JP5094632B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus such as a digital camera, and more particularly to an image pickup apparatus characterized by a configuration in which a torsion spring temporarily held in a subunit is assembled to a main body.

  The battery lid of a digital camera often uses a mechanism that opens and closes by rotating the lid around a rotation axis. At that time, a torsion spring is used as a means for biasing the battery lid in the opening direction. May be used.

  Regarding the assembly of the torsion spring, Patent Document 1 discloses the following configuration.

That is, in Patent Document 1, the inner diameter (inner circumference) of the coil portion of the spring is held by the outer shape (outer circumference) of the rotating shaft, and one arm (fixed portion) of the spring is hooked on a locking rib or hole. A configuration is disclosed in which the other arm (actuating portion) is hooked on the locking portion of the main body while being temporarily held.
JP 2000-9202 A

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, an assembly operator uses a tool such as tweezers to bend the arm on the side where the spring is not temporarily held while resisting the spring pressure to the locking portion of the main body. There was a problem in workability because the work to hook was necessary.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device that allows an operator to assemble a torsion spring without using a tool or the like.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention is an imaging apparatus having a battery lid unit that opens and closes by rotating around a rotation axis, and opens the battery lid unit with respect to a chassis member. A biasing torsion spring; and a female screw member fixed to the chassis member, the female screw member being provided at a position adjacent to the battery lid unit and having a groove shape on a side adjacent to the battery lid unit When the battery lid unit is attached to the chassis member in a state where one end of the torsion spring is fixed to the battery lid unit, the groove-shaped portion is formed on the other side of the torsion spring. The end portion is guided.

  According to the imaging device of the present invention, the operator can assemble the torsion spring without using a tool or the like.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a digital camera as an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the digital camera includes a main chassis 123 (chassis member) and a tripod screw hole 125 (female screw member) having conductivity used when fixing the camera body to a tripod or the like. The tripod screw hole 125 is fixed to the main chassis 123 with two fastening screws 124.

  The torsion spring 117 presses one arm against the battery lid 114 and the battery lid unit 126 composed of a plurality of internal parts, and the other arm against the tripod screw hole 125 adjacent to the battery lid unit 126. Touching while pressing.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the digital camera of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the digital camera 100 includes a shutter 1 having a diaphragm function, a photographing lens 3, and an imaging unit 22 including a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like that converts an optical image into an electrical signal.

  The A / D converter 23 that converts an analog signal into a digital signal is used when the analog signal output from the imaging unit 22 is converted into a digital signal. The A / D converter 23 is also used when converting an analog signal output from the sound control unit 11 into a digital signal. The barrier 3 covers the photographing lens 3 and the imaging unit 22 of the digital camera 100, thereby preventing the imaging unit from being dirty or damaged.

  The timing generation unit 12 supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the imaging unit 22, the audio control unit 11, the A / D converter 23, and the D / A converter 13, and includes a memory control unit 15 and a system control unit 50. Controlled by

  The image processing unit 24 performs resizing processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation and reduction and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 23 or the data from the memory control unit 15. The image processing unit 24 also performs predetermined calculation processing using the captured image data, and the system control unit 50 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the obtained calculation result.

  Thereby, AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing of the TTL (through-the-lens) method are performed. The image processing circuit 24 further performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image data, and also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic result.

  Output data from the A / D converter 23 is written into the memory 32 via the image processing unit 24 and the memory control unit 15 or directly via the memory control unit 15.

  The memory 32 is a memory for storing a file header when the audio data recorded by the microphone 10, the captured still image or moving image, and an image file are configured. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, a moving image and sound for a predetermined time.

  A compression / decompression unit 16 that compresses and decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like reads a captured image stored in the memory 32 using the shutter 1 as a trigger, performs compression processing, and processes the processed data. Write to memory 32.

  The compression / decompression unit 16 reads a compressed image read from the recording unit 19 or the like into the memory 32 and performs expansion processing, and writes the processed data to the memory 32. The image data written in the memory 32 by the compression / decompression unit 16 is filed in the file unit of the system control unit 50 and recorded on the recording medium 200 via the interface (I / F) 18.

  The memory 32 also serves as an image display memory, and the display image data written in the memory 32 is displayed by the image display unit 28 via the D / A converter 13.

  The audio signal output from the microphone 10 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion unit 23 via the audio control unit 11 configured by an amplifier or the like, and then stored in the memory 32 by the memory control unit 15.

  On the other hand, the audio data recorded on the recording medium 200 is read into the memory 32, then controlled by the audio control unit 11 via the D / A converter 13, and produced by the speaker 14.

  The non-volatile memory 56 is an electrically erasable / recordable memory. For example, an EEPROM or the like is used to record constants, programs, and the like for operation of the system control unit 50.

  The system control unit 50 controls the entire digital camera 100. The system memory 52 expands constants and variables for operation of the system control unit 50, programs read from the nonvolatile memory 56, and the like.

  The first shutter switch SW1 (62), the second shutter switch SW2 (64), and the operation unit 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions to the system control unit 50.

  The mode switch 60 can switch the operation mode of the system control unit 50 to any one of a still image mode, a moving image recording mode, a reproduction mode, and the like.

  The first shutter switch SW1 (62) is turned on during the halfway operation of the shutter button provided in the digital camera 100, and instructs to start operations such as AF processing, AE processing, AWB processing, and EF processing.

  The second shutter switch SW2 (64) is turned on when the operation of the shutter button is completed (fully pressed), and instructs to start a series of imaging processing operations from reading a signal from the imaging unit 22 to writing image data on the recording medium 200. To do.

  Each operation member of the operation unit 70 is appropriately assigned a function for each scene by selecting and operating various function icons displayed on the display unit 28, and functions as various function buttons.

  Examples of the function buttons include an end button, a return button, an image advance button, a jump button, a narrowing button, and an attribute change button. For example, when the menu button is pressed, a menu screen on which various settings can be made is displayed on the image display unit 28. The user can make various settings intuitively using the menu screen displayed on the image display unit 28, the four-way key, and the SET button.

  The power switch 72 switches between power on and power off. The power supply control unit 39 includes a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit that switches a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is attached, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level.

  The power supply control unit 39 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and an instruction from the system control circuit, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 200 for a necessary period.

  The power supply unit 30 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like. The connectors 33 and 34 connect the power supply unit 30 and the power supply control unit 39.

  An RTC (Real Time Clock) 40 holds a power supply unit therein separately from the power supply control unit 39, and continues to operate in a timepiece state even when the power supply unit 30 is turned off. The system control unit 50 performs timer control using the date and time acquired from the RTC 40 at the time of activation.

  The connector 35 connects the recording medium 200 and the interface 18. The recording medium attachment / detachment detection unit 98 detects whether or not the recording medium 200 is attached to the connector 35.

  The recording medium 200 includes a recording unit 19 composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and the like, an interface (I / F) 37 with the digital camera 100, and a connector 36 for connecting the recording medium 200 and the digital camera 100. I have.

  The communication unit 21 performs various communication processes such as RS232C, USB, IEEE1394, P1284, SCSI, modem, LAN, and wireless communication.

  A connector (antenna in the case of wireless communication) 17 connects the digital camera 100 to another device via the communication unit 21.

  3 is a front view of the digital camera of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a rear view of the digital camera of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a right side view of the digital camera of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a left side view, FIG. 7 is a top view of the digital camera of FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the digital camera of FIG.

  The digital camera includes a lens barrel 101, a front cover 102, and a back cover 103 that constitute a photographing optical system.

  The connector cover 104 protects terminals mounted on the printed circuit board for connection to various external devices. In this embodiment, at least one of an analog video terminal for connecting to an external video device such as a television receiver, a power supply terminal for connecting to an external DC power supply, and a digital terminal for connecting to a PC or the like is provided. Shall.

  The digital camera also includes a strobe 105, an AF auxiliary light window 106, a liquid crystal display device 107 for displaying various types of information such as confirmation / reproduction of captured images, and photographing conditions, and an operation button group 108. The operation button group 108 includes a central button and surrounding buttons, and is used when various settings are made during shooting or image reproduction.

  The strap hole 109 is for passing the strap. The release button 110 is an operation member having shooting preparation and shooting start functions. The zoom lever 111 is used to adjust the magnification in the optical scaling function or the digital scaling function, and can be rotated to a predetermined angle with respect to the center of the release button 110.

  The power button 112 turns on / off the power of the camera body (digital camera). The mode dial 113 selects various shooting modes. The battery cover 114 can slide and rotate with respect to the camera body.

  The battery lid lock lever 115 is for preventing inadvertent sliding of the battery lid 114. In the present embodiment, the battery lid lock lever 115 is always urged by the urging member toward the rear side of the camera. By sliding the battery lid lock lever 115 to the front side of the camera, the slide operation of the battery lid 114 is permitted. The tripod hole 116 is provided to fix the digital camera to the tripod base.

  Next, a configuration in which the battery lid 114 is opened and closed by sliding and rotating with respect to the camera body will be described.

  9 is a perspective view of the digital camera of FIG. 1 with the battery cover in FIG. 8 closed. 10 is a perspective view of the digital camera of FIG. 1 with the battery cover in FIG. 8 slid in the direction of arrow B. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the digital camera of FIG. 1 with the battery cover in FIG. 8 further rotated in the direction of arrow C from the state of FIG.

  In the state of FIG. 9, the battery lid 114 has a claw 114 a (FIG. 12) of the battery lid 114 attached to a locking claw 102 a (FIG. 11) formed on the front cover 102 of the camera body and a battery box 118 (FIG. 11). It is caught by the formed locking claw 118a (FIG. 11). Thereby, the battery lid 114 is held so as to restrict the rotation in the direction of the arrow C.

  Further, the battery cover lock lever 115 is held in a state where it is pressed in the direction opposite to the arrow A by a biasing spring (not shown).

  From this state, when the battery cover lock lever 115 is slid in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 9, the battery cover 114 locks the locking portion that restricts the movement in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. The claw 114a of the battery cover 114 is slidable to a position where the claw 114a of the battery cover 114 is disengaged from the locking claw 102a of the front cover 102 and the locking claw 118a of the battery box 118.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the battery lid 114 slid in the direction of the arrow B is rotated in the direction of the arrow C by the torsion spring 117 and is opened with respect to the camera body.

  FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of the battery lid unit in FIG. 1, (a) is a top view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the digital camera of FIG. 1 with the battery lid unit removed.

  The rotation shaft 120 is a shaft when the battery lid 114 rotates. The battery contact piece 121 contacts the electrode of the battery housed in the battery box 118 and supplies power to the camera body with the battery cover 114 closed.

  The inner plate 119 holds the battery contact piece 121 by a method such as heat caulking. The slide plate 122 is rotatably held with respect to the rotation shaft 120 and is configured to be sandwiched between the battery lid 114 and the inner plate 119. The slide plate 122 serves as a guide when the battery lid 114 slides.

  As shown in FIG. 12 (b), the torsion spring 117 is held by the inner plate 119 and the battery lid 114 from above and below with the bent end of one arm hooked into the hole of the slide plate 122 in the battery lid unit 126. It is sandwiched and temporarily held with respect to the battery lid unit 126.

  As shown in FIG. 13, a tripod screw hole 125 formed by zinc die casting with respect to the main chassis 123 of the camera body is fixed to the lower side of the body by a fastening screw 124.

  Next, a configuration in which the torsion spring 117 temporarily held by the battery lid unit 126 in FIGS. 14 to 16 is assembled to the camera body will be described.

  14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the battery lid unit in FIG. 1 is attached to the main chassis. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after the battery lid unit in FIG. 1 is attached to the main chassis. FIG. 16 is a top view showing a state after the battery lid unit in FIG. 1 is attached to the main chassis.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the tripod screw hole 125 has a slope portion 125a, and the arm on the fixed side (the other end portion) of the torsion spring 117 temporarily held by the battery lid unit 126 extends along the slope portion 125a ( When it is moved (in the direction of arrow D), it stops at the assembly position of FIG.

  At this time, the inclined surface portion 125a serves as a guide when the arm on the fixed side of the torsion spring 117 is assembled. Furthermore, in the state after assembly (FIG. 15), the arm on the fixed side of the torsion spring 117 is in contact with the inclined surface 125a of the tripod screw hole 125 while being pressed by the spring pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the tripod screw hole 125 has a groove-shaped portion 125b formed in a rib shape so as to sandwich both sides of the arm of the fixing portion of the torsion spring 117. The groove-shaped portion 125b guides the arm of the fixed portion in the width direction when the torsion spring 117 temporarily held by the battery lid unit 126 is assembled.

  Further, even in the state after assembly (FIGS. 15 and 16), the torsion spring 117 is sandwiched between the groove-shaped portions 125b, so that the arm of the fixing portion of the torsion spring 117 is positioned so as not to shift in the width direction. The

  In the present embodiment, in the configuration in which the torsion spring 117 is used as the biasing means when the battery cover 114 rotates about the rotation shaft 120, the slope portion 125a for guiding the tip of the spring to the tripod screw hole 125, the spring A groove-shaped portion 125b for regulating the width direction of the tip is formed. Thereby, the operator can easily assemble the spring without using a tool.

  In addition, by surely positioning the spring, reliable conduction between the metal part in the battery lid unit 126 and the main chassis 123 can be ensured.

It is a perspective view of the principal part of the digital camera as an imaging device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a block diagram of the digital camera of FIG. It is a front view of the digital camera of FIG. It is a rear view of the digital camera of FIG. It is a right view of the digital camera of FIG. It is a left view of the digital camera of FIG. It is a top view of the digital camera of FIG. It is a bottom view of the digital camera of FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the digital camera of FIG. 1 in a state where the battery cover in FIG. 8 is closed. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the digital camera of FIG. 1 in a state where the battery cover in FIG. 8 is slid in the direction of arrow B. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the digital camera of FIG. 1 with the battery cover in FIG. 8 further rotated in the direction of arrow C from the state of FIG. 10. It is a block diagram of the battery cover unit in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the digital camera of FIG. 1 with a battery lid unit removed. It is sectional drawing which shows the state before attachment to the main chassis of the battery cover unit in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state after the attachment to the main chassis of the battery cover unit in FIG. It is a top view which shows the state after the battery cover unit in FIG. 1 is attached to the main chassis.

Explanation of symbols

117 Torsion spring 120 Rotating shaft 123 Main chassis 125 Tripod screw hole 125a Slope portion 125b Groove shape portion 126 Battery lid unit

Claims (3)

In an imaging device having a battery lid unit that opens and closes by rotating around a rotation axis,
A torsion spring that biases the battery lid unit in a direction to open the chassis member;
A female screw member fixed to the chassis member;
The female screw member is provided at a position adjacent to the battery lid unit, and a groove-shaped portion is formed on a side adjacent to the battery lid unit.
The groove-shaped portion guides the other end of the torsion spring when the battery lid unit is attached to the chassis member in a state where one end of the torsion spring is fixed to the battery lid unit. An imaging apparatus characterized by that.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the female screw member is formed with a slope portion that guides the movement of the other end portion of the torsion spring.   The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the female screw member and the torsion spring have conductivity, and electrically connect the battery lid unit and the main chassis.

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