JP2562133Y2 - Camera with variable light distribution strobe - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Application of the Invention) The present invention relates to a camera having a variable light distribution strobe capable of changing a light distribution state.

(Background of Invention) Conventionally, various cameras having a variable focal length strobe have been proposed. For example, a camera equipped with a zoom strobe that changes light distribution characteristics with movement of a photographic lens capable of zooming is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-50324. Further, a bifocal camera in which the distance between the light emitting portion of the strobe and the Fresnel lens is changed in synchronization with the switching of the focal length to change the irradiation angle of the strobe is also disclosed in
It is known in, for example, No. 4820.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the light emitting portion of the strobe has a box-shaped one-unit configuration, and if the light distribution characteristics of the strobe are changed in conjunction with the continuous or stepwise switching of the focal length of the taking lens, The following drawbacks have occurred.

1) Since it is built into a compact camera, the strobe light unit, which is a box-shaped unit, needs to be miniaturized for both the arc tube and the reflector, and the FNo decreases as the focal length is increased as in recent zoom cameras. Therefore, the amount of light emission was slightly insufficient.

2) Similarly, since the Fresnel lens on the front of the strobe unit cannot be set large, compared to an external strobe used in a single-lens reflex camera, the strobe light could not be sufficiently collected.

3) As described above, even in the type in which the distance between the strobe light emitting unit and the Fresnel lens is changed, it is difficult to set a sufficient movement stroke because the space is within a limited space.

4) When the strobe light emitting portion or the reflector is moved to change the irradiation angle, the mechanism for moving the strobe light becomes complicated, and when the strobe unit is to be built in the camera, light shielding is required. Therefore, extra space is indispensable.

To solve these drawbacks, as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-322577, a camera body, a photographing optical system composed of a combination of a plurality of levels, and a change in focal length within the photographing optical system. A lens barrel that holds at least one lens that moves with the camera, a strobe light-emitting unit rotatably pivoted by a pivot at a substantially front end of the camera body, and a pivot by a pivot at a substantially front end of the lens barrel. A light-collecting member that is movably pivotally mounted and moves along the optical axis with the lens barrel as the focal length changes and changes the light distribution characteristics of the strobe light-emitting unit, and the lens barrel is retracted into the camera body. In this case, the two axes of the strobe light-emitting portion and the light-collecting member are close to each other, and further, when the strobe is not used, the strobe light-emitting portion and the light-collecting member are integrally rotated so as to be housed in the front surface of the lens barrel. Things have been suggested.

In the above proposed camera, the strobe light-emitting portion and the light-collecting member protrude greatly from the camera body during photographing, which greatly characterizes the form of this camera.

However, due to its characteristic form, there is a risk that an unexpected obstacle may hit the strobe light-emitting portion or the light-collecting member that protrudes during shooting, and may be damaged. Among them,
The strobe light emitting part is located behind the light condensing member during shooting, and because it has an arc tube and reflective shade inside, it has a large thickness, and furthermore, there is a choice of materials The advantage is that it can be designed robustly and the frequency of breakage is relatively low, but the light-collecting member is located at the forefront of the camera during shooting, so there is a high possibility of collision with obstacles, and it has a single function Since it is a part, it cannot be made too thick because it is stored inside the camera when it is carried, and it must be transparent because it is an optical part. It was easy.

(Purpose of the invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and even if an obstacle is inadvertently hit by the light distribution unit protruding from the camera body, the light distribution unit and the strobe light emitting unit are not used. An object of the present invention is to provide a camera having a variable light distribution strobe that can prevent damage and does not complicate the configuration.

(Features of the Invention) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a strobe light emitting portion which is supported by the camera body at a position protruding from the camera body, and which is disposed in front of the strobe light emitting portion, and wherein the strobe light emitting portion is provided. And a light distribution unit configured to be elastically deformable in the direction of the strobe light emitting unit and the light distribution unit when the light distribution unit receives a force in the direction of the strobe light emission unit. The strobe light is elastically deformed in the direction of the strobe light emitting portion and abuts against the strobe light emitting portion, and the strobe light is emitted in a region including at least an interval at which the strobe light emitting portion can receive a force acting on the light distribution portion. A variable light distribution strobe having a variable means for changing a light distribution state of the strobe light emitting section by changing a distance between the light distribution section and the light distribution section.

(Embodiments of the Invention) Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the camera shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the camera showing a strobe retracted state, FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the camera shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the camera during wide-angle shooting, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the camera during telephoto shooting, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when an external force is applied and a light-condensing member is bent.

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a camera body having a substantially circular front surface and a substantially columnar shape elongated in the optical axis direction, and 2 denotes a pivot disposed at a substantially front end of the camera body 1. Reference numeral 3 denotes a strobe light emitting unit which is pivotally attached to the camera body 1 by the pivot 2. Furthermore, 4 is an arc tube, 5 is a reflection shade, 6
Is a translucent protection plate disposed on the front surface of the reflection shade 5, and these members constitute the strobe light emitting section. Therefore, the thickness of the strobe light emitting unit 3 is sufficiently large, and particularly, the vicinity of the pivot 2 can be firmly configured. still,
A friction member such as a wave washer (not shown) is interposed between the pivot 2 and the shaft hole of the strobe light emitting unit 3 to maintain a desired rotational position of the strobe light emitting unit 3 with respect to the camera body 1. The stopper 1a is provided so as to abut on the camera body 1 at a predetermined position during photographing.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a main switch disposed in the vicinity of the pivot 2. In the normal state (strobe storage state) shown in FIG. I have. Reference numeral 3a denotes an operation portion protruding near the shaft hole of the strobe light emitting portion. As shown in FIG. 3, when the strobe light emission portion 3 is rotated clockwise by approximately 180 °, the action portion 3a is turned on by the main switch. 7, the main switch 7 is turned on. 8 is the barrel 1
In the group block, the first group block 8 holds a first group lens 9 and a pivot 10 is disposed substantially at the front end thereof. 11
Is a Fresnel lens, which is a light-collecting member pivotally attached to the first-group block 8 by the pivot 10 and is made of a translucent elastic member; 11a is a convex arc-shaped outer surface thereof; Inner surface with Fresnel formed on reflective side of outer surface 11a, 11c
Reference numeral denotes a recess in which a protruding portion of the strobe light emitting unit 3 (protective plate 6 side) is stored when the strobe is stored, as described later. Reference numeral 12 denotes a spring for urging the Fresnel lens 11 in a clockwise direction,
The biasing force of the spring 12 is set to be smaller than the frictional force of the strobe light emitting unit 3 with respect to the pivot 2. Therefore, when the strobe light emitting unit 3 is manually rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 1, the Fresnel lens 11 is similarly rotated clockwise so as to follow the rotation, and the center of rotation of the Fresnel lens 11 is rotated. The stopper 11d provided in the vicinity of the first group block 8
Rotation is stopped by abutting on a corner 8a provided above (FIG. 3).

Reference numeral 13 denotes a second group block for holding a second group lens 14;
The differential cam is provided integrally with the group block 13. 16
Is a third-group block for holding a third-group lens 17, and the third-group block 16 has a third-group bar 18 near the left end of the third-group bar 18 (FIG. 1). A moving follower 19 is provided for each. Reference numeral 20 denotes a known film cartridge. A film drawn from the film cartridge 20 is wound around a spool 22 provided in a spool chamber 21 and can be exposed through an aperture 23 on the way. In addition, 24
Is a roller for pressing the film against the spool 22.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described.

First, the strobe storage state will be described with reference to FIGS. In this state, the Fresnel lens 11 is folded and stored in a concave portion on the front surface of the camera body 1. At this time, since the front surface of the first lens unit 9 is concave, the outer surface 11a of the Fresnel lens 11 can be prevented from contacting the first lens unit 9. On the other hand, the strobe light emitting portion is also folded in front of the camera body 1, and at this time, the protection plate 6 side of the strobe light emitting portion 3 is a Fresnel lens.
It is configured to be opposed to the inner surface 11b of 11 and to be housed in the recess 11c. Since the Fresnel lens 11 is a middle convex meniscus lens, a considerable strength can be obtained for its thickness, and at the same time, a storage space for the strobe light emitting section can be secured.

Next, the use of the strobe in the wide state will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

In order to shift to this state, it is sufficient to place a finger on the tip of the strobe light emitting unit 3 in the state shown in FIG. As described above, following the movement of the strobe light emitting unit 3, the spring 12
As a result, the Fresnel lens 11 also rotates about 180 ° clockwise about the pivot 10. Thus, Fresnel lens 1
1 and the strobe light emitting unit 3 are kept
As shown in the drawing, the pivot 10 of the Fresnel lens 11 is laid out in front of the camera body 1 (left side in FIG. 3) rather than the pivot 2 of the strobe light emitting portion as shown in FIG. When the strobe shown in the figure is used, the space between the strobe light emitting unit 3 and the Fresnel lens 11 is wider than when the strobe is stored as shown in FIG. 1, so that the light condensing effect of the Fresnel lens 11 can be easily obtained. ing.
When the strobe shown in FIG. 3 is used, the optical axes of the strobe light emitting unit 3 and the Fresnel lens 11 coincide with each other, and the light distribution characteristics of the strobe applied to wide-angle shooting corresponding to the position of the shooting optical system. Is obtained. As described above, when the strobe light-emitting unit 3 is rotated clockwise to use the strobe, the operation unit 3a of the strobe light-emitting unit 3 turns on the main switch 7, thereby causing a shutter release button (not shown) to be turned on. And so on, and a so-called photographing preparation state is established.

At this time, when an external force is applied from the front of the Fresnel lens 11, the Fresnel lens 11 is slightly bent and abuts on the strobe light emitting unit 3 immediately behind, and is received by the strobe light emitting unit 3 having a strong force. It will not be damaged by a considerably large external force. In addition, when an external force is applied to the Fresnel lens 11 from a direction substantially perpendicular to the photographing optical axis, the Fresnel lens 11 is in a direction in which the strength can be sufficiently maintained, so that it is not easily damaged.

Next, the use of the strobe in the telephoto state will be described with reference to FIG.

First, from the state shown in FIG. 3, the first group block 8 is moved to the front of the camera (to the left in FIG. 3) along the optical axis by motor driving or manually by a lens driving mechanism (not shown). As the first group block 8 moves, the Fresnel lens 11 integrally attached to the first group block 8 also moves in the same direction, and the Fresnel lens 11 and the strobe light emitting unit 3 are moved.
Therefore, the strobe light from the strobe light emitting unit 3 is efficiently collected in conjunction with zooming of the photographing optical system. In the state shown in FIG. 5, compared with the state shown in FIG.
It goes without saying that the spatial distance between the group lens 14 and the third group lens 17 changes, and the photographing optical system is switched to the tele side.

At this time, if an external force is applied to the Fresnel lens 11 from the front, the distance between the Fresnel lens 11 and the strobe light emitting unit 3 is considerable, and as shown in FIG. 3 where the force is received. Therefore, Fresnel lens 11
Relatively brittle materials such as transparent acryl are not suitable for the material, and elastic materials such as transparent polycarbonate structural materials (for example, Panlite L1221Y (trade name)) are suitable.

In such a telephoto state, for example, the strobe light emitting unit 3
Is assumed to be rotated counterclockwise. When an external force is applied from this direction, the strobe light emitting unit 3 and the Fresnel lens 11 rotate smoothly in the storage direction, so that there is no problem of breakage. With the rotation of the strobe light emitting section 3, the action section 3a separates from the contact piece of the main switch 7 and turns off the main switch 7. When the OFF state of the main switch 7 is detected in this manner, for example, a lens barrel driving motor (not shown) is operated, and the first group block 8 is moved rightward until the state shown in FIG. I have. As a result, the strobe light emitting section 3 and the pivots 2 and 10 of the Fresnel lens 11 come close to each other again, so that the two can be integrally stored on the front surface of the first group lens 9.

According to the present embodiment, when an external force is applied to the Fresnel lens 11 from the front during shooting (especially during telephoto shooting), the Fresnel lens 11 bends rearward because it is formed of a translucent elastic member. Since the light comes into contact with the strobe light emitting portion 3 located behind the Fresnel lens 11 and the force is received by these (mainly the strong strobe light emitting portion 3),
The frequency at which an unexpected obstacle collides with the Fresnel lens 11 and is damaged can be drastically reduced.

(Modification) In the present embodiment, a case has been described in which the present invention is applied to a so-called zoom camera in which the focal length of the photographing optical system continuously changes. However, for example, a plurality of focal lengths can be switched like a two-focus camera. It is also applicable to variable focus cameras.
Furthermore, the present invention is also applicable to a camera having a photographing lens whose focal length cannot be varied.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, when an external force is applied from the front to the light distribution unit protruding from the camera body, the light distribution unit is configured to be elastically deformable. Elastically deforms backward until it comes into contact with the flash unit supported by the camera body, and receives external force in this state, so even if an obstacle accidentally hits the light distribution unit protruding from the camera body In addition, it is possible to prevent the light distribution unit and the strobe light emitting unit from being damaged. Also,
Since the light distribution unit is prevented from deforming more than a predetermined deformation state by contacting the strobe light emitting unit, it is not necessary to separately provide a dedicated member for restricting the deformation, resulting in a complicated configuration. Nothing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the camera shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the camera showing an embodiment of the present invention showing a strobe storage state, and FIG. 3 is a main part of the camera shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the camera during wide-angle shooting in this embodiment, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the camera during telephoto shooting, and FIG. 6 is an external force applied thereto. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the camera at the time of telephotographing, showing a state at the time. 1 ... camera body, 3 ... strobe light-emitting part, 4 ... light-emitting tube, 5 ... reflection shade, 11 ... Fresnel lens.

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] A strobe light-emitting portion supported by the camera body at a position protruding from the camera body; and a strobe light-emitting portion disposed in front of the strobe light-emitting portion to determine light distribution characteristics of the strobe light-emitting portion. A light distribution unit configured to be elastically deformable in the direction of the unit; and when the light distribution unit receives a force in the direction of the strobe light emitting unit, the light distribution unit is elastically deformed in the direction of the strobe light emission unit. The distance between the strobe light emitting unit and the light distribution unit is changed in a region including at least the distance at which the strobe light emitting unit can receive the force acting on the light distribution unit by contacting the strobe light emitting unit. A variable means for changing a light distribution state of the strobe light emitting section.