JP3940966B2 - camera - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly to a camera provided with electronic imaging means such as a digital camera.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A digital camera receives light from a subject with an imaging element via a photographing lens, converts it into an image signal and records it on a recording medium, so that external light or unnecessary light other than light from the subject is not received. It is necessary to shield the light from being received by the image sensor. Therefore, a conventional digital camera uses a material that does not transmit light at all for the exterior body of the camera (camera housing, cabinet, case, cover, etc.).
[0003]
On the other hand, a silver salt camera is proposed in which the exterior body is made of a transparent material and the inside can be seen through (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-45708). In this silver salt camera, the camera body having a film chamber and the photographing function parts such as a shutter member and a film feeding member which are directly assembled to the camera body have a light shielding property and are arranged outside the photographing function parts. A structural member such as a film base plate for feeding a film, a gear retainer, and a battery block is made of a transparent material, and a transparent exterior body is provided outside the structural member. In addition, the light shielding to the film is made complete and the inside of the camera can be seen through as much as possible.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional silver halide camera is configured so that the camera body having the film chamber and the photographing functional parts are light-shielding, so even if the exterior body such as the front cover is made of a transparent material, it is almost the same as the camera exterior. Only the appearance can be seen, and by constructing a structural member such as a gear base plate arranged outside the imaging function component with a transparent material, the inside of the camera is first seen through the structural portion configured with the transparent material. It can only be done.
[0005]
On the other hand, the exterior body of the digital camera is made of a material that does not transmit light at all, and there is no digital camera through which the inside of the camera can be seen. Therefore, the image of the digital camera is exclusively solid, and it is difficult to photograph a natural expression and a soothing atmosphere when the subject is a person. In addition, batteries and recording media are indispensable for digital cameras, but if the exterior body is opaque, you may not realize that the batteries and recording media are not installed until you take a picture, and you may miss the opportunity to shoot. There was also.
[0006]
An object of the present invention is that unnecessary light does not enter the optical system and the photoelectric conversion element of the camera, and the inside of the camera can be seen through, a hard image of the camera is eliminated, and a battery and a recording medium mounted in the camera Another object of the present invention is to provide a camera capable of confirming the movement of a movable part such as a lens barrel through an exterior body.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a camera that can read characters and marks printed on an exterior body even in the dark, or can easily confirm the camera position even in the dark.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a camera equipped with electronic imaging means and a strobe , wherein the camera body is formed of a light-transmitting resin so that the inside of the camera can be seen through, Provided with a light-shielding means so that unnecessary light incident on the camera is not incident on the photographing lens of the camera, a light guide for guiding the light to the strobe light control sensor, the image sensor, and the strobe light control sensor, and the exterior body has a backlight. A liquid crystal display is provided, characters or marks are printed on the exterior body in the vicinity of the liquid crystal display, the characters or marks can be illuminated by the backlight of the liquid crystal display, and the camera built-in components have fluorescent characteristics It is characterized by that. As a result, while maintaining the function as a camera, the inside of the camera can be seen through, the hard image of the camera can be eliminated, the natural expression of the person can be taken, and the operation switch can be operated even in the dark. The function confirmation character or mark can be read.
[0008]
In addition, since the camera built-in components have fluorescent characteristics, the camera can emit light by its own strobe light, etc., and the position of the camera can be notified to the person who is the subject even in the dark.
[0009]
In addition, the built- in camera parts have fluorescent characteristics. Thus, the camera can emit light by its own strobe light or the like, and the position of the camera can be notified to the person who is the subject even in the dark.
Furthermore, a slit for sandwiching a sheet material such as a decorative sheet, a name sheet or a spare recording medium is provided in the exterior body so that the sheet material sandwiched in the slit can be confirmed via the exterior body.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a camera according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a camera according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are exploded perspective views showing an internal configuration of the camera shown in FIG.
[0011]
As shown in these drawings, this camera mainly includes an exterior body (front cavity 10 and rear cavity 20), a lens / finder unit 30, a light shielding cover 40, a strobe unit 50, a recording media substrate 60, and a main substrate. 62 and a liquid crystal unit 70.
The front cabinet 10 and the rear cabinet 20 are each formed of light transmissive resin with transparency. The light-transmitting resin is not limited to being colorless and transparent, but may be translucent or lightly colored. In short, any resin can be used as long as the inside of the camera can be seen through.
[0012]
5 to 8 are a front view, a rear view, a right side view, and a bottom view of the front cabinet 10, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a lens protective cover 11 and a grip rubber 12 are attached to the front surface of the front cabinet 10.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a finder hood 14 is welded to the inside of the front cabinet 10 through a finder cover 13, and an iris switching lever 15 is dropped into the front cabinet 10 from above, and a guide member is provided from above. 16 is welded, and a light guide 17 and a battery holder 18 are welded.
[0013]
The light guide 17 guides light from the subject to a strobe light control sensor, and a cylindrical protrusion 17A is fitted into the hole of the front cavity 10. Masking coating is applied to the side surface of the cylindrical protrusion 17A of the light guide 17 and the surface facing the front cabinet 10 so that strobe light or the like does not enter the light guide 17 through the inside or the cross section of the front cabinet 10. It has become. Further, the gap between the light guide 17 and the strobe light control sensor (not shown) is covered in a ring shape with a light-blocking buffer material 17B (FIG. 6) so that light does not enter from the side of the strobe light control sensor. ing.
[0014]
The battery holder 18 forms a battery housing with the front cabinet 10. A part of the front cabinet 10 constituting the battery housing is provided with a rib 10A for guiding the battery and reinforcing the housing as shown in FIG. 8, but the rib 10A or the front cabinet 10 Other ribs and bosses formed can be seen through the front cabinet 10 and also function as an internal design of the camera. Further, a battery cover 19 is disposed on the bottom surface of the front cabinet 10 so as to be freely opened and closed by a support shaft 19A. The battery cover 19 is also formed of the same light-transmitting resin as the front cabinet 10.
[0015]
9 to 13 are a front view, a rear view, a right side view, a left side view, and a plan view of the rear cabinet 20, respectively. As shown in these drawings, one end of a cantilever-like key top 21 of a shutter release button is welded to the rear cabinet 20 and light from a light emitting diode (not shown) for displaying the state in the camera. A light guide 22 is welded, and a power switch knob 23 is slidably disposed. This camera uses a memory card (smart media (SSFDC)) as a recording medium, but the rear cabinet 20 is provided with a card cover 24 that opens and closes a card insertion slot of the memory card. The card cover 24 is made of the same light transmissive resin as the rear cabinet 20.
[0016]
Reference numeral 25 denotes a display window facing the display unit of the liquid crystal display (LCD) 71 with backlight of the liquid crystal unit 70 (FIG. 3), and reference numerals 26A to 26D denote an erase button, a mode button, a strobe button, and an execution button, respectively. As shown in FIG. 9, corresponding characters and marks are printed on the openings 26A to 26D, respectively. Since these characters and marks are printed on the portion of the LCD 71 where light from the backlight leaks, they are illuminated from the inside of the rear cabinet 20 and can be read in the dark. Of course, the light may be guided from the backlight of the LCD 71 to the portion where the characters and marks are printed by a light guide or the like.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 2, the strobe unit 50 includes a strobe substrate 52, a strobe main body 54 having a discharge tube, a holding unit 56 for holding the strobe main body 54 in a retractable manner, and the like. The top surface of the strobe body 54 (the surface that is flush with the top surface of the front cabinet 10 when stored) is formed of the same light-transmitting resin as the front cabinet 10.
[0018]
2, the lens / finder unit 30, the strobe unit 50, the recording media substrate 60, the main substrate 62, and the like whose front surfaces are covered by the light shielding cover 40 are fixed to the front cabinet 10, as shown in FIG. Details of the lens / finder unit 30 and the light shielding cover 40 will be described later. In FIG. 2, 63 is a buzzer, 64 is a contact piece connected to a battery, 65 is a shutter release switch, and 66 is a card connector to which a memory card is attached.
[0019]
On the other hand, a liquid crystal unit 70 and the like are fixed to the rear cabinet 20 as shown in FIG. On the substrate of the liquid crystal unit 70, as described above, the LCD 71 with the backlight is provided, and a power switch, an erase button, a mode button, and a strobe that are turned on / off based on the slide operation of the power switch knob 23 are provided. A button and an execution button are provided.
[0020]
Then, the assembly of the camera is completed by assembling and fixing the front cabinet 10 and the rear cabinet 20. As shown in FIG. 1, a slit (card insertion slot) 27 is formed between the front cabinet 10 and the rear cabinet 20, and by inserting a memory card from the card insertion slot 27, the memory card is connected to the card connector. 66 can be attached.
[0021]
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the lens / finder unit 30.
As shown in the figure, the lens / finder unit 30 has a first lens barrel 33 provided with a diaphragm mechanism having a lens 31 and a diaphragm plate 32, and a finder having an objective lens 34A and an eyepiece 34B at the top. A second lens barrel 37 is provided, and is provided with an optical filter 35 and an image sensor 36 inserted and fixed at the rear. In FIG. 4, 34 is a finder cover for fixing the lens 34A and the lens 34B, 36A is a ground plate for fixing the image sensor 36, and 38A and 38B are spacers for maintaining the lens interval.
[0022]
The diaphragm plate 32 has two large and small diaphragm holes, and slides to the left and right via a lever 32A connected to the iris switching lever 15. One of the two diaphragm holes is on the optical axis of the lens 31. Moved.
In the lens / finder unit 30, the first lens barrel 33 and the second lens barrel 37 are fitted with light shielding properties, and the light shielding between the second lens barrel 37 and the image sensor 36 is completely eliminated. However, there is a slight gap between the diaphragm plate 32 and the first lens barrel 33, and when the front and rear cabinets 10 and 20 are made transparent, light enters the lens barrel from this gap. In addition, there is a gap between the lens 31 and the protective cover 11 in front of the lens 31, and light incident through the front cabinet 10 and the rear cabinet 20 is reflected by the protective cover 11 and enters the lens 31.
[0023]
In the present invention, a light shielding cover 40 (see FIG. 2) is disposed on the front surface of the lens / finder unit 30 in order to block the incidence of such unnecessary light.
14 to 19 are a front view, a rear view, a right side view, a left side view, a plan view, and a bottom view of the light shielding cover 40, respectively. FIGS. 20 to 22 are AA and B- It is sectional drawing which follows a B line and CC line.
[0024]
As shown in these drawings, the light shielding cover 40 is formed of a light shielding resin so as to cover the diaphragm mechanism including the lens 31 and the diaphragm plate 32 shown in FIG. The light shielding cover 40 includes a cover main body 41 that covers the diaphragm mechanism including the diaphragm plate 32 and a cylindrical portion 42 into which the lens 31 is inserted. An escape hole 43 and the like are formed so as not to interfere with the lever 32A connected to the lever 32A.
[0025]
When the light shielding cover 40 is attached to the front cabinet 10, the cylindrical portion 42 is fixed so that the tip of the cylindrical portion 42 contacts the protective cover 11. Thereby, the light incident through the front cabinet 10 and the rear cabinet 20 is blocked by the cylindrical portion 42 and does not enter the protective cover 11 inside the cylindrical portion 42.
In addition, the movable part of the diaphragm mechanism including the diaphragm plate 32 (that is, the gap between the lens barrel itself) is covered by the cover main body 41 of the light shielding cover 40, so that the light incident through the front cabinet 10 and the rear cabinet 20 is mirrored. It does not enter the lens barrel from the side of the barrel.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the camera having the above configuration will be described.
Since the front cabinet 10 and the rear cabinet 20 are made of a light-transmitting resin, external light and strobe light enter the camera via the front cabinet 10 or the rear cabinet 20. Since it is blocked, the light does not enter the protective cover 11 and does not enter through the gap of the lens barrel itself. In addition, the light guide 17 that guides the strobe light to the strobe light control sensor is masked and the gap between the light guide 17 and the strobe light control sensor is covered in a ring shape with a light-shielding buffer material 17B. In addition, the strobe light does not enter the strobe light control sensor through the cross section, and the light emission amount of the strobe can be controlled well. In this embodiment, the opaque protective cover 11, the masking paint, and the light shielding buffer material 17B are used as the light shielding means. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and light shielding paper or other light shielding members may be used. .
[0027]
Further, a part of the transparent front cabinet 10 constitutes a battery housing, and the card cover 24 for opening and closing the card insertion slot of the memory card is also formed of a light transmissive resin. It can be confirmed from the outside of the camera whether or not a card is installed.
Furthermore, the camera can be differentiated by inserting a decorative sheet or name sheet into the battery housing. Note that a slit similar to the card insertion slot 27 of the memory card shown in FIG. 1 may be separately provided in the transparent exterior body so that a spare memory card, a decorative sheet, a name sheet, and the like can be sandwiched therebetween.
[0028]
Furthermore, a fluorescent material may be added to the resin of the transparent exterior body, or a fluorescent member may be applied or attached to the exterior body or the camera built-in component. Accordingly, the camera can emit light by its own strobe light or external light, and the position of the camera can be notified to the person who is the subject even in the dark.
The photographing lens of this embodiment is a single-focus pan-focus lens, and the lens barrel is provided with a switchable diaphragm mechanism. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the tele / wide / macro switching function and AF A function or the like may be added, and the movement of the lens barrel can be seen through the exterior body by attaching the lens barrel adjacent to the side surface of the exterior body.
[0029]
In this embodiment, since the front mold 10 and the rear mold 20 are formed by using a light transmitting resin using an existing mold, the light of the lens protective cover 11, the finder cover 13, and the light emitting diode is guided. The light guide 22 and the display window 25 of the LCD 71 are separately provided in the front cabinet 10 and the rear cabinet 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a transparent member provided in the exterior body can also be provided if a mold dedicated to the transparent exterior body is used. They can be integrally formed, and the number of parts and assembly man-hours can be reduced.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the camera of the present invention, the exterior body is formed of a light-transmitting resin, and the light shielding means is provided so that unnecessary light does not enter the optical system and the photoelectric conversion element of the camera. The camera can be seen through while maintaining its function as a camera, eliminating the rigid image of the camera, and the movement of movable parts such as batteries, recording media, and lens barrels installed in the camera via the exterior body Can be confirmed. Furthermore, the transparent member conventionally provided in the opaque exterior body can be integrally formed with the exterior body, and the number of parts and the number of assembly steps can be reduced.
[0031]
Further, according to the present invention, since the character or mark can be illuminated through the exterior body by the backlight of the liquid crystal display, the function confirmation character or mark of the operation switch can be read even in the dark. Furthermore, by adding a fluorescent material to the resin of the exterior body, or by applying or sticking a fluorescent member to the exterior body or camera built-in parts, the camera can emit light with its own strobe light, etc. Can inform the camera position. Furthermore, since a slit for sandwiching a sheet material such as a decorative sheet, a name sheet, or a spare recording medium is provided in the exterior body, the sheet material sandwiched in the slit via the exterior body can be confirmed, and the camera of the same model Even so, differentiation can be achieved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a camera according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal configuration of a camera according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal configuration of a camera according to the present invention.
4 is an exploded perspective view of the lens / finder unit shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a front view of a front cavity of a camera according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a rear view of the front cavity of the camera according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a right side view of the front cabinet of the camera according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the front cavity of the camera according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a front view of a rear cabinet according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a rear view of a rear cabinet according to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a right side view of a rear cabinet according to the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a left side view of a rear cabinet according to the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a plan view of a rear cabinet according to the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a front view of a light shielding cover according to the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a rear view of a light shielding cover according to the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a right side view of the light shielding cover according to the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a left side view of the light shielding cover according to the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a plan view of a light shielding cover according to the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a bottom view of a light shielding cover according to the present invention.
20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.
22 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Front cavity 10A ... Rib 11 ... Protective cover 13 ... Finder cover 15 ... Iris switching lever 17,22 ... Light guide 17B ... Buffer material 19 ... Battery cover 20 ... Rear cavity 24 ... Card cover 25 ... Display window 27 ... Slit (card Insertion port)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Lens / finder unit 31 ... Lens 32 ... Diaphragm plate 33 ... First lens barrel 36 ... Imaging element 37 ... Second lens barrel 40 ... Light shielding cover 50 ... Strobe unit 60 ... Recording media substrate 62 ... Main substrate 70 ... Liquid crystal unit 71 ... Backlit liquid crystal display (LCD)

Claims (2)

In a camera equipped with an electronic imaging means and a strobe , an exterior body of the camera is formed of a light-transmitting resin so that the inside of the camera can be seen through, and unnecessary light incident through the exterior body is captured by the camera. A light guide for guiding light to the lens, the strobe light control sensor, the image sensor, and a light blocking means so as not to enter the strobe light control sensor ;
A liquid crystal display with a backlight is provided on the exterior body, characters or marks are printed on the exterior body in the vicinity of the liquid crystal display, and the characters or marks can be illuminated by the backlight of the liquid crystal display ,
A camera characterized by having fluorescent characteristics in its built-in parts . The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the light shielding means is masking paint, light shielding paper, or a light shielding member.

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