JP2016029422A - Lens cap - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lens cap capable of performing stable open/close operation while preventing increase in the number of components and in the thickness in the optical axis direction.SOLUTION: The lens cap having an opening includes: a base plate which can be attached on and detached from a lens barrel having an optical system; an operation member which is rotatable relative to the base plate; and a barrier member which is capable of switching between an open state to expose the opening and a close state to close the opening accompanying the rotation of the operation member. The base plate or the operation member has an elastically deformable part. The elastically deformable part may get into a first state in which the operation member can be assembled with the base plate and a second state in which, depending on the deformation amount, the deformation amount is smaller than in the first state to restrict the rotation movement of the operation member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a lens cap that can be attached to and detached from a lens barrel and can be opened and closed.

  Conventionally, a lens barrier integrated with a lens barrel has been used for the purpose of protecting a lens of an optical system used in a camera or the like. Thus, it is possible to take a picture by opening the barrier, and to protect the lens by closing the barrier. However, the lens barrier integrated with the lens barrel cannot be attached and detached even when the lens barrier is unnecessary, and therefore there is a problem that the thinning of the lens barrel is hindered.

  On the other hand, there is a lens cap that can be attached to and detached from the lens barrel and can be opened and closed, as in Patent Document 1. Thereby, even if it is in the state where the cap was attached to the lens barrel, it is possible to quickly make it possible to shoot. In addition, the lens cap can be removed when it gets in the way when the lens is used.

JP 2005-128125 A

  In the conventional lens cap disclosed in Patent Document 1, the cap is elastically deformed during opening and closing operations. When a resin material is used for the cap, a creep phenomenon or fatigue appears in the elastically deformed portion due to the viscoelastic properties of the resin material. For this reason, after long-term use, there has been a problem that it is difficult to retain sufficient elastic force to stably maintain the closed state.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a lens cap that can perform a stable opening / closing operation while avoiding an increase in the number of parts and a thickening in the optical axis direction.

The configuration of the lens cap of the present invention is as follows:
A base plate having an opening and detachable from a lens barrel having an optical system;
Operation member that can rotate with respect to the main plate,
A barrier member capable of switching between an open state in which the opening can be exposed and a closed state in which the opening can be covered with rotation of the operation member,
Consists of
The base plate or the operation member is provided with an elastic deformation part,
The elastically deforming portion has a first state in which the operation member can be assembled to the ground plane according to the deformation amount, and a second state in which the deformation amount is smaller than that in the first state and restricts the rotational movement of the operation member. It can be taken.

  According to the present invention, an operation member can be assembled by elastically deforming a part of the base plate, so that an increase in the number of parts and a thickening of the lens cap can be avoided. In addition, since elastic deformation is not used during the opening / closing operation, a stable operation can be performed even after long-term use.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the lens cap of 1st Example of this invention. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the lens cap of FIG. 1 from the other side. It is sectional drawing in the surface parallel to the optical axis of the lens cap of FIG. It is a front view of a main plate. It is a perspective view of the lens cap after an assembly. It is a perspective view of the part of the elastic deformation part after an assembly. It is a disassembled perspective view of the lens cap of the 2nd Example of this invention. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the lens cap of FIG. 7 from the other side. It is sectional drawing in the surface parallel to the optical axis of the lens cap of FIG. It is a front view of the lens cap of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the lens cap of the 3rd Example of this invention. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the lens cap of FIG. 11 from the other side. It is a disassembled perspective view of the lens cap of the 4th Example of this invention. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the lens cap of FIG. 13 from the opposite side.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Example 1]
The lens cap 100 proposed in the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a component configuration of a lens cap 100 attached to the lens barrel 110. 2 is an exploded perspective view of only the lens cap 100 as viewed from the opposite side of FIG. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of the lens cap in a plane parallel to the optical axis. FIG. 3A is a cross-section passing through the rotation shaft 1011 in the open state, and FIG. 3B is a cross-section passing through the retaining portion 102 in the closed state. . Only a part of the lens barrel 110 other than that shown in FIG. 1 is shown. FIG. 4 is a front view of the main plate 101. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lens cap after assembly. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the elastic deformation portion after assembly.

  As shown in the figure, the lens cap 100 includes a base plate 101, an operation member 102, and a barrier member 103. In the following description, the cap side in the optical axis direction is referred to as the front side, and the lens barrel side is referred to as the rear side.

  The ground plane 101 is formed in a substantially disc shape and has an opening at the center. The ground plane 101 has the same number of rotation axes 1011 as the barrier members 102 extending in the optical axis direction. The rotating shaft 1011 can rotatably support the barrier member. Further, in the base plate 101, a part of the disk portion outside the track of the barrier member is an elastic deformation portion 1012. The elastic deformation portion 1012 is thin in the optical axis direction and has a shape that is easily elastically deformed in the optical axis direction. In this embodiment, the elastic deformation portion 1012 is arranged so as to be in a phase between two barrier members. Thereby, it can avoid interfering with an elastic deformation part, regardless of the position of the barrier member.

  A rail portion 1013 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the elastic deformation portion 1012. The rail portion 1013 can be engaged with a bayonet claw of the operation member. Further, the outer peripheral portion of the base plate 101 is an attachment screw portion 1014 and is provided in a part of the lens barrel 110 and can be screwed into the screw portion.

  The operation member 102 is formed in a substantially disk shape and has an opening at the center. The operation member 102 is pivotally supported on the base plate 101 at the outer periphery. A bayonet claw 1021 is formed on the rear side of the operation member 102. The bayonet claw 1021 functions as a retaining member by engaging with the rail portion 1013. The operation member 102 has a cam groove 1022 on the bottom surface. The cam groove 1022 can be fitted with a drive dowel 1032 provided on the barrier member, whereby the rotational movement of the operation member around the optical axis can be converted into the rotational movement of the barrier member around the rotational axis 1011. .

  A lock escape groove 1023 is provided on the rear side of the operation member 102. The lock escape groove 1023 enables the elastic deformation portion 1012 to move forward when the operation member 102 is in a specific phase. In this embodiment, when the barrier member 103 is in the closed state, the tip of the elastic deformation portion 102 and the lock escape groove 1023 are arranged so as to overlap in the optical axis direction.

  The barrier member 103 is formed of a light-shielding thin sheet, and in this embodiment, two barrier members are used. The rotary shaft 1011 provided on the base plate is fitted by the rotation hole 1031 and is supported rotatably with respect to the base plate. When the barrier member is rotated to one end, it can be retracted from the opening of the base plate and the operation member, and light can pass through the lens barrel. This state is an open state.

  When rotated to the other end, the base plate and the opening of the operation member can be covered by overlapping the plurality of barrier members, and the optical components of the lens barrel can be protected. This state is a closed state. The barrier member needs to have sufficient strength so that the optical component can be protected even when an external force is applied. Further, the barrier member has a drive dowel 1032. By fitting the drive dowel 1032 with the cam groove of the operation member, the barrier member rotates around the rotation hole 1021 according to the rotation of the operation member.

  The lens barrel 110 is provided with a female screw portion 1101 that can be screwed with a mounting screw portion of the base plate 101. In addition, a rotation lock groove 1102 is provided in a part of the female screw portion 1101. The rotation lock groove 1102 can be made non-rotatable with respect to the lens barrel by fitting with the outermost peripheral portion of the elastic deformation portion 1012.

  Next, the assembly of the lens cap proposed in the present invention will be described. First, the rotation hole 1031 and the rotation shaft 1011 are fitted to the rotation shaft of the base plate 101 so that the two barrier members 103 are opened.

  When the operation member 102 is assembled, the elastic deformation portion is elastically deformed by pushing the elastic deformation portion to the front side in the optical axis direction so that the bayonet claw is caught on the rail. The time when the elastically deforming portion is in this state is the first state in the claims.

  FIG. 5 shows the direction of diameter change of the elastic portion with an arrow. When the operation member is rotated and the bayonet claw is assembled to the rail portion, the elastic deformation portion returns to the natural state (no load state). The time when the elastically deforming portion is in this state is the second state described in the claims.

  Since the elastically deforming portion has a shape that is easily elastically deformed in the optical axis direction and is not easily deformed in the circumferential direction, it functions as a rotating end of the operation member by contacting the bayonet claws after assembly. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the assembled lens cap from the rear side.

  For fixing the lens cap 100 to the lens barrel 110, an attachment screw portion 1014 and a female screw portion 1101 are used. If the base plate is rotated by a rotation operation on the operation member, there is a problem that the lens cap is removed when the user does not intend. In order to prevent this, rotation preventing means is required between the main plate and the lens barrel.

  In the present embodiment, the rotation of the base plate with respect to the lens barrel is realized by fitting the tip of the elastic deformation portion 1011 into the rotation lock groove 1102.

  On the other hand, when the lens cap is fastened to the lens barrel, this rotation stop becomes an obstacle. In this embodiment, by deforming the elastic deformation portion to the front side, interference between the elastic deformation portion and the lens barrel can be avoided, and a lens cap can be attached. The time when the elastically deforming portion is in this state is the third state described in the claims.

  In this embodiment, when the barrier member is in the closed state as described above, the elastically deforming portion overlaps with the lock escape groove and can move to the front side. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the elastically deforming portion and the lock escape portion overlap each other.

  When the barrier member is in another position, the elastic deformation portion is restricted by the operation member and cannot move to the front side. For this reason, the lens cap is attached and detached by moving the elastically deforming portion to the front side with the barrier member closed. That is, it is possible to change whether the switch to the third state is possible or not, depending on the angular position of the operation member. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lens cap from being detached when the user does not intend.

  The opening / closing operation of the barrier member can be realized by rotating the operation member. When the operation member is rotated, the barrier member receives an action from the cam groove 1022 and rotates around the rotation shaft 1011. The rotatable range of the operation member is restricted by the end of the rail 1013 and the elastic deformation portion 1011. The cam groove 1022 is set so that the barrier member is in a closed state when the operation member is at one end, and the barrier member is in an open state when the operation member is simply at the other end.

  The effect of the present invention will be described. In the present invention, the bayonet claw is engaged with the rail by deforming the elastically deforming portion to the rear side. When the elastic deformation part returns to the natural state after assembly, the elastic deformation part acts as a rotation end for the bayonet claw. Thereby, it is not necessary to use screws or other parts for coupling the operation member and the ground plane, and an increase in the number of parts and a thickening in the optical axis direction can be avoided.

  In the present invention, each of the open state and the closed state is held mainly by a frictional force. For this reason, even if the elastic force of the elastically deforming portion is reduced due to creep phenomenon or fatigue after long-term use, each of the open state and the closed state can be stably held.

  In the present invention, the operating member and the main plate have substantially the same diameter, and the rotation axis of the operating member coincides with the central axis of the main plate. Thereby, the storage part of a barrier member can be formed with a base plate and an operation member irrespective of the rotation position of an operation member. That is, the operating member also serves as a lid for the barrier member. For this reason, it is avoided to add a new part to accommodate the barrier member, and the parts are reduced and the thickness is reduced.

  In the present invention, the elastically deforming portion is elastically deformed at the time of assembly and when the lens cap is attached / detached. It is not elastically deformed during the opening / closing operation. In a general use state, the frequency of assembly and lens cap attachment / detachment is much less than the frequency of opening and closing operations. Therefore, even during long-term use, there is little occurrence of creep phenomenon and fatigue, and stable operation can be realized.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, by extending a part of the elastically deforming portion to the outer periphery, the lens cap can be made non-rotatable with respect to the lens barrel by fitting with a rotation preventing groove provided in the lens barrel. This makes it possible to select whether the lens cap is detachable or non-detachable without newly providing components, and can prevent the lens cap from being removed during the opening / closing operation.

[Example 2]
Next, a lens cap 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the same portions as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a component configuration of the lens cap 200 attached to the lens barrel 110. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of only the lens cap 200 as seen from the opposite side of FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the lens cap in a plane parallel to the optical axis. 10A and 10B are front views of the lens cap, in which FIG. 10A shows an open state and FIG. 10B shows a closed state.

  As shown in the figure, the lens cap 200 includes a base plate 201, an operation member 202, a barrier member 103, and a mounting screw 204.

  The base plate 201 has a click dowel 2012 at the tip of the elastic deformation portion 2011. The click dowel 2012 is a protrusion having a spherical tip. The outer periphery of the base plate 201 is a shaft portion that can rotatably hold the mounting screw 204.

  Further, a rotation stop groove 2013 is provided on the rear side of the base plate 201. The anti-rotation groove 2012 is engaged with the anti-rotation dowel 1103 provided in the lens barrel 110 to prevent the base plate 201 from rotating with respect to the lens barrel 110. Others are the same as those of the base plate 101 of the first embodiment.

  The operation member 202 has a click groove 2021 on the rear side. The click groove 2021 is provided with irregularities in the groove and comes into contact with the click dowel 2012 after assembly. When the click dowel of the click groove 2021 gets over while being elastically deformed, the operating torque to the operating member can be increased.

  The outer periphery of the operating member 202 has a portion having a larger diameter and a smaller portion than the mounting screw 204 depending on the angle. Thereby, both the operation member 202 and the attachment screw 204 are easily pinched from the outer diameter side during operation. The rest is the same as the operation member 102 of the first embodiment. The mounting screw 204 has a substantially annular shape, and has a threaded portion on the outer peripheral portion. Moreover, an inner peripheral part is pivotally supported by 360 degree rotation with respect to a base plate by fitting with the outer peripheral part of a base plate.

  In this embodiment, the operation member is attached to the ground plate with the mounting screw 204 placed on the ground plate 201. As a result, the mounting screw 204 is sandwiched between the base plate 201 and the operation member 202 and integrated. At this time, the attachment screw 204 is rotatable around the operation member and the main plate.

  The lens cap is attached to the lens barrel by fitting the male screw portion of the mounting screw to the female screw portion of the lens barrel while fitting the anti-rotation groove 2012 to the anti-rotation dowel 1103. Thereby, even if the operating member is rotated, the base plate does not come off the lens barrel. When removing the lens cap from the lens barrel, the opposite operation is performed.

  In this embodiment, the following effects are added to the effects described in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, by making the click groove 2021 uneven, the operating torque for rotating the operating member from the open state and the closed state is increased, and the open state and the closed state are set as stable positions. Thereby, it can prevent that an operation member moves from an open state or a closed state by vibration etc. That is, the click groove 2021 functions as the conversion means in the claims.

  In the present invention, since the tip of the elastic deformation portion 202 is clicked dowel, this function can be realized without adding a new part.

[Example 3]
Next, a lens cap 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a component configuration of a lens cap 300 attached to the lens barrel 110. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of only the lens cap 300 as viewed from the opposite side of FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the lens cap 300 includes a base plate 301, an operation member 302, a barrier member 303, and a mounting clip 304.

  In this embodiment, three barrier members are used. Thereby, even if the barrier member is made thin, the strength of the entire barrier member can be maintained by overlapping three sheets when the barrier member is closed. Thus, the present invention can be used regardless of the number of barrier members.

  In this embodiment, the attachment clip 304 is used when attaching the lens cap 300 to the lens barrel. The mounting clip 304 is elastically deformed by being pinched from the outer periphery, so that it is provided on the lens barrel, so that it can be caught by the threaded portion and fixed to the lens barrel. When assembling the mounting clip 304 to the ground plate, the mounting clip 304 is largely deformed to fit into a storage portion provided on the ground plate. Even with the lens cap of the present embodiment, the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be realized.

[Example 4]
Next, a lens cap 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the same portions as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing a component configuration of a lens cap 400 attached to the lens barrel 110. 14 is an exploded perspective view of only the lens cap 400 as seen from the opposite side of FIG. As shown in the drawing, the lens cap 400 includes a base plate 401, an operation member 402, and a barrier member 103.

  The operation member and the main plate are assembled by so-called bayonet coupling as in the above-described embodiment. That is, the bayonet claw 4022 provided on the operation member is aligned with the assembly phase of the rail portion 4012 provided on the operation member, and the operation member is inserted into the main plate. At this time, the elastic deformation portion 4021 is elastically deformed when the operation member is in the assembly position.

  When the operation member is rotated, the bayonet claws 4022 slide on the rail portion. At this time, the elastic deformation part 4021 returns to the natural length and comes into contact with the rotation stop stage sub 4011 provided on the main plate at one end. As a result, the operating member does not rotate to the assembly phase unless the elastically deforming portion is forced from the outside.

  Thus, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can also be realized by providing the elastic deformation portion on the operation member side without providing the base plate.

  As described above, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiments, and the material, shape, dimensions, form, number, arrangement location, and the like are appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Is possible.

  The present invention can be used for a lens cap for the purpose of protecting a lens of an optical device.

101 Base plate, 102 Operation member, 103 Barrier member, 1010 Lens barrel

Claims (7)

A base plate having an opening and detachable from a lens barrel having an optical system;
Operation member that can rotate with respect to the main plate,
A barrier member capable of switching between an open state in which the opening can be exposed and a closed state in which the opening can be covered with rotation of the operation member,
Consists of
The base plate or the operation member is provided with an elastic deformation part,
The elastically deforming portion has a first state in which the operation member can be assembled to the ground plane according to the deformation amount, and a second state in which the deformation amount is smaller than that in the first state and restricts the rotational movement of the operation member. A lens cap that can be removed. The lens cap according to claim 1, wherein the operation member can be fixed so that the base plate cannot rotate with respect to the lens barrel. The lens cap according to claim 1, wherein the elastic deformation portion has a rigidity in a rotation axis direction of the operation member that is smaller than a rigidity in a circumferential direction. When the elastic deformation portion is in the second state, the base plate cannot rotate with respect to the lens body,
Furthermore, the said elastic deformation part can take the 3rd state in which the said ground plate becomes rotatable with respect to a lens main body according to deformation amount, The Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Lens cap. The state according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the elastic deformation portion is switched between a state in which the elastic deformation portion can be deformed to a third state and a state in which the elastic deformation portion cannot be deformed to the third state, depending on an angular position of the operation member. The lens cap according to one item. 2. A conversion means for converting the elastic force of the elastic deformation portion into an urging force to an open state in the vicinity of the open state and converting to an urging force to the closed state in the vicinity of the closed state. The lens cap according to any one of 5. The lens cap according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the barrier member is disposed in a storage portion formed by the base plate and the operation member.