine is cooled by the air flow generated by the fan. That is, in this embodiment, the case where the heat source is the image sensor 5 and the image sensor 5 is a cooling target has been described, but the heat source and the cooling target are not limited to the image sensor 5.

  In this embodiment, the CPU 17 of the digital camera 1 is configured to transmit a predetermined control signal via the communication connectors 8a and 8b to drive the fan 17. However, the communication can be performed without transmitting the control signal. You may comprise so that the electric power supplied to the fan 17 via the connectors 8a and 8b may be directly interrupted, and the operation | movement of the fan 17 may be controlled.

  In the present embodiment, air generated by driving the fan 17 flows through the air inlet 19 of the air blower 2, the air blower side opening 15, the camera side opening 10, and the air outlet 12 of the digital camera 1 in order. Although the configuration is such that the air flows through, the direction of air flow may be reversed by rotating the fan 17 in the reverse direction.

  In the present embodiment, the fan 17 and the intake port 19 are provided on the left side surface inside the blower 2, but these may be provided directly below the knurled screw 14.

  FIG. 4A is a front view showing the outline of the internal structure of the digital camera 1 and the blower 2 constituting the camera cooling system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is the blower 2. It is a top view of the digital camera 1 engaged with. In the figure, the same or corresponding parts as in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, a plurality of holes 12a are provided on the upper surface of the digital camera 1, and the holes 12a serve as the exhaust port 12 described above in the first embodiment. Further, in the first embodiment, the fan 17 and the intake port 19 are provided on the left side surface inside the blower 2, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14 is provided directly below. Therefore, the blowing efficiency from the fan 17 to the digital camera 1 is better than that of the first embodiment.

  A protrusion 21 protruding forward is provided in a columnar shape on the left side of the blower 2. When the blower device 2 is attached to the digital camera 1, the projecting portion 21 is located on the front side of the digital camera 1 and serves as a grip of the digital camera 1 as shown in FIG.

  In such a camera cooling system according to the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, according to the camera cooling system according to the present embodiment, even when the digital camera 1 has no grip, when the knurled screw 14 is engaged with the tripod base 7 and the blower 2 is attached to the digital camera 1, Since the protrusion 21 provided in the device 2 becomes a grip of the digital camera 1, the convenience of the blower device 2 is improved. Moreover, since the air blower 2 which does not have a battery is small, the external appearance balance with the air blower 2 with respect to the small digital camera 1 in recent years may be a mounting state.

  FIG. 5A is a plan view of the digital camera 1 constituting the camera cooling system according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is an upper wall of the digital camera 1 shown in FIG. FIG.

  On the upper surface wall of the digital camera 1, a sound emission port 30 of a speaker 31 including a plurality of holes is provided. The mounting position of the speaker 31 is shifted from directly below the sound emission port 30, not directly below the sound emission port 30 composed of a plurality of holes. Therefore, a part of the sound emission port 30 becomes an exhaust port for discharging the air flow generated by driving the fan 17 as in the first and second embodiments. That is, the exhaust port of the digital camera 1 is configured by at least a part of the sound emission port 30 that emits sound from the speaker 31 built in the digital camera 1.

  A mesh sheet 32 is interposed between the speaker 31 and the upper wall of the digital camera 1 provided with the sound emission opening 30. The mesh sheet 32 serves as a filter that blocks dust entering from the outside of the digital camera 1.

  According to the camera cooling system according to this embodiment, at least a part of the sound emission port 30 that emits sound from the speaker 31 built in the digital camera 1 is used as the air intake / exhaust port of the digital camera 1, and the speaker The sound emission port 30 that emits the sound of 31 also serves as an intake / exhaust port. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated intake / exhaust port on the side surface of the digital camera 1, and the manufacturing cost of the digital camera 1 is reduced.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the camera cooling system is applied to the digital camera 1 has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to other devices including a tripod seat such as a silver salt camera and a video camera.

1 ... Digital camera 2 ... Blower 4 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... Imaging sensor 6 ... Temperature sensor 7 ... Tripod seat 10 ... Camera side opening part 11 ... Cap 12 ... Exhaust port 13a, 13b ... Filter 14 ... Knurled screw 15 ... Air blower side opening part 16 ... Rubber member 17 ... Fan 19 ... Inlet 21 ... Projection 30 ... Sound outlet 31 ... Speaker

Claims (10)

A camera cooling system comprising a camera and a blower,
The camera
An intake and exhaust port leading to the inside of the camera;
A tripod mounting means to which the tripod can be attached and detached;
A camera side opening that leads to the inside of the camera provided in the tripod mounting means,
The blower is
A blowing means having an intake and exhaust port and a fan;
Camera mounting means detachable from the tripod mounting means;
A blower side opening provided in the camera mounting means and leading to the inside of the blower, and
When the air blower is attached to the camera, the camera and the air blower communicate with each other through the camera side opening and the air blower side opening, so that the air blower means the camera. A camera cooling system characterized by creating an air flow in the interior space of the camera. The camera cooling system according to claim 1,
A camera cooling system comprising power supply means for supplying power from the camera to the blower. The camera cooling system according to claim 1 or 2,
The camera includes a temperature sensor that measures an internal temperature of the camera;
Control means for controlling the operation of the blower,
The said control means drives the said air blower, when the temperature measured by the said temperature sensor is more than predetermined value, The camera cooling system characterized by the above-mentioned. The camera cooling system according to claim 3.
The camera cooling system, wherein the temperature sensor specifically measures the temperature of the image sensor. In the camera cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The camera cooling system, wherein the intake / exhaust port of the camera is at least a part of a sound output port that emits sound from a speaker built in the camera. In the camera cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The camera attachment means is detachable from the tripod attachment means, and the blower side opening that communicates with the internal space of the camera through the camera side opening when engaged with the tripod attachment means. A camera cooling system characterized by comprising a screw. The camera cooling system according to claim 6.
It further has an elastic member between the housing of the blower and the screw,
The camera cooling system according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member enhances a sealing property around the screw when the blower is attached to the camera. The camera cooling system according to claim 6 or 7,
The camera side opening further includes opening / closing means formed of an elastic member,
The opening / closing means opens the camera side opening by the screw head of the screw when the screw and the tripod mounting means are engaged, and the screw and the tripod mounting means are not engaged. A camera cooling system characterized by having a shape that closes the opening on the camera side. The camera cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A camera cooling system, wherein a filter is provided in at least one of the intake and exhaust ports of the camera and the blower and the blower-side opening. The camera cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The said cooling device is provided with the protrusion part used as the grip of the said camera, when it attaches to the said camera, The camera cooling system characterized by the above-mentioned.

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