JP4352602B2 - Waterproof case for camera - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a waterproof case for a camera that can accommodate, for example, a still camera, a video camera, or the like, and can shoot underwater. More specifically, the camera positioning in the case and waterproof reliability are achieved at the same time. The present invention relates to a waterproof case for a camera.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, various completely sealed waterproof cases for cameras that can be used in water have been developed.
[0003]
For example, JP-A-9-80623, JP-A-5-96843, JP-A-5-94836 and the like include a pedestal for positioning and holding the camera in a waterproof case, and the camera is mounted on the screw member. However, not only is there a problem in the camera workability, but the case itself is significantly larger than the camera body, and there are problems in portability and operability.
[0004]
On the other hand, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 7-1445, the front case body that covers the front portion of the camera and the rear case body that covers the back portion of the camera are provided. A camera case that is positioned by being brought into contact with the inner surface side of the body is also known, and as a result, the housing workability is dramatically improved and the case itself is downsized.
[0005]
As described above, the camera case is composed of the front case body and the rear case body, and the waterproof camera case is completed by interposing the seal member between the case bodies. However, there are the following problems. .
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
That is, when the camera is housed inside and the front case body and the rear case body are combined, it is necessary to apply a certain amount of narrow pressure to the camera in order to prevent the camera from rattling in the case. Due to the reaction, the sealing force between the front case body and the rear case body is weakened, and there is a concern that the waterproof performance is deteriorated.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera waterproof case capable of suppressing a decrease in waterproofness while ensuring a positioning action of the camera inside the case.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In solving the above-described problems, the waterproof case for a camera according to the present invention includes first and second elastically supporting the front and rear surfaces of the camera on the inner wall surfaces of the front case body and the rear case body, respectively. A support member is provided, and the hardness of the first support member is higher than the hardness of the second support member.
[0009]
That is, in the present invention, the elastic deformation action of the second support member causes a narrow pressure on the camera between the front case body and the rear case body to appear, and at the same time, in the opening direction of the rear case body with respect to the front case body. The reaction of the narrow pressure acting toward the above is alleviated, and the deterioration of the sealing function between the front case body and the rear case body is suppressed.
[0010]
The reason why the hardness of the first support member is made higher than the hardness of the second support member is as follows.
[0011]
That is, for example, a digital still camera or the like has a push button type switch for selecting various functions, a zoom operation, etc. on the back side of the camera. A mechanism unit that can operate each switch from the outside of the case is provided. At this time, it is necessary to prevent the operability of the switch from being impaired due to the camera moving forward in the case in accordance with the pressing operation of each switch by these mechanism units. Therefore, in the present invention, the hardness of the first support member is set higher than that of the second support member, and the forward movement of the camera is restricted during the push operation of the switch, thereby preventing deterioration in operability. I am doing so.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
1A to 1C, 2 and 3 show the entirety of a waterproof case for a camera (hereinafter also simply referred to as a waterproof case) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the waterproof case 1 includes a front case body 2 that covers a front surface portion of a digital still camera (hereinafter also simply referred to as a camera) 10 and a rear case body 3 that covers a rear surface portion of the camera 10. Is made of an entirely transparent synthetic resin material such as polycarbonate.
[0014]
The front case body 2 and the rear case body 3 are respectively formed with internal recesses 21 and 31 having a minimum necessary size capable of accommodating the front surface portion and the back surface portion of the camera 10. The front case body 2 and the rear case body 3 are coupled to each other at one side portion via a hinge portion 5, and an annular seal member 4 is attached to the combination surface of the outer peripheral edge portion of the rear case body 3. Yes. Then, the case bodies 2 and 3 are combined on the surfaces where the internal recesses 21 and 31 face each other, and the case bodies 2 and 3 are fixed by the buckle 6 to accommodate the camera 10 inside. A space is hermetically formed.
[0015]
A plurality of ribs 25 are formed in the internal recess 21 of the front case body 2 for reinforcement and for supporting the periphery of the camera 10 to be accommodated, and the camera 10 is movable in the direction of arrow a in FIG. A cylindrical portion 22 for accommodating the retractable lens barrel portion 110 is integrally formed. The end surface of this cylindrical part 22 is comprised with transparent bodies 23, such as glass. The side peripheral part of the cylindrical part 22 and the peripheral part of the transparent body 23 are covered with a cover 8 made of an elastic body such as rubber.
[0016]
On the upper surface of the front case body 2, an external power switch 11 and an external shutter are provided so that various switches of the camera 10 accommodated, that is, a power switch, a shutter button, and a function switching rotary switch can be operated from outside the case. A button 12 and an external rotation switch 13 are provided. Further, the buckle 6 for fixing the rear case body 3 to the front case body 2 and the grip section 7 for gripping the waterproof case 1 are provided on the respective side portions of the front case body 2. ing.
[0017]
The rear case body 3 has various switches arranged on the back of the camera 10 accommodated therein, that is, close-up buttons, flash buttons, zoom-in / out buttons 103 and 104, and setting items displayed on the liquid crystal screen 102. An external close-up button 14, an external flash button 15, external zoom-in / out buttons 16, 17 and an external control button group 18 are provided so that the control button 105 can be operated from the outside of the case.
[0018]
Next, the first and second support members according to the present invention will be described.
[0019]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, first and second supports that elastically support the front surface and the back surface of the camera 10 accommodated on the inner wall surfaces of the front case body 2 and the rear case body 3, respectively. Members 41 and 42 are provided. The first and second support members 41, 42 are boss portions 51, 52 formed at a plurality of locations (4 locations in this embodiment) on the inner wall surfaces of the front case body 2 and the rear case body 3. The inner holes 61 and 62 are fitted. In the present embodiment, two boss portions 51 on the front case body 2 side are formed on the opening peripheral edge of the cylindrical portion 22, and one boss portion 52 on the rear case body 3 side is formed on the rib 32. ing.
[0020]
The first and second support members 41 and 42 are made of rubber materials such as NBR having different hardnesses. In this embodiment, the rubber hardness of the first support member 41 is measured by, for example, 90 (durometer rubber hardness meter). The same applies hereinafter.) The rubber hardness of the second support member 42 is, for example, 50, and the first support member 41 is set to be harder than the second support member 42.
[0021]
FIGS. 5A to 5C show the process of attaching the first and second support members 41 and 42 to the boss portions 51 and 52. Both the first and second support members 41 and 42 are composed of a large-diameter portion 401 and a small-diameter portion 402, and the pin portion 45a of the jig 45 is drilled from the large-diameter portion 401 to the small-diameter portion 402 during attachment. Through the insertion hole 403 (FIG. 5A). The inner diameters of the inner holes 61 and 62 of the boss parts 51 and 52 are formed smaller than the shaft diameter of the smaller diameter part 402, and the small diameter part 402 is elastically deformed and press-fitted into the inner holes 61 and 62 by the jig 45 ( FIG. 5B, FIG. 5C). Subsequently, the jig 45 is pulled out from the insertion hole 403, and the small diameter portion 402 is fitted to the inner wall surfaces of the inner holes 61 and 62 by the restoring force (FIG. 5C). As described above, the first and second support members 41 and 42 are attached in the inner holes 61 and 62 of the boss portions 51 and 52.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 1C, the buckle 6 is released and the front case body 2 and the rear case body 3 are opened. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the camera 10 is inserted into the inner recess 21 of the opened front case body 2 from the front side. At this time, the front surface portion of the camera 10 is in contact with and supported by the first support member 41 described above, and the other peripheral surfaces other than the back surface portion of the camera 10 are supported by the ribs 25. Subsequently, the rear case body 3 is combined with the front case body 2 and fixed with the buckle 6.
[0024]
As described above, the camera 10 is housed in the waterproof case 1 in the form shown in FIG. At this time, the front surface portion and the back surface portion of the camera 10 (respectively indicated by reference numerals 10A and 10B in FIG. 4) are first and second support members 41 provided on the front case body 2 and the rear case body 3, respectively. The camera 10 is positioned in the waterproof case 1 by being elastically supported by 42.
[0025]
In the present embodiment, since the rubber hardness of the first support member 41 is higher than the rubber hardness of the second support member 42, when the camera 10 is accommodated in the waterproof case 1, the camera is viewed from the case 1 side. The narrow pressure acting on 10 appears mainly from the elastic force of the second support member 42. Thereby, the reaction of the said narrow pressure which acts toward the opening direction of the rear case body 3 with respect to the front case body 2 is relieved, and the fall of the sealing function between the front case body 2 and the rear case body 3 is suppressed.
[0026]
Further, warping of the rear case body 3 inwardly by the water pressure in the deep water portion can be absorbed by the compression deformation of the second support member 42, thereby preventing damage to the camera body and the case body, and waterproofing. Reliability can be increased.
[0027]
In particular, if the narrow pressure exerted on the camera 10 immediately after being accommodated in the waterproof case 1 is obtained only by the elastic force of the second support member 42, the above-described effect can be further enhanced. Therefore, the shape of the second support member 42 between the support members 41 and 42 is set so that the protrusion amount from the boss portion 52 of the second support member 42 is larger than the protrusion amount from the boss portion 51 of the first support member 41. What is necessary is to make it different. In this case, there is also an effect of preventing erroneous assembly of the support members 41 and 42 with respect to the case bodies 2 and 3.
[0028]
On the other hand, when the first support member 41 operates switches disposed on the back side of the camera 10 via the various external switches 14 to 18 of the waterproof case 1, the camera by the pressing force of the external switches 14 to 18 is used. The forward movement of 10 is restricted, and a high positioning function is exhibited to ensure the reliable operability of these switches.
[0029]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the camera 10 can be reliably positioned in the waterproof case 1 without deteriorating the waterproof reliability between the front case body 2 and the rear case body 3. In addition, good operability of the camera 10 from the outside of the case 1 can be ensured.
[0030]
In particular, in the present embodiment, a plurality of first and second support members 41 and 42 are arranged so as to point-support the front and back surfaces of the camera 10, so that the camera 10 is supported stably and evenly. be able to.
[0031]
The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.
[0032]
For example, in the above embodiment, the first and second support members 41 and 42 are made of rubber materials having different hardnesses. Instead, for example, coil springs having different spring constants are used as the first and second support members. It can also be configured as a support member.
[0033]
In the above embodiment, four first and second support members 41 and 42 are arranged, but the number of arrangement is not limited to this. In other words, in the first support member, the front surface of the camera 10 can be reliably supported as long as at least four or more places are provided. Further, in the second support member, for example, it may be arranged only at three places.
[0034]
The first and second support members 41 and 42 are attached in the inner holes 61 and 62 of the boss portions 51 and 52 formed on the inner wall surfaces of the case bodies 2 and 3, respectively. When the case bodies are formed with a thickness greater than a predetermined thickness, the mounting holes for the support members may be directly drilled in the inner wall surfaces of the case bodies.
[0035]
Further, in the above embodiment, the digital still camera 10 has been described as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to a film type camera and a video camera. Further, the waterproof case 1 according to the present invention is not only suitable for use in water, but also suitable for use in rainy weather and in ski areas, and is also suitable as a dustproof case.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the waterproof case for a camera of the present invention, the camera can be reliably positioned in the waterproof case without deteriorating the waterproof reliability between the front case body and the rear case body. It is possible to ensure good operability of the camera from the outside of the case.
[0037]
According to the invention of claim 2, a stable positioning action of the camera in the waterproof case can be obtained.
[0038]
According to the invention of claim 3, the waterproof reliability can be further enhanced while ensuring the positioning action of the camera in the waterproof case.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire waterproof case according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein A is a perspective view seen from the front side, B is a perspective view seen from the back side, and C is an interior seen from the back side. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a camera is housed by opening the waterproof case according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view in which the front case body and the rear case body of the waterproof case according to the embodiment of the present invention are developed and the inside is opened.
FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view showing the main part of the case main body when the waterproof case according to the embodiment of the present invention is housed.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are partial side sectional views showing a process of attaching the first and second support members to the case body according to the present invention, wherein A is a jig attaching process and B is a press-fitting process into a boss portion inner hole. FIGS. And C show the jig drawing process.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Waterproof case, 2 ... Front case body, 3 ... Back case body, 4 ... Seal member, 10 ... Camera, 41 ... 1st support member, 42 ... 2nd support member, 51, 52 ... Boss part, 61 62 ... Inner hole.

Claims (2)

A front case body that supports the front side of the camera having switches that are pressed on the back side;
A rear case body that supports the back side of the camera, forms an internal space that accommodates the camera by being combined with the front case body, and has an external switch that allows an external pressing operation of the switches; ,
A sealing material disposed on a combined surface of the front case body and the rear case body;
A buckle that presses the front case body and the rear case body together to clamp the camera with the front case body and the rear case body, and seals the internal space with the sealing material;
A first support member provided on an inner wall surface of the front case body, having a first hardness, and elastically supporting the front surface of the camera pressed toward the front case body;
A second support provided on an inner wall surface of the rear case body and having a second hardness smaller than the first hardness and elastically supporting a back surface of the camera pressed toward the rear case body. Parts and
A waterproof case for cameras. The camera waterproof case according to claim 1,
The first support member is made of a rubber material fitted into an inner hole of a boss portion formed on an inner wall surface of the front case body,
The second support member is a waterproof case for a camera made of a rubber material fitted into an inner hole of a boss portion formed on an inner wall surface of the rear case body .

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