JP4610203B2 - Rotation transmission mechanism and zoom lens camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotation transmission mechanism mounted on a zoom lens camera and the like, and a zoom lens camera.

  Zoom lens cameras equipped with zoom finders and zoom strobes that are linked to the zooming operation of the taking optical system are known. With this type of camera, zoom finders and zoom strobes can be moved from the rotating ring to drive the taking optical system. Often gains driving force. In a type of camera that can not only drive the photographic optical system in the zoom area but also be in the retracted state, when the photographic optical system is between the capturing state (zoom area) and the retracted state, It is necessary to cut off the above-mentioned interlocking with the zoom strobe. Conventionally, in order to break the linkage, some idle running section is provided in the transmission mechanism so that the zoom finder and the zoom strobe are not driven even if the rotating ring on the photographing optical system side rotates.

However, when considering the miniaturization of the transmission mechanism and the driving accuracy for the driven member, it is preferable that the idle running section as described above is not provided as much as possible. For example, if the transmission mechanism includes a cam, adding a free running section to the cam will increase the overall size of the cam, and if the free running section is set without changing the size of the cam, the shape of other cam areas Therefore, it is difficult to obtain an ideal cam shape. This is not limited to zoom lens cameras. In general, the mechanism is such that the rotating ring and the driven member are linked in some operating states of the rotating ring and not linked in other operating states. From the standpoint of miniaturization and ensuring driving accuracy, it is desirable to reduce the idle section as described above.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to achieve both downsizing and high-accuracy driving in a rotation transmission mechanism in which only a rotation of a specific rotation phase in a rotating ring is interlocked with a driven member. In the zoom lens camera in which the photographing optical system is interlocked with the interlocking optical system in the photographing state and not interlocked in the retracted state, the mechanism for interlocking the photographing optical system and the interlocking optical system is configured in a small size without impairing the driving accuracy. The purpose is to do.

The rotation transmission mechanism of the present invention includes a rotation ring having a gear portion, and a rotation restriction having a non-circular cross section having a gear portion and a planar outer surface portion including a straight line parallel to the rotation shaft , with different positions in the rotation axis direction. A rotation transmission gear provided with a portion, and allowing the rotation ring and the rotation transmission gear to move relative to each other in a direction including the rotation axis direction component of the rotation transmission gear, and at a predetermined relative position between the rotation ring and the rotation transmission gear. The gear portion of the rotating ring is opposed to the planar outer surface portion of the rotation restricting portion at another relative position, and the outer edge portion of the rotating ring gear portion and the planar outer surface portion are in contact with each other. It is characterized in that the rotation of the rotation transmission gear is restricted by the contact.

Either the rotation ring or the rotation transmission gear (or both) may be movable in the direction of the rotation axis. For example, the rotation ring can be moved in the rotation axis direction and the rotation transmission gear is not moved in the rotation axis direction. It can be set as an aspect. In this aspect, the rotary ring may be of a type that performs fixed position rotation that moves in the direction of the rotation axis while rotating in a specific rotation phase and does not move in the direction of the rotation axis in another specific rotation phase. In this case, when the rotating ring rotates at a fixed position, the gear part on the rotating ring side and the gear part on the rotation transmission gear side are engaged with each other, and the rotating ring side moves when the rotating ring moves in the rotation axis direction while rotating. The outer edge portion of the gear portion and the planar outer surface portion of the rotation restricting portion of the rotation transmission gear can be used properly.

  The gear portion of the rotating ring is preferably an annular gear formed on the peripheral surface. In this case, the rotating ring may be provided with a helicoid at the same circumferential surface position as the annular gear.

  A plurality of gear portions and rotation restricting portions of the rotation transmission gear can be provided with different positions in the rotation axis direction position. In this case, it is possible to provide either one of the gear part and the rotation restricting part and arrange the other between them, or to provide both the gear part and the rotation restricting part. When a plurality of gear portions and rotation restriction portions are provided, the gear portions and the rotation restriction portions may be alternately arranged in the rotation axis direction.

  The rotation transmission mechanism of the present invention includes a driven member that is linearly guided so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the rotation transmission gear, and changes the rotational force transmitted from the rotation transmission gear to the linear movement of the driven member. A drive direction conversion mechanism may be provided. The drive direction conversion mechanism in this case can be, for example, a cylindrical cam having at least one cam surface formed on the outer peripheral surface.

  A gear train composed of a plurality of spur gears may be provided between the rotation transmission gear and the driven member.

  The number of driven members and the operation mode can be arbitrarily set.For example, a plurality of driven members that can move in a direction parallel to the rotation ring and the rotation axis of the rotation transmission gear are provided, and the rotation transmission gear rotates to rotate the rotation members The plurality of driven members can be moved while relatively changing the interval.

The rotation transmission mechanism of the present invention, the gear portion of the rotary ring is in a state to mesh with the outer edge portion from a state in which Ru is opposed to the planar outer surface of the rotation regulating portion of the rotary transmission gear with the gear portion of the rotation transmitting gear In some cases, the gear crest that first meshes with the gear portion is preferably formed as a low gear crest having a smaller radial protrusion than the other gear crests.

  The rotation transmission mechanism of the present invention is suitable for a zoom lens camera, and a plurality of optical elements constituting the photographing optical system can be advanced and retracted in the optical axis direction by the rotation of the rotating ring. In a zoom lens camera, a driven member that is linked to the photographing optical system may be an optical element of a zoom finder or a zoom strobe.

The present invention also includes a photographing optical system capable of zooming and an interlocking optical system linked to the zooming operation of the photographing optical system, and the photographing optical system includes a shooting state in which zooming operation is performed and a storage state in which shooting is not performed. The present invention relates to a zoom lens camera that can be switched between. The zoom lens camera of the present invention supports an optical element constituting at least a part of a photographing optical system, has an annular gear on its peripheral surface, and has a rotational phase that advances and retreats in the direction along the rotational axis while rotating. An interlocking optical system driving gear that is rotatable about a rotational axis parallel to the rotational axis of the photographing optical system driving ring and that drives the interlocking optical system by rotation. And a planar outer surface portion including a gear portion that can be meshed with the annular gear of the photographing optical system drive ring, and a planar outer surface portion that includes a straight line parallel to the rotational axis. and a non-circular cross section of the rotation regulating portion by Rikai rolling abutment is regulated with the outer edge of the annular gear, interlocking optical system driving gear and the photographing optical system drive ring includes a photographing optical system drive ring shooting Annular when in the rotational axis position to allow the optical system to perform zooming Ya and is in relative positional relationship between the rotational axis of the gear unit is engaged, the plane of the rotation restricting portion when the photographing optical system drive ring is in the rotation axis direction position to perform switching of the photographing state and housed state imaging optical system It is characterized in that the outer edge of the Jogaimen portion and the annular gear are in a relative positional relationship between the rotational axis direction opposing contactable.

  Similar to the rotation transmission mechanism of the above aspect, in the zoom lens camera of the present invention, the interlocking optical system drive gear is positioned between the plurality of gear portions and the plurality of gear portions by changing the position to the rotational axis direction position. You may provide the rotation control part to do.

Further, the photographing optical system drive ring may be of a type that performs a rotation advance / retreat operation at a specific rotation phase and performs a fixed position rotation that does not move in the rotation axis direction at another specific rotation phase. In this case, when the photographing optical system driving ring rotates at a fixed position , the gear portion of the interlocking optical system driving gear is engaged with the annular gear, and when the photographing optical system driving ring rotates and retracts , the interlocking optical system driving gear The planar outer surface portion of the rotation restricting portion can be properly used so as to face the outer edge portion of the annular gear.

  In the zoom lens camera of the present invention, the rotation axes of the photographing optical system driving ring and the interlocking optical system driving gear may be parallel to the optical axis of the photographing optical system.

  The interlocking optical system may be a zoom finder or a zoom strobe.

Annular gear in the imaging optical system driving ring is first with respect to the gear unit when a state of meshing from state Ru are opposed to the outer edge to the flat outer surface of the rotation regulating portion of the interlocking optical system driving gear to the gear portion It is preferable that the gear crest that meshes with the gear crest is formed as a low gear crest having a smaller amount of protrusion in the radial direction than the other gear crests.

  According to the present invention described above, in the rotation transmission mechanism in which only the rotation of a specific rotation phase in the rotating ring is interlocked with the driven member, both miniaturization and high-accuracy driving can be achieved. Further, according to the present invention, in a zoom lens camera in which the photographing optical system is interlocked with the interlocking optical system in the photographing state and not interlocked in the retracted state, the mechanism for interlocking the photographing optical system and the interlocking optical system is small without impairing the driving accuracy. Can be configured.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on illustrated embodiments. In the cross-sectional views, there are actually places at different positions in the circumferential direction, but there are also places shown on the same cross-section in the drawing.

[Entire description of zoom lens barrel]
First, the entire structure of the zoom lens barrel 71 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the zoom lens barrel 71 is mounted on the digital camera 70, and the photographing optical system has a first lens group LG1, a shutter S and an aperture A, and a second lens in order from the object side. It includes a group LG2, a third lens group LG3, a low-pass filter (filters) LG4, and a CCD (solid-state imaging device) 60. The optical axis of the photographing optical system is Z1. The photographing optical axis Z1 is parallel to the rotation center axis of each annular member constituting the appearance of the zoom lens barrel 71 (the rotation axis of the rotating ring, hereinafter referred to as the lens barrel center axis Z0), and the mirror It is eccentric downward with respect to the cylinder center axis Z0. Zooming is performed by moving the first lens group LG1 and the second lens group LG2 back and forth along the photographing optical axis Z1 along a predetermined locus, and focusing is performed by moving the third lens group LG3 in the same direction. In the following description, “optical axis direction” means a direction parallel to the photographing optical axis Z1 unless otherwise specified.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the fixed ring 22 is fixed in the camera body 72, and the CCD holder 21 is fixed to the rear part of the fixed ring 22. A CCD 60 is supported on the CCD holder 21 via a CCD base plate 62, and a low pass filter LG 4 is supported at the front of the CCD 60 via a filter holder 73 and a packing 61. The filter holder 73 is integrally formed as a part of the CCD holder 21. At the rear of the CCD holder 21, an LCD 20 for displaying images and shooting information is provided.

  An AF lens frame (third group lens frame) 51 that holds the third lens group LG3 is supported in the fixed ring 22 so as to be linearly movable in the optical axis direction. That is, the front end portion and the rear end portion of a pair of AF guide shafts 52 and 53 parallel to the photographing optical axis Z 1 are fixed to the fixed ring 22 and the CCD holder 21, respectively. The guide holes 51a and 51b formed in the AF lens frame 51 are slidably fitted. In this embodiment, the clearance between the AF guide shaft 53 and the guide hole 51b is larger than the clearance between the AF guide shaft 52 and the guide hole 51a. That is, the AF guide shaft 52 is a main guide shaft (giving strict accuracy), and the AF guide shaft 53 is a sub (non-rotating) guide shaft. An AF nut 54 is screwed with a feed screw formed on the drive shaft of the AF motor 160. As shown in FIG. 1, the AF nut 54 has a rotation restricting protrusion 54a, the AF lens frame 51 has a guide groove 51m in the optical axis direction, and the rotation restricting protrusion 54a is slidable with respect to the guide groove 51m. It fits in. The AF lens frame 51 further includes a stopper protrusion 51n positioned behind the AF nut 54. The AF lens frame 51 is urged forward by an AF frame urging spring 55, and the forward moving end of the AF lens frame 51 is determined by the stopper projection 51 n coming into contact with the AF nut 54. When the AF nut 54 moves rearward in the optical axis direction, the AF lens frame 51 is pressed by the AF nut 54 and moved rearward. With the above structure, when the drive shaft of the AF motor 160 is rotated forward and backward, the AF lens frame 51 is advanced and retracted in the optical axis direction. It is also possible to press the AF lens frame 51 directly (without using the AF nut 54) and move it backward against the AF frame biasing spring 55.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a zoom motor 150 and a reduction gear box 74 are supported on the upper portion of the fixed ring 22. The reduction gear box 74 has a reduction gear train inside, and transmits the driving force of the zoom motor 150 to the zoom gear 28. The zoom gear 28 is pivotally attached to the fixed ring 22 by a zoom gear shaft 29 parallel to the photographing optical axis Z1. The zoom motor 150 and the AF motor 160 are controlled by a camera control circuit 140 (FIG. 19) via a lens drive control FPC (flexible printed circuit) board 75 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the fixed ring 22.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the fixed ring 22, there are a female helicoid 22a, three rectilinear guide grooves 22b parallel to the photographing optical axis Z1, three skew grooves 22c parallel to the female helicoid 22a, and each skew groove 22c. A circumferential sliding groove 22d communicating with the front end is formed. The rotary sliding groove 22d is formed in the vicinity of the front end portion of the stationary ring 22, and the female helicoid 22a is not formed in the front annular region 22z immediately after the rotary sliding groove 22d (see FIG. 8).

  The helicoid ring (rotating ring) 18 has a male helicoid 18a threadedly engaged with the female helicoid 22a and a rotational sliding protrusion 18b engaged with the skew groove 22c and the rotational sliding groove 22d on the outer peripheral surface ( 4 and 9). A spur gear portion (annular gear) 18c having gear teeth parallel to the photographing optical axis Z1 is formed on the male helicoid 18a, and the spur gear portion 18c is screwed to the zoom gear 28. Accordingly, when a rotational force is applied from the zoom gear 28 to the spur gear portion 18c, the helicoid ring 18 advances and retreats in the optical axis direction while rotating in a state where the female helicoid 22a and the male helicoid 18a are in a screwed relationship, and to some extent forward. When moved, the male helicoid 18a is disengaged from the female helicoid 22a, and only the circumferential rotation about the lens barrel central axis Z0 is performed by the engagement relationship between the rotational sliding groove 22d and the rotational sliding protrusion 18b.

  The skew groove 22c is a relief groove formed in order to avoid interference between the rotary sliding protrusion 18b and the fixed ring 22 when the female helicoid 22a and the male helicoid 18a are screwed together. The skew groove 22c is a female helicoid 22a. It is deeper than the bottom. In the female helicoid 22a, the circumferential interval between a pair of helicoid peaks sandwiching each skew groove 22c is wider than the circumferential interval between other helicoid peaks, and the male helicoid 18a is a helicoid mountain with a wide circumferential interval. In order to engage, the three helicoid peaks 18a-W located behind the rotary sliding protrusion 18b are wider in the circumferential direction than the other helicoid peaks.

  The stationary ring 22 is further formed with a stopper insertion / removal hole penetrating the outer peripheral surface and the rotational sliding groove 22d. The stopper insertion / removal hole 22e restricts the rotation of the helicoid ring 18 beyond the imaging region. The disassembly stopper 26 for this is removable.

  A rotation transmission projection 15a (FIG. 11) projecting rearward from the rear end of the third outer cylinder 15 is fitted into a rotation transmission recess 18d (FIGS. 4 and 10) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the front end portion of the helicoid ring 18. Has been. The rotation transmission recesses 18d and the rotation transmission projections 15a are provided at three positions with different positions in the circumferential direction, and the rotation transmission projections 15a and the rotation transmission recesses 18d corresponding to the circumferential positions correspond to the central axis of the lens barrel. Relative sliding in the direction along Z0 is possible and coupled in a circumferential direction around the lens barrel central axis Z0 so that relative rotation is impossible. That is, the third outer cylinder 15 and the helicoid ring 18 rotate integrally. Further, the helicoid ring 18 is formed with a fitting recess 18e by notching a partial area on the inner diameter side of the rotary sliding projection 18b, and the fitting projection 15b fitted into the fitting recess 18e is rotated. When the sliding protrusion 18b engages with the rotational sliding groove 22d, it simultaneously engages with the rotational sliding groove 22d (see the upper half section of the lens barrel in FIG. 6).

  Between the third outer cylinder 15 and the helicoid ring 18, there are provided three separation direction biasing springs 25 that bias each other in the separation direction in the optical axis direction. The separating-direction biasing spring 25 is a compression coil spring, and its rear end is housed in a spring insertion recess 18 f that opens at the front end of the helicoid ring 18, and its front end abuts against the spring contact recess 15 c of the third outer cylinder 15. Touching. The separation direction biasing spring 25 presses the fitting projection 15b toward the front side wall surface of the rotary sliding groove 22d and presses the rotary sliding projection 18b toward the rear side wall surface of the rotary sliding groove 22d. Thus, the backlash in the optical axis direction of the third outer cylinder 15 and the helicoid ring 18 with respect to the fixed ring 22 is removed.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the third outer cylinder 15, there are claw-like relative rotation guide protrusions 15d projecting in the inner diameter direction, a circumferential groove 15e centered on the lens barrel central axis Z0, and a photographing optical axis Z1. Three parallel roller fitting grooves 15f are formed (FIGS. 4 and 11). A plurality of relative rotation guide protrusions 15d are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction. The roller fitting groove 15f is formed at a circumferential position corresponding to the rotation transmission protrusion 15a, and a rear end portion thereof is opened rearward through the rotation transmission protrusion 15a. Further, a circumferential groove 18g centering on the lens barrel central axis Z0 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the helicoid ring 18 (FIGS. 4 and 10). A rectilinear guide ring 14 is supported inside the combined body of the third outer cylinder 15 and the helicoid ring 18. On the outer peripheral surface of the rectilinear guide ring 14, there are three rectilinear guide protrusions 14a projecting in the outer diameter direction in order from the rear in the optical axis direction, and a plurality of claw-like relative rotation guides provided at different positions in the circumferential direction. A protrusion 14b, a relative rotation guide protrusion 14c, and a circumferential groove 14d centering on the lens barrel center axis Z0 are formed (FIGS. 4 and 12). The rectilinear guide ring 14 is guided linearly in the optical axis direction with respect to the fixed ring 22 by engaging the rectilinear guide protrusion 14a with the rectilinear guide groove 22b. In addition, the third outer cylinder 15 has a circumferential groove 15e engaged with the relative rotation guide protrusion 14c and a relative rotation guide protrusion 15d engaged with the circumferential groove 14d, so that the third outer cylinder 15 is relative to the rectilinear guide ring 14. It is coupled to be rotatable. The circumferential groove 15e and the relative rotation guide projection 14c, and the circumferential groove 14d and the relative rotation guide projection 15d are loosely fitted so as to be slightly movable in the optical axis direction. Further, the helicoid ring 18 is also coupled to the linear guide ring 14 so as to be relatively rotatable by engaging the circumferential groove 18g with the relative rotation guide protrusion 14b. The circumferential groove 18g and the relative rotation guide protrusion 14b are loosely fitted so as to be relatively movable in the optical axis direction.

  The linear guide ring 14 is formed with three roller guide through grooves 14e penetrating the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface. As shown in FIG. 12, each roller guide through-groove 14e has circumferential front and rear circumferential groove portions 14e-1 and 14e-2 formed in the circumferential direction, and both circumferential groove portions 14e-1 and 14e-2. And a lead groove 14e-3 for connecting the two. A cam ring roller 32 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 11 is fitted into each roller guide through groove 14e. The cam ring roller 32 is fixed to the cam ring 11 via a roller fixing screw 32a, and is provided with three different positions in the circumferential direction. The cam ring roller 32 further passes through the roller guide through groove 14e and is fitted into the roller fitting groove 15f on the inner peripheral surface of the third outer cylinder 15. Three roller pressing pieces 17a provided on the roller biasing spring 17 are fitted in the vicinity of the front end portion of each roller fitting groove 15f (FIG. 11). When the cam ring roller 32 engages with the circumferential groove portion 14e-1, the roller pressing piece 17a abuts against the cam ring roller 32 and presses backward, and the cam ring roller 32 and the roller guide through groove 14e (circumferential direction) Take backlash with the groove 14e-1).

  From the above structure, the mode of extension from the fixed ring 22 to the cam ring 11 is understood. In other words, when the zoom gear 28 is rotationally driven in the lens barrel feeding direction by the zoom motor 150, the helicoid ring 18 is fed forward while rotating due to the relationship between the female helicoid 22a and the male helicoid 18a. The helicoid ring 18 and the third outer cylinder 15 are rotatable and rotatable relative to the linear guide ring 14 by the engagement relationship between the circumferential grooves 14d, 15e and 18g and the relative rotation guide protrusions 15d, 14c and 14b, respectively. Since they are coupled so as to move in the axial direction (the direction along the lens barrel central axis Z0), when the helicoid ring 18 is rotated out, the third outer cylinder 15 is also extended forward while rotating in the same direction. Accordingly, the rectilinear guide ring 14 moves straight forward together with the helicoid ring 18 and the third outer cylinder 15. Further, the rotational force of the third outer cylinder 15 is transmitted to the cam ring 11 via the roller fitting groove 15 f and the cam ring roller 32. Since the cam ring roller 32 is also fitted in the roller guide through groove 14e, the cam ring 11 is extended forward with respect to the linear guide ring 14 while rotating according to the shape of the lead groove 14e-3. As described above, the rectilinear guide ring 14 itself also moves straight forward together with the third outer cylinder 15 and the helicoid ring 18, and as a result, the cam ring 11 has a rotational advance according to the lead groove portion 14 e-3 and a rectilinear guide. An amount of movement in the optical axis direction is added to the amount of linear movement of the ring 14 forward.

  The above-described feeding operation is performed while the male helicoid 18a and the female helicoid 22a are screwed together. At this time, the rotary sliding protrusion 18b moves in the oblique groove 22c. When the helicoid ring 18 and the third outer cylinder 15 are fed out by a predetermined amount, the screw engagement between the male helicoid 18a and the female helicoid 22a is released, and the rotational sliding protrusion 18b and the fitting protrusion 15b eventually rotate from the oblique groove 22c. It enters into the moving groove 22d. Then, since the rotation output by the helicoid does not act, the helicoid ring 18 and the third outer cylinder 15 are arranged in the optical axis direction by the engagement relationship between the rotation sliding projection 18b and the fitting projection 15b and the rotation sliding groove 22d. Only rotation is performed at a fixed position. The cam ring roller 32 enters the circumferential groove 14e-1 of the penetrating guide groove 14e almost simultaneously with the rotation sliding protrusion 18b entering the rotation sliding groove 22d from the skew groove 22c. Then, no forward moving force is applied to the cam ring 11, and the cam ring 11 only rotates at a fixed position according to the rotation of the third outer cylinder 15.

  When the zoom gear 28 is rotationally driven in the lens barrel storage direction, the reverse operation is performed. When the helicoid ring 18 is rotated until the cam ring roller 32 enters the circumferential groove portion 14e-2 of the roller guide through groove 14e, each of the above-described lens barrel members retracts to the position shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, the structure ahead of the cam ring 11 will be described. On the inner peripheral surface of the rectilinear guide ring 14, three first rectilinear guide grooves 14f and six second rectilinear guide grooves 14g parallel to the photographing optical axis Z1 are formed in different positions in the circumferential direction. . The first rectilinear guide groove 14f is composed of a pair of grooves located on both sides of the three second rectilinear guide grooves 14g out of the six, and the second group rectilinear guide ring 10 is in relation to the three first rectilinear guide grooves 14f. Three crotch-shaped projections 10a (FIGS. 3 and 15) provided in the slidably engage with each other. On the other hand, six rectilinear guide protrusions 13a (FIGS. 2 and 17) projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the rear end portion of the second outer cylinder 13 are slidably engaged with the second rectilinear guide groove 14g. Yes. Therefore, both the second outer cylinder 13 and the second group rectilinear guide ring 10 are guided in the straight direction in the optical axis direction via the rectilinear guide ring 14.

  The second group rectilinear guide ring 10 is a member for linearly guiding the second group lens moving frame 8 that supports the second lens group LG2, and the second outer cylinder 13 is a first outer member that supports the first lens group LG1. It is a member for guiding the cylinder 12 straightly.

  First, the support structure of the second lens group LG2 will be described. The second group rectilinear guide ring 10 has three rectilinear guide keys 10c projecting forward from a ring portion 10b connecting the three crotch protrusions 10a (FIGS. 3 and 15). As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer edge portion of the ring portion 10b can rotate relative to the circumferential groove 11e formed on the inner peripheral surface of the rear end portion of the cam ring 11, and cannot move relative to the optical axis. The linear guide key 10 c is engaged and extends inside the cam ring 11. Each rectilinear guide key 10c has a pair of guide surfaces parallel to the photographic optical axis Z1 on its side surface, and these guide surfaces are rectilinear guide grooves of the second group lens moving frame 8 supported inside the cam ring 11. By engaging with 8a, the second group lens moving frame 8 is guided straight in the axial direction. The rectilinear guide groove 8 a is formed on the outer peripheral surface side of the second group lens moving frame 8.

  The second group rectilinear guide ring 10 is provided with three rectilinear guide keys 10c having different positions in the circumferential direction. One of the rectilinear guide keys 10c-W is an FPC (exposure control FPC) (to be described later). Flexible printed circuit) In order to serve also as a supporting member for the substrate 77, the width is wider in the circumferential direction than the remaining two linear guide keys 10c. The wide rectilinear guide key 10c-W is formed with an FPC through hole 10d penetrating in the radial direction by partially notching the vicinity of the connection portion with the ring portion 10b. As shown in FIG. The substrate 77 extends from the rear of the ring portion 10b to the outer peripheral surface side of the linear guide key 10c-W through the FPC through hole 10d, and is bent backward at the tip of the linear guide key 10c-W. Correspondingly, one of the three rectilinear guide grooves 8a is a wide rectilinear guide groove 8a-W with which a wide rectilinear guide key 10c-W can be engaged. The central portion of the rectilinear guide groove 8a-W is a penetrating portion through which the exposure control FPC board 77 can pass, and a bottomed portion for supporting the rectilinear guide key 10c-W is provided on both sides of the penetrating portion. Is formed. On the other hand, the remaining two rectilinear guide grooves 8 a are bottomed grooves formed on the outer peripheral surface side of the second group lens moving frame 8. The second group lens moving frame 8 and the second group rectilinear guide ring 10 can be combined only at a specific rotational phase in which the rectilinear guide key 10c-W can be engaged with the rectilinear guide groove 8a-W.

  A second group guide cam groove 11 a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cam ring 11. As shown in FIG. 14, the second group guide cam groove 11a is composed of a front cam groove 11a-1 and a rear cam groove 11a-2 whose positions are different in the optical axis direction and the circumferential direction. Both the front cam groove 11a-1 and the rear cam groove 11a-2 are cam grooves formed by tracing the basic trajectory α of the same shape, but each does not cover the entire area of the basic trajectory α. The front cam groove 11a-1 and the rear cam groove 11a-2 are different from each other in the area occupied on the basic locus α. The basic trajectory is a conceptual cam groove shape including all lens barrel use areas (use areas) including a zoom area and a storage area, and an assembly / disassembly area of the lens barrel. In other words, the lens barrel use area is an area in which the movement of the second group lens moving frame 8 can be controlled by the cam groove shape, and is used to distinguish from the assembly / disassembly area. The zoom area is an area for controlling the movement between the wide end and the tele end in the lens barrel use area, and is used to distinguish it from the storage area. When the cam ring 11 includes a pair of the front cam groove 11a-1 and the rear cam groove 11a-2, three groups of two-group guide cam grooves 11a are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  A second group cam follower 8b provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second group lens moving frame 8 is engaged with the second group guide cam groove 11a. Similar to the second group guide cam groove 11a, the second group cam follower 8b is also equally spaced in the circumferential direction with a pair of front cam follower 8b-1 and rear cam follower 8b-2 having different positions in the optical axis direction and circumferential direction as one group. The front cam followers 8b-1 are engaged with the front cam grooves 11a-1, and the rear cam followers 8b-2 are engaged with the rear cam grooves 11a-2 in the optical axis direction. A circumferential interval is defined.

  Since the second group lens moving frame 8 is linearly guided in the optical axis direction via the second group linear guide ring 10, when the cam ring 11 rotates, the second group lens moving frame 8 becomes light according to the second group guide cam groove 11a. Move in the axial direction with a predetermined trajectory.

  Inside the second group lens moving frame 8, a second group lens frame 6 holding the second lens group LG2 is supported. The second group lens frame 6 is pivotally supported via a second group rotation shaft 33 with respect to a pair of second group lens frame support plates 36 and 37, and the second group frame support plates 36 and 37 are supported by a support plate fixing screw 66. Is fixed to the second group lens moving frame 8. The second group rotation shaft 33 is parallel to the photographing optical axis Z1 and is eccentric with respect to the photographing optical axis Z1, and the second group lens frame 6 has the second group rotation shaft 33 as the rotation center, and the second lens group LG2. And a retracting position for storage (FIG. 6) for displacing the optical axis of the second lens group LG2 from the photographing optical axis Z1 to the retracting optical axis Z2. 7). The second group lens moving frame 8 is provided with a rotation restricting pin 35 that restricts the second group lens frame 6 from rotating at the photographing position. The second group lens frame 6 is moved by a second group lens frame return spring 39. It is urged to rotate in the contact direction with the rotation regulating pin 35. The axial pressing spring 38 performs backlash removal in the optical axis direction of the second group lens frame 6.

  The second group lens frame 6 moves integrally with the second group lens moving frame 8 in the optical axis direction. The CCD holder 21 has a cam projection 21a (FIG. 4) projecting forward at a position engageable with the second group lens frame 6, and the second group lens moving frame 8 is arranged in the storing direction as shown in FIG. When it moves and approaches the CCD holder 21, the cam surface formed at the tip of the cam projection 21a engages with the second group lens frame 6 and rotates to the above retracted position.

  Next, a support structure for the first lens group LG1 will be described. Three rectilinear guide grooves 13b are formed in the optical axis direction on the inner peripheral surface of the second outer cylinder 13 that is guided linearly in the optical axis direction via the rectilinear guide ring 14. In addition, three engagement protrusions 12a formed on the outer peripheral surface near the rear end portion of the first outer cylinder 12 are slidably fitted in each of the straight guide grooves 13b (FIGS. 2, 17, and 18). reference). That is, the first outer cylinder 12 is guided in a straight line in the optical axis direction via the straight guide ring 14 and the second outer cylinder 13. The second outer cylinder 13 has an inner diameter flange 13 c directed in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface near the rear end portion, and the inner diameter flange 13 c slides in a circumferential groove 11 c provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 11. By engaging with each other, the second outer cylinder 13 is coupled to the cam ring 11 so as to be rotatable relative to the cam ring 11 but not movable relative to the optical axis. On the other hand, the first outer cylinder 12 has three first-group rollers 31 projecting in the inner diameter direction, and each first-group roller 31 has three first-group guide cam grooves formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 11. 11b is slidably fitted.

  The first group lens frame 1 is supported in the first outer cylinder 12 via the first group adjustment ring 2. The first lens group LG1 is fixed to the first group lens frame 1, and the male adjustment screw 1a formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof is screwed with the female adjustment screw 2a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first group adjustment ring 2. . By adjusting the screwing position of the adjusting screw, the position of the first group lens frame 1 can be adjusted in the optical axis direction with respect to the first group adjusting ring 2.

  The first group adjusting ring 2 has a pair of guide protrusions 2b (only one is shown in FIG. 2) protruding in the outer diameter direction, and the pair of guide protrusions 2b is on the inner peripheral surface side of the first outer cylinder 12. Are slidably engaged with a pair of first-group adjustment ring guide grooves 12b. The first group adjustment ring guide groove 12b is formed in parallel with the photographic optical axis Z1, and the first group adjustment ring 2 and the first group lens frame 1 are arranged according to the engagement relationship between the first group adjustment ring guide groove 12b and the guide projection 2b. The combined body can be moved back and forth in the optical axis direction with respect to the first outer cylinder 12. Further, the first group retaining ring 3 is fixed to the first outer cylinder 12 by a retaining ring fixing screw 64 so as to block the front of the guide protrusion 2b. Between the spring receiving portion 3a of the first group retaining ring 3 and the guide projection 2b, a first group biasing spring 24 made of a compression coil spring is provided, and the first group adjusting ring 2 causes the first group adjusting ring 2 to light. It is biased axially rearward. The first group adjusting ring 2 is engaged with the front surface of the first group retaining ring 3 (the surface on the side visible in FIG. 2) by engaging an engaging claw 2c projecting on the outer peripheral surface near the front end thereof. The maximum position of the rearward movement in the optical axis direction relative to the outer cylinder 12 is regulated (see the upper half section in FIG. 6). On the other hand, by compressing the first group biasing spring 24, the first group adjusting ring 2 can move a little forward in the optical axis direction.

  A shutter unit 76 having a shutter S and an aperture A is supported between the first lens group LG1 and the second lens group LG2. The shutter unit 76 is supported on the inner side of the second group lens moving frame 8, and the air distance between the shutter S and the aperture stop A between the second lens group LG2 is fixed. Two actuators 131 and 132 (FIG. 19) for driving the shutter S and the diaphragm A are arranged one by one at the front and rear positions with the shutter unit 76 interposed therebetween. An exposure control FPC board 77 for connecting to the control circuit 140 is extended. Note that the exposure control FPC board 77 does not actually exist at the position of the lower half section (wide end) in FIG. 6, but is shown for easy understanding of the positional relationship with other members.

  In addition to the shutter S, a lens barrier mechanism is provided at the front end of the first outer cylinder 12 to close the photographing aperture and protect the photographing optical system (first lens group LG1) when not photographing. The lens barrier mechanism includes a pair of barrier blades 104 and 105 that are rotatable about a rotation shaft provided at a position eccentric with respect to the lens barrel central axis Z0, and urges the barrier blades 104 and 105 in the closing direction. A pair of barrier urging springs 106, a barrier drive ring 103 that can be rotated about the central axis Z0 of the barrel, and engage with the barrier blades 104 and 105 by rotation in a predetermined direction, and the barrier drive ring 103 A barrier drive ring biasing spring 107 that biases 103 in the barrier opening direction and a barrier pressing plate 102 positioned between the barrier blades 104 and 105 and the barrier drive ring 103 are provided. The urging force of the barrier drive ring urging spring 107 is set to be stronger than the urging force of the barrier urging spring 106, and when the zoom lens barrel 71 is extended to the zoom region (FIG. 6), the barrier driving ring is attached. The biasing spring 107 holds the barrier driving ring 103 at the angular position for opening the barrier, and the barrier blades 104 and 105 are opened against the barrier biasing spring 106. During the movement of the zoom lens barrel 71 from the zoom region to the storage position (FIG. 7), the barrier drive ring pressing surface 11d (FIGS. 3 and 13) of the cam ring 11 opposes the barrier drive ring 103 in the barrier opening direction. The barrier driving ring 103 is disengaged from the barrier blades 104 and 105, and the barrier blades 104 and 105 are closed by the biasing force of the barrier biasing spring 106. The front part of the lens barrier mechanism is covered with a barrier cover 101 (decorative plate).

  The overall feeding and storing operation of the zoom lens barrel 71 having the above structure will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 19 conceptually shows the relationship between the main members of the zoom lens barrel 71. “S” in parentheses after the reference numeral of each member is a fixed member, and “L” is in the optical axis direction. A member that performs only linear movement, “R” indicates a member that performs only rotation, and “RL” indicates a member that moves in the optical axis direction while rotating. Moreover, the member in which two symbols are written in parentheses means that the operation mode is switched during feeding and storage.

  Since the cam ring 11 has already been described up to the stage where the cam ring 11 is extended from the storage position to the fixed position rotation state, a brief description will be given. 7, the zoom lens barrel 71 is completely stored in the camera body 72, and the front surface of the camera 70 is flat so that the zoom lens barrel 71 does not protrude from the camera body 72. Yes. When the zoom gear 28 is driven to rotate in the extending direction by the zoom motor 150 from the lens barrel storage state, the combined body of the helicoid ring 18 and the third outer cylinder 15 is rotated and extended according to the helicoid (male helicoid 18a, female helicoid 22a). The straight guide ring 14 moves straight forward together with the third outer cylinder 15 and the helicoid ring 18. At this time, the cam ring 11 to which the rotational force is applied by the third outer cylinder 15 is a lead structure (cam ring roller) provided between the linear movement of the linear guide ring 14 and the linear guide ring 14. 32, the combined movement with the feeding portion by the lead groove 14e-3) is performed. When the helicoid ring 18 and the cam ring 11 are drawn out to a predetermined position in front, the functions of the respective rotary feeding structures (helicoid, lead) are canceled and only the circumferential rotation about the lens barrel central axis Z0 is performed. become.

  When the cam ring 11 rotates, on the inner side, the second group lens moving frame 8 guided linearly through the second group linear guide ring 10 is in the optical axis direction due to the relationship between the second group cam follower 8b and the second group guide cam groove 11a. Is moved along a predetermined trajectory. 7, the second group lens frame 6 in the second group lens moving frame 8 is retracted for storage which is eccentric from the photographing optical axis Z1 upward by the action of the cam projection 21a projecting from the CCD holder 21. The second lens group LG2 was in the retracted optical axis Z2 position. The second group lens frame 6 is separated from the cam projection 21a while the second group lens moving frame 8 is extended to the zoom region, and the optical axis of the second lens group LG2 is adjusted by the urging force of the second group lens frame return spring 39. It is rotated to a photographing position (FIG. 6) that coincides with the photographing optical axis Z1. Thereafter, the second group lens frame 6 is held at the photographing position until the zoom lens barrel 71 is moved again to the storage position.

  Further, when the cam ring 11 rotates, the first outer cylinder 12 guided linearly through the second outer cylinder 13 on the outside of the cam ring 11 is related to the first group roller 31 and the first group guide cam groove 11b. Is moved along a predetermined locus in the optical axis direction.

  That is, the first lens group LG1 and the second lens group LG2 are extended with respect to the imaging surface (CCD light receiving surface), respectively, with the former moving amount of the cam ring 11 with respect to the fixed ring 22 and the first moving position with respect to the cam ring 11 respectively. It is determined as a total value of the cam feed amount of the outer cylinder 12, and the latter is a sum value of the forward movement amount of the cam ring 11 with respect to the fixed ring 22 and the cam feed amount of the second group lens moving frame 8 with respect to the cam ring 11. Determined. Zooming is performed by moving the first lens group LG1 and the second lens group LG2 on the photographing optical axis Z1 while changing the air interval between them. When the lens barrel is extended from the storage position of FIG. 7, first, the wide end extended state shown in the lower half cross section of FIG. 6 is obtained, and when the zoom motor 150 is further driven in the lens barrel extending direction, As shown in FIG. As can be seen from FIG. 6, in the zoom lens barrel 71 of the present embodiment, the distance between the first lens group LG1 and the second lens group LG2 is large at the wide end, and the first lens group LG1 and the second lens at the tele end. The group LG2 moves in the direction of mutual approach, and the interval is reduced. Such a change in the air gap between the first lens group LG1 and the second lens group LG2 is given by the locus of the second group guide cam groove 11a and the first group guide cam groove 11b. In the zoom region (zooming use region) between the tele end and the wide end, the cam ring 11, the third outer cylinder 15, and the helicoid ring 18 perform only the above-mentioned fixed position rotation and do not advance or retreat in the optical axis direction.

  In the zoom region, by driving the AF motor 160 according to the subject distance, the third lens group LG3 (AF lens frame 51) moves along the photographing optical axis Z1 to perform focusing.

  When the zoom motor 150 is driven in the lens barrel storage direction, the zoom lens barrel 71 performs a storage operation opposite to that at the time of the above-described extension, so that the storage position is completely stored in the camera body 72 (FIG. 7). Moved to. In the middle of the movement to the storage position, the second group lens frame 6 is rotated to the storage retreat position by the cam projection 21 a and retracts together with the second group lens movement frame 8. When the zoom lens barrel 71 is moved to the storage position, the second lens group LG2 is stored at the same position as the third lens group LG3 and the low-pass filter LG4 in the optical axis direction (overlapping in the radial direction of the lens barrel). . Due to the retracting structure of the second lens group LG2 during storage, the storage length of the zoom lens barrel 71 is shortened, and the thickness of the camera body 72 in the left-right direction in FIG. 7 can be reduced.

[Explanation of Zoom Finder]
The digital camera 70 includes a zoom finder that is linked to the zoom lens barrel 70 above the zoom lens barrel 71. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 25, the optical system of the zoom finder includes an objective window 81a, a first movable variable lens (driven member) 81b, and a second movable variable lens (driven member) in order from the subject side. ) 81c, mirror 81d, fixed lens 81e, prism 81f, eyepiece lens 81g, and eyepiece window 81h, of which the objective window 81a and the eyepiece window 81h are fixed to the camera body 72, and the other optical elements are the finder support frame 82. It is supported by. Among the optical elements supported by the finder support frame 82, those other than the first and second movable variable magnification lenses 81 b and 81 c are fixed at predetermined positions of the finder support frame 82. The first movable frame (driven member) 83 that supports the first movable variable lens 81b and the second movable frame (driven member) 84 that supports the second movable variable lens 81c are each provided with a photographing optical axis. Z1 and guide shafts 85 and 86 parallel to the central axis Z0 of the lens barrel are movably supported. The optical axes Z3 of the first and second movable zoom lenses 81b and 81c are independent of the relative positions of each other. It is always parallel to the photographing optical axis Z1 and the lens barrel central axis Z0. That is, the first movable frame 83 and the first movable frame 84 are movable in a direction parallel to the photographing optical axis Z1 and the barrel central axis Z0. The first movable frame 83 and the second movable frame 84 are biased toward the subject side (forward) by compression coil springs 87 and 88, respectively. The finder support frame 82 further supports a cylindrical cam gear (driving direction conversion mechanism, cylindrical cam) 90 via a rotation shaft 89 parallel to the optical axis Z3 (the photographing optical axis Z1 and the lens barrel central axis Z0). Has been.

  The cam gear 90 has a gear portion 90a at the forefront in the axial direction, a first cam surface 90b is formed on the outer peripheral surface behind the gear portion 90a, and a second cam surface 90c is formed on the outer peripheral surface behind the first cam surface 90b. Is formed. The cam gear 90 is pressed forward by a compression coil spring 90d to remove backlash. The follower pin 83a provided on the first movable frame 83 is pressed against the first cam surface 90b by the urging force of the compression coil spring 87, and the second movable frame 84 is pressed against the second cam surface 90c. The provided follower pin 84 a is pressed by the biasing force of the compression coil spring 88. When the cam gear 90 rotates, the first movable frame 83 and the second movable frame 84, that is, the first and second movable zoom lenses 81b and 81c are moved in the optical axis direction according to the shapes of the first cam surface 90b and the second cam surface 90c. Accordingly, the zoom is changed in the finder optical system in conjunction with the photographing optical system. FIG. 40 shows the positional relationship of the follower pins 83a and 84a in the retracted state and the wide end and the tele end on the first cam surface 90b and the second cam surface 90c in the unfolded state. The above components of the zoom finder excluding the objective window 81a and the eyepiece window 81h are sub-assembled as a finder unit 80, and are attached to the upper portion of the fixed ring 22 using a fixed screw 80a as shown in FIG.

  The zoom finder cam gear 90 includes a finder gear (rotation transmission gear, interlocking optical system drive gear) 30 having a gear portion 30 a meshing with the spur gear portion 18 c of the helicoid ring 18, and a transmission gear for transmitting the rotational force of the finder gear 30. A driving force is obtained via the row 91. The finder gear 30 has a gear part 30a and a rotation restricting cylinder (rotation restricting part) 30b with different positions in the axial direction, and rotary shafts 30c and 30d are provided in front of and behind the gear part 30a and the rotation restricting cylinder 30b. ing. The front rotary shaft 30 c is fitted in a shaft hole (not shown) in the fixed ring 22, and the rear rotary shaft 30 d is fitted in a shaft hole 21 b formed in the CCD holder 21. The finder gear 30 thus supported can be rotated by a rotation center (rotation shafts 30c, 30d) parallel to the rotation center axis (lens barrel center axis Z0) of the helicoid ring 18, and does not move in the optical axis direction. The transmission gear train 91 includes a plurality of flat gears 91a, 91b, 91c, and 91d, and each flat gear is rotatably supported by a plurality of gear support shafts 93 that protrude from the fixed ring 22 in parallel with the photographing optical axis Z1. And is held by a gear presser plate 92 fixed to the front surface of the fixed ring 22 via a fixed screw 92a. When the flat gears 91a to 91d of the transmission gear train 91 are attached to predetermined positions of the fixed ring 22, the rotational force is transmitted from the finder gear 30 to the cam gear 90 by the meshing relationship of the gears as shown in FIGS. Will come to be. 27 to 29 show the zoom lens barrel 71 with the finder gear 30, the finder unit 80, and the transmission gear train 91 all attached thereto.

  As described above, the helicoid ring 18 is fed forward along the rotation axis (lens barrel center axis Z0) while rotating with respect to the stationary ring 22 and the rectilinear movement ring 14 until reaching the zoom region from the housed state. When the zoom region is reached, only the rotation is performed at a fixed position without moving in the direction of the rotation axis (lens barrel center axis Z0). 20 to 24 show the operation mode of the helicoid ring 18. FIG. 20 and FIG. 23 are stored, FIG. 21 and FIG. 24 are the wide end, and FIG. 22 is the tele end. 23 and 24, the fixed ring 22 is omitted for easy understanding of the relationship between the finder gear 30 and the helicoid ring 18.

  The finder gear 30 does not rotate when the helicoid ring 18 is rotated with the movement in the optical axis direction from the retracted state to just before the wide end (zoom area), but rotates when the helicoid ring 18 rotates at a fixed position from the wide end to the tele end. It has come to be. That is, in the finder gear 30, the gear portion 30 a that meshes with the spar gear portion 18 c to transmit rotation occupies only a partial region on the front end side in the axial direction, and in the storage state of FIGS. 20 and 23, the spar gear portion 18 c Since it is located behind gear part 30, both gear parts are not meshing. Then, immediately before reaching the wide end in FIGS. 21 and 24, the spur gear portion 18c reaches the position of the gear portion 30 and meshes therewith. Thereafter, since the helicoid ring 18 does not move in the optical axis direction (left and right direction in FIGS. 20 to 24) until reaching the tele end of FIG. 22, the meshing relationship between the spur gear portion 18c and the gear portion 30 is maintained.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 37 to 39, the rotation restricting cylinder 30b of the finder gear 30 includes a large-diameter cylindrical portion 30b1 having an incomplete cylindrical shape having a larger diameter than the gear portion 30a, and the large-diameter cylindrical portion 30b1. Has a non-circular (D-shaped) cross-sectional shape composed of a planar portion (planar outer surface portion) 30b2 cut out in a substantially straight (planar) shape, and in the formation region of the planar portion 30b2, The gear of the gear part 30a protrudes radially outward from the rotation restricting cylinder 30b. The plane portion 30b2 is formed as a plane including a straight line parallel to the rotation axis (30c, 30d) of the finder gear 30. In the housed state, the finder gear 30 is at the angular position of FIG. 37, and the linear plane portion 30 b 2 faces the helicoid ring 18. In this opposed state, the flat surface portion 30b2 is close to the tooth tip (outer edge portion, tooth tip circle) of the spar gear portion 18c, and the flat surface portion 30b2 contacts the outer edge portion of the spar gear portion 18c even if the finder gear 30 tries to rotate. Can not rotate.

  As shown in FIG. 24, when the helicoid ring 18 moves forward until the spar gear portion 18c is engaged with the gear portion 30a of the finder gear 30, the entire helicoid ring 18 including the spar gear portion 18c is in front of the rotation restricting cylinder 30b. To position. In this state, the rotation restricting cylinder 30b does not overlap the spur gear portion 18c of the helicoid ring 18, so that the finder gear 30 can rotate together with the helicoid ring 18.

  Note that the helicoid ring 18 is provided with three rotational sliding projections 18b having a larger amount of protrusion in the outer diameter direction than the spur gear portion 18c in front of the spur gear portion 18c. As described above, the rotation of the helicoid ring 18 from the housed state to the wide end is completed while the finder gear 30 is positioned between the pair of rotation sliding protrusions 18b in the rotation direction. Thus, the finder gear 30 and the rotary sliding protrusion 18b do not interfere with each other. In the state where the spur gear portion 18c and the gear portion 30a are engaged with each other, the rotational sliding protrusion 18b is already positioned in front of the gear portion 30a, and thereafter, the finder gear 30 and the finder gear 30 are connected regardless of the amount of rotation of the helicoid ring 18. The rotary sliding protrusion 18b does not interfere.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the spur gear portion 18c and the helicoid ring 18 that performs rotation forward / backward movement that moves in the direction of the rotation axis while rotating and fixed position rotation that does not move in the direction of the rotation axis, A gear portion 30a of the finder gear 30 is provided in the meshing region, and a rotation restricting cylinder 30b having a non-circular cross section is provided behind the gear portion 30a. When the helicoid ring 18 rotates and retracts, the rotation restricting cylinder 30b and the spur gear portion 18c are provided. The rotation of the finder gear 30 is regulated by the contact with the. As a result, the finder gear 30 does not rotate when the photographic optical system shifts between the retracted state and the zoom region, and only when the photographic optical system is driven in the zoom region between the wide end and the tele end. Is rotated. In the zoom range from the stowed state, there is no need to operate the zoom finder in the photographic optical system. In other words, the finder gear 30 rotates only when the zoom finder needs to be linked to the photographic optical system. .

  As a comparative example with the present embodiment, it is assumed that the finder gear (30) is always rotated when the helicoid ring 18 is rotated. In this case, since the finder gear (30) is rotated even in the extended stage from the retracted state where it is not necessary to drive the zoom finder, the driving force is transmitted from the finder gear (30) to the movable lenses (81b, 81c) of the zoom finder. In the system, it is necessary to provide an idle running section in which the movable zoom lens (81b, 81c) is not interlocked with the finder gear (30). FIG. 41 shows a cam gear 90 ′ (corresponding to the cam gear 90 of the embodiment) provided with this kind of idle running section. The first cam surface 90 b ′ and the second cam surface 90 c ′ are respectively connected to the cam gear 90 ′. Long circumferential straight surfaces 90b1 'and 90c1' are provided to prevent the follower pins 83a 'and 84a' from moving in the direction of the optical axis Z3 'of the finder objective system even when rotated. As can be seen from the comparison with the cam gear 90 of the present embodiment in FIG. 40, the cam gear 90 ′ has the long circumferential linear surfaces 90b1 ′ and 90c1 ′ formed on the first cam surface 90b ′ and the second cam surface 90c ′. The remaining zoomable cam-formable region is shortened, and the zoom cam is inclined more greatly. When the inclination of the cam surface increases, the amount of movement of the follower pins 83a ′ and 84a ′ in the direction of the rotation axis (in the direction of the optical axis Z3 ′ of the viewfinder objective system) per predetermined rotation angle of the cam gear 90 ′ increases. It becomes difficult to obtain the movement accuracy in the forward / backward direction with respect to ', 84a'. If the inclination of the cam for zoom interlocking is made gentle by dislike this, the outer diameter size of the cam gear 90 'increases, and the miniaturization is prevented. This is not limited to the cylindrical cams such as the cam gears 90 and 90 ', but the same can be said for the flat cam plate.

  On the other hand, according to the present embodiment in which the finder gear 30 is not caused to rotate unnecessarily, the cam gear 90 substantially does not require the idle running section as described above, and thus the first cam surface 90b. In addition, the effective diameter of the second cam surface 90c for zoom interlocking can be sufficiently secured to obtain a reasonable (small inclination) cam locus, and the outer diameter of the cam gear 90 can be kept small. That is, it has become possible to achieve both the downsizing of the finder drive system and the operation of the finder optical system with high accuracy. In consideration of backlash between the gears, in this embodiment, the gear portion 30a is engaged with the spar gear portion 18c at a timing slightly before reaching the zoom region (wide end) when extended from the storage position. Therefore, the circumferential surfaces 90b1 and 90c1 are formed on the cam surfaces 90b and 90c, respectively, but the length of the cam surfaces 90b and 90c is the same as the circumferential surfaces 90b1 'and 90c1' of the cam gear 90 'in the comparative example of FIG. It is much shorter than that.

  In the present embodiment, the shape of the spur gear portion 18c is further characterized so that the gear portion 30a of the finder gear 30 is smoothly meshed with the spur gear portion 18c of the helicoid ring 18. That is, the spur gear portion 18c is provided with a low gear crest 18c1 that has a small (low) protruding amount from the helicoid ring 18 compared to the normal gear crest 18c2.

  33 to 36 show the positional relationship between the gear portion 30a and the spur gear portion 18c in the time series from the housed state of FIG. 23 to the wide end of FIG. FIG. 33 shows a state in which the helicoid ring 18 rotates out from the housed state toward the wide end, and the spar gear portion 18c approaches the gear portion 30a.

  FIG. 34 shows a state in which the spur gear portion 18c is closer to the gear portion 30a. As shown in the figure, in the spur gear portion 18c, first, the low gear crest 18c1 approaches the gear portion 30a. FIG. 37 shows this state from the front side of the finder gear 30. As can be understood from FIG. 37, the low gear crest 18c1 is not in contact with the gear portion 30a at this stage. The other normal gear crest 18c2 is located farther from the gear portion 30a than the low gear crest 18c1, and is not meshed with the gear portion 30a like the low gear crest 18c1. Further, no gear crest is formed in a partial region adjacent to the low gear crest 18c1 in the direction of rotation of the helicoid ring 18 from the stowed state to the wide end (upward in FIG. 34). Therefore, in the state of FIGS. 34 and 37, the spur gear portion 18c is not meshed with the gear portion 30a, and the rotational force is not transmitted to the finder gear 30. In the state shown in FIG. 34, since a part of the spur gear portion 18c still faces the notch 30b2 of the rotation restricting cylinder 30b, even if a rotational force acts on the finder gear 30, the finder gear 30 actually Not rotated.

  When the helicoid ring 18 continues to rotate in the feeding direction and the low gear crest 18c1 reaches the position of FIG. 35, the low gear crest 18c1 comes into contact with one gear tooth 30a1 of the gear portion 30a as shown in FIG. 18, the finder gear 30 starts rotating.

  When the helicoid ring 18 further rotates in the feeding direction, the gear tooth 30a2 followed by the normal gear peak 18c2 adjacent to the low gear peak 18c1 is pushed in, and the rotation of the finder gear 30 is continued. Thereafter, in the spar gear portion 18 c, the plurality of normal gear peaks 18 c 2 are sequentially engaged with the gear portion 30 a of the finder gear 30 to transmit the rotation, and the rotational force is transmitted to the cam gear 90. As shown in FIG. 24, when the helicoid ring 18 reaches the wide end, the low gear crest 18c1 has already passed through the meshing position with the gear portion 30a of the finder gear 30 and zoomed from the wide end to the tele end. The low gear crest 18c1 is not used in the region.

  As described above, the portion that first meshes with the gear portion 30a of the finder gear 30 in the spar gear portion 18c is the low gear crest 18c1 that is lower than the other gear crests, so that the spur gear portion 18c can be surely engaged at the start of gear engagement. it can. That is, if the gear crests are high, there is a possibility that the tooth tips of the gear crests come close to each other and the meshing fails (missing) with the relative angles of the gear crests separated. On the other hand, since the low gear crest 18c1 does not engage with the counterpart gear crest (the gear portion 30a of the finder gear 30) unless the relative angle is substantially the same, the low gear crest 18c1 fails to mesh (missing). ) There is no fear. Further, in the low gear crest 18c1, an impact at the start of gear meshing is suppressed. As a result, the operation of the zoom finder drive system including the finder gear 30 can be started smoothly, and the quietness is improved.

  Although the above description has been made with respect to the extended state from the retracted state to the zoom region, it is needless to say that the same operation and effect as in the extended state can be obtained in the operation from the zoom region to the retracted direction.

  As described above, in the above-described embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the finder gear 30 is provided with the gear portion 30a and the rotation restricting cylinder 30b, and is rotated by the annular gear 18c of the helicoid ring 18 from the housed state to the photographing state (zoom region). Since the regulation cylinder 30b is opposed (contacted) to restrict the rotation of the finder gear 30, and the annular gear 18c and the gear portion 30a are engaged with each other in the photographing state, the finder gear 30 uses the finder optical system as a photographing optical system. It is rotated only when it needs to be linked (shooting state). That is, it is not necessary to provide an idle running section in the cam gear 90 in which the rotation of the helicoid ring 18 is not transmitted to the viewfinder optical system side, and the cam gear 90 can be reduced in size. In other words, even with the small cam gear 90, the cam surfaces 90b and 90c that can move the first movable frame 83 and the second movable frame 84 with high accuracy are obtained.

  42 to 47 show a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is different from the previous embodiment in that the helicoid ring 218 does not rotate at a fixed position even in the photographing state, and advances and retreats in the axial direction while rotating. That is, the male helicoid 218a formed on the helicoid ring 218 is configured to continue to engage with a corresponding female helicoid (not shown) even after being extended from the housed state to the photographing state. The rotation restricting cylinder 230b (large diameter cylindrical portion 230b1, flat surface portion 230b2) of the finder gear 230 has the same configuration as that of the previous embodiment.

  42 and 45 show a state in the middle of switching from the housed state to the photographing state in the second embodiment, and the flat portion 230b2 of the rotation restricting cylinder 230b of the finder gear 230 is connected to the spur gear portion 218c of the helicoid ring 218. Opposite. At this time, the flat surface portion 230b2 is close to the tooth tip (outer edge portion, tooth tip circle) of the spur gear portion 218c, and even when the finder gear 230 is about to rotate, the flat surface portion 230b2 contacts the outer edge portion of the spur gear portion 218c and rotates. Can not do it.

  43 and 46 show the state (immediately before) when the storage state is switched to the photographing state, and the spar gear portion 218c of the helicoid ring 218 is moved forward relative to the rotation restricting cylinder 230b. 230 can rotate with the helicoid ring 218. Then, the gear portion 230 a meshes with the spar gear portion 218 c and the rotation of the helicoid ring 218 is transmitted to the finder gear 230. At this time, the gear portion 230a first meshes with the low gear peak 218c1, and then meshes with the normal gear peak 218c2. The function of the low gear crest 218c1 is the same as in the previous embodiment.

  44 and 47 show a state in the middle of the photographing state (zoom region). As shown in FIG. 44, even in the present embodiment, the helicoid ring 218 rotates back and forth toward the front in the optical axis direction (leftward in the figure) even after entering the photographing state (the locus is indicated by an arrow H). . Since the forward movement of the helicoid ring 218 is a movement away from the rotation restricting cylinder 230b of the finder gear 230, the plane portion 230b2 does not contact the spar gear portion 218c in the photographing state, and the finder gear 230 is not in contact with the helicoid. It is rotated in conjunction with the ring 218. The gear portion 230a of the finder gear 230 is formed longer in the axial direction than that of the previous embodiment so that the meshing with the spar gear portion 218c can be maintained even if the helicoid ring 218 advances and retracts in the axial direction. Yes.

  When returning from the photographing state to the retracted state, the plane portion 230b2 faces the spur gear portion 218c when the zoom area (wide end) is exceeded, and the rotation of the finder gear 230 is restricted thereafter.

  In this way, the present invention can also be applied to a zoom lens camera of a type in which the helicoid ring rotates and advances in the direction of the rotation axis in the zoom region. That is, in the present invention, it is also possible to adopt a mode in which the rotating ring does not rotate at a fixed position (only performs rotation advance / retreat).

  48 to 53 show a third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is characterized in that the finder gear 330 includes two gear portions 330a1 and 330a2 before and after the rotation restricting cylinder 330b in the rotation axis direction. The large diameter cylindrical portion 330b1 and the flat surface portion 330b2 in the rotation restricting cylinder 330b have the same functions as those of the previous embodiments. The shapes and functions of the male helicoid 318a, the spur gear portion 318c, the low gear mountain 318c1, the normal gear mountain 318c2, and the like in the helicoid ring 318 are the same as those in the second embodiment.

  48 to 50 and FIGS. 51 to 53 show the same temporal transition of FIGS. 42 to 44 and FIGS. 45 to 47 of the second embodiment. Although detailed description is omitted to avoid complications due to duplication, the rotation of the finder gear 330 is restricted in the states of FIGS. 48 and 51, and the gear portion 330a1 meshes with the spar gear portion 318c in the states of FIGS. 49 and 52. 50 and 53 show a state in which the finder gear 330 is rotated by a predetermined angle in conjunction with the helicoid ring 318. FIG. When reverse rotation is applied to the helicoid ring 318, the rotation of the finder gear 330 is restricted again in the state of FIGS. Further, in the present embodiment, when the helicoid ring 318 is rotated forward and backward from the position of FIG. 48 in the right hand direction of FIG. 48, a movement amount exceeding the axial length of the rotation restricting cylinder 330b (plane portion 330b2) is given. The spar gear portion 318c meshes with another gear portion 330a2, and the finder gear 330 is rotated in conjunction with the helicoid ring 318 again. That is, when the helicoid ring 318 rotates and retreats in one direction, the phase at which the finder gear 330 rotates in conjunction appears twice.

  Thus, in the present invention, the state in which the rotation transmission gear rotates in conjunction with the rotation ring and the state in which the rotation is restricted are arbitrarily changed depending on the number and arrangement of the gear portions and the rotation restriction portions in the rotation transmission gear. be able to. In the above example, the two gear portions 330a1 and 330a2 sandwich the one rotation restricting tube 330b. However, on the contrary, two rotation restricting tubes (rotation restricting portions) may be provided and a gear portion may be provided therebetween. Good. In this case, since the two areas on both sides of the rotation transmission area are non-rotation transmission areas, for example, in a camera that switches between a storage state and a disassembly state across the shooting state (zoom region), in addition to the storage state Thus, it can be applied so as to block rotation transmission even in a disassembled state. Furthermore, it is possible to increase the number of gear portions and rotation restricting portions in the rotation axis direction, and a plurality of gear portions and rotation restricting portions may be provided. In this case, the gear portions and the rotation restricting portions may be arranged so as to appear alternately in the rotation axis direction.

  In the third embodiment, the helicoid ring 318 does not rotate at a fixed position (always rotates and retreats) as in the second embodiment. However, for example, the spur gear portion 318c is the gear portion 330a1 or (and). When meshing with the gear portion 330a2, the helicoid ring 318 may be configured to rotate at a fixed position without moving in the axial direction as in the first embodiment.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on illustration embodiment, this invention is not limited to embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the driving object linked to the photographing optical system is a zoom finder, but the present invention can also be applied to a zoom strobe driving system whose irradiation angle changes in conjunction with the photographing optical system. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to the zoom lens camera as in the embodiment but also to various devices as long as it is a rotation transmission mechanism that extracts and transmits the rotational force only at a specific rotational phase of the rotating ring. .

  Further, in the embodiment, the finder gear 30 in which the helicoid ring 18 that is a rotating ring is movable in the rotation axis direction and receives the rotation of the helicoid ring 18 is a fixed position rotating member that does not move in the rotation axis direction. Any movable member may be used as long as the relative movement in the direction including at least the rotation axis direction component of the finder gear 30 occurs. For example, the helicoid ring 18 may be a rotary ring that rotates only at a fixed position, and the finder gear 30 may be moved in the direction of the rotation axis instead. Alternatively, both the helicoid ring 18 and the finder gear 30 may be movable in the direction of the rotation axis.

  In addition, the present invention can be configured differently from the embodiment with respect to the transmission mechanism provided between the rotating ring and the driven member. For example, when the driven member moves straight, a rack and pinion mechanism replaces the cylindrical cam used in the above embodiment in order to convert the rotational force of the rotating ring into a moving force in the straight direction. A moving cam plate or the like can also be used.

Further, the driving mode of the driven member is not limited to the straight movement as in the embodiment. For example, the driven member may be a rotating member.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the zoom lens barrel to which the rotation transmission mechanism of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of elements relating to a support mechanism for a first lens group in the zoom lens barrel of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of elements relating to a support mechanism for a second lens group in the zoom lens barrel of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of elements relating to a feeding mechanism from a fixed ring to a third outer cylinder in the zoom lens barrel of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a completed state in which a zoom motor and a finder unit are added to the zoom lens barrel of FIG. 1. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the use state of a wide end and a tele end of the camera carrying the zoom lens barrel to which this invention is applied. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the camera barrel storage state of the camera. It is a development top view of a fixed ring. It is an expansion | deployment top view of a helicoid ring. It is an expanded top view which shows through the component by the side of the internal peripheral surface of a helicoid ring. It is an expansion | deployment top view of a 3rd outer cylinder. It is an expansion | deployment top view of a rectilinear guide ring. It is an expansion | deployment top view of a cam ring. It is a development top view seeing through and showing the 2nd group guide cam groove of the inner peripheral surface side of a cam ring. It is an expansion | deployment top view of a rectilinear guide ring. It is a development top view of the 2nd group lens movement frame. It is an expansion | deployment top view of a 2nd outer cylinder. It is an expansion | deployment top view of a 1st outer cylinder. It is a figure which shows notionally the operation | movement relationship of the main components of the zoom lens barrel of this embodiment. It is an expansion | deployment top view which shows the relationship between the helicoid ring in a lens-barrel accommodation state, a 3rd outer cylinder, and a fixed ring. It is an expansion | deployment top view which shows the relationship between the helicoid ring in a wide end, a 3rd outer cylinder, and a fixed ring. It is an expansion | deployment top view which shows the relationship between the helicoid ring in a tele end, a 3rd outer cylinder, and a fixed ring. It is the expansion | deployment top view which abbreviate | omitted the fixed ring from FIG. It is the expansion | deployment top view which abbreviate | omitted the fixed ring from FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of a finder unit. It is a perspective view from the front which shows the process of attaching a finder unit and a transmission gear train to a zoom lens barrel. It is a front perspective view of the zoom lens barrel after the finder unit and the transmission gear train are attached. It is a side view of the zoom lens barrel. It is a rear perspective view of the zoom lens barrel. It is a front perspective view which takes out and shows the power transmission system from a helicoid ring to the movable variable magnification lens of a finder optical system. It is a front view of the power transmission system. It is a side view of the power transmission system. FIG. 25 is a developed plan view showing a positional relationship between a finder gear and a helicoid ring on the way from the housed state of FIG. 23 to the wide end of FIG. 24. It is the same expansion | deployment top view of the state following FIG. It is the same expansion | deployment top view of the state following FIG. FIG. 36 is a developed plan view of the state following FIG. 35. It is the figure which looked at the state of FIG. 34 from the front side of the finder gear. It is the figure which looked at the state of FIG. 35 from the front side of the finder gear. It is the figure which looked at the state of FIG. 36 from the front side of the finder gear. It is a development top view of the cam gear of a finder optical system. It is a development top view of the conventional cam gear which has an idling section for comparison with the present invention. In the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, it is an expansion | deployment top view which shows both positional relationship of the state in which the interlocking rotation of the finder gear with respect to a helicoid ring is controlled. FIG. 43 is a developed plan view of a state in which the finder gear is rotatable in conjunction with the helicoid ring, following FIG. 42. FIG. 44 is a developed plan view of the state in which the finder gear is rotated by a predetermined angle in conjunction with the helicoid ring, following FIG. 43. It is the figure which looked at the state of FIG. 42 from the front side of the finder gear. It is the figure which looked at the state of FIG. 43 from the front side of the finder gear. It is the figure which looked at the state of FIG. 44 from the front side of the finder gear. In the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, it is an expansion | deployment top view which shows both positional relationship of the state in which the interlocking rotation of the finder gear with respect to a helicoid ring is controlled. FIG. 49 is a developed plan view of the state in which the finder gear is rotatable in conjunction with the helicoid ring, following FIG. 48. FIG. 50 is a developed plan view of the state in which the finder gear is rotated by a predetermined angle in conjunction with the helicoid ring, following FIG. 49. It is the figure which looked at the state of FIG. 48 from the front side of the finder gear. It is the figure which looked at the state of FIG. 49 from the front side of the finder gear. It is the figure which looked at the state of FIG. 50 from the front side of the finder gear.

Explanation of symbols

A Aperture LG1 First lens group LG2 Second lens group LG3 Third lens group LG4 Low pass filter S Shutter Z0 Center axis of the lens barrel (rotating axis of the rotating ring)
Z1 Shooting optical axis Z2 Retraction optical axis Z3 Optical axis 1 of the finder objective system 1st group lens frame 1a Male adjustment screw 2 1st group adjustment ring 2a Female adjustment screw 2b Guide protrusion 2c Engaging claw 3 1st group retaining ring 3a Spring receiving part 6 Second group lens frame 8 Second group lens moving frame 8a Straight guide groove 8b Second group cam follower 8b-1 Front cam follower 8b-2 Rear cam follower 10 Second group straight guide ring 10a Crotch protrusion 10b Ring portion 10c Straight guide key 11 Cam ring 11a Second group guide cam groove 11a-1 Front cam groove 11a-2 Rear cam groove 11b First group guide cam groove 11c 11e Circumferential groove 11d Barrier drive ring pressing surface 12 First outer cylinder 12a Engagement protrusion 12b First group adjustment ring guide groove 13 Second outer cylinder 13a Straight guide protrusion 13b Straight guide groove 13c Inner flange 14 Straight guide ring 14a Straight guide protrusion 14b 14c Relative rotation guide protrusion 1 d circumferential groove 14e roller guide through groove 14e-1 14e-2 circumferential groove 14e-3 lead groove 14f first rectilinear guide groove 14g second rectilinear guide groove 15 third outer cylinder 15a rotation transmission projection 15b fitting projection 15c spring Contact recess 15d Relative rotation guide protrusion 15e Circumferential groove 15f Roller fitting groove 17 Roller biasing spring 17a Roller pressing piece 18 218 318 Helicoid ring (rotating ring)
18a 218a 318a Male helicoid 18b Rotating sliding protrusion 18c 218c 318c Spur gear part (annular gear)
18c1 Low gear crest 18c2 Normal gear crest 18d Rotation transmission recess 18e Fitting recess 18f Spring insertion recess 18g Circumferential groove 21 CCD holder 21a Cam projection 21b Shaft hole 22 Fixed ring 22a Female helicoid 22b Straight guide groove 22c Lead groove 22d Rotating sliding Groove 22e Stopper insertion / removal hole 22z Front annular region 24 Group energizing spring 25 Separating direction energizing spring 26 Disassembly stopper 28 Zoom gear 29 Zoom gear shaft 30 230 330 Finder gear (rotation transmission gear, interlocking optical system drive gear)
30a 230a 330a1 330a2 Gear part 30b 230b 330b Rotation restriction cylinder (rotation restriction part)
30b1 230b1 330b1 Large diameter cylindrical portion 30b2 230b2 330b2 Planar portion (planar outer surface portion)
30c 30d Rotating shaft 31 Group 1 roller 32 Cam ring roller 32a Roller fixing screw 33 Group 2 rotating shaft 35 Rotation restricting pin 36 37 Group 2 lens frame support plate 38 Axial pressing spring 39 Group 2 lens frame return spring 51 AF Lens frame (3 group lens frame)
52 53 AF guide shaft 54 AF nut 55 AF frame biasing spring 60 CCD (solid-state imaging device)
61 packing 62 CCD base plate 64 retaining ring fixing screw 66 support plate fixing screw 70 digital camera 71 zoom lens barrel 72 camera body 73 filter holder 74 deceleration gear box 75 lens drive control FPC board 76 shutter unit 77 exposure control FPC board 80 viewfinder Unit 80a Fixed screw 81a Objective window 81b 81c Movable zoom lens (driven member)
81d mirror 81e fixed lens 81f prism 81g eyepiece 81h eyepiece window 82 finder support frame 83 first movable frame (driven member)
83a Follower pin 84 Second movable frame (driven member)
84a follower pin 85 86 guide shaft 87 88 compression coil spring 89 rotating shaft 90 cam gear (drive direction conversion mechanism, cylindrical cam)
90a gear portion 90b first cam surface 90b1 circumferential linear surface 90c second cam surface 90c1 circumferential linear surface 90d compression coil spring 91 transmission gear train 91a 91b 91c 91d spur gear 92 gear presser plate 92a fixing screw 93 gear support shaft 101 barrier Cover 102 Barrier plate 103 Barrier drive ring 104 105 Barrier blade 106 Barrier biasing spring 107 Barrier drive ring biasing spring 150 Zoom motor 160 AF motor

Claims (21)

Rotating ring having a gear portion; at different positions in and the rotation axis direction, rotation transmitting gear provided with the gear portion, and a non-circular cross section of the rotation regulating portion having a planar outer surface including a straight line parallel to the rotation axis ;
With
The rotation ring and the rotation transmission gear are relatively movable in a direction including the rotation axis direction component of the rotation transmission gear, and the gear portion of the rotation ring and the rotation transmission gear mesh with each other at a predetermined relative position, and at another relative position. The outer edge portion of the gear portion of the rotating ring faces the planar outer surface portion of the rotation restricting portion , and the rotation of the rotation transmitting gear is restricted by the contact between the outer edge portion of the gear portion of the rotating ring and the planar outer surface portion. A rotation transmission mechanism characterized by that. 2. The rotation transmission mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the rotary ring is movable in the direction of the rotation axis, and the rotation transmission gear does not move in the direction of the rotation axis. 3. The rotation transmission mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the rotating ring moves in the direction of the rotation axis while rotating in a specific rotation phase, and performs a fixed position rotation that does not move in the direction of the rotation axis in another specific rotation phase. The ring and the rotation transmission gear are in a relative positional relationship in the rotation axis direction where the gear portions mesh with each other when the rotation ring rotates at a fixed position, and when the rotation ring moves in the rotation axis direction while rotating, the rotation restriction gear A rotation transmission mechanism in which the planar outer surface portion of the portion faces the outer edge portion of the gear portion on the rotating ring side and has a relative positional relationship in the rotation axis direction. The rotation transmission mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gear portion of the rotating ring is an annular gear formed on a circumferential surface of the rotating ring. 5. The rotation transmission mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the rotary ring has a helicoid at the same circumferential position as the annular gear. The rotation transmission mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein at least one of the gear portion and the rotation restriction portion in the rotation transmission gear is provided in a plurality of positions at different positions in the rotation axis direction. . The rotation transmission mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising a driven member that is linearly guided so as to be movable in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the rotation transmission gear, and that is transmitted from the rotation transmission gear. A rotation transmission mechanism having a drive direction conversion mechanism that changes a force into a linear movement of the driven member. 8. The rotation transmission mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the drive direction conversion mechanism is rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the rotation transmission gear, and has a cylindrical shape with at least one cam surface formed on the outer peripheral surface. A rotation transmission mechanism having a cam. In the rotation transmission mechanism according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, during said rotation transmission gear and the driven member, the rotation transmission mechanism having a gear train composed of a plurality of flat gears. In the rotation transmitting mechanism according to any one of claims 7 to 9, each of the plurality of the driven member movable is provided in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of said rotation transmission gear, the rotation of the rotation transmitting gear A rotation transmission mechanism in which the plurality of driven members move while relatively changing the interval. In the rotation transmission mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the gear portion of the rotary ring, said its outer edge from a state in which Ru is opposed to the planar outer surface of the rotation regulating portion of the rotation transmitting gear Rotation transmission in which the gear crest that first meshes with the gear portion of the rotation transmission gear is formed as a low gear crest that has a smaller radial protrusion than other gear crests. mechanism. In the rotation transmitting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the rotary ring is provided a zoom lens camera, forward and backward a plurality of optical elements in the optical axis direction to constitute the photographic optical system by the rotation of the rotating ring Rotation transmission mechanism. 13. The rotation transmission mechanism according to claim 12, wherein the driven member is an optical element constituting a zoom finder interlocked with the photographing optical system. 13. The rotation transmission mechanism according to claim 12, wherein the driven member is an optical element constituting a zoom strobe interlocking with the photographing optical system. A photographic optical system capable of zooming and an interlocking optical system linked to the zooming operation of the photographic optical system, and the photographic optical system can be switched between a shooting state in which the zooming operation is performed and a storage state in which shooting is not performed. In a zoom lens camera,
A photographic optical system drive ring that supports an optical element constituting at least a part of the photographic optical system and has an annular gear on its peripheral surface and has a rotational phase that advances and retreats in a direction along the rotational axis while rotating; and An interlocking optical system driving gear that is rotatable about a rotational axis parallel to the rotational axis of the photographing optical system driving ring and that drives the interlocking optical system by rotation;
With
The interlocking optical system drive gear has a gear portion that can be meshed with the annular gear at different positions along the rotation axis, and a planar outer surface portion that includes a straight line parallel to the rotation shaft. and a non-circular cross section of the rotation regulating portion rotated by the contact between the outer surface and the outer edge of the annular gear is restricted,
The photographing optical system drive ring and the interlocking optical system drive gear are engaged with the annular gear and the gear portion when the photographing optical system drive ring is at a position in the rotation axis direction that causes the photographing optical system to perform the zooming operation. When the photographic optical system drive ring is in a rotational axis position where the photographic optical system drive ring is switched between a photographing state and a storage state, the planar outer surface portion of the rotation restricting portion and the annular shape are in a relative positional relationship in the rotational axis direction. zoom lens camera, characterized in that the outer edge of the gear are in a relative positional relationship between the rotational axis direction opposing contactable. 16. The zoom lens camera according to claim 15, wherein the interlocking optical system drive gear has a plurality of gear portions and the rotation restricting portion positioned between the plurality of gear portions at different positions in the rotational axis direction. Zoom lens camera. In the zoom lens camera according to claim 15 or 16 wherein said imaging optical system driving ring performs the rotating forward and backward movement in a particular rotational phase, performs fixed position rotation does not move in the rotation axis direction in another specific rotational phase The photographing optical system driving ring and the interlocking optical system driving gear are in a relative positional relationship in the direction of the rotation axis where the annular gear and the gear portion mesh with each other when the photographing optical system driving ring rotates at a fixed position. A zoom lens camera in which the planar outer surface portion of the rotation restricting portion and the outer edge portion of the annular gear are in a relative positional relationship in the rotation axis direction when the ring rotates and retreats. In the zoom lens camera according to any one of claims 15 to 17, the rotation axis of the photographing optical system drive ring and the interlocking optical system driving gear, a zoom lens camera, which is parallel to the optical axis of the imaging optical system. In the zoom lens camera according to any one of claims 15 to 18, a zoom lens camera the interlocking optical system is a zoom finder. In the zoom lens camera according to any one of claims 15 to 18, a zoom lens camera the interlocking optical system is a zoom strobe. In the zoom lens camera according to any one of claims 15 to 20, the annular gear, the gear portion and the outer portion from a state in which Ru is opposed to the planar outer surface of the rotation regulating portion of the interlocking optical system driving gear A zoom lens camera in which a gear crest that first meshes with the gear portion when being engaged with the gear portion is formed as a low gear crest having a smaller radial protrusion than other gear crests.

Images