JP2014174375A - Imaging device provided with lens change-over mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging device such as a camera and the like provided with a lens change-over mechanism that can be used while a conversion lens or a lid body is smoothly changed over.SOLUTION: An imaging device comprises a lens change-over mechanism 30 having: a slide groove 33 that is penetratedly provided at a front wall 13 of a casing body 12 having an opening 14; a slider 37 that is slidably inserted to the slide groove, and disposed so as to penetrate the front wall; a lid body 35 that is disposed in an outer surface of a front wall of the casing body, and capable of covering the opening; and a conversion lens 39 that is disposed in an inner surface of a front wall of the lid body, and retractable between a photographing lens and the opening. Since the slider slides the slide groove, the lid body moves among a first position where the lid body covers the opening, a second position where the conversion lens is located between the photographing lens and the opening, and a third position where both of the lid body and the conversion lens does not face the photographing lens and the opening.

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device such as a digital camera having a lens switching mechanism.

  An image pickup apparatus such as a digital camera picks up a still image or a moving image with a normal image pickup lens (also referred to as “master lens”) provided inside the housing. When performing imaging other than normal imaging, for example, wide-angle imaging using a wide conversion lens (wide converter), telephoto imaging using a teleconversion lens (teleconverter), etc., to match the optical axis of the imaging lens, A wide conversion lens and a tele conversion lens (hereinafter referred to as “conversion lens”) are separately attached to the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-212299 A

  However, in order to attach the conversion lens separately to the housing, it is necessary to have a conversion lens mounting structure on the housing, it takes time to attach and detach the conversion lens, and the conversion lens must be carried with the imaging device. There are problems such as that.

  In addition, in this type of imaging apparatus, a lid for protecting the imaging lens is attached when the imaging apparatus is not used. Some lids are detachable like the conversion lens, but they need to be removed when the imaging apparatus is used, and there is a risk of loss.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera having a lens switching mechanism that can smoothly switch between a conversion lens and a lid.

An imaging apparatus comprising the lens switching mechanism of the present invention is
An imaging lens is housed in a housing, and the housing has an imaging device in which an opening is formed in a front wall facing the imaging lens.
A slide groove formed through the front wall;
A slider that is slidably inserted into the slide groove and is arranged to penetrate the front wall;
A lid that is disposed on the outer surface of the front wall of the housing and can cover the opening, the lid being connected to the slider on the outer surface side of the front wall;
A conversion lens that is disposed on the inner surface of the front wall of the lid and that can be projected and retracted between the imaging lens and the opening, the slider not to face the lid on the inner surface side of the front wall A conversion lens linked to the
A lens switching mechanism having
The slide groove has a first position where the lid covers the opening when the slider slides on the slide groove, and the conversion lens is located between the imaging lens and the opening. Both the lid and the conversion lens are formed so as to be able to move between the imaging lens and the third position that does not face the opening.

  According to the image pickup apparatus having the lens switching mechanism of the present invention, simply by sliding the lid, imaging with the conversion lens, normal imaging, and covering the opening with the lid (35) in a non-use state are easily performed. be able to.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to carry or attach / detach a separate lid or conversion lens, and there is an advantage that the operability is excellent.

  Moreover, since the conversion lens is accommodated in the housing, damage, scratches, and contamination can be prevented.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an imaging apparatus including a lens switching mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state (first position) in which an opening is covered with a lid. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lid and a conversion lens (slide unit) connected by a slider. FIG. 5 is a front view of an imaging apparatus including a lens switching mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state (second position) where a conversion lens is located on the back surface of the opening. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 8 is a front view of an imaging apparatus including a lens switching mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where the opening does not overlap with either the lid or the conversion lens (third position). . FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 11 is a front view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and shows a second position of the imaging apparatus in which the slide groove is formed in an L shape.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an imaging device (10) including a lens switching mechanism (30) of the present invention is applied to a digital camera will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the internal configuration and the like of the imaging device (10) are omitted as appropriate for easy understanding of the description, and only the portion related to the present embodiment is shown and described.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of an imaging apparatus (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the imaging device (10) has a shutter button (17) formed on the top surface of the housing (12) and an opening (14) formed on the front wall (13). A lens unit (20) equipped with an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) is disposed inside the housing (12) on the back of the opening (14). External light is incident on the lens unit (20) via the imaging lens (21) (master lens). The imaging lens (21) is disposed at a position facing the opening (14).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the front wall (13) of the housing (12) includes a slide groove (33) formed through the front wall (13). In the illustrated embodiment, the slide groove (33) is formed in a straight line straddling the opening (14). The shape of the slide groove (33) will be described in detail after the description of the next slide unit (31).

  As shown in FIG. 4, a slide unit (31) including a lid (35), a conversion lens (39) and a slider (37) is slidably fitted in the slide groove (33), and a lens switching mechanism ( 30).

  More specifically, the slide unit (31) includes a lid (35) that can cover the opening, and ends of the conversion lens (39) that enter between the opening (14) and the imaging lens (21). Can be connected by a slider (37).

  The lid (35) can be made of a non-translucent material having a size that can cover the opening (14), and can be, for example, resinous. In the illustrated embodiment, the lid (35) has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The lid (35) can also adopt a shape such as a circle or an ellipse.

  Examples of the conversion lens (39) include a wide conversion lens that enables wide-angle imaging, a conversion lens (39) such as a teleconversion lens that enables telephoto imaging, and a macro conversion lens that enables macro imaging. However, it is not limited to these.

  The conversion lens (39) can be made of resin or glass. In the illustrated embodiment, the conversion lens (39) has a rectangular shape with chamfered corners when viewed from the front. Needless to say, the conversion lens (39) may have a circular shape or an elliptical shape.

  The conversion lens (39) can also be a drive lens to adjust the focal length.

  The lid (35) and the conversion lens (39) described above are at least spaced apart from the thickness of the front wall (13) of the housing (12), and the lid (35) and the conversion lens (39). Are connected by a slider (37) so as to have a positional relationship shifted so as not to face each other.

  One end of the slider (37) is connected to the lid (35), extends toward the inner surface of the housing (12), is slidably fitted into the slide groove (33), and the other end is converted. It is connected to the lens (39). The slider (37) and the lid (35) and / or the conversion lens (39) can be connected by adhesion, fusion, screwing, or the like. Further, the slider (37), the lid (35) and / or the conversion lens (39) can be formed as an integral molded product of resin.

  In the slide unit (31) configured as described above, the lid (35) is the outer surface of the front wall (13) of the housing (12), the conversion lens (39) is the inner surface of the front wall (13), and the slider (37) is It arrange | positions so that a slide groove (33) may be slidably fitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the slide groove (33) covers the cover (35) so as to face the opening (14) when the slider (37) slides on the slide groove (33). As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the conversion lens (39) is located between the imaging lens (21) and the opening (14), as shown in FIGS. In addition, both the lid (35) and the conversion lens (39) can be formed so as to be able to take a third position that does not face the opening (14).

  In the illustrated embodiment, the slide groove (33) is formed continuously with the opening (14), and when the imaging device (10) is viewed from the front, the left side is the right side with respect to the opening (14). The groove is longer than that.

  The portion on the left side of the opening (14) of the slide groove (33) is formed to be slightly longer than the lateral width of the lid (35). Further, the portion on the right side of the opening (14) of the slide groove (33) has a length that allows the slider (37) to escape from the opening (14).

  The slide unit (31) is slidable along the slide groove (33). However, in the above configuration, the slide unit (31) may wobble in the rotational direction or the twist direction. For this reason, in the illustrated embodiment, a pair of parallel to the slide groove (33) is formed on the front wall (13) along the slide transition path of the lid (35) as shown in FIGS. Guides (40) and (40) are projected. The guides (40) and (40) have an L-shaped cross section and are formed so that the free ends face each other, and the lid (35) is slidably fitted therein.

  When the lid (35) is guided by the guides (40) and (40), the slide unit (31) can slide without rotating or twisting.

  Stoppers (41) and (41) are provided at both ends of the guides (40) and (40) to prevent the lid (35) from coming off from the guides (40) and (40) or moving further. be able to.

  In addition, detection such as switches (42) and (43) and sensors for detecting that the slide unit (31) is located in the first to third positions described above on the slide transition path of the slide unit (31). It is desirable to deploy means. The detection means can be electrically connected to the control means of the image pickup device (10). Depending on the position of the slide unit (31), for example, the switch of the image pickup device (10) is turned off at the first position. Switching between the imaging mode via the conversion lens (39) at the second position and the normal imaging mode at the third position may be performed.

  In FIG. 1 and the like, switches (42) and (43) are provided on the stoppers (41) and (41). As a result, when the lid (35) is in the second position as shown in FIG. 5, the switch (42) and the lid (35) abut, and the slide unit (31) is in the second position. Can be detected. Further, when the lid (35) is in the third position as shown in FIG. 8, the switch (43) and the lid (35) come into contact with each other to detect that the slide unit (31) is in the third position. it can. Further, when the switches (42) and (43) do not detect the lid (35), it can be detected that the position is other than the second position and the third position, that is, the first position.

  In the imaging device (10) having the lens switching mechanism (30) having the above-described configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lid (35) is viewed from the first position where the opening (14) is covered. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the slide unit (31) can be slid to the right (arrow α side in FIG. 5).

  The slide unit (31) slides the slide groove (33) with the slider (37) by holding the lid (35) with a finger and pulling it in the direction of arrow α, and the guide (40) (40) The lid (35) slides between them. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the cover (35) exposes the opening (14) and the conversion lens (39) enters between the opening (14) and the imaging lens (21). (Second position). Thereby, imaging using the conversion lens (39) can be performed.

  The fact that the slide unit (31) has reached the second position can be detected by the switch (42) as a detection means coming into contact with the lid (35). Can be switched to the imaging mode by the conversion lens (39) to perform imaging.

  Note that when the movement of the slide unit (31) from the first position to the second position is detected, the power source of the imaging device (10) may be turned on.

  The slide unit (31) slides from the second position to the first position by sliding the slide unit (31) from the second position in FIG. 5 to the opposite side (left side) to the arrow α in FIG. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lid (35) covers the opening (14), and the conversion lens (39) escapes from between the opening (14) and the imaging lens (21). To do.

  When the movement of the slide unit (31) from the second position to the first position is detected, that is, in this embodiment, when the contact state between the switch (42) and the lid (35) is removed, the imaging device ( 10) Power can be turned off.

  By pulling the slide unit (31) from the first position shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 in the direction of arrow β shown in FIG. 8, the lid (35) is opened (14) as shown in FIGS. Is exposed to the third position where the aperture (14) and the imaging lens (21) face each other directly, and normal imaging using the imaging lens (21) can be performed.

  The fact that the slide unit (31) has reached the third position can be detected by the switch (43) that is the detection means coming into contact with the lid (35). Can be switched to the normal imaging mode by the imaging lens (21).

  Note that when the movement of the slide unit (31) from the first position to the third position is detected, the power of the imaging device (10) may be turned on.

  According to the imaging device (10) of the above embodiment, just by sliding the slide unit (31), imaging by the conversion lens (39), normal imaging, opening by the lid (35) in a non-use state (14) ) Can be easily applied.

  Therefore, there is no need to carry or attach / detach the separate lid (35) or conversion lens (39), and there is an advantage that the operability is excellent.

  Moreover, since the conversion lens (39) is accommodated in the housing (12), it can be prevented from being damaged, scratched or soiled.

  FIG. 11 is a front view of an imaging apparatus (10) according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the slide groove (33) is linear, but in the embodiment of FIG. 11, the slide groove (33) is formed in an L shape. Thereby, similarly to the said embodiment, the imaging device (10) can slide a slide unit (31) from a 1st position to a 3rd position. The guides (40) and (40) are also formed in an L shape like the slide groove (33).

  In addition, each part structure of this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible within the technical scope as described in a claim.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the slide unit (31) is configured to be able to take three positions from the first position to the third position, but the slide groove (33) is formed long or vertically and horizontally. Thus, the fourth position, the fifth position, etc. can be taken. In this case, a plurality of types of conversion lenses (39) can be employed according to each position. Further, the slide groove (33) may be a curved line.

  In the above embodiment, a part of the slide groove (33) overlaps the opening (14), but the slide groove (33) can be formed at a position away from the edge of the opening (14). .

  The imaging device (10) is not limited to a digital camera, and may be, for example, a video camera, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or the like as long as the device has an imaging function. .

  The present invention is suitable as an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera having a lens switching mechanism that can smoothly switch and use a conversion lens and a lid.

(10) Imaging device
(12) Housing
(13) Front wall
(14) Opening
(21) Imaging lens
(30) Lens switching mechanism
(31) Slide unit
(33) Slide groove
(35) Lid
(37) Slider
(39) Conversion lens

Claims (5)

An imaging lens is housed in a housing, and the housing has an imaging device in which an opening is formed in a front wall facing the imaging lens.
A slide groove formed through the front wall;
A slider that is slidably inserted into the slide groove and is arranged to penetrate the front wall;
A lid that is disposed on the outer surface of the front wall of the housing and can cover the opening, the lid being connected to the slider on the outer surface side of the front wall;
A conversion lens that is disposed on the inner surface of the front wall of the lid and that can be projected and retracted between the imaging lens and the opening, the slider not to face the lid on the inner surface side of the front wall A conversion lens linked to the
A lens switching mechanism having
The slide groove has a first position where the lid covers the opening when the slider slides on the slide groove, and the conversion lens is located between the imaging lens and the opening. It is formed so as to be able to move between a second position and a third position where both the lid and the conversion lens do not face the imaging lens and the opening,
An image pickup apparatus comprising a lens switching mechanism.   The imaging device including the lens switching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the slide groove is linear.   The imaging device including the lens switching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the slide groove is L-shaped.   The imaging device including the lens switching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the conversion lens is a wide conversion lens or a teleconversion lens.   The imaging apparatus provided with the lens switching mechanism in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4 with which the guide parallel to the said slide groove | channel is formed in the outer surface of the said housing | casing.

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