JP4137631B2 - camera - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure around a lens barrel portion of a camera having a waterproof function.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the exterior of the camera was generally a plastic molded exterior, but a metal exterior made by drawing a thin plate such as aluminum or stainless steel is also used to give a high-class appearance to the exterior or to further reduce the size. It is going to be done. However, there is a problem of the operation button mounting structure and the processing limitation of the metal plate, and a sufficient cover member cannot be obtained only with the metal exterior. Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes an exterior in which a mold cover is pasted inside a metal cover.
[0003]
On the other hand, since a camera is often used outdoors, it needs to have a waterproof function. Regarding the waterproof structure of the camera, various structures have been proposed in the past, and various waterproof cameras have been commercialized. For example, various types of waterproof structures have been proposed for the retractable camera because the lens barrel needs to travel straight a long distance. For example, the camera proposed in Patent Document 2 is provided with a ring-shaped packing that slides on the outer periphery of the collapsible lens barrel inside the opening of the front cover of the camera exterior through which the collapsible lens barrel passes. The ring-shaped packing is assembled in a state of being elastically deformed into a V-shape on the front cover of the mold.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Patent Document 1 is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-43810.
[0005]
[Patent Document 2]
Patent Document 2 is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-241227.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The camera disclosed in Patent Document 1 applies a metal exterior with a mold cover attached inside, and can achieve the purpose of having an external appearance of metal. However, since the cover is doubled, the camera However, it was not satisfactory in terms of downsizing, and there was a possibility that the size would be increased.
[0007]
Further, when assuming a camera having only a metal exterior without an inner mold cover, the waterproof structure of the collapsible lens frame assuming the mold exterior as shown in Patent Document 2 is for holding the waterproof packing. Since sufficient space could not be secured, application was difficult.
[0008]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera having a reliable waterproof function without enlarging the exterior of a camera having a metal plate exterior. And
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The camera according to claim 1 of the present invention is a camera having a waterproof function and having a collapsible lens barrel, and a movable frame that moves in the optical axis direction and a fixed frame that protects the movable lens frame so as to be movable inside. A collapsible lens barrel, an exterior member mainly composed of a thin metal plate, forming an exterior surface of the front surface of the camera, and provided with an opening through which the movable lens frame passes, and along the opening of the exterior member A flange portion that abuts against the inner surface of the exterior member, and is formed in a ring shape from the flange portion toward the exterior direction, and the ring-shaped outer peripheral surface is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the opening, and the ring-shaped inner peripheral surface An annular part that fits the fixed frame on the surface, and a retractable lens barrel penetrating member that is fixed to the exterior member; and between the fixed frame and the retractable lens barrel penetrating member inside the camera And an interposed elastic member for waterproofing.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the camera according to the first aspect, the front surface of the exterior member can be freely moved so as to cover the front surface of the retractable lens barrel in a state where the movable lens frame is in the retracted position. A lens barrier is provided, and at the tip of the annular portion of the retractable lens barrel penetrating member, a protrusion that abuts a part of the lens barrier in a position covering the front surface of the retractable lens barrel. The part is formed.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the camera according to the second aspect, wherein the protrusion is configured such that at least a portion that abuts on a part of the lens barrier covers the external surface of the exterior member. It is formed so as to project outward from the outer peripheral surface of the part.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are perspective views showing the appearance of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a barrier closed state, and FIG. 2 shows a barrier open state.
[0013]
The camera 1 according to the present embodiment is a digital camera that can convert an image signal of a subject into an electrical signal and record it on a memory card or the like, and has a front cover 2, an intermediate cover 3, and a rear cover as its exterior body. The front cover 2 is provided with a lens barrier unit 5 that is a slidable lens barrier that opens and closes the front surface of the photographing lens 24 on the front surface thereof.
[0014]
The front cover 2, the intermediate cover 3, and the rear cover 4 are formed of a thin metal plate that serves as an exterior member that forms an external appearance surface, and inner frames made of synthetic resin for reinforcement and assembly are respectively provided on the inner side thereof. The member is bonded and fixed. For example, the inner frame member 6 is bonded and fixed to the front cover 2.
[0015]
The front cover 2 includes a photographic lens barrel 21, which is a collapsible lens barrel, a finder window 12, a strobe light emitting window 13, a self-timer LED window 14, and a remote control light receiving window 15 on the front portion 2c. And are arranged. A slidable lens barrier unit 5 is disposed on the front surface portion of the photographing lens barrel 21, the finder window 12, the strobe light emission window 13, and the front surface portion when the lens barrier unit 5 is in the right closed position. When closed, the camera cannot be photographed (FIG. 1), and when in the left open position, the front portion is opened and the camera can be photographed (FIG. 2). In the above-described photographing enabled state, the movable lens frame 23 holding the photographing lens 24 of the photographing lens barrel 21 is extended to the front photographing position. In the state in which photography is not possible, the movable lens frame 23 is retracted to the retracted position stored in the front cover 2.
[0016]
The lens barrier unit (hereinafter referred to as “lens barrier”) 5 includes a barrier plate member 5A, which is a metal thin plate member on the surface side, and a barrier frame member, which is a synthetic resin member for attachment and reinforcement, as shown in FIG. 5B, and a guide portion is slidably fitted into a barrier guide groove provided on the upper and lower sides of the front cover 2 and attached.
[0017]
A release switch operation button 6 is disposed on the upper surface of the middle cover 3. In addition, a finder eyepiece window 7 is disposed on the upper back of the rear cover 4.
[0018]
Here, the assembly structure of the front cover 2 and the photographic lens barrel 21 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the front cover and lens barrel of the camera, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG.
[0019]
A frame-shaped inner frame member 6 is fixed to the inner side of the front cover 2 with a double-sided adhesive tape, and its peripheral portion is bonded with an adhesive. The inner frame member 6 has a boss portion 6a provided with a screw hole for attaching and coupling a camera main body (not shown).
[0020]
Further, the front cover 2 is provided with a front ring mounting opening 2a on the front surface portion 2c, and the opening 2a is provided with a notch portion 2b for restricting rotation of the front ring. The front ring 27 is fixed by an adhesive 28.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the front ring 27 includes an opening 27a that forms a ring-shaped lens barrel fitting portion, a front annular portion 27b, a flange portion 27c, a rear annular portion 27d, and a front circle. It has a protrusion 27e that protrudes to the side of the ring portion 27b and forward.
[0022]
The protrusion 27e is provided with a contact surface 27f with the lens barrier 5, a contact surface 27g with the front cover 2, and a protrusion 27h for preventing the lens barrier tip from coming off.
[0023]
The front ring 27 has its front side annular portion 27b inserted into the opening 2a of the front cover 2 from the inside, and the protrusion 27e is inserted into the opening notch 2b so as to be in a rotation restricted state. Then, the flange portion 27 c is brought into contact with the peripheral back surface of the opening 2 a of the front cover 2 and is fixed by the adhesive 28. In the fixed state, the contact surface 27g of the protrusion 27e is held in a state of contacting the outer surface of the notch 2b of the front cover 2.
[0024]
The lens barrel 21 includes, as shown in FIG. 4 and the like, a fixed frame 22 fixedly supported on a camera body (not shown), a movable lens frame 23 supported inside the fixed frame 22 so as to be movable back and forth, The photographing lens 24 held by the movable lens frame 23, the rubber packing 25 which is a deformable ring plate-shaped waterproof member attached to the outer periphery of the fixed frame 22, and the inner periphery of the fixed frame 22 are fixed to the movable mirror. It has a rubber packing 26 that is a ring-shaped waterproof member having a circular cross section and is slidably inserted into the frame 23.
[0025]
The lens barrel 21 is attached by fitting the outer periphery of the fixed frame 22 into the inner peripheral opening 27a of the front ring 27 attached to the opening 2a of the front cover 2. In the attached state, the fixed frame side rubber packing 25 is closely attached, fitted and held on the inner peripheral surface of the rear ring portion 27d of the front ring 27 in a deformed U-section. Note that a CCD, which is an image sensor (not shown), is disposed at the subject image formation position in the lens barrel 21.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the lens barrel mounting portion of the front cover of the camera of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described.
When the lens barrier 5 is slid in the direction D2 from the closed position covering the photographic lens 24 to the open position and the front surface of the photographic lens 24 is opened, the movable lens frame 23 of the lens barrel 3 is moved by a control unit (not shown). It is drawn out from the retracted position in the S2 direction, and moves to a photographable position (FIG. 4) protruding forward from the front cover 2.
[0027]
When the lens barrier 5 is moved in the closing direction D1 after the photographing is completed, the movable lens frame 23 of the lens barrel 21 is retracted in the S1 direction from the photographing position by the control unit built in the camera. To the retracted position P1. When the lens barrier 5 is further slid to the closed position, the front surface of the photographing lens 24 is covered and the camera is stored.
[0028]
When in the camera storage state, the lens barrier 5 may be pressed by the user. The pressing force in the F0 direction acting on the front end side of the lens barrier 5 at that time is received by the front ring 27 on the front cover 2 side. Specifically, the tip of the pressed lens barrier 5 abuts on the barrier abutment surface 27h on the protrusion 27e of the front ring 27, and the inclination of the lens barrier 5 in the optical axis O direction is regulated. It will be in the state received in the front ring 27 whole. Accordingly, local deformation or plastic deformation of the front cover 2 of the thin metal plate member such as aluminum alloy can be avoided. Further, since the abutment surface 27g opposite to the abutment surface 27f (front cover side) of the protrusion 27e is in contact with the surface of the notch 2b of the front cover 2, the adhesive of the front ring 27 is applied by the pressing force. There is no fear that 28 will peel off.
[0029]
Further, as described above, the front ring 27 is interposed between the front cover 2 and the lens barrel 21, but the inner peripheral opening 27 a of the front ring 27 and the fixed frame 22 of the lens barrel 21 are arranged. Since the outer peripheral surface is in a state of being fitted so as to be mechanically separable, it is necessary to waterproof the fitting gap. In the present embodiment, a waterproof structure in which the rubber packing 25 fitted on the outer periphery of the fixed frame 22 is elastically deformed in a U shape with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the rear ring portion 27d of the front ring 27 and applied is applied. By doing so, a certain waterproofness within the camera body is ensured.
[0030]
As described above, in the camera 1 according to the present embodiment, when the camera exterior is a camera formed of a thin metal plate, the pressing force acting on the tip of the lens barrier 5 in the closed state of the lens barrier 5 It acts in a distributed manner on the entire front ring 27 via the contact surface 27f. Therefore, the local force of the front end portion of the lens barrier 5 does not directly act on the front cover 2 of the thin metal plate member, and the elastic deformation and plastic deformation of the local portion can be avoided.
[0031]
In addition, as described above, the waterproof structure of the gap between the fitting portion between the front cover 2 and the lens barrel 21 includes the front ring 27 to which the front cover 2 is bonded and fixed, and the lens barrel fixing frame 22 that is fitted. It is possible to apply a simple structure in which the rubber packing 25 is closely fitted between them, and a reliable waterproof function is obtained.
[0032]
Although the present embodiment describes the case where a digital camera is applied, the gist of the present invention can be applied not only to a digital camera but also to other types of cameras.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in a camera using a metal thin plate exterior, it is possible to provide a camera capable of reliably supporting the collapsible lens barrel and reliably waterproofing at the support portion, and also to exert a pressing force acting on the lens barrier. Thus, it is possible to provide a camera in which the exterior of the thin metal plate is reliably protected.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a camera as an embodiment of the present invention, showing a lens barrier closed state.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the camera of FIG. 1, showing a lens barrier open state.
3 is an exploded perspective view of a front cover and a lens barrel in the camera of FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing the AA cross section of FIG. 3; FIG.
FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 4 [Explanation of symbols]
2 ... Front cover (exterior member)
5 ... Lens barrier 21 ... Lens barrel (collapsed barrel)
23 ... Moving lens frame 25 ... Rubber packing (waterproof member)
27: Front ring (lens barrel penetrating member)
27b: Front side ring part (ring-shaped fitting part)
27c ... Flange 27e ... Projection 27f ... Contact surface (surface that contacts the barrier)
27g: Contact surface (opposite surface that contacts the barrier)

Claims (3)

In a camera with a waterproof function and a retractable lens barrel,
A collapsible lens barrel composed of a movable lens frame that moves in the optical axis direction and a fixed frame that movably protects the movable lens frame inside;
An exterior member mainly composed of a thin metal plate, forming an exterior surface of the camera front surface, and provided with an opening through which the movable lens frame passes;
A flange portion that contacts the inner surface of the exterior member along the opening of the exterior member, and a ring shape that extends from the flange portion toward the appearance direction, and the outer peripheral surface of the ring shape is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the opening A collapsible lens barrel penetrating member that is provided with an annular portion that fits the fixed frame on the ring-shaped inner peripheral surface, and is fixed to the exterior member;
A waterproof elastic member interposed between the fixed frame and the retractable barrel penetrating member inside the camera;
A camera characterized by comprising: Further, a lens barrier is provided that is movable on the front surface of the exterior member so as to cover the front surface of the retractable lens barrel when the movable lens frame is in the retracted position. The camera according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion is formed at a tip of the portion so as to contact a part of the lens barrier at a position covering the front surface of the retractable lens barrel. The protrusion is formed so as to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion so that at least a portion in contact with a part of the lens barrier covers the exterior surface of the exterior member. The camera according to claim 2.

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