JP4266750B2 - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera, and more particularly to an electronic camera configured to be thin and lightweight while maintaining the strength of a circuit board built in a camera housing.

  An electronic camera equipped with an image sensor such as a CCD and capable of digitally recording images can immediately see images taken without the need for development, printing, etc., as with conventional cameras using film. An image pickup device such as a CCD has an advantage that the camera itself can be made compact by making it smaller than a conventional film despite the fact that the number of pixels per device increases year by year.

  Therefore, for example, it has a thinness and strength that can be accommodated in a breast pocket of a Y-shirt or a buttocks pocket of a G pan, etc. It is light enough not to feel uncomfortable even if it is accommodated in such a place or handbag, and has a high magnification zoom mechanism. The advent of an electronic camera is desired.

  In a general electronic camera, a photographic lens unit is disposed on the right side of the camera body, and an image display device is disposed on the back side. A plurality of batteries for power supply are housed in the camera body. The strobe capacitor is disposed at a position overlapping the image display device in the thickness direction. The detachable recording medium is inserted into and removed from the recording medium mounting portion from the side surface side of the camera body. Furthermore, the operation switch part is arrange | positioned at the upper surface part or back surface part of the camera, and the electric circuit board which has a contact part in the inside is arrange | positioned.

  However, when considering a reduction in the thickness of the electronic camera body, the above-described electronic camera is not necessarily arranged to be advantageous for the reduction in thickness. In other words, the thickness of the camera is increased due to the fact that a plurality of batteries are stacked in the thickness direction of the camera body, and the strobe capacitor is disposed at a position overlapping the image display device in the thickness direction. It is disadvantageous for conversion. Further, since the recording medium has a structure in which the recording medium lid provided on the side surface portion of the camera body is opened and closed, the mounting position of the connector on the side surface portion is limited. Further, when the camera body is made thin, the operation area of the upper surface is reduced, so that the operation switches tend to concentrate on the back surface. However, simply moving the operation switch to the back side adds the thickness of the operation switch unit and its substrate, and does not necessarily reduce the thickness of the camera body.

Therefore, as shown in Patent Document 1, an imaging lens and a light emitting device are arranged in an imaging unit that is rotatably connected to an operation unit having an image display surface by a rotation mechanism such as a hinge mechanism. There has been proposed a camera that is directed toward the subject and that the image display surface is directed toward the photographer. When an electronic camera is configured in this way, for example, when it is desired to photograph a photographer (self) or when photographing a subject near the ground, it is possible to always check the image display surface while directing the imaging unit toward the subject. Become.
Japanese Patent No. 2931907

  However, it is a circuit board that becomes a problem even if the above-described configuration is adopted to achieve a reduction in thickness. The circuit board (main board) is generally supported by the upper and lower housings (covers) or an intermediate housing sandwiched between the upper and lower housings. However, when the upper and lower housings are thinned, the strength is reduced. In addition, the structure supported by the intermediate housing sandwiched between the upper and lower housings (covers) is difficult to achieve a reduction in thickness and weight.

  In particular, the main board is mounted with a CPU for controlling the entire electronic camera, etc., but the entire electronic camera is made thin as in the present invention, and the chest pocket of the Y-shirt and the G pan as described above. When housed in a buttocks pocket or the like, a large deflection force is applied to the casing constituted by these upper cover and lower cover. For this reason, when the main board on which the CPU is mounted is fixed to the housing with screws or the like, when the bending force is applied, the main board is bent, and in the worst case, the solder mounted CPU is peeled off.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and it is possible to reduce the thickness of an electronic camera by an effective layout of each internal component unit, and further, an operation switch is provided on the back surface of the camera body. Even if it is provided, it is an object to provide an electronic camera that does not increase in thickness and that does not cause a reduction in strength of a circuit board even when the housings (covers) provided on the upper and lower sides are thinned.

Accordingly, in order to solve the above problems, the first invention provides an operation unit housing that houses a display device and a substrate, an imaging unit that houses an imaging device that sends an image to the display device, and a light emitting device. A housing, a hinge mechanism for rotatably connecting the operation unit housing and the imaging unit housing, upper and lower covers serving as the operation unit housing, and a first projecting from the upper cover A projecting portion, and a second projecting portion projecting from the lower cover,
The first projecting portion and the second projecting portion are provided to extend in different directions in parallel to the extending surface of the substrate, and the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion. By sandwiching the protruding portion with the substrate interposed therebetween, deformation of the upper and lower covers in the bending direction is prevented and the substrate is positioned and supported in the bending direction .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation unit housing that houses a display device and a substrate, an imaging device housing that houses an imaging device that transmits an image to the display device, a light emitting device, and a shooting zoom lens, and the operation unit A hinge mechanism for pivotally connecting the housing and the imaging unit housing, upper and lower covers serving as the operation unit housing, a first projecting portion projecting from the upper cover, and the lower A second projecting portion projecting from the cover, and a hole provided in the substrate,
The first projecting portion and the second projecting portion extend in parallel and different directions from the substrate, respectively, and the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion are connected to the substrate. By contacting or fitting through the hole, deformation of the upper and lower covers in the bending direction is prevented and the substrate is supported so as to be freely movable in the bending direction .

At this time, it is preferable that the first projecting portion of any of the inventions is a rib extending substantially in the same direction as the optical axis direction of the imaging device, and the second projecting portion is approximately the optical axis direction. It is characterized by being a rib extending in an orthogonal direction.
In any of the above inventions, in the operation unit housing, the memory slot and the display device are arranged on one surface side of the substrate, and the flat battery storage unit and the imaging device are controlled on the other surface side. It is preferable to arrange a second substrate and reduce the thickness of the operation unit casing.

  According to this invention, deformation due to the deflection direction between the covers is supported by the projecting portion (post) projecting from at least one cover of the cover to prevent deflection, and at the corners of the cover. The projecting portion is contacted or fitted through a hole provided in the main substrate positioned on the provided substrate support portion, and the main substrate can be freely moved with respect to the bending direction of the housing through the projecting portion. Therefore, there is an advantage that the force can be released even if the housing is bent.

  Further, without positioning the main board at the corner (of course, it may be positioned), the projecting portions provided at the substantially central position of the cover are sandwiched between the main boards, or the opening provided in the main board is provided. The support structure brought into contact with each other prevents deflection and positioning and supports the main board positioned between the covers by extending the projecting portions in different two-dimensional directions parallel to the cover. By holding or fitting in a two-dimensional direction, the main board can be freely and reliably positioned and supported with respect to the bending direction of the housing. There is an advantage.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, but are merely illustrative examples. Not too much.

  FIG. 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing a photographing state in which the lens of the electronic camera according to the present invention is directed toward a subject, and FIG. 3 is an electronic camera according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view showing a shooting state in which the lens of the electronic camera is directed toward the camera operator (self) direction, and FIG. 4 is a view showing a hold state of the camera when the electronic camera lens according to the present invention is shot toward the subject. is there.

  In the figure, 100 is an electronic camera, 101 is an imaging unit, 102 is an operation unit, 103 is a photographing lens window, 104 is a light emitting device window such as a strobe, 105 is a display device using liquid crystal, 106 is a shutter button, and 107 is a power source. The button 108 is composed of a cross key and a decision key, a selection / decision key for selecting a function or item displayed on the display device 105, a zoom key 109 for instructing optical system zooming, 110 for turning on the camera mode menu, Menu button for switching off, 111 a display button for switching the display content of the display device 105 and lighting on / off, 112 a scene button for switching the display content of the display device 105 to a scene selection selection screen, and 113 a diaphragm priority mode or shutter Priority mode, sports mode for shooting fast moving subjects, Romodo, flash control such emission force or emission stop strobe, movie shooting mode selection button for selecting modes such as play, 114 is a speaker.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the electronic camera 100 includes a display device 105 and general photographing operation buttons 106 to 113 on the operation unit 102 side, and the operation unit 102 can be rotated by a hinge mechanism. A photographing lens window 103 is arranged on one end side of the imaging unit 101 connected to the light emitting device, and a light emitting device window 104 is arranged on the operation unit 102 side thereof. The shooting operation buttons 106 to 113 in the operation unit 102 protrude from the plane of the outer cover of the operation unit 102 so that they do not get caught or feel uncomfortable even when housed in a chest pocket of a Y-shirt or a buttocks pocket of a G pan. Further, the shutter button 106 can be operated with an index finger when the camera 100 is held with the right hand, and the zoom key 109, the selection determination key 108, the menu button 110, the mode select button 113, and the like are also used with the right hand camera. When 100 is held, it is placed within the reach of the thumb to improve operability.
In particular, buttons 106, 109 and the like mainly used for photographing are arranged away from the display device so that the display device 105 is not touched during photographing.

Then, the electronic camera 100 is directed toward the photographer so that the display device 105 can be viewed at all times, and the imaging unit 101 is directed toward the subject as shown in FIG. 2, or the reverse as shown in FIG. The photographing lens window 103 is directed to the camera operator (self) so that self-photographing can be performed. The electronic camera 100 according to the present invention has a length L ₁ (FIG. 3) from the end of the imaging unit 101 on the photographing lens window 103 side to the end of the light emitting device window 104 side, for example, from the tip of the left index finger to the second joint. When the length to the vicinity and the length of the imaging unit 101 opposite to the photographing lens window 103 is L ₂ (FIG. 3), this corresponds to (L ₁ -L ₂ ) of the light emitting device window 104 portion. The thickness L ₃ in the optical axis direction of the part (FIG. 3) is configured so as to project toward the operation unit 102 side with R as the thickness of the index finger. In this way, a space for arranging operation buttons and the like on the right side of the display device 105 in the operation unit 102 can be created, and an electronic camera with good operability can be configured while being small. Further, the distance from the photographing lens window 103 to the rotation center of the hinge mechanism is larger than the distance from the rotation center of the hinge mechanism to the end opposite to the photographing lens window 103.

Accordingly, when the photographing lens window 103 is photographed toward the user himself, the distance from the display screen of the display device 105 to the photographing lens window 103 is increased.
Therefore, when the user visually recognizes the display device 105 with respect to the viewing direction of the user and views the display screen from the gap between the photographing lens window 103 and the display screen, the distance from the display screen to the photographing lens window 103 Since the gap is long, the gap is also long, and the entire display screen can be viewed well.

  When the electronic camera 100 is used, the power is turned on by pressing the power button 107, so that each operation button is operated with the thumb as described above, and the aperture priority mode and the shutter priority mode are pressed by the mode select button 113. Select a shooting mode such as, a sports mode for shooting a subject moving at high speed, a macro mode for shooting a subject at a short distance, a flash control such as forced flash on / off, a video shooting, and a playback mode. If necessary, the menu button 110 is pressed to display various menus such as the image size, shooting sensitivity, and photometry method on the display device 105, and the cross key of the selection / decision key 108 including the cross key and the enter key. Select an item with and press the center determination button.

Then, when shooting with the photographic lens window 103 facing the subject as shown in FIG. 2, hold the operation unit 102 side with the right hand as shown in FIG. 4, for example, imaging with the index finger and middle finger of the left hand The photographing lens window 103 is directed toward the subject with the portion L ₃ (FIG. 3) having the length L ₁ (FIG. 3) of the portion 101 interposed therebetween. Then, while watching the subject displayed on the display device 105, the zoom key 109 of the imaging unit 101 is operated with the thumb of the right hand, the predetermined magnification is selected and the composition is determined, and then the shutter button 106 is pressed with the right index finger. The focus and exposure are automatically determined, and an image taken by an image sensor such as a built-in CCD is recorded in a built-in memory. By taking a picture in this way, as described above, the distance from the taking lens window 103 to the rotation center of the hinge mechanism in the imaging unit 101 is from the rotation center of the hinge mechanism to the end opposite to the taking lens window 103. Therefore, the lens unit can be rotated so that the image pickup unit 101 can be quickly pointed at the subject and the camera 100 can be firmly held.

  When shooting is completed in this manner, when the mode select button 113 is operated to set the playback mode, the image stored in the memory is displayed on the display device 105, and the images sequentially taken by operating the cross key in the selection key 108 are displayed. Can be displayed. In the moving image shooting mode, a moving image can be recorded in the memory in the same manner, a necessary scene can be selected with the scene button 112, and sound can be reproduced simultaneously with the speaker 114.

  Next, the configuration of the operation unit 102 will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an accommodation state of the internal device with the cover of the operation unit 102 of the electronic camera 100 according to the present invention removed, a light emitting device and a condenser, an imaging device such as a CCD in the imaging unit 101, and FIG. In the embodiment of the electronic camera 100 according to the present invention, the cover of the operation unit 102 is removed, (A) is a perspective view in which the display device 105 is further removed, (B) is a perspective view seen from the back side, and FIG. (A) is a side view seen from the direction a in FIG. 5, (B) is a side view seen from the direction b in FIG. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line cc of FIG. 5 showing the vicinity of the hole 311 provided in the approximate center of the main substrate 300 in a state where the cover is put on. FIG. 8 is a basic configuration diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention.

5 to 8, 300 is a main board that controls the entire electronic camera 100, 301 is a memory slot that stores a memory card that stores images, 302 is a battery, and 303 is a sub that controls the imaging unit 101. Substrate, 304 is a mode control flexible substrate, 306 is a microphone, 307 is an upper cover, 308 is a lower cover, 309 is an upper cover side column, 310 is a lower cover side column, and between the both columns 309 and 310, the upper cover 307 The main board 300 sandwiched between the lower covers 308 is supported substantially at the center.
An imaging element such as a CCD on the imaging unit 101 side (not shown), a light emitting device such as a strobe on the imaging unit 101 side (not shown), a condenser for a light emitting device such as a strobe on the imaging unit 101 side (not shown), 323 These are printed circuit boards for light emitting devices such as strobes on the unit 101 side, and these are incorporated in the imaging unit 102.

  The operation unit 102 of the electronic camera 100 includes an upper cover 307 shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 7C and 8, a speaker 114, a shutter button 106, a power button 107, and a selection determination key 108 shown in FIG. 1. Further, operation buttons such as a zoom key 109, a menu button 110, a display button 111, a scene button 112, and a mode select button 113 are attached, and an exposure window of the display device 105 such as a liquid crystal shown in FIG. A flexible substrate 304 for mode control is arranged around the periphery. Under the display device 105 and the flexible substrate 304 for mode control, as shown in FIG. 6A, a memory slot 301 for storing a memory card for storing an image on the upper side as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7B, the main board 300 on which the thin battery 302 is arranged as shown in FIG. 7B is arranged and stacked as shown in FIG. 7B, and next to the battery 302 under the main board 300, FIG. ), A sub-board 303 for controlling the imaging unit 101 is provided.

Of these, the main board 300 has notches 300a at the lower left and right corners, and positioning protrusions 308a provided at the lower left and right corners of the lower cover 308 that engage with the notches 300a (FIG. 8). ), And as shown in FIG. 7C, the column 309 (FIG. 7C) provided on the upper cover 307 and the column 310 provided on the lower cover 308 (FIG. 7C). ) Through a hole 311 provided in the vicinity of the center of the main board 300 so that it can be freely supported with respect to the deflection of the casing. That is, a CPU for controlling the entire electronic camera 100 is mounted on the main board 300. However, the entire electronic camera 100 is configured to be thin as in the present invention, and as described above, When housed in a G-pan's buttocks pocket or the like, a large deflection force is applied to the casing constituted by the upper cover 307 and the lower cover 308. For this reason, if the main board 300 mounted with a CPU or the like is fixed to the housing with a screw or the like, the main board 300 will bend when a bending force is applied, and in the worst case, the soldered and mounted CPU may be peeled off. . Therefore, in the present invention, the main substrate 300 is positioned at the corners and the substantially central portion is supported through the columns 309 and 310, so that the force can be released even if the housing is bent. Is.
The positioning in the vertical direction with respect to the surface of the main substrate 300 is performed when a member such as a display device arranged on the main substrate 300 is in contact with or fixed to the housing and the main substrate is in contact with the display device. .

The configuration of the second embodiment will be schematically described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 9A is a plan view of the lower cover, FIG. 9B is a plan view of the upper cover, and FIG. 9C is a cross-sectional view of a combination of both.
As described above, the operation unit 102 includes the upper and lower covers 307 and 308, and the single-character ribs 380 and 381 functioning as projecting portions that prevent deformation due to the deflection direction between the covers. 308 to project the ribs 380 and 381 between the main substrate 300 and prevent the one-letter ribs 380 and 381 from extending in different two-dimensional directions parallel to the cover. Specifically, the rib 380 provided on the upper cover 307 extends in the optical system optical axis direction of the imaging unit 101, and the rib 381 provided on the lower cover 308 extends in the optical system optical axis direction of the imaging unit 101. The main board 300 extending in a direction perpendicular to the upper and lower covers 307 and 308 is sandwiched in a two-dimensional direction to bend the casing. And supports the main board 300 floating freely against.

10A and 10B show a modification of the second embodiment, in which FIG. 10A is a horizontal sectional view of a main substrate, and FIG. 10B is a vertical sectional view in a state where both an upper cover and a lower cover are combined.
As described above, the operation unit 102 includes the upper and lower covers 307 and 308, and the single-character ribs 380 and 381 functioning as projecting portions that prevent deformation due to the deflection direction between the covers. , 308 is the same as the embodiment described above, but a cross-shaped opening 390 is provided at a position corresponding to the ribs 380, 381 on the main substrate, and the ribs 380, 381 are connected to the main substrate 300. In the state of being fitted into the cross-shaped opening hole 390, the tips are brought into contact with each other so as to position the main substrate 300 and prevent deflection, and the one-letter ribs 380 and 381 have different dimensions in the two-dimensional direction. The main board 300 positioned between the upper and lower covers 307 and 308 is extended in a two-dimensional direction through a cross-shaped opening hole 390. It is securely positioned in two-dimensional directions with respect to floating freely support and cover in a direction parallel to the surface of the main board to the direction deflection of the housing by engaged.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the main substrate 300 is not particularly positioned at the corner (may be positioned as a matter of course), and the ribs 380 and 381 provided at the substantially central position of the cover are connected to the main substrate 300. The support structure sandwiched or contacted through the opening 390 provided in the main substrate 300 is intended to prevent deflection and to support positioning, and the ribs 380 and 381 have different two-dimensional directions parallel to the cover. The main board positioned between the covers is sandwiched or fitted in a two-dimensional direction, so that the main board can be freely positioned and supported with respect to the bending direction of the housing. There is an advantage.

  The present invention realizes thinning of the electronic camera by the effective layout of each internal component unit, and further, even if an operation switch is provided on the back surface of the camera body, the thickness does not increase, and Even when the housing (cover) provided in the housing is thinned, it is possible to provide an electronic camera in which the strength of the circuit board does not decrease.

1 is an overall view of an embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention. It is the figure which showed the imaging | photography state which orient | assigned the lens of the electronic camera which becomes this invention to the to-be-photographed object direction. It is the figure which showed the imaging | photography state which orient | assigned the lens of the electronic camera which becomes this invention to the camera operator (self) direction. It is the figure which showed the hold state of the camera when image | photographing the lens of the electronic camera which becomes this invention toward the to-be-photographed object direction. It is the perspective view which showed the accommodation state of the internal device which removed the cover of the operation part of the electronic camera which becomes this invention, and imaging devices, such as a light-emitting device and a capacitor | condenser, CCD, etc. in an imaging part. The cover of the operation part in one Embodiment of the electronic camera which becomes this invention is removed, (A) is the perspective view which removed the display apparatus further, (B) is the perspective view seen from the back surface. The cover of the operation part in one Embodiment of the electronic camera which becomes this invention is removed, (A) is the side view seen from the a direction of FIG. 5, (B) is the side view similarly seen from the b direction of FIG. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line cc of FIG. 5 showing the vicinity of the hole provided in the approximate center of the main substrate in a state of covering the cover. It is a basic composition figure of the 1st example of the present invention. The structure of the second embodiment is schematically shown, in which (A) is a plan view of the lower cover, (B) is a plan view of the upper cover, and (C) is a cross-sectional view of a combination of both. . In a modification of the second embodiment, (A) is a horizontal sectional view of the main substrate, and (B) is a vertical sectional view in a state where both the upper cover and the lower cover are combined.

Explanation of symbols

102 Operation unit 105 Display device 114 Speaker 300 Main board 300a Notch 301 Memory slot 302 Battery 303 Sub board 307 Upper cover 308 Lower cover 308a Positioning support part 309, 310 Post 380 381 Rib 390 Opening hole

Claims (4)

An operation unit housing that houses the display device and the substrate, an imaging unit housing that houses the imaging device and the light emitting device that send images to the display device, and the operation unit housing and the imaging unit housing. A hinge mechanism that is movably connected, upper and lower covers that serve as the operation unit casing, a first projecting portion that projects from the upper cover, and a second projecting projecting from the lower cover And comprising
The first projecting portion and the second projecting portion are provided to extend in different directions in parallel to the extending surface of the substrate, and the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion. An electronic camera characterized in that a projecting portion is sandwiched between the substrates to prevent deformation of the upper and lower covers in the deflection direction, and the substrate is positioned and supported in the deflection direction. An operation unit housing that houses a display device and a substrate, an imaging device housing an imaging device that sends an image to the display device, a light emitting device, and a zoom lens for photographing, the operation unit housing, and the imaging unit A hinge mechanism for pivotally connecting the housing, upper and lower covers to be the operation portion housing, a first projecting portion projecting from the upper cover, and projecting from the lower cover A second projecting portion and a hole provided in the substrate;
The first projecting portion and the second projecting portion extend in parallel and different directions from the substrate, respectively, and the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion are connected to the substrate. An electronic camera that prevents deformation of the upper and lower covers in a bending direction by abutting or fitting through a hole, and supports the substrate movably in the bending direction. The first projecting portion is a rib extending substantially in the same direction as the optical axis direction of the imaging device, and the second projecting portion is a rib extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the optical axis direction. The electronic camera according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that In the operation unit housing, the memory slot and the display device are arranged on one surface side of the substrate, and a flat battery storage unit and a second substrate for controlling the imaging device are arranged on the other surface side. electronic camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that attempted the thickness of the operation unit casing.

Images