JP6828798B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device having a movable display unit.

Some imaging devices such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras have the orientation and angle of the display unit for displaying images adjustable with respect to the main body of the imaging device in order to improve the convenience of shooting and operation. .. As a support mechanism for such a movable display unit, a hinge mechanism (so-called vari-angle mechanism) that rotatably supports the display unit around one or a plurality of axes, and a plurality of links (arms) are connected by axes. The link mechanism is known. Further, as in Patent Document 1, a structure in which a concave curved surface shape is formed on the main body of the image pickup apparatus, a convex curved surface shape is formed on the display unit side, and the display unit is slidable along the uneven surface is also known. Has been done.

JP-A-2009-303104

The support structure using the conventional hinge mechanism or link mechanism has a limitation on the degree of freedom in setting the orientation of the display unit. Further, when the hinge mechanism is used, when the display unit is rotated around the axis, the position of the display unit is greatly deviated from the shooting optical axis, and it may be difficult to adjust the composition. Especially during close-up photography (macro photography), the distance between the display unit of the image pickup device and the subject is short, and slight shaking or misalignment of the photographer or the image pickup device greatly affects the composition. If the deviation is large, it will be difficult to adjust the composition intuitively, which will put stress on the photographer.

A support structure using a curved surface as in Patent Document 1 has a higher degree of freedom in setting the orientation of the display unit than a hinge mechanism or a link mechanism. However, when the display unit is slid with respect to the main body of the imaging device, the amount of protrusion of the display unit in the direction perpendicular to the shooting optical axis becomes large, and the tilt angle of the practical display unit is increased. The problem is that the concave surface tends to be deep (the amount of protrusion of the convex surface becomes large), and the thickness in the direction along the shooting optical axis tends to be large.

Further, in technical fields other than the imaging device, there is a similar problem in the support mechanism of the movable member whose orientation and angle can be adjusted with respect to the main body portion, and while improving the degree of freedom in setting the orientation and angle of the movable member. , There was a request to prevent the support mechanism from becoming large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup apparatus capable of being compactly configured with a high degree of freedom in setting the orientation and angle of a movable display unit.

The present invention has a main body having an image pickup element that receives a light beam incident along the optical axis of the image pickup optical system, and a display that can display an image obtained by the image pickup element on a display screen and is movably supported by the main body. An image sensor having a unit, the display unit has a first support step portion that can be tilted with respect to the main body while being located on an extension of the optical axis, and a first support step portion that is tilted with respect to the first support step portion. that having a and 2 of the support step portion.

A connecting means for electrically connecting the main body and the display unit is provided, and the connecting means may be extended from the main body and connected to the display unit via the first support stage portion and the second support stage portion. It has preferred.

The connecting means is preferably bent between the main body and the display unit.

The connecting means responds to the inclination of the second support step with respect to the first support step between the portion supported by the first support step and the portion supported by the second support step. It is preferable to have a deformable region that is deformable.

The deformable region of the connecting means can be selected to be not covered with the protective member when the length or deformation amount is small, or to be covered with the protective member when the length or deformation amount is large.

It is preferable to have a locking portion that locks the second support step portion to the first support step portion in a state where at least the first support step portion and the second support step portion overlap.

The connection portion of the first support step portion connected to the main body side is preferably located between one end and the other end of the outer shape of the first support step portion.

First support step portion is tiltable in multiple directions relative to the main body, the second support step portion is characterized by a tiltable only in one direction with respect to the first support step portion.

The first support step portion can be separated from the main body with the display screen oriented perpendicular to the optical axis, and the second support step portion is the first in a state where the first support step portion is separated from the main body. It is characterized in that it can be tilted with respect to the support step portion of.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an imaging device that can be configured in a compact size with a high degree of freedom in setting the orientation and angle of the movable display unit.

It is a perspective view which showed the interchangeable-lens type single-lens reflex camera which is an embodiment of this invention in the initial state which accommodated the movable monitor in the monitor accommodating part of the camera body. It is a perspective view of a state in which a movable monitor is tilted to the left with a single-lens reflex camera. It is a perspective view of a state in which a movable monitor is tilted to the right with a single-lens reflex camera. It is a perspective view of the movable monitor tilted downward with a single-lens reflex camera. It is a perspective view of a state in which a movable monitor is tilted upward with a single-lens reflex camera. It is a perspective view of a state in which a movable monitor is tilted further upward with a single-lens reflex camera. It is a perspective view of a state in which a movable monitor is pulled out rearward with a single-lens reflex camera. It is a perspective view of the movable monitor tilted diagonally to the upper right with a single-lens reflex camera. It is a perspective view of the movable monitor tilted diagonally to the lower left with a single-lens reflex camera. It is a rear view of a state in which the angle of a movable monitor is changed about the axis parallel to the optical axis with a single-lens reflex camera. It is sectional drawing which showed the camera body and the movable monitor in the state of FIG. 7 in the cross section along the optical axis. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the movable monitor and the monitor accommodating portion in the state of FIG. 7 as viewed from the bottom surface side of the camera body. It is a perspective view which omitted the camera body from FIG. It is a perspective view of the movable monitor in the state of FIG. 1 and a part of the support mechanism thereof seen from the camera body side. It is a perspective view of the state where the holding plate is removed from FIG. It is a perspective view of the state where the base plate is removed from FIG. It is a perspective view of the disassembled state of the socket and the support rod shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed the guide groove in the state which inserted the spherical end part of the support rod in the cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. It is sectional drawing in the state which held the spherical end portion of the support rod by a socket. It is sectional drawing which showed the movable monitor and the support mechanism in the state of FIG. 1 in the cross section along the optical axis. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a movable monitor in the state of FIG. 6 and a support mechanism thereof in a cross section along an optical axis.

1 to 11 show a camera body 10 of a camera (imaging apparatus) 1 to which the present invention is applied. The camera 1 is a single-lens reflex camera with interchangeable lenses, and an interchangeable lens (lens lens barrel) (not shown) can be attached to and detached from the camera body 10. “O” shown in FIG. 11 is the optical axis of the luminous flux entering the camera body 10 through the optical system of the interchangeable lens. The front-back, up-down, and left-right directions in the following description correspond to the directions indicated by the arrows in the figure, and the front is the subject side. In the normal shooting posture, the photographer is located behind the camera 1, and the vertical and horizontal directions correspond to the directions viewed by the photographer while the camera body 10 is held substantially horizontally.

As shown in FIG. 11, a mount portion 11 for attaching / detaching an interchangeable lens is provided on the front surface of the camera body 10. A quick return mirror 12 that can rotate around a mirror hinge 12x is provided inside the camera body 10 behind the mount portion 11. The quick return mirror 12 has a mirror down position (position shown in FIG. 11) obliquely provided on the shooting optical path in the camera body 10 and a mirror lockup position retracted upward from the shooting optical path by a mirror drive mechanism (not shown). Rotate between.

When the quick return mirror 12 is in the mirror down position, the subject light that has passed through the optical system of the interchangeable lens attached to the mount portion 11 is reflected upward by the quick return mirror 12 and guided to the finder optical system. As shown in FIG. 11, the finder optical system includes a pentaprism 13 located above the quick return mirror 12, an eyepiece system 14 located behind the pentaprism 13, and an eyepiece located behind the eyepiece system 14. When the quick return mirror 12 has a window 15 and the quick return mirror 12 is in the mirror down position, the subject image can be optically observed through the eyepiece window 15. Inside the camera body 10, an image sensor 16 is further provided behind the quick return mirror 12. When the quick return mirror 12 rotates to the mirror lockup position, the image sensor 16 can receive the subject light incident along the optical axis O. A shutter (focal plane shutter) (not shown) is arranged between the quick return mirror 12 and the image sensor 16, and when the shutter is opened, the subject light reaches the light receiving surface of the image sensor 16. The subject light received by the image sensor 16 is photoelectrically converted and converted into electronic image data by the image generation circuit. A body-side circuit board 17 on which an image generation circuit or the like is mounted is provided in the camera body 10.

On the rear surface side of the camera body 10, an operation dial 50 is provided on the right side of the eyepiece window 15, a plurality of operation buttons 51 are provided below the operation dial 50, and a plurality of operation buttons 52 are also provided on the left side of the eyepiece window 15. It is provided. The operation dial 50 can be rotated about an axis facing in the vertical direction, and each operation button 51 and each operation button 52 can be pushed in. Various settings and function selections related to the camera 1 can be executed by using the operation dial 50, each operation button 51, and each operation button 52. Since the specific settings and functions are well known, the description thereof will be omitted, but as an example, the aperture value and the shutter speed can be set by rotating the operation dial 50. The camera body 10 also has various operation dials and operation buttons on the upper surface side and the like, but the description thereof will be omitted.

A movable monitor (display unit ) 20 is further provided on the rear surface side of the camera body 10. The movable monitor 20 is located below the eyepiece window 15 and the plurality of operation buttons 52, to the left of the plurality of operation buttons 51, and the operation dial 50 is located obliquely to the upper right of the movable monitor 20. Movable monitor 20 includes a display device 2 1, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). The movable monitor 20 is located on an extension of the optical axis O, and more specifically, on a virtual line O'(FIG. 11, FIG. 20, FIG. 21) in which the outer center of the movable monitor 20 is approximately an extension of the optical axis O. positioned. The body-side circuit board 17 and the monitor-side circuit board 55 in the movable monitor 20 are connected by a flexible flexible board 18 (FIGS. 20 and 21), and the camera body 10 and the movable monitor 20 are connected via the flexible board 18. Signal communication is performed between the two, and a subject image based on the image data obtained via the image sensor 16 and various information other than the image can be displayed on the display device 21. FIG. 2, FIG. 4, FIG. 7, FIG. 9, and FIG. 12 omit the illustration of the flexible substrate 18, and FIG. 11 shows only a part of the flexible substrate 18. The movable monitor 20 is movably supported by the camera body 10, and the orientation and position of the display device 21 can be changed. Hereinafter, the support mechanism of the movable monitor 20 and its operation will be described. Unless otherwise specified, the direction regarding the movable monitor 20 in the following description is the direction when the movable monitor 20 is in the initial position shown in FIG. 1 (a state in which the camera body 10 is not tilted or pulled out). Suppose that is stated.

The display device 21 is fixedly supported with respect to the support frame (second support step portion) 22. The display device 21 has a substantially rectangular display surface facing the rear surface side of the camera 1, and the support frame 22 has an upper side portion 22a, a lower side portion 22b, and a left side portion 22c surrounding the four sides around the rectangular display device 21. It has a right side portion 22d. The display device 21 has a horizontally long shape that is long in the left-right direction. In the support frame 22, the upper side portion 22a and the lower side portion 22b form a pair of long sides corresponding to the shape of the display device 21, and the left side portion 22c and the right side portion 22c. Part 22d constitutes a pair of short sides.

The support frame 22 is supported by a metal base plate (first support step portion) 23. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the base plate 23 has four corners (four corner portions) cut out from the rectangular basic shape corresponding to the rectangular outer shape of the display device 21 and the support frame 22, and the cutout portions 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d are formed. The upper portion of the base plate 23 between the cutout portion 23a and the notch portion 23c is provided with a pair of pivotally supported pieces 2 3e, a pair of shaft in contact with the side surfaces of the pair of shaft support piece 23e is a support frame 22 supporting portion 2 2e is provided (FIGS. 2, 4, 9, 11). Each shaft support piece 23e and the shaft support portion 22e are connected so as to be relatively rotatable by a tilt shaft 22x (FIGS. 2, FIG. 4, FIG. 9, FIG. 11, FIG. 20, FIG. 21) whose axes are oriented in the left-right direction. The support frame 22 is rotatable about the tilt shaft 22x with respect to the base plate 23. The support frame 22 can be changed in the vertical direction by rotating around the tilt shaft 22x (see FIGS. 5, 6, and 21). The side opposite to the side in contact with the inner shaft bearing 22e of each shaft support piece 23e, click washers 3 8 is attached (FIG. 2, FIG. 4, FIG. 9). The click washer 38 is a disk-shaped member having two concave portions on the outer edge portion, and these concave portions engage with a convex portion (not shown) provided on the support frame 22 side to support the base plate 23. Lightly lock (click stop) the frame 22. The two locking positions by the click washer 38 are the integrated position where the support frame 22 and the base plate 23 are integrally overlapped (FIGS. 1 to 5, 7 to 13, 20) and the support frame 22 with respect to the base plate 23. Is a rising position (FIGS. 6 and 21) opened above a predetermined angle.

Two through holes 23f are formed in the base plate 23 at different positions in the left-right direction (FIGS. 6, 14, and 15). Further, on the peripheral edge of the base plate 23, flanges 23g, 23h and 23i having a shape that fits into the lower side portion 22b, the left side portion 22c and the right side portion 22d of the support frame 22 are formed. The flange 23g is located between the notch 23b and the notch 23d, the flange 23h is located between the notch 23a and the notch 23b, and the flange 23i is between the notch 23c and the notch 23d. Is located in.

A monitor accommodating portion 30 capable of accommodating the movable monitor 20 is formed on the rear surface side of the camera body 10. The monitor accommodating portion 30 is a substantially rectangular recess corresponding to the substantially rectangular outer shape of the movable monitor 20 (where the substantially rectangular movable monitor 20 fits), and each of the upper edge wall 30a and the lower edge wall 30a projecting rearward in a flange shape. The monitor accommodating portion 30 is surrounded by the edge wall 30b, the left edge wall 30c, and the right edge wall 30d. At the bottom of the monitor accommodating portion 30, four guide grooves 31 which are elongated grooves extending radially along the diagonal line of the substantially rectangular monitor accommodating portion 30 are formed. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the guide on the upper left side extending from the vicinity of the boundary (corner portion) between the upper edge wall 30a and the left edge wall 30c toward the center (virtual line O') of the monitor accommodating portion 30. The groove 31a, the guide groove 31b on the lower left side extending from the vicinity of the boundary (corner) between the lower edge wall 30b and the left edge wall 30c toward the center (virtual line O') of the monitor accommodating portion 30, and the upper edge wall 30a and the right. The guide groove 31c on the upper right side extending from the vicinity of the boundary (corner) of the edge wall 30d toward the center (virtual line O') of the monitor accommodating portion 30, and the vicinity of the boundary (corner) between the lower edge wall 30b and the right edge wall 30d. A guide groove 31d on the lower right side extending from the monitor accommodating portion 30 toward the center (virtual line O') is provided. Of the guide grooves 31, the end on the side closer to the center of the monitor accommodating portion 30 is called the inner end portion, and the end on the side far from the center of the monitor accommodating portion 30 is called the outer end portion. The inner ends of the four guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d are arranged so as to surround the virtual line O'. Further, two positioning protrusions 32 are formed on the bottom of the monitor accommodating portion 30 at different positions in the left-right direction. Each positioning protrusion 32 can be inserted into the through hole 23f formed in the base plate 23. A magnet is provided in each positioning protrusion 32.

As can be seen from the sectional structure shown in FIG. 18, the guide grooves 31, in combination with an internal guide 34 housed in the groove recess 33 formed in the monitor housing 30, a cover member 35 which covers the inner guide 34 It is composed of. The groove recess 33 is formed as a space surrounded by a bottom wall 33a located on the bottom surface of the monitor accommodating portion 30 and a pair of vertical walls 33b protruding from the bottom wall 33a and separated in the groove width direction of the guide groove 31. The internal guide 34 is located between the pair of standing walls 33b with a margin in the width direction, and the cover member 35 is attached to the outside of the pair of standing walls 33b. As shown in FIG. 13, the internal guide 34 and the cover member 35 each have an elongated shape that is long in the extending direction of the guide groove 31.

The internal guide 34 has a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape over the entire longitudinal direction of the guide groove 31. As shown in detail in FIG. 18, the internal guide 34 projects a pair of side walls (opposing walls) 34b from both sides of the bottom 34a, and projects a pair of bending edge portions 34c in a direction away from the tips of the side walls 34b. A bottomed groove is formed in which a portion between the pair of bent edge portions 34c (a portion facing the bottom portion 34a) opens. The inner guide 34 is composed of an outer member 34d and an inner member 34e, each of which is made of a thin plate-shaped metal material. The outer member 34d has a U-shaped cross-sectional shape forming a pair of side walls 34b with the bottom portion 34a, and the inner member 34e has a pair of bends in addition to the same U-shaped cross-sectional shape as the outer member 34d. The configuration includes the edge portion 34c. The internal guide 34 can be elastically deformed to change the distance between the pair of side walls 34b, and in the free state of the internal guide 34, the distance between the pair of side walls 34b is smaller than in the completed state shown in FIG. More specifically, in the completed state shown in FIG. 18, the pair of side walls 34b are inclined in a direction in which the distance between the side walls 34b is gradually narrowed from the bottom 34a side to the bending edge 34c side, but the internal guide 34 is free. In the state, this inclination is even larger. The internal guide 34 is inserted into the groove recess 33 with the pair of side walls 34b positioned between the pair of vertical walls 33b, and the bottom 34a is supported on the bottom wall 33a with the cushion material 36 interposed therebetween.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 18, the cover member 35 has a flat plate-shaped lid portion 35a extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 31, and a pair of side walls 35b are provided on both sides of the lid portion 35a in the width direction. The outer end wall 35c is provided at one end of the portion 35a in the longitudinal direction, and the inner end wall 35d is provided at the other end of the lid portion 35a in the longitudinal direction. The side wall 35b, the outer end wall 35c, and the inner end wall 35d each project as wall portions substantially perpendicular to the lid portion 35a. At the center in the width direction of the cover portion 35a slot 3 5e extending in the longitudinal direction is formed through the slot 35e is also through the outer end wall 35c and the inner end wall 35d in addition to the lid portion 35a. The slot 35e has a substantially uniform opening width H1 (FIG. 18) over the entire longitudinal direction of the cover member 35. The cover member 35 is divided into two in the width direction by the slot 35e, and both side portions of the slot 35e are connected by a flange 35f continuous with the inner end wall 35d. Each of the pair of side walls 35b is formed in a part of the lid portion 35a in the longitudinal direction, and a pair of flanges 35g are projected on both sides of the lid portion 35a at different positions from the side wall 35b. The flange 35f and the flange 35g are respectively formed with through holes through which a fastening screw 60 (FIG. 12) is inserted.

In each of the cover members 35 constituting the four guide grooves 31, the longitudinal end on the side where the inner end wall 35d and the flange 35g are provided becomes the inner end of the guide groove 31, and the outer end wall 35c is provided. The monitor accommodating portion 30 is attached to the monitor accommodating portion 30 in an orientation so that the longitudinal end portion on the side of the monitor is the outer end portion of the guide groove 31. In the monitor accommodating portion 30, a plurality of support seats 37 (FIG. 12) on which the flange 35f of the cover member 35 and the flange 35g can be placed are formed around the groove recess 33, and each support seat 37 has a screw. A hole (not shown) is formed. By supporting the flange 35f and the flange 35g on the support seat 37 and screwing the screw 60 into the screw hole of the support seat 37 through the through hole formed in each flange 35f and the flange 35g, the cover member 35 is as shown in FIG. Is fixed.

As shown in FIG. 18, in the cover member 35 fixed in the monitor accommodating portion 30, the lid portion 35a is located so that the lid portion 35a faces the bending edge portion 34c of the internal guide 34 and the tip of the vertical wall 33b of the groove recess 33. The pair of side walls 35b are located outside the pair of vertical walls 33b. Then, a guide groove 31 is formed which is surrounded by the bottom portion 34a of the internal guide 34 and the pair of side walls 34b and has the slot 35e as an opening. The opening width H1 of the slot 35e is set narrower than the distance between the pair of side walls 34b, and the guide groove 31 is a hole in which the width of the opening portion defined by the slot 35e is smaller than the internal width defined by the pair of side walls 34b. It has a stop structure. This retaining structure is also established at the outer end portion and the inner end portion of the guide groove 31, the outer end wall 35c constitutes the retaining portion at the outer end portion, and the inner end wall 35d is pulled out at the inner end portion. Consists of a stopper.

The upper edge wall 30a, the lower edge wall 30b, the left edge wall 30c, and the right edge wall 30d surrounding the monitor accommodating portion 30 have not uniform protrusions from the bottom to the rear of the monitor accommodating portion 30, and are located in the middle portion. It has recesses 30e, 30f, 30g and 30h with a reduced amount of protrusion to the rear. The recess 30e is formed in the central portion of the upper edge wall 30a in the left-right direction, and the recess 30e is formed so that the upper edge wall 30a does not interfere with the eyepiece window 15. The recess 30f is formed in the central portion of the lower edge wall 30b in the left-right direction, and the flange 23g of the base plate 23 can enter the recess 30f. The recess 30g is formed in the central portion of the left edge wall 30c in the vertical direction, and the flange 23h of the base plate 23 can enter the recess 30g. The recess 30h is formed from the central portion of the right edge wall 30d in the vertical direction to the vicinity of the upper end connected to the upper edge wall 30a, and the flange 23i of the base plate 23 can enter the recess 30h. The upper end portion of the right edge wall 30d located between the upper edge wall 30a and the recess 30h is a low wall 30i having a small amount of protrusion to the rear, and the amount of protrusion gradually from the low wall 30i to the upper edge wall 30a. Is getting bigger.

As shown in FIGS. 14 to 17, the movable monitor 20 has four sockets (of the first support stage portion ) on the side of the base plate 23 facing the monitor accommodating portion 30 (the back side of the display surface of the display device 21) . Connection portion ) 27 is provided. More specifically, the socket 27a on the upper left side facing the inner end of the guide groove 31a, the lower left socket 27b located facing the inner end of the guide groove 31b, and the guide groove 31c. It is provided with a socket 27c on the upper right side facing the vicinity of the inner end portion and a socket 27d on the lower right side facing the vicinity of the inner end portion of the guide groove 31d.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, each socket 27 is provided in retail Na 2 8. The retainer 28 is provided with a pair of supporting arm portions 28c extending from a pair of standing walls 28b protruding from both sides of the bottom portion 28a. The retainer 28 can change the distance between the pair of supporting arm portions 28c facing each other by elastic deformation, and the socket 27 is provided on the facing surface of each supporting arm portion 28c. The socket 27 and the retainer 28 can be formed as separate members and then combined, or can be integrally formed. The socket 27 is composed of a set of columnar bodies protruding from each support arm portion 28c in a direction approaching each other, and a holding concave surface (concave surface) 27e (FIGS. 17 and 19) paired with the facing portion of the columnar body is formed. It is formed. The retainer 28 is further provided with a pair of flanges 28d protruding laterally from the pair of vertical walls 28b, and each flange 28d is formed with a through hole through which a fastening screw 61 (FIGS. 14 and 15) is inserted. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 15, four retainer 28 four support recess 4 0 can be inserted a is formed on the base plate 23. The four support recesses 40 are arranged in the region between the four notches 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d and the outer center of the base plate 23. The four retainers 28 face the bottom 28a toward the notches 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d (in the four corner directions of the base plate 23) with respect to the corresponding support recesses 40, and the support arm 28c has the notch 23a, respectively. It is attached toward the side opposite to 23b, 23c and 23d (toward the center of the outer shape of the base plate 23). Each support recess 40 has a bottom surface that supports the bottom portion 28a and a pair of side walls that sandwich the pair of support arm portions 28c, and the distance between the pair of side walls of each support recess 40 is a free state of the retainer 28 (single unit). The distance between the pair of supporting arms 28c in the state) is set to be slightly smaller. Therefore, when the retainer 28 is assembled in the support recess 40, the pair of support arm portions 28c are elastically deformed in the direction of reducing the distance between them, and the distance between the pair of holding concave surfaces 27e constituting each socket 27 is free for the retainer 28. It becomes narrower than the state. A plurality of support seats 41 on which the flange 28d can be placed are formed around the support recess 40, and screw holes are formed in each support seat 41. The retainer 28 is attached to the base plate 23 by supporting the flange 28d on the support seat 41 and screwing the screw 61 into the screw hole of the support seat 41 through the through hole formed in each flange 28d (see FIG. 15). With the four retainers 28 attached to the base plate 23, the sockets 27a and 27d are aligned diagonally on one side of the movable monitor 20, and the sockets 27b and 27c are aligned diagonally on the other side of the movable monitor 20.

As shown in FIG. 14, a pressing plate 29 is further attached to the base plate 23. A plurality of support seats 42 (FIG. 15) having a screw hole in the center are provided on the front surface side of the base plate 23, and the holding plate 29 is supported on the support seat 42 by screws 62 (FIG. 14) on the base plate 23. Fastened and fixed. A plurality of retaining portions 29a are formed on the pressing plate 29, and each retaining portion 29a has a shape that covers the support arm portion 28c of each retainer 28 and each socket 27, respectively.

Movable monitor 20 is connected to the camera body 10 via the four support rod head 1 9. As shown in FIGS. 14 to 17, each support rod 19 is a configuration in which a spherical end portion 2 5 and the spherical end portion 2 6 to one end and the other end of the rod-shaped portion 24. The spherical end 25 fits into the guide groove 31 in the monitor accommodating portion 30, and the spherical end 26 fits into the socket 27 provided in the base plate 23. The spherical end portion 25 and the spherical end portion 26 are spherical bodies that are connected to the corresponding guide grooves 31 and the socket 27 so as to be able to rotate the ball center (free rotation without any direction restriction), and are cameras with respect to the support rod 19. It has a ball joint structure with a high degree of freedom in each direction of the main body 10 and the movable monitor 20. Further, the spherical end portion 25 is supported so as to be movable (sliding) in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 31. Four support rods 19 are provided in a positional relationship corresponding to the four guide grooves 31 and the four sockets 27, and the support rod 19a on the upper left side connects the guide groove 31a on the upper left side and the socket 27a on the upper left side. The support rod 19b on the lower left side connects the guide groove 31b on the lower left side and the socket 27b on the lower left side, and the support rod 19c on the upper right side connects the guide groove 31c on the upper right side and the socket 27c on the upper right side. The support rod 19d connects the guide groove 31d on the lower right side and the socket 27d on the lower right side.

The rod-shaped portion 24 of each support rod 19 is set to have a diameter that allows it to pass through the slot 35e of the cover member 35 that constitutes the guide groove 31. When connecting each support rod 19 to the corresponding guide groove 31, the spherical end portion 25 is directed to the back side of the lid portion 35a (the direction in which the side wall 35b, the outer end wall 35c, and the inner end wall 35d project). , The rod-shaped portion 24 is inserted into the slot 35e to combine the support rod 19 and the cover member 35. Then, when the cover member 35 is placed on the support seat 37 of the monitor accommodating portion 30 in the state where the internal guide 34 is supported in the groove recess 33 and fixed with the screw 60, the spherical end of the support rod 19 is as shown in FIG. The portion 25 is fitted into the internal guide 34 and is in a state of being prevented from coming off by the cover member 35. At that time, since the spherical end portion 25 is inserted while being in contact with the curved portion of the boundary between the pair of side walls 34b of the internal guide 34 and the bending edge portion 34 that follows it, the spherical end portion 25 is caught between the spherical end portion 25 and the internal guide 34. Can be achieved smoothly without causing any problems.

FIG. 18 shows a state in which the spherical end portion 25 of the support rod 19 has been assembled into each guide groove 31. The spherical end portion 25 is supported by point contact with the bottom portion 34a of the internal guide 34 and the pair of side walls 34b, respectively, and can be slidably contacted with respect to the vicinity of the slot 35e of the lid portion 35a of the cover member 35. I'm in contact. The diameter of the spherical end 25 is larger than the opening width H1 of the slot 35e and the distance between the pair of side walls 34b in the free state, and the spherical end 25 has the distance between the pair of elastically deformable side walls 34b from the free state. Is also held in the internal guide 34 in a spread state. A friction of a predetermined magnitude acts on the spherical end portion 25 by the force that the internal guide 34 tries to restore from the elastic deformation. This friction does not operate the spherical end portion 25 in the guide groove 31 with the own weight of the movable monitor 20 or a small external force applied to the movable monitor 20, and when a predetermined force or more is applied with the intention of operating the movable monitor 20. The size is set to allow the movement of the spherical end portion 25 in the guide groove 31 (sliding of the spherical end portion 25 in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 31 and rotation of the spherical end portion 25). By forming each internal guide 34 with a double-layered metal plate of an outer member 34d and an inner member 34e, efficient friction is imparted.

In the depth direction of the guide groove 31, the spherical end portion 25 is held between the lid portion 35a of the cover member 35 and the bottom portion 34a of the internal guide 34. Since the bottom portion 34a is supported by the cushion material 36, the distance between the bottom portion 34a and the lid portion 35a is appropriately maintained with the spherical end portion 25 interposed therebetween, and the spherical end portion 25 in the depth direction of the guide groove 31 is maintained. You can prevent rattling. Specifically, when the cover member 35 is fixed to the support seat 37 of the monitor accommodating portion 30 with a screw 60, the lid portion 35a and the bottom wall 33a of the groove recess 33 are provided so that the cushion material 36 is slightly crushed. Set the interval. At that time, the hardness and the amount of deformation (holding force between the bottom portion 34a and the lid portion 35a) of the cushion material 36 are set so that the sliding resistance with respect to the spherical end portion 25 in the guide groove 31 does not become excessive.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the rod-shaped portion 24 of the support rod 19 following the spherical end portion 25 extends outward of the guide groove 31 through the slot 35e. As shown in FIG. 18, the diameter of the spherical end portion 25 is larger than the opening width H1 of the slot 35e, and the spherical end portion 25 moves in the direction away from the guide groove 31 (the direction away from the bottom wall 33a and the bottom portion 34a). Is regulated by the lid portion 35a of the cover member 35. Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the spherical end 25 abuts on the inner end wall 35d of the cover member 35, so that the movement of the guide groove 31 toward the inner end is restricted (inner end direction). The moving end of the spherical end 25 to is determined). On the contrary, when the spherical end portion 25 abuts on the outer end wall 35c of the cover member 35, the movement of the guide groove 31 toward the outer end portion is restricted (movement of the spherical end portion 25 toward the outer end portion). The end is decided).

FIG. 17 shows a state before assembling the spherical end portion 26 of the corresponding support rod 19 to each socket 27, and FIG. 16 shows an assembled state. As shown in FIG. 19, the spherical end portion 26 in the assembled state is held between the holding concave surfaces 27e paired with the socket 27. The holding concave surface 27e is a concave spherical surface into which the spherical outer surface of the spherical end portion 26 fits, and the spherical end portion 26 can rotate around the center of the socket 27 while being held by the holding concave surface 27e. As the relationship between the holding concave surface 27e and the spherical end portion 26, the shape is set so that the curvatures of the surfaces are substantially the same and the holding concave surface 27e is brought into surface contact with the spherical end portion 26, and the outer surface of the spherical end portion 26 is held. It is also possible to set the shape so that the holding concave surface 27e has a different curvature of the concave surface 27e so that the concave surface 27e partially contacts (line contact or point contact) with the spherical end portion 26. When the curvatures of the outer surface of the spherical end portion 26 and the holding concave surface 27e are different, if the curvature of the holding concave surface 27e is made larger than the curvature of the outer surface of the spherical end portion 26, the outer peripheral portion of the holding concave surface 27e and the spherical end portion 26 are in line contact. This is preferable because the rattling during rotation of the ball core can be reduced. This embodiment employs this type.

As shown in FIG. 15, when the retainer 28 is attached to the support recess 40 of the base plate 23 while the spherical end portion 26 is held by the socket 27, the pair of support arm portions 28c are spaced apart from each other by the pair of side walls of the support recess 40. It is pushed in the direction of making it smaller and elastically deformed, the holding force of the socket 27 with respect to the spherical end 26 is strengthened, and the spherical end 26 is restricted from falling off from the socket 27. In this state, a predetermined amount of friction is given to the spherical end portion 26 by the force of the support arm portion 28c that tries to restore from the elastic deformation. In this friction, the spherical end portion 26 is not rotated with respect to the socket 27 by the own weight of the movable monitor 20 or a small external force applied to the movable monitor 20, and a predetermined force or more is applied with the intention of operating the movable monitor 20. In this case, the size is set to allow the spherical end portion 26 to rotate with respect to the socket 27.

Further, when the pressing plate 29 is attached to the base plate 23 as shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of retaining portions 29a in the pressing plate 29 cover the supporting arm portions 28c of each retainer 28 and each socket 27. If an extremely strong tensile force acts on the support rod 19 and the holding performance of the spherical end portion 26 by the socket 27 is affected (for example, the peripheral edge of the holding concave surface 27e of the socket 27 is the spherical end portion 26). Even in the case where the holding plate 29 is scraped off), the retaining portion 29a of the holding plate 29 can prevent the spherical end portion 26 from falling off from the support recess 40.

As described above, the monitor accommodating portion 30 of the camera body 10 and the movable monitor 20 are mechanically connected via four support rods 19 (19a, 19b, 19c and 19d). Subsequently, the arrangement structure of the flexible substrate 18 that electrically connects the camera body 10 and the movable monitor 20 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12, 12, 20, and 21, a substrate insertion hole 43 is formed through the center of the monitor accommodating portion 30 of the camera body 10. There is. As shown in FIGS. 14, 15, 20, and 21, the base plate 23 of the movable monitor 20 is formed with a substrate storage recess 44 and a board guide recess 45 on the front side facing the monitor housing portion 30. Both the substrate storage recess 44 and the substrate guide recess 45 are located substantially in the center of the base plate 23 in the left-right direction and are formed as groove-shaped portions extending in the vertical direction.

The upper end of the board storage recess 44 is located near the center of the outer shape of the base plate 23, and extends downward from the upper end through the space between the socket 27b on the lower left side and the socket 27d on the lower right side. Has been done. At the lower end of the substrate storage recess 44, an inclined surface 44a that gradually decreases in depth as it goes downward is formed. The lower end of the board guide recess 45 is located in the space between the socket 27a on the upper left side and the socket 27b on the upper right side, and the upper end is an upper end opening 45a that opens to the upper side of the base plate 23. As shown in FIGS. 14, 20, and 21, the pressing plate 29 has a lid portion 29b that fits into the substrate guide recess 45. With the pressing plate 29 attached to the base plate 23, a gap through which the flexible substrate 18 can be inserted is secured between the bottom surface of the substrate guide recess 45 and the lid portion 29b.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, a communication passage 46 communicating between the upper end portion of the substrate storage recess 44 and the lower end portion of the substrate guide recess 45 is formed in the base plate 23. The depth of the board storage recess 44 from the front surface of the base plate 23 is larger than the depth of the board guide recess 45, and the communication passage 46 is a constricted portion that extends continuously in the vertical direction to the upper end of the board storage recess 44. It has a front-rear penetrating portion 46a and a front-rear penetrating portion 46a that penetrates the base plate 23 in the front-rear direction and communicates the narrowed portion 46a and the lower end portion of the substrate guide recess 45. The narrowed portion 46a is a through hole in which the width (hole width) in the front-rear direction is narrowed with respect to the depth in the front-rear direction of the substrate storage recess 44. The front surface side of the front-rear penetrating portion 46b is covered with the pressing plate 29.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the support frame 22 of the movable monitor 20 is formed with a substrate insertion hole 47 between a pair of left and right shaft support portions 22e. Behind the substrate insertion hole 47, a substrate accommodating space 48 is formed between the support frame 22 and the display device 21. A monitor-side circuit board 55 is provided in the board accommodation space 48. The monitor-side circuit board 55 controls electrical components in the movable monitor 20 and performs signal communication with the body-side circuit board 17 of the camera body 10 through the flexible board 18. For example, the monitor-side circuit board 55 controls the display of images and information on the display device 21 and the lighting of the backlight for lighting. Further, when the display device 21 is a touch panel type display operated by touching the screen, the monitor side circuit board 55 performs input detection of the touch panel and transmission of the input signal to the body side circuit board 17. Further, an operation input means (push button or the like) other than the touch panel may be provided on the movable monitor 20, and the processing and transmission of the input signal from the operation input means may be performed on the monitor side circuit board 55. Further, it is also possible to provide a sensor for detecting a change in the position of the movable monitor 20 with respect to the camera body 10 in the movable monitor 20 and to process and transmit an input signal from the sensor on the monitor side circuit board 55.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, one end 18a of the flexible board 18 is connected to the body side circuit board 17 in the camera body 10, and the other end 18b is the monitor side circuit board in the movable monitor 20. Connect to 55. The arrangement structure of the flexible substrate 18 will be described with the end portion 18a as a starting point. The flexible substrate 18 having the end portion 18a connected to the vicinity of the lower end of the circuit board 17 on the body side is guided upward along the back surface of the monitor accommodating portion 30 in the camera body 10, and is guided upward along the back surface of the monitor accommodating portion 30 through the substrate insertion hole 43 of the monitor accommodating portion 30. It extends rearwardly and is inserted into the narrowed portion 46a of the communication passage 46 via the substrate storage recess 44 in the base plate 23. A substrate cover 57 covers the outside of the flexible substrate 18 from the substrate insertion hole 43 to the narrowed portion 46a. The substrate cover 57 is made of a non-water-permeable material (silicon rubber or the like), and has flexibility that can be deformed together with the flexible substrate 18. One end and the other end of the substrate cover 57 are connected to the substrate insertion hole 43 and the narrowed portion 46a in a drip-proof (water-stopped) state, respectively. More specifically, the flange portion 57a provided at one end of the substrate cover 57 is sandwiched between the peripheral portion of the substrate insertion hole 43 and the holding plate 58 (FIGS. 20 and 21) of the monitor accommodating portion 30. , The space between the substrate insertion hole 43 and the substrate cover 57 is liquid-tightly closed. Further, the thickness of the substrate cover 57 is set to be larger than the internal width of the narrowed portion 46a in the front-rear direction, and the insertion end portion 57b, which is the end opposite to the flange portion 57a of the substrate cover 57, is inside the narrowed portion 46a. By press-fitting, the space between the narrowed portion 46a and the substrate cover 57 is tightly closed. In order to further enhance the drip-proof property, a sealing material may be injected around the flange portion 57a or around the insertion end portion 57b. Further, the drip-proof property may be enhanced by an adhesive that adheres and fixes around the flange portion 57a and around the insertion end portion 57b. In the base plate 23, it is easy to inject the sealing material or the adhesive around the insertion end portion 57b through the front-rear penetrating portion 46b. In the camera 1 of the present embodiment, an adhesive is applied to the front-rear penetrating portion 46b to fix the insertion end portion 57b, and the flexible substrate 18 and the flexible substrate 18 are formed inside the flange portion 57a so as not to project forward from the holding plate 58. Adhesive is applied so as to close the space tightly. By sealing the inside of the flange portion 57a with an adhesive, the liquidtightness inside the camera body 10 can be maintained even if the substrate cover 57 is torn before the flange portion 57a.

The portion of the flexible substrate 18 covered by the substrate cover 57 is preferably protected by the substrate cover 57 because it appears in appearance or changes in shape depending on the operation of the movable monitor 20 described later. Further, although the flexible substrate 18 has a drip-proof property by itself, a higher degree of drip-proof performance can be obtained by covering it with the substrate cover 57. As described above, since the substrate cover 57 closes the substrate insertion hole 43 liquid-tightly around the flange portion 57a, the substrate cover 57 is used to protect the flexible substrate 18 and ensure the drip-proof property of the camera body 10 in the substrate insertion hole 43. This can be easily and surely realized.

The flexible substrate 18 protruding from the insertion end 57b of the substrate cover 57 in the front-rear penetrating portion 46b of the communication passage 46 is guided toward the upper side of the base plate 23 along the substrate guide recess 45. At this location, the flexible substrate 18 is protected and stable support is realized by being sandwiched between the bottom surface of the substrate guide recess 45 and the lid portion 29b of the pressing plate 29. The upper end opening 45a of the board guide recess 45 is the support range of the flexible substrate 18 by the base plate 23, and the flexible substrate 18 extending from the upper end opening 45a is between the support frame 22 and the display device 21 through the substrate insertion hole 47. It is guided into the substrate accommodating space 48. An adhesive is injected into the substrate insertion hole 47 to fix the flexible substrate 18 and close the substrate insertion hole 47 in a liquid-tight manner. The flexible substrate 18 is appropriately folded in the substrate accommodation space 48, and the end portion 18b is connected to the monitor side circuit board 55. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, the flexible substrate 18 in the range from the upper end opening 45a to the substrate insertion hole 47 has a small amount of deformation during operation of the movable monitor 20 and a small amount of exposure to the appearance. Unlike the board cover 57, a protective member that covers the outside is not attached.

In summary, the flexible substrate 18 has a first region 18c from the end 18a connected to the body-side circuit board 17 in the camera body 10 to the substrate insertion hole 43 on the rear surface side of the camera body 10 and the substrate, depending on the support form. A second region 18d from the insertion hole 43 to just before the narrowed portion 46a of the communication passage 46 of the base plate 23, and a third region from the portion sandwiched by the narrowed portion 46a to the upper end opening 45a of the substrate guide recess 45. 18e, a fourth region 18f from the upper end opening 45a to the substrate insertion hole 47 of the support frame 22, and a fifth region 18g from the substrate insertion hole 47 to the connection portion to the monitor side circuit board 55. Divided. The first region 18c is a region fixedly supported in the camera body 10, the third region 18e is a region in which relative movement is restricted and supported with respect to the base plate 23, and the fifth region 18g. Is an area that is accommodated in the substrate accommodating space 48 in the support frame 22 and receives support. The second and fourth regions 18d and 18f are deformable regions that are deformed according to the operation of the movable monitor 20 without receiving fixed support. The substrate cover 57 is arranged in the second region 18d.

The movable monitor 20 having the above support structure operates as follows with respect to the camera body 10. 1 and 20 show initial positions in which the entire movable monitor 20 is housed in the monitor housing portion 30 of the camera body 10. At the initial position, two positioning protrusions 32 are inserted into the through holes 23f to determine the position of the movable monitor 20. The base plate 23 is attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet provided in each positioning protrusion 32 to hold the movable monitor 20 in the initial position. Further, the upper edge wall 30a, the lower edge wall 30b, the left edge wall 30c, and the upper edge portion 22a, the lower edge portion 22b (flange 23g), and the left side portion 22c on the movable monitor 20 side along the right edge wall 30d surrounding the monitor accommodating portion 30. (Flange 23h) and the right side portion 22d (flange 23i) are located. The orientation of the movable monitor 20 at the initial position is set so that the display surface of the display device 21 is substantially orthogonal to the optical axis O (more strictly, the virtual line O'that extends the optical axis O rearward). There is. The orientation of the movable monitor 20 is used as a reference angle.

In the initial position of the movable monitor 20, the spherical end portions 25 of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are located near the outer end portion of the guide groove 31 (the outer end wall 35c of the cover member 35) and accommodate the monitor. The rising angles (protrusion amount) of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d with respect to the portion 30 are minimized. 14 and 15 show the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d in this state, and as can be seen from the figure, the support rods 19a and the support rods 19d in one diagonal direction of the rectangular movable monitor 20. Extends, and the support rod 19b and the support rod 19c extend in the other diagonal direction. At this time, the axes of the rod-shaped portions 24 of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 31, and most of the rod-shaped portions 24 are within the corresponding guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d. It fits.

The cover members 35 constituting the four guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d project rearward from the bottom surface of the monitor accommodating portion 30 (see FIG. 12), but in the initial position of the movable monitor 20, each guide groove The protruding portions of the 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d, and the rod-shaped portions 24 and the spherical end portions 25 of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d located in the guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d are formed on the base plate 23. By entering the four notches 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d, interference of the support mechanism (guide groove 31 and support rod 19) with the movable monitor 20 is prevented. That is, by forming the notches 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d in the base plate 23 corresponding to the protruding shape on the monitor accommodating portion 30, the movable monitor 20 and its support mechanism can be efficiently provided in the monitor accommodating portion 30. It is possible to store it and reduce the thickness in the front-back direction.

As shown in FIG. 20, in the initial position of the movable monitor 20, the portion of the flexible substrate 18 covered by the substrate cover 57 (second region 18d) is the bottom of the monitor accommodating portion 30 and the substrate accommodating recess 44 of the base plate 23. It is folded and stored in the space between them. Specifically, the flexible substrate 18 and the substrate cover 57 extend downward from the substrate insertion hole 43, and are folded upward in front of the inclined surface 44a at the lower end of the substrate storage recess 44 to form the substrate storage recess 44. It extends upward along it. Since the substrate storage recess 44 is formed in a portion of the base plate 23 that does not overlap with the notches 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d (see FIGS. 14 and 15), the flexible substrate 18 is stored along the substrate storage recess 44. The board cover 57 is space-efficiently housed between the movable monitor 20 and the monitor accommodating portion 30 without interfering with the guide grooves 31, the support rods 19, the sockets 27, etc., which form the support mechanism of the movable monitor 20. be able to.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the movable monitor 20 can be tilted in four directions of up, down, left, and right from the reference angle at the initial position. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the movable monitor 20 is tilted toward the left side with respect to the vertical axis. The tilt of the movable monitor 20 to the left side is performed by pulling the right side portion 22d (flange 23i) side toward the rear and using the contact portion between the left side portion 22c (flange 23h) and the left edge wall 30c as a fulcrum. At this time, the support rod 19c on the upper right side and the support rod 19d on the lower right side respectively have the spherical end 25 from the vicinity of the outer end (outer end wall 35c) of the guide grooves 31c and 31d to the inner end (inner end wall 35d). The rising angle (protrusion amount) with respect to the monitor accommodating portion 30 is increased while moving toward the side, and as a result, the socket 27c on the upper right side and the socket 27d on the lower right side are pushed out toward the rear, so that the movable monitor 20 is moved. Tilt to the left. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the movable monitor 20 is operated up to the maximum tilt angle toward the left by pushing out the support rod 19c on the upper right side and the support rod 19d on the lower right side. In this state, the upper right side and the lower right side 2 The two spherical end portions 25 are located near the inner ends of the corresponding guide grooves 31c and 31d, and further movement of each spherical end portion 25 is restricted by the inner end wall 35d. The support rod 19a on the upper left side and the support rod 19b on the lower left side have smaller rising angles than the support rod 19c on the upper right side and the support rod 19d on the lower right side, and the respective spherical end portions 25 have corresponding guide grooves 31a and 31b. It is located near the center in the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the movable monitor 20 is tilted toward the right side with respect to the vertical axis. The tilt of the movable monitor 20 to the right side is performed by pulling the left side portion 22c (flange 23h) side toward the rear and using the contact portion between the right side portion 22d (flange 23i) and the right edge wall 30d as a fulcrum. At this time, the support rod 19a on the upper left side and the support rod 19b on the lower left side move the spherical end portion 25 from the vicinity of the outer end portion (outer end wall 35c) of the guide grooves 31a and 31b to the inner end portion (inner end wall 35d) side, respectively. The rising angle (protrusion amount) with respect to the monitor accommodating portion 30 is increased while moving toward the monitor, and as a result, the upper left socket 27a and the lower left socket 27b are pushed backward, so that the movable monitor 20 is moved to the right side. Tilt towards. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the movable monitor 20 is operated up to the maximum tilt angle toward the right by pushing out the support rod 19a on the upper left side and the support rod 19b on the lower left side. In this state, the two spherical shapes on the upper left side and the lower left side are shown. The end 25 is located near the inner end of the corresponding guide grooves 31a, 31b, and further movement of each spherical end 25 is restricted by the inner end wall 35d. The upper right support rod 19c and the lower right support rod 19d have smaller rising angles than the upper left support rod 19a and the lower left support rod 19b, and the respective spherical end portions 25 correspond to the guide grooves 31c and 31d. It is located near the center in the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the movable monitor 20 is tilted downward with the axis line oriented in the left-right direction as the center. The tilt of the movable monitor 20 to the lower side is performed by pulling the upper side portion 22a side toward the rear and using the contact portion between the lower side portion 22b (flange 23g) and the lower edge wall 30b as a fulcrum. At this time, the support rod 19a on the upper left side and the support rod 19c on the upper right side move the spherical end portion 25 from the vicinity of the outer end portion (outer end wall 35c) of the guide grooves 31a and 31c to the inner end portion (inner end wall 35d) side, respectively. The rising angle (protrusion amount) with respect to the monitor accommodating portion 30 is increased while moving toward the monitor, and as a result, the upper left socket 27a and the upper right socket 27c are pushed backward so that the movable monitor 20 is moved downward. Tilt towards. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the movable monitor 20 is operated up to the maximum downward tilt angle due to the extrusion of the support rod 19a on the upper left side and the support rod 19c on the upper right side. In this state, two spheres on the upper left side and the upper right side are shown. The end 25 is located near the inner end of the corresponding guide grooves 31a, 31c, and further movement of each spherical end 25 is restricted by the inner end wall 35d. The lower left support rod 19b and the lower right support rod 19d have a smaller rising angle than the upper left support rod 19a and the upper right support rod 19c, and the respective spherical end portions 25 correspond to the guide grooves 31b and 31d. It is located near the center in the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the movable monitor 20 is tilted upward with respect to the axis line oriented in the left-right direction. The tilting of the movable monitor 20 upward is performed by pulling the lower side portion 22b (flange 23g) side toward the rear and using the contact portion between the upper side portion 22a and the upper edge wall 30a as a fulcrum. At this time, the support rod 19b on the lower left side and the support rod 19d on the lower right side respectively have the spherical end portion 25 from the vicinity of the outer end portion (outer end wall 35c) of the guide grooves 31b and 31d to the inner end portion (inner end wall 35d). The rising angle (protrusion amount) with respect to the monitor accommodating portion 30 is increased while moving toward the side, and as a result, the socket 27b on the lower left side and the socket 27d on the lower right side are pushed out toward the rear, so that the movable monitor 20 is moved. Tilt upward. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the movable monitor 20 is operated up to the maximum upward tilt angle by pushing out the support rod 19b on the lower left side and the support rod 19d on the lower right side. In this state, the lower left side and the lower right side 2 The two spherical end portions 25 are located near the inner ends of the corresponding guide grooves 31b, 31d, and further movement of each spherical end portion 25 is restricted by the inner end wall 35d. The support rod 19a on the upper left side and the support rod 19c on the upper right side have a smaller rising angle than the support rod 19b on the lower left side and the support rod 19d on the lower right side, and the guide grooves 31a and 31c corresponding to the spherical end portions 25, respectively. It is located near the center in the longitudinal direction.

In the initial position of the movable monitor 20 in FIG. 1 (stored in the monitor housing portion 30), the movable monitor is formed by the upper edge wall 30a, the lower edge wall 30b, the left edge wall 30c, and the right edge wall 30d around the monitor housing portion 30. By surrounding the 20, it is possible to prevent the movable monitor 20 from being inadvertently operated by preventing it from being caught from the outside. The low wall 30i formed at the upper end portion of the right edge wall 30d (the boundary portion with the upper edge wall 30a) includes an operation dial 50 located at the upper right of the movable monitor 20 and a plurality of operation buttons located below the operation dial 50. It has a function of improving the operability of the 51. Specifically, when the grip portion of the camera body 10 is gripped with the right hand, it is assumed that the operation dial 50 and the push buttons (part of the plurality of operation buttons 51) located around the operation dial 50 are operated with the right thumb. To. At that time, since the low wall 30i is located on the movement locus of the thumb, the thumb can reach the operation dial 50 or the like smoothly without being caught by the high wall portions (30a, 30b, 30c and 30d) surrounding the monitor accommodating portion 30. It will be easier to get it.

As described above, in the initial position of the movable monitor 20, the movable monitor 20 can be protected by the walls 30a, 30b, 30c and 30d (including the low wall 30i) provided at positions surrounding the four corners of the movable monitor 20 at the top, bottom, left and right. On the other hand, by forming recesses 30e, 30f, 30g and 30h around the monitor accommodating portion 30, the edge portion of the movable monitor 20 is partially exposed and movable from the initial position as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. Good operability (finger hook) when the monitor 20 is tilted is also realized. Since the recesses 30e, 30f, 30g and 30h are all formed corresponding to the central portions of the upper side portion 22a, the lower side portion 22b, the left side portion 22c and the right side portion 22d of the movable monitor 20, they are formed in the vertical and horizontal directions from the initial position. It is easy to apply a force for tilting the movable monitor 20 to.

2 to 5 show a state in which the movable monitor 20 is tilted to the maximum tilt angle in the vertical and horizontal directions by the pushing operation in which two of the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are set as the maximum rising angles. However, by locating the spherical end 25 in the middle between the inner and outer ends of the guide groove 31, it is possible to hold the movable monitor 20 at an arbitrary tilt angle smaller than this. The spherical end portions 25 of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are fitted in the corresponding guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d in a state of being given friction by sandwiching the internal guide 34, and the movable monitor 20 By stopping the tilting operation with respect to the above, the movable monitor 20 can be held at the angle. The maximum tilt angle of the movable monitor 20 can be made larger or smaller than the size shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 by changing the settings such as the lengths of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d and the length of the guide groove 31. It is possible to do.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 21, the movable monitor 20 can further rotate the support frame 22 with respect to the base plate 23 about the tilt shaft 22x to increase the upward angle. For example, in the state of FIG. 5, the entire movable monitor 20 is moved upward by about 40 degrees with respect to the camera body 10 by tilting via the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d described above (first-stage tilting). It has become. Then, in the states of FIGS. 6 and 21, the support frame 22 and the display device 21 are about 90 degrees with respect to the initial position of FIG. 1 by adding the tilt of the support frame 22 with respect to the base plate 23 (the tilt of the second stage). It is changing upwards. This makes it possible, for example, to use the movable monitor 20 like a waist level finder. The rotation of the support frame 22 from the state of FIG. 5 to the state of FIGS. 6 and 21 can be performed by hooking a finger on the portion of the support frame 22 that is not covered by the flanges 23g, 23h and 23i of the base plate 23. it can. As described above, the support frame 22 and the base plate 23 are lightly locked to the integrated position (FIGS. 1 to 5, 7 to 13, 20) and the rising position (6, 21) by the click washer 38. By applying a predetermined force, the holding by the click washer 38 is released, and the support frame 22 can be tilted around the tilt shaft 22x.

When the movable monitor 20 is housed in the monitor accommodating portion 30 close to the camera body 10 (initial position), the movable monitor 20 can be tilted about an axis in a specific direction such as a vertical direction or a horizontal direction as described above. it can. The tilt of the movable monitor 20 is defined as the tilt of the first aspect. In addition to the tilting of the first aspect, the movable monitor 20 is rearward in the optical axis direction (virtual line O'with the optical axis O extended) from the monitor accommodating portion 30 as shown in FIGS. 7, 11, 12, and 13. It is possible to pull it out in the direction along the camera body 10 and separate it from the camera body 10. The pull-out operation of the movable monitor 20 is performed by increasing the rising angles (protruding amount) of the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d with respect to the monitor accommodating portion 30. For example, by making the protrusion amounts of the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d with respect to the monitor accommodating portion 30 substantially equal, the movable monitor 20 is not tilted from the initial position of FIGS. 1 and 20 (reference). It can be moved substantially parallel to the optical axis O (while maintaining the angle) to bring it to the state shown in FIGS. 7, 11, 12, and 13.

7, FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 show the maximum protruding state of the movable monitor 20 in which the amount (rising angle) of the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d protruding rearward with respect to the monitor housing portion 30 is maximized. Is shown. In this state, the spherical end portions 25 of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d move toward the inner end portion further by the inner end wall 35d within the corresponding guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d, respectively. Is regulated. Therefore, it is restricted that the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are in a state of being in contact with each other and the rising angle is further increased, which limits the protrusion of the movable monitor 20 to the rear. The distance between the inner end walls 35d in the four guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d on the camera body 10 side is set to be larger than the distance between the four sockets 27a, 27b, 27c and 27d on the movable monitor 20 side. Therefore, in the maximum protruding state of the movable monitor 20, the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d have a divergent shape (trapezoidal shape) in which the distance on the spherical end 25 side is wider than the distance on the spherical end 26 side. ) Is supported by the movable monitor 20. As a result, stable support is realized. Further, when the movable monitor 20 is pushed forward from this maximum protruding state, the spherical end portions 25 of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are pushed into the guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d with the inner end wall 35d. Since the force in the direction of separating from the monitor is applied, the movable monitor 20 can be smoothly accommodated and operated in the monitor accommodating portion 30.

When the movable monitor 20 is pulled out to the rear of the monitor housing portion 30 and separated from the camera body 10, the movable monitor 20 has an upper edge wall 30a, a lower edge wall 30b, a left edge wall 30c, and a right edge wall of the monitor housing portion 30. It becomes possible to operate without being restricted by 30d. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, tilting in a free direction that is not limited to the axis center in a specific direction such as a vertical direction or a horizontal direction becomes possible. For example, the movable monitor 20 can be moved in the directions of diagonally upper right shown in FIG. 8, diagonally lower left shown in FIG. 9, diagonally upper left with the left and right reversed from FIG. 8, and diagonally lower right with the left and right reversed from FIG. It can be tilted, and its angle can be arbitrarily set within a range that the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d can follow. The directional tilt of the movable monitor 20 is defined as the tilt of the second aspect. Further, in a state where the movable monitor 20 is pulled out backward less than the maximum amount, the direction orthogonal to the optical axis O while maintaining the reference angle within a predetermined range in which the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d can follow. It is also possible to move the movable monitor 20 to.

In a state where the movable monitor 20 is pulled out to the rear of the monitor accommodating portion 30, as shown in FIG. 10, a virtual line O in which the optical axis O is extended within a range that the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d can follow. It is also possible to rotate the movable monitor 20 around'(the axis facing the contact / separation direction of the movable monitor 20 with respect to the camera body 10). FIG. 10 shows a state in which the movable monitor 20 is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the photographer side, and it is also possible to rotate the movable monitor 20 in the opposite clockwise direction. In the present embodiment, since the outer center of the movable monitor 20 is located on the virtual line O'which extends the optical axis O, the movable monitor 20 rotates about its own outer center in the state of FIG. However, it is also possible to configure the virtual line O'with the optical axis O to pass through a position different from the outer center of the movable monitor 20. In this case, the positions of the outer center and the rotation center of the movable monitor 20 do not match.

The flexible substrate 18 has a length capable of following all the above operations of the movable monitor 20. As described above, the flexible substrate 18 has a second region 18d between the substrate insertion hole 43 of the camera body 10 and the narrowed portion 46a of the base plate 23, the upper end opening 45a of the base plate 23, and the substrate insertion hole 47 of the support frame 22. The fourth region 18f between them is a deformable region that deforms with the operation of the movable monitor 20. Of these, the positional change between the substrate insertion holes 43 located at both ends of the second region 18d and the narrowed portion 46a is particularly large. For example, FIG. 21 shows a state in which the lower side portion (flange 23 g) of the base plate 23 is pulled out rearward, and the narrowed portion 46a is largely separated rearward from the substrate insertion hole 43. In this state, the second region 18d of the flexible substrate 18 and the substrate cover 57 do not linearly connect the substrate insertion hole 43 and the narrowed portion 46a, but protrude diagonally downward and then diagonally upward in a V shape. It has a length with a margin of the trajectory of. Therefore, not only the lower side of the movable monitor 20 as shown in FIG. 21 is raised, but also the maximum protruding state (FIG. 7, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 13) in which the entire movable monitor 20 is pulled out rearward, and the movable monitor 20 The second region 18d of the flexible substrate 18 and the substrate cover 57 have a sufficient length on the camera body 10 side even when the flexible substrate 18 is tilted or rotated after being pulled backward (FIGS. 8 to 10). Can be connected to the movable monitor 20 (base plate 23) side.

Further, the substrate insertion hole 43 on the camera body 10 side is located approximately equidistant from the four guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d (see FIG. 12), and the narrowed portion 46a on the movable monitor 20 side is the four sockets 27a. It is located approximately equidistant from 27b, 27c and 27d, and the substrate insertion hole 43 and the narrowed portion 46a are respectively arranged near the outer center of the movable monitor 20 (near the virtual line O'extended the optical axis O). (See FIG. 20). When the movable monitor 20 is tilted or rotated with the movable monitor 20 pulled out as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the displacement amount with respect to the monitor accommodating portion 30 is the smallest near the center of the outer shape of the movable monitor 20. Further, in the vicinity of the outer center of the movable monitor 20, the displacement amount with respect to the monitor accommodating portion 30 is averaged when the movable monitor 20 is tilted in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, and the displacement amount is extremely large. There is no tilting direction that increases. Therefore, by locating the substrate insertion hole 43 and the narrowed portion 46a at a position where the displacement amount is small, the second region 18d of the flexible substrate 18 extending between the substrate insertion hole 43 and the narrowed portion 46a and the substrate cover The effect of reducing the bending and twisting of the 57 can be obtained.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, when the support frame 22 rotates with respect to the base plate 23 about the tilt shaft 22x, the position of the substrate insertion hole 47 of the support frame 22 with respect to the upper end opening 45a of the base plate 23 changes. .. Specifically, at the initial position of the movable monitor 20 shown in FIG. 20, the substrate insertion hole 47 that opens forward with respect to the upper end opening 45a that opens upward is substantially oriented in the rotation direction centered on the tilt shaft 22x. The positional relationship is 90 degrees off. On the other hand, when the support frame 22 is rotated upward with respect to the base plate 23 as shown in FIG. 21, the substrate insertion hole 47 opens downward with respect to the upper end opening 45a which opens diagonally upward. Therefore, the relative angle between the upper end opening 45a and the substrate insertion hole 47 in the rotation direction about the tilt shaft 22x is large. However, since the upper end opening 45a and the substrate insertion hole 47 are both arranged at positions close to the radial direction with respect to the axis of the tilt shaft 22x, the change in distance between the support frame 22 and the base plate 23 due to relative rotation is small. .. In addition, no complicated operation other than relative rotation about the tilt shaft 22x is performed between the support frame 22 and the base plate 23. Therefore, if the fourth region 18f of the flexible substrate 18 is set so as to linearly connect the upper end opening 45a and the substrate insertion hole 47 in the state of FIG. 21, the length is sufficient without excess or deficiency. The fourth region 18f of the flexible substrate 18 is shorter than the second region 18d (the amount of exposure to the appearance is small) and the amount of deformation is also small, so that unlike the first region 18c, it looks like the substrate cover 57. Not covered with a protective member. However, it is also possible to cover the fourth region 18f of the flexible substrate 18 with a protective member such as the substrate cover 57. Alternatively, of the flexible substrate 18, the region from the substrate insertion hole 43 on the camera body 10 side to the substrate insertion hole 47 of the movable monitor 20 (second region 18d, third region 18e, and fourth region 18f). It is also possible to configure the entire substrate cover 57 to cover the entire surface of the substrate cover 57.

As described above, in the camera 1 of the present embodiment, the degree of freedom in setting the position of the movable monitor 20 with respect to the camera body 10 is high. As a first aspect of the operation of the movable monitor 20, the movable monitor 20 can be tilted in four directions of up, down, left, and right while being in the initial position in the monitor accommodating portion 30. As a second aspect of the operation of the movable monitor 20, when the movable monitor 20 is moved backward in the optical axis direction (distance direction from the camera body 10) from the initial position, it is possible to freely tilt without any direction restriction. Become. Unlike the tilt of the first aspect, the tilt of the movable monitor 20 in the second aspect is an arbitrary tilt without passing through a reference angle at which the display surface of the display device 21 of the movable monitor 20 is substantially orthogonal to the optical axis O. It is excellent in operability because it can directly shift from one direction to the next tilting direction. In any of the embodiments, when the movable monitor 20 is tilted, the movable monitor 20 is within a range that does not protrude from the outer shape of the camera body 10 when viewed in a direction parallel to the optical axis O as shown in FIG. It is possible to prevent the camera 1 from becoming large (particularly, increasing the size in the vertical and horizontal directions perpendicular to the optical axis O).

Further, the movable monitor 20 can increase the angle change in a predetermined direction (upward) by rotating the support frame 22 with respect to the base plate 23, and can correspond to a wider variety of shooting postures.

Further, when the movable monitor 20 is moved from the initial position to the rear in the optical axis direction (distance direction from the camera body 10), rotation around the optical axis O as shown in FIG. 10 is also possible, and the position of the movable monitor 20 The degree of freedom of setting is even higher.

The tilting and rotation of the movable monitor 20 described above do not significantly change the relative positional relationship between the outer center of the movable monitor 20 and the optical axis O (virtual line O'that extends the optical axis O). Therefore, when viewed along the optical axis O, the movable monitor 20 does not deviate significantly from the outer shape of the camera body 10, so that composition adjustment and the like can be easily performed. Further, in the initial position of the movable monitor 20, the movable monitor 20 is housed in the monitor accommodating portion 30 of the camera body 10, and the movable monitor 20 is pulled out from the monitor accommodating portion 30 as needed. Therefore, the camera in the initial state is used. The size of 1 in the optical axis direction can be suppressed.

The camera 1 of the present embodiment movably supports the movable monitor 20 with respect to the camera body 10 by a support mechanism via a plurality of (four) support rods 19. Each support rod 19 is provided with spherical ends 25 and 26 at both ends, and the spherical end 26 is supported by a socket 27 on the movable monitor 20 side so that the spherical end 26 can rotate in a spherical center (rotatably in a direction), and the camera By supporting the spherical end portion 25 so as to be rotatable and linearly movable with respect to the guide groove 31 on the main body 10 side, the operation of the movable monitor 20 having a high degree of freedom described above can be realized. .. At the initial position of the movable monitor 20, the rising angle (protrusion amount) of each support rod 19 from the monitor accommodating portion 30 is minimized, and all the support rods 19 are substantially orthogonal to the virtual line O'with the optical axis O extended. The relationship is located on a plane. Since each socket 27 and each guide groove 31 are also located on this plane, the support mechanism of the movable monitor 20 can be housed in a very space-saving direction in the front-rear direction along the optical axis O.

The number and arrangement of the support rods 19 can be changed according to the required specifications. The camera 1 of the illustrated embodiment meets the specification requirement that the rectangular movable monitor 20 whose four sides are oriented in the vertical and horizontal directions at the initial position is tilted in the four directions of the vertical and horizontal directions from the initial position (FIGS. 2 to 5). In order to satisfy the requirements, the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are supported by the four guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d extending in the diagonal direction of the rectangular movable monitor 20. With this configuration, it becomes easy to tilt the movable monitor 20 in the vertical and horizontal directions, which is the direction between the two adjacent support rods 19. Further, by configuring the guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d to extend in the diagonal direction of the rectangular movable monitor 20, each guide groove 31a is within the limited space of the outer shape of the movable monitor 20. , 31b, 31c and 31d and the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d can be maximized. When these components are lengthened, the movable amount of the movable monitor 20 is increased, and as a result, the degree of freedom in setting the position of the movable monitor 20 is improved.

Basically, increasing the number of support rods 19 increases the stability of the movable monitor 20, while increasing the degree of freedom of operation, and decreasing the number of support rods 19 increases the degree of freedom of operation of the movable monitor 20. On the other hand, it becomes difficult to obtain stability. For example, when one or more support rods 19 are additionally arranged between the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d of the illustrated embodiment, the stability of the movable monitor 20 with respect to the monitor accommodating portion 30 during operation is improved. The effect of enhancing is obtained. On the other hand, when the movable monitor 20 is tilted in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 from the initial position of FIG. 1, it is tilted by the additionally arranged support rod 19 depending on the conditions such as the arrangement of the socket 27. The amount and direction in which it can be tilted may be limited. Further, when any of the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d of the illustrated embodiment is removed to reduce the number of support rods 19, the movable monitor 20 is moved to the side where the removed support rods are located. The amount of tilt can be increased. On the other hand, since the friction of the guide groove 31 and the socket 27 acting on the removed support rod is subtracted, it acts on the remaining support rod in order to obtain the stability of the movable monitor 20 equivalent to that of the illustrated embodiment. It is necessary to take measures such as strengthening the friction. In either case, the effect of achieving both a high degree of freedom of operation and a compact support mechanism can be obtained as compared with the existing support structure, so that the specifications required for the support and operation of the movable monitor 20 are satisfied. For example, it is also possible to carry out the present invention as such a modification.

Further, the operability when operating the movable monitor 20 is affected by the rising angles of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d with respect to the guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d. When the user grips the support frame 22 or the base plate 23 and changes the posture of the movable monitor 20, the support rods 19a, 19b from the sockets 27a, 27b, 27c and 27d on the movable monitor 20 side via the spherical end portion 26. , 19c and 19d are input with force, and the spherical end portion 25 changes the posture of the movable monitor 20 while sliding in the corresponding guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d against friction. Here, when the movable monitor 20 is located at a position where the rising angles of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are small (such as the initial positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 20), the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are located. Since the axial direction of the guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d is close to the longitudinal direction (the inclination is small), the pushing and pulling force acting from the spherical end portion 26 to the spherical end portion 25 via the rod-shaped portion 24 Most act as a component that moves the spherical end 25 along the guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d. Therefore, the movable monitor 20 can be operated efficiently. On the other hand, when the rising angles of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d become large, the direction of the pushing and pulling force acting from the spherical end portion 26 to the spherical end portion 25 via the rod-shaped portion 24 and the guide grooves 31a, 31b, respectively. Since the angle difference in the moving direction of the spherical end portion 25 along 31c and 31d becomes large, the component force for sliding the spherical end portion 25 with respect to the input to the spherical end portion 26 becomes small. Therefore, when the operability of the movable monitor 20 is emphasized, the support rods 19a, 19b, are set according to the conditions such as the length of the guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d and the arrangement of the sockets 27a, 27b, 27c and 27d. It is also possible to have a configuration in which the maximum rising angles of 19c and 19d are suppressed to some extent. On the other hand, if the maximum rising angles of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are suppressed, the amount of protrusion and the tilt angle of the movable monitor 20 from the monitor accommodating portion 30 are limited, so the range of motion of the movable monitor 20 is emphasized. In this case, it is also possible to set the maximum rising angles of the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d to be large. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the directions of the axes of the rod-shaped portions 24 when the support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d are at the maximum rising angle are the guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and It is set so as to have a slight inclination with respect to the virtual line O'(FIGS. 11, 20, 21) in which the optical axis O is extended without being completely orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of 31d, and is movable. The good operability of the monitor 20 and the size of the range of motion are balanced.

The flexible substrate 18 that electrically connects the body-side circuit board 17 in the camera body 10 and the monitor-side circuit board 55 in the movable monitor 20 extends out of the camera body 10 through the substrate insertion hole 43, and is extended by the base plate 23. The intermediate portion (third region 18e) is supported and then inserted into the substrate accommodation space 48 in the support frame 22. By arranging the flexible substrate 18 in this way, it is possible to realize a space-saving configuration in which the load on the flexible substrate 18 is suppressed while increasing the degree of freedom in the position of the display device 21 with respect to the camera body 10.

For example, if the flexible substrate 18 is directly guided from the substrate insertion hole 43 to the substrate insertion hole 47 without being supported by the base plate 23, the posture of the display device 21 and the support frame 22 with respect to the camera body 10 can be changed with a high degree of freedom. As a result, the bending angle and the amount of twist of the flexible substrate 18 may suddenly change at the insertion portion into the substrate insertion hole 43 or the substrate insertion hole 47, and a large load may be applied. If the length of the flexible substrate 18 is increased between the substrate insertion hole 43 and the substrate insertion hole 47 in order to avoid this, it becomes difficult to manage the loose state of the flexible substrate 18, and the movable monitor 20 is placed in the monitor accommodating portion 30. When accommodating, the flexible substrate 18 may interfere with the support mechanism such as the support rod 19, or the flexible substrate 18 may be caught in an unintended portion.

On the other hand, in the camera 1 of the present embodiment, the third region 18e of the flexible substrate 18 is supported along the base plate 23, and the second region 18d between the camera body 10 and the base plate 23 and the base plate 23 are supported. Since the length and the slack state are individually set in each of the fourth regions 18f between the frames 22 (display device 21), there is no excess or deficiency corresponding to the movements of the base plate 23 and the support frame 22. The flexible substrate 18 can be arranged in length and shape. As described above, by arranging the second region 18d of the flexible substrate 18 in the form of connecting the substrate insertion hole 43 located near the outer center of the monitor accommodating portion 30 and the movable monitor 20 and the narrowed portion 46a, the camera body When the base plate 23, which is the first support step portion having a high degree of freedom in setting the position with respect to 10, is operated, the difference in the operating direction is less likely to affect the deformation of the flexible substrate 18, and the load on the flexible substrate 18 is increased. Bias can be reduced. Further, between the base plate 23 and the support frame 22, a flexible substrate is provided between the upper end opening 45a provided on the side of the four sides of the substantially rectangular movable monitor 20 connected by the tilt shaft 22x and the substrate insertion hole 47. Since the fourth region 18f of 18 is arranged, the flexible substrate 18 can be accommodated in the minimum length corresponding to the tilt around the tilt shaft 22x, and no extra slack is generated. Further, since the second region 18d of the flexible substrate 18 has a shape in which the third region 18e supported by the base plate 23 is extended downward and then folded upward, a movable monitor is shown as shown in FIG. With the 20 accommodated in the monitor accommodating portion 30, the second region 18d, the third region 18e, and the fourth region 18f of the flexible substrate 18 are arranged along the vertical direction of the base plate 23, and the movable monitor 20 The flexible substrate 18 can be space-efficiently housed between the camera body 10 and the camera body 10.

The support mechanism that movably supports the movable monitor 20 with respect to the camera body 10 includes four guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d extending in the diagonal direction of the substantially rectangular monitor accommodating portion 30, and the guide grooves 31a, 31b, respectively. The four sockets 27a, 27b, 27c and 27d provided on the movable monitor 20 side so as to face each other near the inner ends of the 31c and 31d, and the four support rods 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d connecting them. That is, the support mechanism is arranged in a region along the diagonal line between the movable monitor 20 and the monitor accommodating portion 30. The substrate insertion hole 43 that determines the position of one end of the second region 18d of the flexible substrate 18 is surrounded by the inner ends (inner end walls 35d) of the four guide grooves 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d (monitor accommodating portion 30). The constricted portion 46a, which determines the position of the other end of the second region 18d, is located near the center of the outer shape of the movable monitor 20 (near the center of the outer shape of the movable monitor 20) and is surrounded by the four sockets 27a, 27b, 27c and 27d. Further, the substrate storage recess 44 accommodating the second region 18d of the flexible substrate 18 extends vertically through between the socket 27b and the socket 27d (FIGS. 14 and 15). Therefore, the second region 18d of the flexible substrate 18 includes the socket 27b, the guide groove 31b, and the support rod 19b on the lower left side of the support mechanism of the movable monitor 20, and the socket 27d, the guide groove 31d, and the support rod on the lower right side. Located in the space between 19d. The substrate guide recess 45 and the communication passage 46 that support the region of the third region 18e of the flexible substrate 18 extend vertically through between the socket 27a and the socket 27c (FIGS. 14 and 15). Therefore, in the third region 18e of the flexible substrate 18, among the support mechanisms of the movable monitor 20, the upper left socket 27a, the guide groove 31a and the support rod 19a, and the upper right socket 27c, the guide groove 31c and the support rod 19c Located in the space between. As described above, the flexible substrate 18 connects the camera body 10 and the movable monitor 20 through the space between them, avoiding the diagonal region where the support mechanism of the movable monitor 20 is arranged, and the movable monitor 20 is connected. The structure is excellent in space efficiency so that the support mechanism and the flexible substrate 18 can be accommodated without interfering with each other.

Further, by covering the second region 18d of the flexible substrate 18 with the substrate cover 57, even if contact with peripheral members or the like occurs, the flexible substrate 18 can be protected and the risk of damage or disconnection can be reduced. .. The board cover 57 also serves as a component of a drip-proof (water-stopping) structure around the board insertion hole 43 of the camera body 10, and protects the flexible board 18 and secures drip-proof performance with a simple structure having a small number of parts. It has been realized.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, in the camera 1 of the illustrated embodiment, a socket 27 is provided on the movable monitor 20 side to which the spherical end 26 of the support rod 19 is connected so that only the spherical center can rotate, and the spherical end 25 of the support rod 19 rotates the spherical center. A guide groove 31 that enables both movement and straight movement is provided on the camera body 10 side, but in reverse of this relationship, the socket 27 is provided on the camera body 10 side and the guide groove 31 is provided on the movable monitor 20 side. It is also possible to provide it in.

The internal guide 34 constituting the guide groove 31 of the illustrated embodiment has a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction, and is substantially uniform throughout the guide groove 31 with respect to the spherical end portion 25 of the support rod 19. Friction is added. Unlike this, it is also possible to partially change the magnitude of friction on the support rod 19 in the guide groove 31. For example, as described above, when the movable monitor 20 is operated, the transmission efficiency (component force) of the force for sliding the spherical end portion 25 along the guide groove 31 changes due to the change in the rising angle of the support rod 19. Therefore, the friction acting from the guide groove 31 to the spherical end portion 25 may be set to change according to the change. Further, it is also possible to make the friction with respect to the spherical end portion 25 particularly large at a specific position in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 31 to facilitate positioning of the movable monitor 20. For example, if the friction is set to be large near the inner end and the outer end of the guide groove 31, the initial position of the movable monitor 20 (FIGS. 1 and 20) and the maximum tilt position (FIGS. 2 to 2) in the vertical and horizontal directions are set. The holding stability of the movable monitor 20 at a specific position such as FIG. 5) and the maximum rearward pull-out position (FIGS. 7, 11, 12, and 13) is enhanced. As a further change, it is also possible to form a recess or a convex portion for a click stop in the guide groove 31 that lightly locks the spherical end portion 25 at a specific position in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 31. The load adjustment in these guide grooves 31 can be performed by changing the plate thickness and cross-sectional shape of the outer member 34d and the inner member 34e constituting the inner guide 34, the cross-sectional shape of the cover member 35, and the like.

In the socket 27 of the illustrated embodiment, the spherical end portion 26 of the support rod 19 is held (sandwiched) by the holding concave surface 27e made of a concave spherical surface. In this configuration, rattling between the socket 27 and the spherical end portion 26 is unlikely to occur, and the spherical end portion 26 is less likely to fall off from the socket 27, which is excellent in both holding accuracy and strength. However, it is also possible to hold the spherical end portion 26 with a configuration different from that of the holding concave surface 27e. For example, instead of the concave spherical surface such as the holding concave surface 27e, the spherical end portion 26 can be held on the inner surface of a polyhedron formed by combining planes. Further, after omitting the portion corresponding to the socket 27 of the illustrated embodiment, the spherical ends of the retainer 28 so as to restrict the movement of the pair of support arm portions 28c in the opposite directions (left-right direction in FIG. 19). Another holding member is provided which sandwiches the portion 26 and further regulates the movement of the spherical end portion 26 in the direction orthogonal to the opposite direction of the pair of support arm portions 28c (vertical direction in FIG. 19 and the depth direction of the paper surface). The spherical end portion 26 can be held so as to be rotatable by the composite member.

In the movable monitor 20 of the illustrated embodiment, in addition to the angle change using the four support rods 19, the upward angle change is increased by the rotation of the support frame 22 with respect to the base plate 23, and the angle change in these two stages. Can also be applied in directions other than upwards. Further, the structure in which the support frame 22 rotates relative to the base plate 23 is omitted (the support frame 22 and the base plate 23 are integrated), and the movable monitor 20 is operated only by the support mechanism by the support rod 19. It is also possible to.

Although the movable monitor 20 of the illustrated embodiment includes a display device 21 having a horizontally long screen, the present invention can also be applied to an image pickup device of a type having a display screen having a shape other than the horizontally long screen such as a square. Further, the outer shape of the display screen is not limited to a rectangle, and may be a triangle, a quadrangle other than a rectangle, a polygon having five or more vertices, a curved shape having no vertices, or the like.

Further, unlike the movable monitor 20 of the illustrated embodiment, the display device 21 is not fixedly mounted on the support frame 22, but a separate display device (for example, a smartphone) is attached to and detached from the support frame 22. It is also possible to adopt a possible type of display unit. As the display device constituting the display unit, either a display having only a display function or a touch panel type display operated by touching the screen can be adopted.

The camera 1 of the illustrated embodiment is a single-lens reflex camera with an interchangeable lens, but the imaging device to which the present invention is applied is not limited to this, and a still camera other than the single-lens reflex camera with an interchangeable lens and movie shooting. It can also be applied to video cameras that mainly perform. In particular, since the camera angle changes frequently during movie shooting, an imaging device provided with a display unit having a high degree of freedom in position setting to which the present invention is applied is effective.

1 Camera (imaging device)
10 Camera body (main body)
15 Eyepiece window 16 Image sensor 17 Body side circuit board 18 Flexible board (connection means)
18a 18b Edge of flexible substrate 18c First region of flexible substrate 18d Second region of flexible substrate 18e Third region of flexible substrate 18f Fourth region of flexible substrate (deformable region)
Fifth region 19 of 18g flexible substrate (19a 19b 19c 19d) supporting rod de 20 movable monitor (display unit)
21 Display device 22 supporting frame (second support step portion)
22a upper part 22b lower part 22c left portion 22d right portion 22e journaled portion 22x tilt shaft 23 base plate (first support step portion)
23a 23b 23c 23d notch 23e journaled piece 23f through hole 23 g 23h 23i flange 24 bar-like portion 25 the spherical end 26 bulbous end 27 (27a 27b 27c 27d) socket (connection portion of the first support step portion)
27e holding concave surface 28 retail Na <br/> 28a bottom 28b standing wall 28c support arm portion 28d flange 29 holding plate 29a retaining portion 29b lid 30 monitor housing portion 30a Ueenkabe 30b Shitaenkabe 30c Hidarienkabe 30d right edge Wall 30e 30f 30g 30h Recess 30i Low wall 31 (31a 31b 31c 31d) Guide groove 32 Positioning protrusion 33 Groove recess 33a Bottom wall 33b Standing wall 34 Internal guide 34a Bottom 34b Side wall (opposing wall)
34c bent edge 34d outer member 34e inner member 35 covering member 35a lid 35b side wall 35c outer end wall 35d inner endwall 35e slot <br/> 35f 35 g flanges 36 cushion member 37 supports seat 38 click washers 40 support concave Part 41 42 Support seat 43 Board insertion hole 44 Board storage recess 44a Inclined surface 45 Board guide recess 45a Top opening 46 Communication passage 46a Narrowed part 46b Front and rear penetration 47 Board insertion hole 48 Board accommodation space 50 Operation dial 51 52 Operation button 55 Monitor Side circuit board 57 Board cover 57a Flange 57b Insertion end 58 Holding plate 60 61 62 Screws

Claims (10)

A main body having an image pickup element that receives a light flux incident along the optical axis of the image pickup optical system, and a display unit that can display an image obtained by the image pickup element on a display screen and is movably supported by the main body. It is an image sensor having
The display unit includes a first support step portion that can be tilted with respect to the main body while being located on an extension of the optical axis, and a second support step portion that is tilted with respect to the first support step portion. have a,
The first support step portion can be tilted in a plurality of directions with respect to the main body, and the second support step portion can be tilted in only one direction with respect to the first support step portion. An imaging device as a feature. A main body having an image pickup element that receives a light flux incident along the optical axis of the image pickup optical system, and a display unit that can display an image obtained by the image pickup element on a display screen and is movably supported by the main body. It is an image sensor having
The display unit includes a first support step portion that can be tilted with respect to the main body while being located on an extension of the optical axis, and a second support step portion that is tilted with respect to the first support step portion. Have,
The first support step portion can be separated from the main body in a direction in which the display screen is perpendicular to the optical axis.
The second support step portion is an image pickup apparatus characterized in that the first support step portion can be tilted with respect to the first support step portion from the separated state. A connecting means for electrically connecting the main body and the display unit is provided.
The connecting means extends from the main body and is connected to the display unit via the first support stage portion and the second support stage portion.
The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting means is bent between the main body and the display unit. The connecting means has the second support step portion with respect to the first support step portion between the portion supported by the first support step portion and the portion supported by the second support step portion. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a deformable region that deforms according to the tilt of the image. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the deformable region of the connecting means is not covered with a protective member. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the deformable region of the connecting means is covered with a protective member. 1. Claim 1 having a locking portion that locks the second support step portion to the first support step portion in a state where at least the first support step portion and the second support step portion overlap. 6. The imaging device according to any one of 6. The one according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the connection portion connected to the main body side of the first support step portion is located between one end and the other end of the outer shape of the first support step portion. Imaging device. Claim that the first support step portion can be tilted in a plurality of directions with respect to the main body, and the second support step portion can be tilted in only one direction with respect to the first support step portion. 2. Claim 3 that cites claim 2, claim 4 that cites claim 3 that cites claim 2, claim 5 or claim 4 that cites claim 3 that cites claim 2. 6. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claim 7, which cites claim 2, and claim 8 , which cites claim 2 . The first support step portion can be separated from the main body in a direction in which the display screen is perpendicular to the optical axis.
The second support step portion can be tilted with respect to the first support step portion from the separated state of the first support step portion , claim 1 and claim 3 quoting claim 1. Claim 4, quoting claim 3, quoting claim 1, quoting claim 3, quoting claim 4, claim 5 or 6, quoting claim 1, claim 7, quoting claim 1. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 8 , which cites claim 1 .

Images