JPH04241336A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To inform the improper loading of a film cartridge, to prevent such a situation that a film cannot be fed or the film cartridge or a camera is damaged and to simplify the constitution of a film cartridge chamber. CONSTITUTION:The camera is constituted of a locking member 6 which is situated at an initial position in the case that the film cartridge is not loaded, moved to a locking position where the film cartridge is locked in the case that the film cartridge is correctly loaded and moved to a retreat position where it abuts on the outside circumferential surface of the film cartridge in the case that the film cartridge is not inserted to a correct position, a detection means 8 which is integrally constituted with the locking member 6 and which detects the above mentioned respective states of the locking member 6 and an information means which informs of the occasional loading state of the film cartridge according to the state of the locking member 6 detected by the detection means 8.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a camera in which a film cartridge is inserted in the axial direction and stored in a film cartridge chamber.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a camera employing a method in which a film cartridge is inserted in the axial direction and stored in a film cartridge chamber has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-201428. After loading a film cartridge, when closing the lid, the lid is pushed into the correct position while making contact with the end surface of the film cartridge.

However, in the above conventional example, since the distance between the lid and the end face of the loaded film cartridge is short,
Although it is possible to push the film cartridge directly through the lid, if this method is adopted for a camera where the film cartridge chamber is deep from the opening and the film cartridge has a long pushing stroke, Unless the lid has a long protrusion, the film cartridge cannot be pushed into the correct position. However, if a long protrusion is provided on the lid,
When the lid is open, it becomes a hindrance to the film cartridge loading operation, and in the worst case, the protrusion may get caught somewhere and be damaged.

[0004] Therefore, when the film cartridge is directly pushed in by hand, regardless of the lid, and when it reaches the correct position, the locking claw that prevents the film cartridge from flying out or falling off catches the film cartridge. Such a system has been proposed in the past.

In the case of the above method, it is not necessary to provide a long protrusion on the lid, but if the stroke of pushing the film cartridge is long, the operator may unknowingly interrupt the pushing operation of the film cartridge. There was a possibility that the film cartridge would stop and the lid would be closed without pushing the film cartridge to the correct position. Furthermore, if the camera were to operate in this state, not only would it be impossible to feed the film, but there was a possibility that the film cartridge or the camera would be damaged.

Conventionally, the film cartridge chamber of a camera has a detection switch (so-called film cartridge detection switch) for detecting whether or not a film cartridge is loaded. It incorporates various levers and contacts, such as a detection contact for reading the DX code on the film cartridge, and a spring for shifting and positioning the film cartridge. Since the film cartridge chamber has a complicated shape and has holes for operating levers and contacts, light leakage into the film cartridge chamber is likely to occur.

[0007]

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, to notify the user of improper loading of the film cartridge, and to prevent film feeding from occurring or damage to the film cartridge or camera. can be prevented,
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a camera in which the structure of the film cartridge chamber can be simplified.

[0008]

[Features of the Invention] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following features:
When the film cartridge is not loaded, it is in the initial position, and when the film cartridge is correctly loaded, it moves to the locking position where the film cartridge is locked. a locking member that moves to a retracted position in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the film cartridge when the cartridge is not inserted to the correct position; a detection means for detecting each of the states of the locking member; A notification means is provided for notifying the loading state of the film cartridge at any given time according to the state of the locking member detected by the detection means, so that the film cartridge is not inserted to the correct position. If the film cartridge is loaded, it is notified and the loading state of the film cartridge is detected by a detection member from the state of a locking member that locks the film cartridge.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIGS. 1 to 6 show a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the camera showing its outline, and in the figure, 1 is the camera body, 1a is the film cartridge chamber, 2 is the lens, and 3 is a lens that covers the opening of the film cartridge chamber 1a. The lid is pivotally supported on the camera body 1 so as to be freely openable and closable about a shaft 4. 5 is a film cartridge.

FIGS. 2(a) to 2(c) are cross-sectional views showing the main parts of the camera in the first embodiment.
Reference numeral 6 denotes a locking pawl having a tapered portion 6a, a locking portion 6b indicated by a broken line, and a tapered tip 6c, and is rotatably supported on the camera body 1 about a shaft 7. 8 is contact piece 8a, 8b
, 8c, the contact piece 8a urges the locking pawl 6 clockwise, and the locking pawl 6 presses against the stopper 1 provided on the main body.
It is positioned by hitting b. Note that FIG. 2(a) shows a state in which the film cartridge 5 is not loaded, and FIG. 2(b) shows a state in which the film cartridge 5 is loaded but has not reached its normal position. (c)
1 shows a state in which the film cartridge 5 is loaded in the normal position.

FIGS. 3(a) to 3(c) are vertical cross-sectional views showing the main parts of the camera in the first embodiment, and in the figures, 9
10 is a push-up spring that urges the film cartridge 5 upward, and 10 is a fork that engages with the engaging portion 5a of the film cartridge 5, and transmits the driving force from a motor (not shown). The film in the film cartridge 5 is then rewound or rewound. 11 is a locking release lever for the lid 3; 12 is a locking claw formed integrally with the locking release lever 11;
is held so as to be slidable in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and biased to the right by a spring (not shown), so that the lock claw 12 enters the engagement groove 1c of the camera body 1 and holds the lid 3 in the closed state. become.

The states shown in FIGS. 1(a), (b), and (c) above correspond to those shown in FIGS. 2(a), (b), and (c), and the film cartridge 5 is loaded. In the state in which the locking claw 6 is not in contact with the stopper 1b, the detection switch 8 is in a state in which no contacts are in contact with each other (see FIGS. 1 and 2(a)), and the film cartridge is in contact with the stopper 1b. When the cartridge 5 is loaded in the correct position, the locking portion 6b of the locking pawl 6 and the upper end of the film cartridge 5 are engaged, and the locking pawl 6 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. rotated to
At this time, the detection switch 8 is in a state where its contact pieces 8a and 8b are in contact (see FIGS. 1 and 2(c)). In addition, if the film cartridge 5 is not loaded to the correct position, the tapered tip 6c of the locking pawl 6 and the side surface of the film cartridge 5 are in contact with each other, and the locking pawl 6 is not fully loaded as shown in FIG. The detection switch 8 is rotated counterclockwise inside, and at this time the detection switch 8 comes into a state where its contact pieces 8a, 8b, and 8c are in contact (Figs. 1 and 2).
(b)).

FIG. 4 shows a circuit block diagram of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which 13 is a control circuit that controls the operation of various circuits of the camera, and 14 is a display (LCD) to be described later. A display liquid crystal drive circuit (LCD drive circuit) provided in the camera body to be driven; 15 is a release switch; 16 is a lid detection switch that turns on when the lid 3 is closed; 20 to 23 are a photometry circuit, an aperture control circuit, and a shutter. These are a control circuit and a film feeding drive circuit, both of which have known circuit configurations.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a display on the LCD 17 driven by the LCD drive circuit 14, where 17a is a symbol mark indicating the loading state of the film cartridge 5.
19 is a release button.

In the above configuration, in order to load the film cartridge 5, first slide the lock release lever 11 to the left in FIG. 1, remove the lock pawl 12 from the engagement groove 1c of the camera, The lid 3 is rotated about the shaft 4 to open the film cartridge chamber 1a. Next, the film car
The cartridge 5 is loaded into the film cartridge chamber 1a in its axial direction. At this time, the lower end surface of the film cartridge 5 first hits the tapered part 6a of the locking claw 6, and is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the tapered tip 6c of the locking pawl 6 comes into contact with the side surface of the film cartridge 5. At this time, the detection switch 8 is pushed by the locking pawl 6, and the contact pieces 8a, 8b, and 8c are all in contact with each other. When the film cartridge 5 is further pushed in, the lower end surface of the film cartridge 5 then comes into contact with the push-up spring 9 and is pushed down while resisting the spring force, and then the upper end surface of the film cartridge 5 When the locking pawl 6 passes over the tapered tip 6c, the locking pawl 6 is rotated clockwise by the spring force of the contact piece 8a, and the locking portion 6b of the locking pawl 6 and the film cartridge are rotated. The upper end of 5 comes into contact. As a result, the film cartridge 5 is
Loading to the proper position in the cartridge chamber 1a is completed (
state in Figure 1(c)). At this time, the detection switch 8 is in a state where the contact pieces 8a and 8b are in contact with each other.

As will be described later, the control circuit 13 determines the state of the detection switch 8 and performs display control as shown in FIG. That is, when none of the contact pieces of the detection switch 8 are in contact (the film cartridge 5 is not loaded), nothing is displayed on the LCD 17 (Fig.
(a)), when the contact pieces 8a and 8c of the detection switch 8 are both in contact (the film cartridge 5 is not loaded to the normal position), the LCD 17
A warning is displayed with the symbol mark 17a blinking (the state shown in Fig. 5(b)), and the detection switch 8a and 8b are
When the film cartridge is in contact (the film cartridge is loaded in the correct position), the symbol mark 17a is displayed (the state shown in FIG. 5(c)).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit 13. "Step 101" It is determined whether or not the back cover detection switch 16 is turned on. If it is turned on, the process proceeds to step 102. "Step 102" It is determined whether or not the contact pieces 8a and 8b of the detection switch 8 are in contact (ON). If they are in contact, the film cartridge 5 is loaded, and the process proceeds to step 103. If there is no contact, the film cartridge 5 is not loaded, and the process returns to step 101. "Step 103" Contact pieces 8a and 8 of detection switch 8
It is determined whether or not c is in contact with each other. If not, the process proceeds to step 104 since the film cartridge 5 is loaded in the correct position. If the contact pieces 8a and 8c are in contact with each other, it means that the film cartridge 5 is not loaded in the correct position, and the process proceeds to step 111. "Step 104" Here, the LCD drive circuit 14
The LCD 17 is driven through the film cartridge 5.
is loaded in the correct position (Fig. 5(c)
) state). "Step 105" The film feed drive circuit 23 is driven to perform automatic film loading and to cue the first frame. "Step 106"
It is determined whether or not the release switch 15 is turned on, and the release switch 15 is turned on.
If the answer is N, the process proceeds to step 107. "Step 107" The photometric circuit 20 is driven to obtain photometric information. "Step 108" The aperture control circuit 21 and shutter control circuit 22 are driven to perform a known exposure operation. "Step 109" It is determined whether all frames of the film have been photographed. If all frames have not been photographed, the process returns to step 105, and if the photographing has been completed, the process advances to step 110. "Step 110" The film feeding drive circuit 23 is driven to rewind the film.

In step 103, the contact pieces 8a and 8
If c is in contact with each other, it means that the film cartridge 5 is not loaded in the correct position, and the process advances to step 111 as described above. "Step 111" Here, the display 17 is driven via the liquid crystal drive circuit 14 to display a warning that the film cartridge 5 is not loaded in the correct position (state shown in FIG. 5(b)).

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main parts of a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The difference from the above first embodiment is that the locking pawl 6
The film cartridge 5 is locked by the contact piece 18d of the detection switch 18, and the effect is the same as in the first embodiment.

According to each of the above embodiments, the locking pawl 6 (or contact piece 8d) for locking the film cartridge 5 in the normal position and the locking pawl (or contact piece 8d) A detection means for detecting the state (detection switch 8 and control circuit 13), and a display means for displaying the state of the locking claw 6 (or contact piece 8d) detected by the detection means (LCD drive circuit 14 and LC
By providing D17), there is no need to provide a film cartridge detection switch, which was conventionally provided completely separately, and this has the effect of simplifying the configuration of the film cartridge chamber 1a. −
Since it is possible to notify that the cartridge is improperly loaded, it is possible to prevent failure to feed the film and damage to the film cartridge or camera.

Furthermore, if the film cartridge detection switch and the locking pawl are constructed separately, even if the film cartridge is loaded in the correct position and is locked by the locking pawl, the film cartridge If the detection switch cannot detect that it is in the correct position, or if the film cartridge is not loaded in the correct position and is not locked by the locking claw, the film cartridge detection switch may There was a possibility of malfunctions such as erroneously detecting that the film cartridge was in the correct position, but according to this embodiment, there is no possibility of such malfunctions and the status of the film cartridge can be accurately displayed. This enables reliable film cartridge loading.

(Modification) In this embodiment, a display means is used as a means for indicating the state of the detected film cartridge 5, but instead of this display means, it is also possible to issue a warning using a sounding body. be. That is, when a film cartridge is loaded and the film cartridge is in the correct position, the sounding body is made to sound for a certain predetermined period of time, and when it is not in the normal position, the sounding body is made to make sounds intermittently at a certain frequency. It goes without saying that similar effects can be obtained.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a warning is issued if the film cartridge is not loaded correctly, but by further configuring the structure to prohibit the film feeding operation, it is possible to It is possible to reliably prevent damage to the film cartridge or camera.

[0026]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
When the film cartridge is not loaded, it is in the initial position, and when the film cartridge is correctly loaded, it moves to the locking position where the film cartridge is locked. a locking member that moves to a retracted position in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the film cartridge when the cartridge is not inserted to the correct position; a detection means for detecting each of the states of the locking member; A notification means is provided for notifying the loading state of the film cartridge at any given time according to the state of the locking member detected by the detection means, so that the film cartridge is not inserted to the correct position. If the film cartridge is loaded, it is notified and the loading status of the film cartridge is detected by the detection member from the status of the locking member that locks the film cartridge. It is possible to notify the inadequacy, prevent film feeding from being impossible, and damage to the film cartridge or camera, and furthermore, the structure of the film cartridge chamber can be simplified.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the configuration of main parts of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of main parts of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a camera in the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram showing the main part configuration of the camera in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a display on a display included in the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the configuration of main parts of a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of sign]

3 Lid 5 Film cartridge 6 Locking claw 8 Detection switch 13 Control circuit 14 LCD drive circuit 17 LCD

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A camera equipped with a film cartridge chamber into which a film cartridge is inserted and stored in the axial direction, and a lid that covers the film cartridge chamber, in which a film cartridge is loaded. If not,
If it is in the initial position and the film cartridge is loaded correctly, it moves to the locking position where the film cartridge is locked, and if the film cartridge is not inserted to the correct position, it moves to the locking position. A locking member that moves to a retracted position in contact with the outer peripheral surface of a film cartridge, a detection means for detecting each of the states of the locking member, and a state of the locking member detected by the detection means. Accordingly, the camera is characterized in that it is provided with a notification means for notifying the loading status of the film cartridge at any given time.