JP4901520B2 - Imaging device and electronic viewfinder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device having an accessory shoe part to which an external strobe and an electronic viewfinder can be attached and detached , and an electronic viewfinder suitable for attachment to and removal from the imaging device .

In imaging devices such as digital cameras and other electronic cameras, an accessory shoe section is provided on the top of the imaging device body to attach an external strobe, so that the photographer can check the images taken by the camera. As one of the means to do so, it has been proposed to attach an electronic viewfinder detachably (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-11-355618

However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since the connector attached to the end of the cable drawn out from the electronic viewfinder is inserted and connected to the external output terminal formed on the side surface of the imaging device, the cable is operated for photographing. It is easy to cause troubles such as troublesome shooting operations.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an imaging device that does not require a cable and has improved shooting operability , and an electronic viewfinder that is suitable for attachment to and detachment from the imaging device . .

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 extends before and after mating with an imaging device main body provided with an imaging optical system on the front surface and a leg portion of an external strobe provided on the imaging device main body. In an imaging device comprising: a pair of rails having concave grooves, and an accessory shoe part having a connection terminal receiving part that is arranged in the center part of the region between the rails and connected to the connection terminal of the external strobe, In the front part of the accessory shoe part and at a position away from the connection terminal receiving part, a connection terminal that is electrically connected to the electronic viewfinder is provided with an imaging device main body side connector part, and the electronic viewfinder includes: A mounting portion that is formed narrower than a distance between the pair of rails and is attached to the imaging device body; An electronic viewfinder side connector portion connected to the main body side connector portion, and when the external strobe is mounted on the main body of the image pickup device, the leg portion of the external strobe is formed from the rear of the main body of the image pickup device. When the electronic viewfinder is attached to the imaging apparatus main body by being fitted into the groove and slid in front of the imaging apparatus main body, the attachment portion is disposed between the rails from above the imaging apparatus main body. The image pickup apparatus main body side connector portion and the electronic viewfinder side connector portion are electrically connected to each other.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the first aspect, a guide groove into which a connection terminal of the external strobe can be inserted into a portion from the rear end of the accessory shoe portion to the connection terminal receiving portion. It is characterized by having .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic viewfinder to be mounted on the imaging apparatus according to the first or second aspect , wherein the electronic viewfinder includes an engaging means that engages with a rail of the accessory shoe portion. To do.
The invention of claim 4 is, in the electronic viewfinder according to claim 3, before Symbol engagement means, characterized in that it is a engaging protrusion to engage the concave groove of the accessory shoe portion.
The invention of claim 5 is the electronic view finder according to claim 4, wherein, prior Symbol engaging projections, mounted for projecting and retracting, it is biased in a protruding direction by the elastic member, attached to the outer surface press by the pushing operation of the button, characterized in that it is immersive.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic viewfinder according to the fifth aspect , the push button is disposed so as to face two opposite side surfaces .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imaging apparatus that eliminates the need for a cable and improves shooting operability by adopting the above configuration.
An external device that requires a large amount of data such as an electronic viewfinder is difficult to exchange data with the imaging device using only one contact pin, such as an external strobe. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to increase the number of contact pins. However, by increasing the number of contact pins, problems such as interference between the contact pins and the position accuracy of contact points corresponding to the contact pins and unrelated parts arise, and it becomes difficult to perform highly reliable coupling.
On the other hand, instead of using contact pins, a connector part in which a plurality of contacts are formed on the wiring board is arranged on the bottom surface of the external device, and a connector part is also arranged in the imaging device correspondingly, A method of attaching / detaching the external device to / from the imaging device from the back surface of the imaging device using an accessory shoe for an external strobe is conceivable. In this case, when an external device such as an external strobe is attached / detached, a contact pin or the like for electrical connection of the external device touches the connector portion, which easily causes problems of static electricity and damage.

Therefore, in the present invention, as a result of studying to solve the problem of reliable coupling with the imaging device, adverse effects of static electricity, damage, etc., both the external device such as an electronic viewfinder and the existing external strobe are attached and detached. In order to provide an imaging device including a possible accessory shoe portion, the accessory shoe portion includes a connector portion that is electrically connected to the external device at a position away from the connection terminal receiving portion of the external strobe of the accessory shoe portion. It is what I did.
That is, if the attachment position of the connector portion of the accessory shoe portion is within the operating range of the connection terminal (contact pin) for electrical connection of the external strobe inserted from the rear side of the imaging device, the problems of static electricity and damage as described above Therefore, the connector part is arranged outside the operating range of the contact pin of the external strobe, for example, at the front part of the accessory shoe part. By this means, adverse effects and damage due to static electricity due to the contact between the connector part and the contact pin of the external strobe when the external strobe is attached to and detached from the accessory shoe part are prevented.
In addition, the electrical connection between the external device and the accessory shoe portion is made by using a connector made of a wiring board having a plurality of contacts, and the accessory shoe portion connects and couples the external device and the connector portion of the imaging device. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a cable that is easily disturbed in the shooting operation, and the shooting operability can be improved.

  Furthermore, when the connector part in the accessory shoe part is arranged as a connector that opens upward, and the connector part is arranged to protrude downward on the bottom surface of the external device, the external device is placed on the top surface of the imaging device. To the accessory shoe part is preferable because it allows easy and reliable electrical connection between the external device and the imaging device. In this case, when the engaging means that detachably engages with the pair of rails having the recessed groove extending forward and backward to be fitted to the leg portion of the external strobe is attached to the external device, the reliability can be improved by one touch. This is preferable because high bonding can be performed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a digital camera which is an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. An imaging optical system 1 incorporating a photographic lens is provided at the center of the front surface of the camera body 1, and light incident on the imaging optical system 1 is imaged by an imaging element such as a CCD (not shown) built in the camera body 1. Based on the image signal, an electronic image is displayed on the liquid crystal display 17 (see FIG. 6) that operates when the camera body 1 is turned on. Further, by pressing the release button 16, a still electronic image formed based on the above-described image signal is taken. The still electronic image captured in this way is displayed on a liquid crystal display 17 (see FIG. 6) attached to the back of the camera body 1.
An accessory shoe 3 is attached to the upper surface of the camera body 1. When an external device such as an external strobe is not used, the surface of the accessory shoe 3 is covered with an accessory shoe cover 4 and is placed in the accessory shoe 3. Prevents entry of dust and the like.

When using an external device such as an external strobe, as shown in FIG. 2, the accessory shoe cover 4 is pulled backward from the accessory shoe portion 3 to expose the surface of the accessory shoe portion 3. A pair of rails 7 each having a groove 7a (see FIG. 6) extending in the front-rear direction to be fitted to a leg portion 6a of an external strobe 6 described later is attached to the accessory shoe portion 3. A connection terminal receiving portion 3a is provided in the central portion of the region A between the rails 7 to insert an electrical connection connection terminal (contact pin) 9 of an external strobe 6 to be described later to make electrical connection with the camera body 1. It has been.
Further, a guide groove 3b into which the contact pin 9 extending from the rear end of the accessory shoe part 3 to the connection terminal receiving part 3a can be fitted is provided, and the external strobe 6 is inserted into the accessory shoe part 3 from the rear as will be described later. When inserting and attaching, the contact pin 9 is appropriately guided and inserted and connected to the connection terminal receiving portion 3a.
In addition, a plurality of connection terminals are formed on the wiring board at the front part of the accessory shoe part 3, and the connector part 5 that transmits and receives the image signal is attached with the connection terminals exposed upward (opened). ing.

  Thus, since the connector part 5 is formed in the front part outside the movable range (mounting range) of the contact pin 9 of the external strobe 6, interference by the contact pin 9 with respect to the connector part 5 is prevented, and static electricity or the like. Damage to the connector part 5 can be prevented appropriately. Further, the side edge 4a of the accessory shoe cover 4 is slidably fitted into the groove 7a of the rail 7 described above so as to seal the connector portion 5 and the connection terminal receiving portion 3a in the accessory shoe portion 3. It is possible to appropriately protect the electrical failure (adverse effects of static electricity) and mechanical damage to the part 5 and the connection terminal receiving part 3a. Further, by covering the accessory shoe portion 3 with the accessory shoe cover 4, it is possible to make the design beautiful.

Next, the case where the accessory flash unit 6 is loaded with the external strobe 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a stage of preparation for mounting the external strobe 6 on the camera body 1, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the external strobe 6 mounted on the accessory shoe portion 3 of the camera body. As shown in FIG. 5, the external strobe 6 has a light emitting portion 6b on the front surface, and the light emitting portion 6b is supported by a support portion 6c. A leg portion 6a having a side edge that is slidably fitted to a groove 7a attached to the accessory shoe portion 3 of the camera body 1 is formed at the tip of the support portion 6c. A contact pin 9 is planted in the center.
When the external strobe 6 is attached to the camera body 1, the contact pin 9 of the external strobe 6 is turned down, and the side edge 6 a 1 of the leg portion 6 a of the external strobe 6 is connected to the accessory shoe portion 3 from the rear of the camera body 1. Is fitted into the groove 7a of the rail 7 and is slid in the direction of arrow B and inserted. By inserting the external strobe 6, the contact pin 9 of the external strobe 6 moves along the guide groove 3 b of the accessory shoe portion 3 and finally inserted into the connection terminal receiving portion 3 a to position the external strobe 6. At the same time, the external strobe 6 and the camera body 1 are electrically connected.
In this way, the external strobe 6 and the camera body 1 are electrically connected, so that when the release button 16 is pressed and the shutter is released, the strobe emits light from the light emitting portion 6b. When the external strobe 6 is inserted and positioned in the accessory shoe portion 3 in this way, the connector portion 5 of the accessory shoe portion 3 is sealed by the front portion 6a2 of the leg portion 6a of the external strobe 6, as shown in FIG. Prevents dust ingress and protects from mechanical damage.

Next, the case where the electronic viewfinder 13 is attached to the camera body 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state before the electronic viewfinder 13 is mounted on the camera body 1, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state where the electronic viewfinder 13 is mounted on the camera body 1.
The electronic viewfinder 13 is formed with a connector portion 11 projecting downward from the bottom surface of the mounting base 13a, and an electronic image based on an image signal transmitted and received from the camera body 1 through the connector portion 11 is formed on a liquid crystal display portion (not shown). The electronic image formed on the liquid crystal display unit can be enlarged by a lens and observed from the observation window 13b. The width of the mount 13a of the electronic viewfinder 13 is slightly narrower than the distance between the rails 7 of the accessory shoe part 3, and the region A of the rail 7 of the accessory shoe part 3 of the camera body 1 is viewed from above the electronic viewfinder 13. It can be inserted inside.

As will be described later, an engaging protrusion 12 is slidably attached to the side surface of the mounting base 13a of the electronic viewfinder 13 and is elastically biased toward the outside. When inserted into the region A between the rails 7 of the shoe portion 3, the engaging protrusion 12 is immersed in the mounting base 13 a against the elastic biasing force, and the engaging protrusion 12 is positioned in the concave groove 7 a of the rail 7. When it does, it protrudes outside and engages with the groove groove 7a. In this way, the electronic viewfinder 13 is positioned and attached to the accessory shoe portion 3 to prevent the electronic viewfinder 13 from dropping from the camera body 1.
When the electronic viewfinder 13 is attached to the accessory shoe section 3, the connector section 11 of the electronic viewfinder 13 has contacts corresponding to the connector section 5 of the camera body 1 that opens upward in the accessory shoe section 3. As described above, the image signal is transmitted and received from the camera body 1 to and from the electronic viewfinder 13 through the connector unit 11. As described above, since the electronic viewfinder 13 is electrically connected to the camera body 1 and the connector portions 11 and 5 by being loaded from above the camera body, these connections are appropriately performed and reliability is ensured. High coupling is performed.

Next, the protrusion / retraction mechanism of the engagement protrusion 12 of the electronic viewfinder 13 will be described with reference to FIG. The engagement protrusion 12 is rotatably supported by fitting a bearing portion 12a formed at one end thereof onto a support shaft 18 planted in the attachment portion 13a. A tapered end claw portion 12b is formed at the other end, and the two engaging projections 12 are disposed so as to face each other at the back surface portion 12c, and a coil spring is provided between these back surface portions 12c. An elastic member 15 such as is attached. These engagement protrusions 12 are pressed from the side surface of the mounting base 13a through the holes 13c formed in the mounting base 13a by the back surface 12c being pressed by the elastic member 15.
When the electronic viewfinder 13 is inserted into the region between the rails 7 of the camera body 1 from above, the claw portion 12b at the tip of the engagement protrusion 12 abuts on the rail 7, and along the inclined surface of the claw portion 12b (not shown). The claw portion 12b moves to the concave groove 7a below the rail 7 and resists the elastic force of the elastic member 15, and the elastic force of the elastic member 15 is within the concave groove 7a. Protruding. As a result, the electronic viewfinder 13 is appropriately held on the accessory shoe portion 3 and can be prevented from falling off from the camera body 1.

On the other hand, when the electronic viewfinder 13 is removed from the camera body 1, the push button 14 that is slidably mounted between the bearing portion 12a and the claw portion 12b of the engaging projection 12 is pressed inward with a finger. As a result, the claw portion 12b of the engagement protrusion 12 is immersed in the mounting base 13a, the engagement between the rail 7 and the engagement protrusion 12 is released, and the electronic viewfinder 13 is easily lifted upward to make the camera body 1 It becomes possible to remove from.
As described above, the engagement of the engagement protrusion 12 can be easily released by the pressing operation of the push button 14, so that the electronic viewfinder 13 can be detached with one touch.
In the present embodiment, two engaging protrusions 12 are used to engage with the corresponding rails 7 respectively. However, only one engaging protrusion 12 is used and only one rail 7 is used. You may make it engage with.
As described above, in the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment, the connector shoe 5 that electrically connects the electronic viewfinder 13 to the accessory shoe portion 3 to which the external strobe 6 is attached at a position away from the connection terminal receiving portion 3a. Since it is arranged, it is possible to directly connect the connector portion 11 of the electronic viewfinder 13 without using a cable or the like, not only improving the operability of the photographing operation but also the connector portion 5 due to static electricity or the like. It is possible to appropriately prevent damages and the like.

Next, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are perspective views showing a digital camera which is an imaging device using an external device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a diagram before the external device 8 is attached to the camera body 1. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the external device 8 is mounted on the camera body 1.
In this embodiment, a relay adapter 8 is used in place of the electronic viewfinder 13 as an external device described in the above embodiment. This relay adapter 8 is used as a relay means for electrically connecting a digital camera and a personal computer when transmitting a still image taken by the digital camera to a personal computer and performing image processing on the personal computer. The
The relay adapter 8 includes a connector portion 11 formed on the same mounting base 8a as the mounting base 13a as described in the electronic viewfinder 13 of the above-described embodiment, and a connector section in the accessory shoe section 3 of the camera body 1. 5 is provided with relay means (not shown) for capturing still images taken by the digital camera. The still image thus taken into the relay means is sent from the output terminal 18 to a personal computer (not shown) using a relay cable.

Further, similar to the electronic viewfinder 13 described above, the relay adapter 8 is provided with a connector portion 11 protruding from the bottom surface and an engaging protrusion 12 that is slidably attached to the mounting table 8a. Yes. Accordingly, by inserting the relay adapter 8 into the area A between the rails 7 of the accessory shoe part 3 from above the camera body 1, the connector part 5 in the accessory shoe part 3 and the connector part 11 of the relay adapter 8 are electrically connected. And the engagement protrusion 12 engages in the groove 7a of the rail 7 to prevent the relay adapter 8 from falling off the camera body 1.
Further, when the relay adapter 8 is removed from the camera body 1, as in the case of the electronic viewfinder 13 described above, the push button 14 is pushed to release the engagement between the rail 7 and the engagement protrusion 12 and relay. By pulling the adapter 8 upward from the camera body 1, it can be removed with one touch.
In this embodiment, the relay adapter is exemplified as the external device. However, the present invention is not limited to the relay adapter, and can be effectively used in other external devices such as an external viewfinder.

1 is a perspective view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the state which pulled out the accessory shoe cover of the digital camera which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the state before external strobe mounting | wearing of the digital camera which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an external strobe of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. It is the perspective view seen from the bottom face of the external strobe which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state before electronic viewfinder mounting | wearing of the digital camera which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which mounted | wore with the electronic viewfinder of the digital camera which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the protrusion and subtraction mechanism of the engagement protrusion which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state before mounting | wearing with the relay adapter of the digital camera which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state before mounting | wearing with the relay adapter of the digital camera which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera body, 2 Imaging optical system, 3 Accessory shoe part, 3a Connection terminal receiving part, 3b Guide groove, 4 Accessory shoe cover, 5 Connector part, 6 External strobe, 6a Leg part, 7 Rail, 7a Concave groove, 8 Relay adapter, 9 Contact pin (connection terminal), 11 Connector part, 12 Engaging protrusion, 12b Claw part, 13 Electronic viewfinder, 13a Mounting part, 14 Push button, 15 Elastic member

Claims (6)

An image pickup apparatus main body having an image pickup optical system on the front surface, a pair of rails provided on the upper portion of the image pickup apparatus main body and having groove grooves extending before and after fitting with a leg portion of an external strobe, and an area between the rails In an imaging device comprising: an accessory shoe part having a connection terminal receiving part that is arranged in the center part and connected to a connection terminal of the external strobe,
In the front part of the accessory shoe part and at a position away from the connection terminal receiving part, an image pickup apparatus main body side connector part having a connection terminal electrically connected to the electronic viewfinder opened upward is provided .
The electronic viewfinder is formed narrower than an interval between the pair of rails and attached to the imaging apparatus main body, and is formed to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the mounting part to the imaging apparatus main body side connector part. An electronic viewfinder side connector to be connected,
When attaching the external strobe to the imaging device main body, the legs of the external strobe are fitted into the concave groove from the rear of the imaging device main body, and are inserted by sliding to the front of the imaging device main body,
When the electronic viewfinder is attached to the imaging apparatus main body, the attachment portion is inserted into the area between the rails from above the imaging apparatus main body, and the imaging apparatus main body side connector portion and the electronic viewfinder side connector are inserted. An imaging device characterized by electrically connecting the unit. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An imaging apparatus comprising a guide groove into which a connection terminal of the external strobe can be inserted in a portion from a rear end of the accessory shoe part to the connection terminal receiving part. An electronic viewfinder attached to the imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
Electronic viewfinder, characterized in that it comprises engagement means for engaging the front Symbol accessory shoe of the rail. The electronic viewfinder according to claim 3 .
Before SL engagement means, electronic viewfinder which is a engaging protrusion to engage the concave groove of the accessory shoe portion. The electronic viewfinder according to claim 4 .
Prior Symbol engaging projections, mounted for projecting and retracting the electronic view is biased in a protruding direction by the elastic member, characterized in that it is immersive by the pushing operation of the push button attached to the outer surface Viewfinder . The electronic viewfinder according to claim 5 .
It said push button, an electronic view finder, characterized in that it is arranged to face the two side surfaces pair direction.

Images