JPH0199010A - Zooming device for camera or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the title device small in size and light in weight and to simply and at a high speed calculate the moving extent of a lens by stopping a variable power lens at the telephoto and wide ends and plural positions between said ends and positioning a focusing lens at a focused position determined by the stop position and a distance of an object to be photographed. CONSTITUTION:When a zoom button is pushed and released, an arm 35b of a detaining lever 35 is pushed in the direction A, the arm 35a escapes to the left of an arm 39a, a member 39 ascends to the upper part by a spring 40, a pin 44 pushed up an arm 41b, a switch 36 turns on and a motor starts to rotate. First of all, a rotary ring 15 rotates through a gear system but stops when a claw 19a reaches on a projection 57. Simultaneously, a claw 41 is detached from a notch 47, a cam ring 1 rotates clockwise together with a dividing board 68, focusing use and variable power lenses 7, 11 move in the optical axis direction through pins 13, 14 which have been engaged to cam grooves 3, 4 and execute variable power, and when a claw 41a goes into the notch 47, the motor 60 stops. On the other hand, when a coil 69 is brought to electric conduction and the ring 15 rotates in a state that the claw 19a has been drawn up, the lens 7 is pressed by a face cam 56 and moves in the optical axis direction, and stops by a focusing position detecting means.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a zoom device used with optical equipment such as a camera or an observation device, and more specifically, the invention relates to a zoom device that is used with optical equipment such as a camera or an observation device. The present invention relates to an automatic zoom device of the type that varies with two variables.

[Background of the Invention] Various types of zoom lenses are known for use in cameras and the like. The conventional zoom lens that is commonly used is the so-called fixed rear lens type, and this type of zoom lens has a focusing lens, a focusing lens,
It has a structure in which four groups of lenses are arranged: a variable power lens, a correction lens, and a relay lens. This rear lens fixed type zoom lens is easy to determine the position of the focusing lens because the position of the focusing lens is not a function of the position of the variable power lens. It has the advantage of being able to link the lens with the focusing lens and allowing stepless zooming, but on the other hand, the front lens is very large and heavy, making it difficult to operate due to its large size. Another drawback is that high-speed operation is extremely difficult because the amount of movement of the focusing lens is large in response to fluctuations in .

In contrast to the above-mentioned fixed rear lens zoom lens, a fixed front lens zoom lens is known. Although the latter does not have the disadvantages of fixed rear lens zoom lenses, it has the characteristic that the amount of movement of the focusing lens changes depending on two variables: the position of the variable magnification lens and the subject distance. It is extremely difficult to realize this type (front lens fixed type), so even though it is theoretically known, it has not been put into practical use. Also,
In the case of a fixed front lens type, a calculation device such as a microcomputer is required to determine the amount of movement of the focusing lens, but it is possible to calculate the amount of movement of the focusing lens corresponding to any variable magnification lens position and any subject distance. Since this would require a large-capacity, high-speed arithmetic unit, it was difficult to realize from an electronic device perspective.

[Object of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a zoom device that is smaller and lighter than a rear lens fixed type zoom device, and to calculate the focusing lens movement amount more easily and at a higher speed than a conventional front lens fixed type zoom device. An object of the present invention is to provide a new zoom device that can perform the following functions.

[Summary of the Invention] In the zoom device according to the present invention, the variable power lens is driven so as to stop only at a plurality of predetermined positions between the telephoto end and the wide end, and at the telephoto end and the wide end. It is characterized in that the focusing lens is positioned at a focusing position determined by two variables: the stopping position of the variable magnification lens and the distance to the subject. The zoom device according to the present invention is configured such that the variable magnification lens can be stopped only at a predetermined position between the telephoto end and the wide end, and the focusing position of the focusing lens with respect to the predetermined position is calculated. Because of this configuration, it is possible to use a relatively small-capacity arithmetic unit, and it is therefore possible to realize an automatic zoom device with a fixed front lens, which has been difficult to realize in the past. As a result, the present invention provides a zoom device that is lighter and smaller than the rear lens fixed type zoom device that has been in practical use.

[Embodiments of the invention] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the mechanical structure of an embodiment of the zoom device according to the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a cam ring equipped with a gear 2 at its rear end and has cam grooves 3 and 4 formed on its outer circumferential surface;
5 is the 1st group lens (front lens), 6 is the front plate to which the 1st group lens 5 is fixed, 7 is the 2nd group lens for focusing (middle lens), and 8 is the holder to which the 2nd group lens 7 is fixed. , 15 is a rotary ring equipped with a face cam 56 for controlling the position of the holder 8 in the optical axis direction, and 16 rotatably supports the rotary ring 15 and includes a known aperture unit (not shown) such as aperture blades 54. ), the 2nd group base plate carrying 11 is 3
A group lens (rear lens) 12 is a third group base plate to which a third group lens 11 is fixed. 2nd group lens 7 (focusing lens)
2 group base plate 1 supporting a holder 8 carrying a holder 8 and a rotating ring 15 for controlling the positioning of the holder 8
6 and the third group lens 11 for variable magnification are housed in the cam ring 1, and two upper and lower guide bars 9 extend parallel to the optical axis within the cam ring 1. and 10 and the guide bars 9 and 1
It is possible to slide along 0.

23 is a rear base plate, and three support rods 24 to 26 extending parallel to the optical axis are protruded from the front surface of the rear base plate 23.

The support rods 24 to 26 are arranged on the same circumference centered on the optical axis (the center of the rear base plate 23), and the outer circumferential surface of each of the support rods 24 to 26 is a part of the circumferential surface with the same radius of curvature. The cam ring 1 is rotatably fitted on the outer circumferential surface of each of the support rods 24 to 26. The total length of each support rod 24 to 26 is 1
When the cam ring 1 is fitted to each of the support rods 24 to 26,
It has a length that protrudes slightly forward from the front end. Screw holes 24a to 2 drilled in the front end surface of each support rod 24 to 26
6a is a screw insertion hole (blind hole) 6a drilled in the front plate 6
-6C, screws 59a and 5 are screwed into screw holes 24a-26a through screw insertion holes 6a-6C.
9b and 59c, the front plate 6 is connected to the support rods 24 to 26.
It is designed to be fastened to the front end surface of the That is, the front plate 6 and the first lens group 5 are fixed to the rear plate 23, and the zoom device of this embodiment has a fixed front lens structure.

The front base plate 6 and the rear base plate 23 have three pairs of holes (4 pairs) aligned with each other.
8,51), (49,52) and (50,53) are drilled. Of these, both ends of the upper guide bar 9 passing through the cam ring 1 are fitted and fixed into the holes 48 and 51, and both ends of the lower guide bar 1O, which also passes through the cam ring 1, are fitted and fixed into the holes 49 and 52. Ori,
Also, in the hole 50 and the hole 53, an end portion 1 of a drive shaft 17 for autofocus, which will be described later, also passes through the inside of the cam ring 1.
7a and 17b are rotatably inserted and supported.

The holder 8 carrying the second lens group 7 is suspended at its upper end so as to be slidable relative to the upper guide bar 9, and has a U-shaped member at its lower end that engages with the lower guide bar IO. A notch 8a is formed. Further, a protrusion 55 as a follower that engages with the face cam 56 of the rotating ring 15 is provided on the rear end surface of the holder 8. The protrusion 55 is always connected to the face cam 56 by a spring 75 that always pulls the holder 8 backward. It is pressed.

Rotating ring 1 equipped with face cam 56 on the front side
5 is supported by the 2 group base plate 16 so as to be able to rotate only.
A gear portion 73 that constantly meshes with a gear 18, which will be described later, is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary ring protruding forward from the base plate 16, and a ratchet tooth portion 74 is provided parallel to the gear portion 73. This ratchet tooth portion 74 is a member that engages with a stop lever 19, which will be described later.
Together with 9, it constitutes a device for controlling the rotation stop position of the rotary ring 15 (that is, a focusing movement amount control means for the second group lens 70).

A protrusion 57 is formed on the same circumferential surface of the rotary ring as the row of ratchet teeth 74 and at a position slightly apart from the row of ratchet teeth 74 in the circumferential direction, and this protrusion 57 is used as a stop lever as will be explained later. The claw 19a at the tip of the projection 5
This is to bring the armature 21 at the rear end of the stop lever 19 closer to the yoke 20 of the electromagnet 90 when the stop lever 19 rides on the stop lever 7.

The rotating ring 15 rotates by the same circumferential length as the face cam 56 and is supported by the second group base plate 16 so as to hang.
The cluster base plate 16 is provided with a stopper (not shown) that determines the maximum rotation angle range of the rotary ring 15.

A conductive pattern 86 is formed on the front surface of the rotating ring 15 for detecting the rotation angle of the rotating ring 15 (that is, for detecting the amount of movement or protrusion of the second group lens 7 in the optical axis direction). Two contacting pieces 85 are attached to a stationary part (not shown).

The second group base plate 16 carrying the rotating ring 15 is suspended and supported by the upper guide bar 9 so as to be relatively slidable, and has a U-shaped notch 16a for relatively slidably engaging with the lower guide bar 10. on the lower circumferential surface. Further, a pin 13 is protruded from the outer peripheral surface of the second group base plate 16 and is slidably engaged with the cam groove 3 on the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 1 .

Like the second group base plate 16, the third group base plate 12 carrying the third group lens 11 is suspended and supported by the upper guide bar 9 so as to be slidable relative to it, and is also slidably supported relative to the lower guide bar 10. It has a U-shaped notch 12a on its lower peripheral surface for engagement, and a pin 14 on its outer peripheral surface that is slidably inserted into the cam groove 4 of the cam ring 1.

The stop lever 19 for controlling the stop position of the rotary ring 15 is an L-shaped lever configured to rotate and hang around an axis 19b parallel to the optical axis, and the stop lever 19 is always kept counterclockwise by a spring 22. It is energized in the direction of gravity. The stop lever 19 has a pawl 19a on one arm that engages with the ratchet teeth 74 of the rotating ring 15, and an armature 21 that is attracted to the yoke 20 of the electromagnet 90 is attached to the other arm. The electromagnetic magnet 90 is a control member for lifting the pawl 19a of the stop lever 19 from the ratchet teeth 74 of the rotary ring 15, and has a yoke 20 and a coil 69 wound around it, and includes electrical components described below. It has become one of the

The 26B magnet 90 and the stop lever 19 are supported on a movable support member connected to the second group base plate 16.
When the movable support member moves along the optical axis together with the second group base plate 16, the electromagnetic magnet 90 and the stop lever 1
9 also moves and hangs together with the second group main plate 16.

Most of the drive shaft 17 for autofocus is configured as a non-cylindrical part with a non-circular cross-sectional shape with a so-called two-sided outer peripheral surface, and a rotating ring 1 is provided in the non-cylindrical part.
A gear 18 that always meshes with the gear portion 73 of No. 5 is fitted so as to be movable only in the axial direction. Further, a gear 27 for transmitting power to the drive shaft 17 is fixed to the rear end 17b of the drive shaft 17.

A conductor pattern plate 78 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 1 to detect the position of the cam ring 1 after rotation has stopped (that is, the focal length after a zooming operation or the change in focal length due to zooming). pattern board 78
Three sliding contact pieces 77a that come into sliding contact with the upper conductor pattern
~77c are attached to a stationary structure (not shown).

Here, the sliding contact pieces 77a to 77c constitute a detection means for detecting the axial internal movement amount of each of the second group base plate 1δ and the third group base plate 12 when the cam ring 1 is rotated for zooming, These detection means are included in the electrical configuration described later.

A drive mechanism for rotationally driving the gear 27 and the gear 2 of the cam ring 1 is arranged on the outside of the cam ring 1.
The drive mechanism is composed of the following mechanical elements.

60 is a reversible motor for supplying power to gear 2 and gear 27; 32 is a pinion fixed to the shaft of motor 60; 31 is a ring-shaped gear that meshes with pinion 32;
70 is a first sun gear that is rotatably supported relative to the gear 31 within the center hole 63 of the gear 31, and 71 is a second sun gear that meshes with a gear 65 that is a component of the first sun gear 70 and that will be described later. a planetary gear 72 that meshes with one of the constituent gears 72 and can revolve around the center hole 63 of the gear 31;
is arranged on the same axis as the first sun gear 71 and meshes with the gear 67 which is a component of the planetary gear 71.
It's the sun gear. The gear 31, the first sun gear 70, the second sun gear 72, and the planet gear 71 constitute a speed reduction mechanism and transmission switching mechanism.

The first sun gear 70 constitutes a part of the power transmission system to the gear 27, and includes a journal portion 64 that is fitted into the center hole 63 of the gear 31 so as to be relatively rotatable, and a journal portion 64 that is fitted in the center hole 63 of the gear 31 to the front side. It has a gear 65 that protrudes from the outside and meshes with the large gear 58 of the planetary gear 71, and a gear 34 that meshes with the gear 28 that is part of the power transmission system for the gear 27.

The second sun gear 72 constitutes a part of the power transmission system for the gear 2 and the cam ring 1, and includes a gear 33 that meshes with the small gear 67 of the planetary gear 71 and a gear 66 that meshes with the first intermediate gear 30. are doing.

The planetary gear 71 has the two gears 5B and 67 described above, and a shaft 62 common to both gears is fixed on the surface of the gear 31.

As shown in the figure, the power transmission system for the gear 2 includes a second sun gear 72, a first intermediate gear 30 that meshes with the gear 72, a second intermediate gear 61 that meshes with the gear 30, and a second sun gear 61 that meshes with the gear 61 and meshes with the gear 2. A third intermediate gear 29 is provided, and a second intermediate gear 61 is capable of stopping the cam ring 1 at every predetermined rotation angle position (in this embodiment, every rotation of the second intermediate gear 61). A fixed position stop mechanism is coupled.

The fixed position stopping mechanism includes an index disk 68 (namely, an index disk) fixed to the second intermediate gear 61, and a claw 41 that fits into a notch 47 on the outer periphery of the index disk 68.
L-shaped index lever 4 with a at the tip of one arm
1, and the other arm 41b of the lever 41 is configured such that the lever 41 is rotated counterclockwise around its pivot shaft 41c (that is, the claw 41a is always placed in the notch 47 of the indexing plate 68). A spring 42 that biases the robot in the advancing direction) is locked.

The fixed position stopping mechanism is a mechanism provided to stop the third group lens 11 (variable magnification lens) only at a plurality of predetermined positions during its entire stroke (that is, the length between the telephoto end and the wide end). With this mechanism, the cam ring 1 is stopped only at a predetermined rotational angle position, and the third group lens 1
1 is stopped only at a predetermined position during its entire stroke.

Stop position of 3rd group lens 11 (stop position of 3rd group base plate 12)
The more there are, the closer it gets to stepless zooming, but the stop position is
Even if there are only a few points, there is no significant difference in operational feel compared to stepless zooming. The number of teeth of gear 2 of cam ring 1 and the number of teeth of gear 29 and gear 61 are determined by the number of stop positions of third group lens 11. For example, if four stop positions are provided between the telephoto end and the wide end, the zoom device will be able to set six focal lengths. indexing board 68
The number of teeth of the gear 2 and the gears 29 and 61 may be determined so that the gears 29 and 61 rotate five times.

The tip of the arm 41b of the indexing lever 41 is the switch 36.
The contact piece 36a is pressed against the other contact piece 36a by the force of the spring 42.
When the claw 41a comes out from the notch 47, the contact piece 36a and the contact piece 36b come into contact with each other.

The switch 36 is a switch that controls the energization of the motor 60, as will be explained later, and is turned on when the contact piece 36a and the contact piece 36b are in contact, and turned off when both the contact pieces are separated.
, is the switch. In the state shown in FIG. 1, both contact pieces are separated from each other.

The lever 41 is used as a member for operating the lever 41.
An inverted T-shaped member 39 that can be engaged with one arm 41b of the lever 41 is arranged close to the lever 41. The member 39 includes a stationary guide pin 43a projecting from a structural member (not shown).
and 43b for relatively slidable insertion.
5a and 45b are penetrated therethrough, and a temple pin 44 that engages with the arm 41b of the lever 41 is provided in a protruding manner. Also,
An arm portion 39a projecting laterally is provided at the lower end of the member 39, and the arm portion 39a is adapted to be locked to one arm 35a of the locking lever 35 adjacent to the member 39. . The member 39 is always urged upward by a spring 40, but when the arm 35a of the locking lever 35 prevents the arm portion 39a from rising as shown in the figure, the pin 4 of the member 39
4 is located far below the arm 41b of the lever 41, and the stationary guide pins 43a and 43b are located in the groove 45.
It is located slightly below the upper ends of a and 45b.

The locking lever 35 is a member that responds to the zooming operation by the camera user, and is a two-pronged lever that rotates around an axis parallel to the pivot shaft hole 41c of the indexing lever 41.

The other arm 35b of the lever 35 is biased counterclockwise by a spring 38, and unless a force in the direction of arrow A is applied to the arm 35b, the arm 35b is pushed against the stopper 37 by the force of the spring 38. It is pressed. Force is applied to the arm 35b in the direction of arrow A by the camera user's magnification change operation, and the arm 35b becomes the stopper 37.
When the lever 35 is lifted up, the arm 35a of the lever 35 releases the member 39.

Indexing lever 41, member 39, and locking lever 35
and the respective associated springs 42 and 40 and 38 are
The locking lever 35 constitutes a sequential operation means for sequentially performing the operation of the switch 36 and the locking and unlocking operations of the variable power lens drive system with a predetermined time difference, and the locking lever 35 serves as a variable power operation responsive means. It has also become

A disk-shaped cam 46 having a center eccentric from the center of the indexing plate 68 is fixed to the indexing plate 68. This is a member to prevent the arm 41b of the lever 41 from being pushed up by the pin 44 of the member 39 while the cam 46 is in the position, and the maximum eccentric position of the cam 46 is counterclockwise at the central angle with respect to the position of the notch 47 in FIG. direction 9
The outer peripheral surface of the cam 46 is adapted to engage with the upper end surface of the member 39 when the member 39 is raised from the position shown in FIG.
After the member 39 is released from the lock, the height position of the member 39 is controlled by a cam 46.

Here, the structure related to the cam ring 1 will be explained again.

A pin 1a is provided protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the front end of the cam ring 1.
A spring 8 attached to a structural member (not shown) is attached to the pin la.
One end of the cam ring 9 is locked, and the cam ring 1 is urged counterclockwise in the figure by the spring 89. This spring 89 is for eliminating backlash in the meshing of the gear 2, the gear 29, and the gear 61 in the illustrated state in which the claw 41a of the indexing lever 41 is inserted into the notch 47 of the indexing plate 68, and the cam ring 1 After the rotation of the cam ring 1 has stopped, the backlash serves to prevent the cam ring 1 from slightly rotating clockwise.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the cam ring 1 and its drive system constitute a variable power lens moving means for moving the third lens group, that is, the variable power lens 11, to an arbitrary variable power position, and the conductive pattern plate 78 and The sliding contact piece 77 constitutes a variable power lens position detection means. On the other hand, the indexing board 68
The index lever 41 constitutes a variable power lens fixed position stopping means for stopping the variable power lens only at a plurality of set positions between the long focal length end (tele@) and the short focal length end (wide end). It constitutes a locking and unlocking means for locking and unlocking the variable magnification lens moving means. Further, the lever 41 has a function as a switch operating means for operating the switch 36, and also has a function as the locking and unlocking means,
The lever 41 constitutes a sequential operation means together with the member 39 and the locking lever 35 (magnification change operation response means), and other members such as the springs 42, 40, and 38.

The sequential operation means is a device having a function of sequentially operating the switch 36 and locking and unlocking the variable power lens drive system with a predetermined time difference, and includes the switch operation means and the variable power lens moving means. means for locking and unlocking.

On the other hand, the drive system of the gear 27, the gear 18, the rotary ring 15, and various elements (in other words, a stop lever 19, electromagnetic magnet 90, face cam 56, conductor pattern 86 and sliding contact piece 85
and the like) constitute a focusing lens movement means.

Further, a variable magnification lens position detection means consisting of a conductive pattern plate 78 and a sliding contact piece 77, a conductive pattern 86 and a sliding contact piece 8
5, a focusing lens position detection means consisting of a switch 36,
The electromagnetic magnet 9o, the motor 60, a focusing position calculation means to be described later, and various signal generation switches to be described later are electrical components of the zoom device of this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the electrical configuration of the zoom device of this embodiment and the electrical configuration of a camera equipped with the zoom device of this embodiment.

In FIG. 2, 6o is the aforementioned motor, 91 to 94 are transistors 6, which constitute a motor drive circuit for controlling current supply and current direction to the motor 60.
9 is a coil of the electromagnetic magnet 9o; 95 is a transistor for turning on and off the current to the coil 69; R1 and R5 are resistors; 96 is a tele selection switch that is turned on when setting the long focus (tele) optical measurement system; 97 is the wide selection switch that is turned on when the optical system is set to the short focus (wide) side, 98 is the first release switch that is turned on when the camera's release button is pressed down on a half stroke, and 99 is when the release button is pressed on a full stroke. A second release switch is turned on when pressed down, 101 is an initial position detection switch that is closed when the second lens group is in the initial position, and 102 is composed of a conductor pattern 86 of the rotating ring 15 and a contact piece 85 that comes into sliding contact with the conductor pattern 86. This is a focusing lens position detection means.

100 is a control device such as a microcomputer having a calculation unit for calculating a focus position with respect to a variable magnification lens position; 103 is a known distance measuring circuit housed in the camera body;
104 is also a known automatic exposure control circuit (AE circuit);
It is.

In the above configuration, the distance measuring circuit 103, the AE circuit 104, and the switches 96 to 99 are all provided in the camera body (not shown), and the control device 10CI is also provided in the camera body. Among these, the first switches 96 to 99 and the switch 101, the control section for controlling the focus position calculation section and the motor 60 in the control device, and the control section for controlling the electromagnetic magnet 90 are used in this embodiment. It is an electrical component of the example zoom device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of basic control operations in the control device 100. In the same figure, positions E, WID
The blocks labeled E and release are subroutines for control operations in the case of position H, subroutines for control operations in the case of WIDE, subroutines for control operations in the case of release,
These subroutines are shown in FIGS. 4 through 6.

Next, the operation of each part of the camera equipped with the zoom device of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

When taking a picture, the camera user must first select whether to take a telephoto shot or a wide-angle shot.

When a power switch (not shown) is turned on and the control device 100 becomes operable, the control device 100 enters a state in which it performs the control operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3.

In this state, the user presses, for example, a tele selection button (not shown) to turn on the tele selection switch 96 that is linked to the button.
Then, the control device 100 enters a preparation state for starting the control operation according to the tele subroutine shown in FIG.

Next, when the camera user presses a zoom button (not shown) and pushes one arm 35b of the locking lever 35 in FIG. Since the arm 35a is rotated clockwise in FIG. 1, the other arm 35a escapes from above the arm 39a of the member 39 to the left, and as a result, the member 39 is unlocked. For this reason, the member 39 is rapidly pulled upward by the force of the spring 40, and the pin 44 of the member 39 engages the intermediate portion of one arm 41b of the indexing lever 41, which arm 41b is connected to the pin 44.
It is pushed up by the member 39 via.

When the arm 41b is pushed up, the tip of the arm 41b also rises and comes into contact with the contact piece 36a that is in pressure contact with the tip.

Note that the length of the arm 41b is considerably longer than the arm with the claw 41a, so even if the upward distance of the tip of the arm 41b is considerably large, the claw 41a does not escape from the notch 47 of the indexing plate 68, and the claw 41a does not come out from the contact piece 36a. Even after contact with the contact piece 36b, the indexing plate 68 remains restrained by the claws 41a.

When the switch 36 is turned on due to the contact between the contact piece 36a and the contact piece 36b, the control device 100 has the switch 36 turned on.
Since a signal indicating that the
generates an output signal that lowers the voltage applied to the base of transistor 91, and as a result, transistor 91 is turned on and current flows from the emitter to the collector of transistor 91. When a current flows into the collector of the transistor 91, a base current flows into the base of the transistor 92 connected to the collector, so that the transistor 92 is also turned on, and the current flows from the collector of the transistor 92 through the armature of the motor 60. Current flows from the power supply VB8T to the collector of the transistor 92, and the ζ motor 6
0 starts.

Note that when the wide selection switch 97 is 0NLk, the control device 100 generates an output signal that turns on the transistor 93, and when the tele selection switch 96 is turned on, the control device 100 generates an output signal that turns on the transistor 91. That is, the tele selection switch 96 and the wide selection switch 97 have the functions of selecting the rotation direction of the motor 60 and selecting the control sequence within the control device 100.

As mentioned above, when the photographer presses the telephoto selection button and transistors 91 and 92 turn ON, the motor 60 rotates in the direction that rotates the pinion 32 clockwise in FIG. 1 (this direction is defined as forward rotation). However, at this time, the claw 41a of the indexing lever 41 is still in the notch 47 of the indexing board 68 (i.e., the length of the two arms of the lever 41 and the length of the two switches 36 are not the same). The installation position of the contact piece, the depth of the notch 47 of the indexing board 68, the claw 4
(The length of 1a, etc. is set so that the timing at which the pawl 41a escapes from the notch 47 is later than the timing at which the switch 36 is turned on), and the gear 61 is in a restrained state. The two sun gears 72 are held in a locked state.

As described above, when the pinion 32 starts to rotate clockwise in FIG.
1 and its shaft 62 are given a torque that causes them to revolve around the central axis of the gear 31 in a counterclockwise direction. At this time, the large gear 33 in the second sun gear 72 that meshes with the small gear 67 in the planetary gear 71 is indirectly locked in a non-rotatable state as described above, so the second sun gear 72 is Since it does not rotate, the planetary gear 71 rotates counterclockwise around the large gear 33 of the second sun gear 72, so that the gear 71 rotates counterclockwise and revolves in the same direction.

On the other hand, since the small gear 65 in the first sun gear 70 that meshes with the large gear 58 in the planetary gear 71 is not locked, when the gear 58 revolves around the gear 65 while rotating counterclockwise, The gear 65 is rotated clockwise.

Therefore, since the first sun gear 70 is rotated clockwise, the large gear 34 therein is rotated clockwise, the intermediate gear 28 meshing with the gear 34 is rotated counterclockwise, and the gear 27 on the drive shaft 17 is rotated counterclockwise. are rotated clockwise, respectively. As a result, the shaft 17 is also rotated clockwise and the gear 18 is rotated clockwise, so that the rotating ring 15 having the gear portion 73 meshing with the gear 18 receives a counterclockwise torque. Given. Therefore, the rotating ring 15 starts rotating counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. The rotating ring 15 collides with the stopper and is prevented from rotating, at which point the rotating ring 15 is stopped. When the pawl 19a of the stop lever 19 rides on the protrusion 57, the stop lever 19 is rotated clockwise about its pivot point, so that the armature 21 attached to the lever 19 moves against the coil 69 of the electromagnetic magnet 90. However, since the coil 69 is not energized at this time, the armature 21 is not attracted to the yoke 20.

When the rotation of the rotating ring 15 is blocked by the stopper (not shown), the first sun gear 70 is locked, and the gear 65 stops rotating.

On the other hand, since the claw 41a of the indexing lever 41 escapes from the notch 47 of the indexing plate 68 almost at the same time as the rotating ring 15 stops rotating, the gear 61 and the second sun gear 72 are unlocked. 2 sun gear 72 becomes rotatable.

Note that the pressing operation of the arm 41b of the indexing lever 41 in the direction of arrow A will be continued until the variable power lens reaches the variable power position desired by the camera user, but this pressing operation cannot be continued (maintained). The locking may be performed by mechanical locking means or electromagnetic locking means instead of using the fingers of the camera user.

When the first sun gear 70 is locked and the second sun gear 72 is unlocked as described above, the planetary gear 71 to which the counterclockwise revolving torque is applied is now transferred to the first sun gear 70. In order to start shifting counterclockwise around the small gear 65 inside, the gear 58 meshing with the gear 65 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 62 and rotates around the central axis of the gear 31. It will revolve counterclockwise. As a result, the second sun gear 72 having the gear 33 meshing with the gear 58 begins to rotate clockwise. Therefore, the gear 3° that meshes with the gear 66 moves counterclockwise, the gear 61 moves clockwise, and the gear 29 moves counterclockwise.
Then, the cam ring 1 starts rotating clockwise together with the gear 2. Therefore, the second group main plate 16 and the third group main plate 12, which have pins 13 and 14 engaged with the cam grooves 3 and 4 of the cam ring 1, are connected to the guide bars 9 and 12.
While being guided by the cam grooves 3 and 4, the cam grooves 3 and 4 are moved parallel to the optical axis and toward the front by an axial movement amount corresponding to the inclination angle of the respective cam grooves 3 and 4. In this case, when the second group main plate 16 moves parallel to the optical axis according to the inclination angle of the cam groove 3, the rotating ring 15 supported on the second group main plate 16 also moves together with the main plate 16,
Since the second group lens holder 8 having a protrusion 55 pressed against the face cam 56 of the rotating ring 15 by a spring 75 is also moved along the optical axis direction together with the base plate 16, the second group lens 7 also follows the slope of the cam groove 3. It will be moved forward depending on the corner. At this time, the gear part 7 of the rotating ring 15
Since the gear 18 meshing with the gear 3 also slides along the axial direction on the drive shaft 17, the meshing state between the gear portion 73 and the gear 18 is always maintained. Also, the stop lever 19
The movable support member (not shown) supporting the electromagnetic magnet 90 and the movable support member (not shown) supporting the electromagnet 90 are connected to the second group base plate 16 as described above. The base plate 16 also moves together with the base plate 16.

Since the inclination angles of the cam grooves 3 and 4 are different, the rotation of the cam ring 1 causes both the second group lens 7 and the third group lens 11 to move forward in the right direction in FIG. The interval will become smaller. That is,
This means that the focal length of the optical system including both lenses becomes longer.

On the other hand, when the magnification change operation as described above is started, the indexing plate 68 starts rotating clockwise in FIG. 1, and the cam 46 integrated with the indexing disk 68 also starts rotating clockwise from the position shown in FIG. . Therefore, the eccentric portion of the cam 46 begins to move downward while rotating clockwise, and the outer peripheral surface of the cam 46 begins to engage with the upper end surface of the member 39. Therefore, after the indexing disk 68 starts rotating, the member 39 is gradually pushed down by the cam 46, and the pin 44 is moved to the indexing lever 41.
is released from the arm 41b of the lever 41, but at this time the claw 41a of the lever 41 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the indexing board 68,
Since the arm 41b is in an upper position away from the contact piece 36a of the switch 36, the switch 36 is kept in the ON state and the indexing board 68 continues to rotate. And index board 68
After the rotation of the cam 4 starts, when the indexing plate 68 rotates by %, the cam 4
The amount by which the member 39 is pushed down by 6 becomes the maximum (that is, the outer peripheral surface of the maximum eccentric portion of the cam 46 comes into contact with the upper end surface of the member 39), and the member 39 is pushed down to the initial position shown in FIG. It will be done.

Here, immediately after the indexing board 68 starts rotating (that is, when some time has elapsed since the claw 41a escaped from the notch 47 of the indexing board 68), the camera user releases the locking lever 35. A case will be described in which the suppression operation is stopped in the direction of arrow A on the arm 35b.

Immediately after the indexing plate 68 starts rotating, the locking lever 3
When the user stops pressing the arm 35b of No. 5 in the A direction, the arm 35b of the locking lever 35 is returned to the position where it collides with the stopper 37 again by the force of the spring 38, and the other arm 35a
will reenter the hoistway of the arm 39a of the member 39, but the rotation of the indexing disk 68 and the cam 46 will continue. At this time, the arm 39a of the member 39 is connected to the arm 3 of the lever 35.
When the arm 39a of the member 39, which is above the lever 5a and has been pushed down by the rotation of the cam 46, pushes aside the arm 35a of the lever 35 and enters under the arm 35a (at this time, the indexing board 68 The cam 46 has made a half rotation from the start of rotation, and the maximum eccentric portion of the cam 46 is in contact with the upper end surface of the member 39), and thereafter the member 39 is held at that position (the position shown in FIG. 1).

Then, when the notch key 47 of the indexing board 68 rotates to the position of the claw 41a of the indexing lever 41, the claw 41a
is pushed into the notch 47 by the force of the spring 42, the rotation of the index plate 68 is stopped, and the rotation of the cam ring 1 is also stopped. When the claw 41a of the indexing lever 41 enters the notch 47 of the indexing board 68, the other arm 41b of the lever 41 pushes down the contact piece 36a of the switch 36 to turn off the switch 36. Therefore, the control device 100 uses a transistor. By turning off 91 and 92, the motor 6o
to stop.

Next, after the indexing board 68 starts rotating, the indexing board 68
A case will be described in which the pressing force in the direction of arrow A is continued to be applied to the arm 35b of the locking lever 35 until the locking lever 35 rotates several times.

If the arm 35b of the locking lever 35 continues to be pushed up from the stopper 37 at the time when the indexing board 68 has completed one rotation, the arm 35a of the lever 35 is kept in a state of being retracted to the side from the hoistway of the member 39. Therefore, the vertical position of the member 39 is controlled by the cam 46.

That is, when the claw 41a of the lever 41 is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the indexing board 68, the upper end surface of the member 39 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cam 46, and the vertical position of the member 39 is determined by the curvature of the cam 46. The position is determined by the radius. The moment the claw 41a of the lever 41 enters the notch @47 of the indexing plate 68, the pin 44 engages with the arm 41b of the lever 41, and the arm 41b is released from the member 39 by the force of the spring 40. Since it is pushed up, the switch 36 is immediately turned on and the same operation as described above is repeated. In this case (that is, after the second rotation of the indexing plate 68), the focusing lens drive system (gear train including gears 28 and 27)
As already explained, since it is locked, the power of the motor 60 is immediately transmitted to the variable power drive system (gear train including gears 61 and 29).

In the zoom device of the present invention, after the cam ring 1 starts rotating, the rotation of the cam ring 1 is stopped (that is, the lens 7
and stopping the movement of the index lever 41 in the optical axis direction of the index lever 41 into the notch 47 of the index plate 68.
This is only when the claw 41a enters. That is, the claw 41
Even if the force in the direction A is removed from the arm 41b of the indexing lever 41 when the indexing lever 41 is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the indexing board 68, the gear 61 will not be locked, and the switch 3
Since the two contact pieces 36a and 36b of 6 are kept in contact with each other, the motor 60 does not stop, and therefore the rotation of the cam ring 1 continues.

When the camera user presses the arrow A to the arm 35b of the locking lever 35
When the claw of the indexing lever comes to the position of the notch key 47 of the indexing plate 68 after the force in the direction is removed, the claw 41a is pressed against the spring 42.
The indexing board 68 jumps into the notch 47 by the force of
and the gear 61 is locked. Following this, the lever 4
The arm 41b of the first arm 41b pushes down the contact piece 36a of the switch 36 and breaks the contact between the contact piece 36a and the other contact piece 36b, so the switch 36 turns OFF, and in response, the control device 10
0 stops the motor 60 by turning off the transistors 91 and 92.

By stopping the rotation of the cam ring 1, the movement of the second group lens 7 and the third group lens 11 in the optical axis direction is stopped, and the optical system including both lenses is set to a longer focal length than the initial state.

After the supply of driving force to the cam ring 1 is cut off, a counterclockwise torque is applied to the cam ring 1 by the spring 89, so that backlash in the meshing of the gear 2, the gear 29, and the gear 61 is suppressed. will not wobble from the stopped position.

In the above zooming process, the rotation angle of the cam ring 1, that is, the amount of movement of the second group lens 7 and the amount of movement of the third group lens 11,
(In other words, the rotation angle position when the cam ring 1 stops rotating corresponds to the position of the second group lens 7 when it stops and the position of the third group lens 11 when it stops). It is electrically detected by relative sliding with 77.

When the zooming operation is completed and the completion is displayed on a display device (not shown), the camera can be released.

Therefore, if the camera user presses the camera's release button and depresses the button first by a half stroke, then the second
When the switch 98 shown in the figure is turned ON, the resulting signal is input to the control device 100, and the control device 100 starts executing a subroutine program related to the release as shown in FIG. That is, in response to turning on the switch 98, the control device 100 operates the distance measuring circuit 103 shown in FIG. 2 to perform distance measurement as shown in FIG. 6, and then captures and stores the distance measurement results. . When distance measurement is completed, the completion of distance measurement is displayed on a display device (not shown). When the camera user presses the release button further to the full stroke in response to this display, the switch 99 in FIG. 2 is activated.
is turned on, and in response to this, the control device 100 first
Transistor 95 in FIG. 2 is turned on, and then transistors 91 and 92 are turned on.

When the transistor 95 is turned on, a current flows through the coil 69 of the electromagnetic magnet 90 and the coil 69 is excited, so that the armature 21 can be attracted to the yoke 20.

Now, when the transistors 91 and 92 are turned on, the motor 60 starts rotating in the forward direction (clockwise in FIG. 1), the pinion 32 is rotated clockwise, and the gear 31 is rotated counterclockwise. At this time, since the indexing plate 68 is locked by the indexing lever 41 as shown in FIG. 1, the second sun gear 72 is also locked and cannot rotate.

Therefore, as described above, since the small gear 67 of the planetary gear 71 moves counterclockwise around the large gear 33 of the sun gear 72, the gear 67 rotates counterclockwise and revolves in the moving direction. Therefore, the small gear 65 of the first sun gear 70 that meshes with the large gear 58 of the planetary gear 71 is rotated clockwise, and the gear 27 and the drive shaft 17 are rotated clockwise. Therefore, the rotating ring 15 having the gear portion 73 meshing with the gear 18 rotating together with the shaft 17 begins to rotate counterclockwise. As a result, the pawl 19a of the stop lever 19 rides on the protrusion 57 as described above, but since the coil 69 of the electromagnetic magnet 90 is energized, the pawl 19a of the stop lever 19 remains pulled up above the ratchet teeth 74. Retained. When the rotating ring 15 further rotates counterclockwise and comes into contact with a stopper (not shown), the initial position detection switch 101 shown in FIG. Switch the energizing direction for the As a result, the rotating ring 15 starts to rotate clockwise, so the face cam 56 also rotates in the same direction, and the protrusion 55 of the second group lens holder 8 moves relatively from the lowest position of the face cam 56 to a gradually higher position. As a result, the holder 8 is pushed forward from the rotating ring 15. The rotation angle of the rotating ring 15 at this time is detected as an electrical pulse signal by a focusing lens position detection means 102 made up of a conductive pattern 86 and a sliding contact piece 85, and the pulse signal is counted by a counter in the control device 100. and is compared with the distance measurement results. While the count value of the pulses generated from the detection means 102 is not equal to the distance measurement result, the rotary ring 15 is rotated clockwise by the gear 18, so that during that time, the protrusion 55 of the second group lens holder 8 is rotated by the rotary ring. 15 face cams 56 move from a low position to a high position, and as a result, the holder 8 is pushed forward. When the count value and the distance measurement result become equal, the control device 100 generates a signal to turn off the transistor 95, and as a result, the electromagnetic magnet 9o is demagnetized, so that the stop lever 19 The pawl 19a springs into the ratchet teeth 74 by the force of the spring 22 and stops the rotation of the rotary ring 15 in the clockwise direction. Further, since the control device 100 simultaneously generates a signal to turn off the transistor 91, the transistors 93 and 94 are turned off, the motor 6o is stopped, and the gear 18 also stops rotating, so the rotating ring 1
Power supply to 5 is also stopped.

Next, a signal for operating the AE circuit 104 is generated from the control device 100, and the AE circuit 104 is operated in response to the signal, operating the aperture unit in the second group base plate 16 and the shutter mechanism (not shown) to control exposure and take pictures. will be held.

After photographing (exposure) is completed, when a signal indicating the end of exposure is transmitted from the AE circuit 104 to the control device 100, the control device 100 returns the focusing lens 7 (second group lens) to the initial position and focuses. In order to return the lens moving means to its initial state, a signal is generated to turn on the transistor 91.

When the transistor 91 is turned on in response to this signal, the transistor 92 is also turned on, and as a result, the motor 6o starts rotating clockwise in FIG. At this time, the indexing board 68 is locked by the indexing lever 41, so the second
Sun gear 72 is also locked, and therefore, as before, gear 27 will eventually be rotated clockwise in FIG. 1, and rotation ring 15 will begin to rotate counterclockwise. At this time, the pawl 19b of the stop lever 19 is engaged with the ratchet tooth portion 74;
The teeth are inclined in a direction that allows counterclockwise rotation of the rotary ring 15 even when the pawl 19b is engaged, so even when the pawl 19a is engaged, the counterclockwise rotation of the rotary ring 15 is inhibited. It will not be done.

When the rotating ring 15 begins to rotate counterclockwise, the protrusion 55 of the second group holder 8 descends from a high position to a low position on the face cam 56, so that the second group lens 7 gradually retreats rearward. Then, the protrusion 55 is connected to the face cam 5.
When the motor 60 reaches the lowest position, the initial position detection switch 101 is turned on as described above, and this signal causes the motor 60 to stop and the rotating ring 15 to stop as well.

Next, a case where the photographer presses the wide selection button will be explained. When the wide selection switch 97 is turned on, a transition is made to a preparation state for starting the control operation according to the wide subroutine shown in FIG. Then, when one arm 41b of the indexing lever 41 in FIG.
3.94 is ONL and the motor 60 begins to rotate (reversely) in a direction that rotates the pinion 32 counterclockwise. At this time, the sun gear 72 is also held in a locked state as described above. Therefore, the rotating ring 15 is the first
It is driven to rotate clockwise from the state shown in the figure, but since the pawl 1'la of the stop lever 19 falls into the first tooth of the ratchet teeth 74, further clockwise rotation is not possible. Unable to do so, it becomes locked. Almost at the same time as this rotating ring 15 stops rotating, it is indexed R-4.
In order for the pawl 41a of No. 1 to escape from the notch 47, the gear 61
Since the sun gear 72 is unlocked, the second sun gear 72 becomes rotatable.

As a result, the cam ring 1 is eventually rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction via the planetary gear 71 to which a clockwise revolving torque is applied. Therefore, the optical system is set to the short focus side. The release operation after the above magnification changing operation is the same as that described above, and will therefore be omitted.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the zoom device of the present invention. This embodiment is characterized in that the sequential operation means includes an electromagnetic plunger 87. In the zoom device of this embodiment, the order operating means includes an indexing lever 418 in the shape of an inverted letter, and one arm 41 connected to the lever 41.
and an electromagnetic plunger 87 having a rod 88 that is engaged with a pin 41e protruding from the edge d, and the electromagnetic plunger 87 is connected to the control device 10 as shown in FIG.
It operates according to a control signal from 0.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lever 41A has a long arm 41b that engages with the contact piece 3Ba of the switch 3B, an arm that has a claw 41a that engages with the notch 47 of the indexing board 68, and the bin 4.
1e has a protruding short arm 41d, and is capable of swinging around a shaft hole 41c provided at the joining part of the winter clothing. (The structure other than the sequential operation means is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, so the explanation is omitted.) In FIG. 8, 105 is a transistor for driving the electromagnetic plunger 87; The transistor 105 is turned on and off by applying a control signal from the control device 100 to the base of the transistor 105 . The signal applied to the transistor 105 is generated when the camera user presses the zoom control button, and disappears when the camera user stops pressing the zoom control button.

The operation of the sequential operation means in the embodiment of FIG. 7 is as follows.

When the camera user presses a magnification change operation button (not shown) to change the magnification, a switch (not shown) is turned on, and in response, a signal is generated from the control device 100 to turn on the transistor 105, and the transistor 105 is turned on. is turned on.

Then, the rod 88 of the plunger 87 is pulled down, so that the lever 418 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 7 about the shaft hole 41c of the pivot portion. Arm 4 to the lever 41
1b is considerably longer than the other arms 416, etc., so arm 4
Since the amount of movement of the tip of 1b is considerably larger than the amount of movement of the claw uatvNN, the contact piece 38a of the switch 36 comes into contact with the contact piece 36b at the beginning of the downward stroke of the rod 88, and the switch 36 is turned on. When the switch 36 is turned on,
As mentioned above, the control device 100 includes transistors 91 and 9.
2, the motor 60 is rotated.

When the motor 60 is rotated, as described above, power is first transmitted to the gear train connected to the gear 27, and after the rotating ring 15 is rotated counterclockwise, the rotation of the rotating ring 15 is stopped by the stopper. be done. This rotating ring 1
Immediately after the rotation of the motor 5 stops, the pawl 41a escapes from the notch 47 of the indexing plate 68, so the gear 61 is unlocked and the power of the motor 60 is transmitted to the gear train including the gear 61. Therefore, the magnification changing operation is performed by rotating the cam ring 1 as described above. During zooming operation, when the camera user releases his finger from the zooming operation button, the control device 100 cuts off the power to the electromagnetic plunger 87, and the lever 41A moves counterclockwise around the shaft hole 41c by the force of the spring 42. directional torque is applied, but if the claw 41a is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the indexing plate 68 at this time, the lever 418 cannot make a large rotation, so the switch 36 is held in the closed state. .

Then, when the pawl 41a comes to the position of the notch 47, the lever 418 is rotated greatly and the pawl 41a jumps into the notch 47, and immediately after that, the switch 36 is turned off.

In the embodiment shown above, an L-shaped bar or a T-shaped bar is used as a member constituting the sequential operating means, but the claws 4
The lever having 1a may be a linear lever, and the lever may be used exclusively for engagement with the indexing board 68, and the dedicated lever may be controlled by an electromagnet or the like. Also, gear 61
The locking means and the fixed position stopping means may be configured as separate mechanisms.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the zoom device of the present invention has a variable power lens movement mechanism that allows the variable power lens to stop only at a plurality of predetermined positions between the telephoto end and the wide end. However, since the focusing lens is configured to move only to the focusing lens position relative to the variable magnification lens stop position, the present invention makes it possible to achieve a fixed front lens type, which was difficult to realize with the conventional concept. A zoom device can be easily realized. In other words, since the zoom device of the present invention is configured to calculate the focusing lens position only for a specific variable magnification lens position, it does not require a large-capacity calculation device, and it does not require a large-capacity calculation device, unlike the one installed in conventional cameras. Since it can be controlled by a relatively small-capacity computing device, it can be manufactured at a lower cost than the conventionally proposed fixed front lens zoom device, and it is also more cost effective than the conventionally known fixed rear lens zoom device. It is small and lightweight, and can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the mechanical structure of a zoom device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows electrical components of the zoom device of FIG. 1 and other electrical components related thereto. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a program executed in the control device, which is one of the electrical components shown in FIG. 2, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are flowcharts of FIG. 3. 7 is a diagram showing a modified embodiment of a portion of the zoom device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the electrical configuration of the device shown in FIG. 7. 1...Cam ring 3 and 4...Cam groove 5.
...1st group lens 6...1st group base plate 7...2nd group lens 8...Holder 9 and 10...Guide bar 11...3rd group lens 12...3rd group base plate
13 and 14...Pin 15...Rotating ring
16... 2nd group base plate 17... Focusing lens drive shaft 19... Stop lever 20... Yoke 23...
...Rear base plate 24-26...Support rod 54.
...Aperture blade 55...Protrusion 56...Face cam 57...Protrusion 60...Motor
68... Index plate 41... Index lever 47... Notch 70... First sun gear 71... Planet gear 72... Second sun gear 73... (of rotating ring 15) Gear part 74... Ratchet tooth part 90... Electromagnetic magnet 77... Sliding contact piece 78... Conductor pattern plate 85...
Sliding contact piece 86...conductor patterns 91-94
...Transistor 96...Tele selection switch 97
... Wide selection switch 98 ... Second release switch 99 ... Second release switch 100 ... Control device 87 ... Electromagnetic plunger 101 ... Initial position detection switch

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A variable power lens moving means for automatically moving a variable power lens according to a variable power operation by a user of a camera, etc., and a variable power drive locking device for locking and unlocking the variable power lens moving means. a switch for turning on and off a motor that supplies power to a variable power lens moving means having a function of stopping the variable power lens only at a plurality of predetermined positions between a position corresponding to the longest focus and a position corresponding to the shortest focus; a sequential operating means for performing an operation and a locking/unlocking operation for the variable magnification lens moving means with a predetermined time difference, and the sequential operating means includes a switch operating means for operating the switch. A zoom device, such as a camera, characterized in that it includes: and a locking and unlocking operation means for locking and unlocking the variable magnification lens moving means. (2) Consists of a variable power lens moving means that automatically moves a variable power lens according to a variable power operation by a user of a camera, etc., and a variable power locking device that locks and unlocks the variable power lens moving means. and variable power lens fixed position stopping means having a function of stopping the variable power lens only at a plurality of predetermined positions between a position corresponding to the longest focus and a position corresponding to the shortest focus;
a sequential operation means for performing the operation of a switch for turning on and off a motor that supplies power to the variable power lens moving means and the locking and unlocking operations for the variable power lens moving means with a predetermined time difference; The order operation means include
A switch operation means for operating the switch, a locking and unlocking operation means for locking and unlocking the variable power lens moving means, a switch operation by the switch operating means and a switch operation means for the variable power lens moving means. 1. A zoom device such as a camera, comprising: time difference holding means for maintaining a predetermined time difference between locking and unlocking operations. (3) A variable power lens moving means for automatically moving a variable power lens according to a variable power operation by a user of a camera, etc., and a variable power drive locking device for locking and unlocking the variable power lens moving means. A variable power lens fixed position stopping means configured to have a function of stopping the variable power lens only at a plurality of predetermined positions between a position corresponding to the longest focus and a position corresponding to the shortest focus, and a variable power lens moving means. a sequential operating means for performing the operation of a switch for turning on and off a motor that supplies power and the locking and unlocking operations for the variable magnification lens moving means with a predetermined time difference; a first member having a switch operation section for operating a switch and a locking and unlocking operation section for locking and unlocking the zoom lens moving means; When the switch operation is performed, a second member is moved to a first position to engage with the switch operation section to cause the switch operation section to turn on the switch, and a zooming operation is performed by a user of the camera or the like. When not in use, the second member is locked in a second position where it cannot be engaged with the switch operation section, while when a magnification change operation is performed, the second member is released from the second member and the second member is a variable magnification operation response member that moves the variable magnification lens to the first position; and a variable magnification operation responsive member that forcibly moves the second member to the second position when the variable magnification lens reaches a predetermined stop position after the variable magnification lens starts moving. A camera zoom device comprising: a two-member forced return means. (4) A zoom device such as a camera according to claim 1, wherein the locking and unlocking means includes an actuator such as an electromagnetic magnet. (5) A zoom device for a camera or the like according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the switch operating means and the locking and unlocking means are constituted by one member.