JPH0581831U - Retractable camera with barrier - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] In a retractable camera, when the lens barrel is set to the shooting preparation position, the amount of extension is made as large as possible to reduce the time lag from release to shutter operation. Also, develop a barrier opening / closing mechanism with a simple structure that reliably matches the timing of the lens barrel feeding and feeding. A motor drive mechanism for interlocking the lens barrel 31 is provided so that the operation button 20 is operated from the first position to the second position to be extended, and the operation button 20 is operated from the second position to the first position to be extended. There is provided a barrier 24 that allows the operation button 20 to be closed by a spring force when it is operated to the first position, and pushes and opens it against the spring force when it is operated to the second position. Then, the barrier 24 that is unlocked by the extension of the lens barrel 31 and is projected and opened by the spring force is locked, and the barrier 24 is retracted and displaced in conjunction with the lens barrel 31 that is inserted near the storage position. And a barrier locking shaft 44 for unlocking 24.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a retractable camera equipped with a barrier, and particularly to a camera having a barrier opening / closing mechanism.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 To explain an example of a conventional retractable camera, the lens barrel is interlocked with a moving member that is screw-fed by a screw shaft driven by a motor, and moves forward and backward according to the direction of rotation of the screw shaft. The lens barrel is extended and retracted in conjunction with the moving member.

Further, such a camera includes a barrier that is opened and closed by being interlocked with the moving member. This barrier opening / closing mechanism is equipped with a number of interlocking levers that are interlocked with the moving member. The barrier is opened, and the barrier is closed when the moving member moves the lens barrel near the storage position. (First conventional example)

FIG. 9 shows another retractable camera. In this camera, a barrier 10 is provided on the front surface of the camera, and the barrier 10 moves in the direction of an arrow 11 shown in the drawing to open and close the front side of the lens barrel 12. It should be noted that this camera is configured so that when the barrier 10 is closed, the main switch is switched within the moving range L shown in the figure. (Second conventional example)

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 In the camera of the first conventional example, the barrier is certainly opened before the lens barrel is extended, and the barrier is closed after the lens barrel is housed in the predetermined position. The timing of the opening / closing operation of the is an important issue.

In order to solve this problem, the movable member is provided with a non-interlocking region with the lens barrel, and the barrier is opened and closed while the moving member is screw-fed within the range of the non-interlocked region. Such a barrier opening / closing mechanism has been already proposed by the inventors of the present application as JP-A-3-86331.

However, such a barrier opening / closing mechanism requires a large number of interlocking levers, and has a problem that the interlocking structure of the moving member and the interlocking lever becomes complicated.

In the camera of the second conventional example, the amount of extension of the lens barrel to the shooting preparation position cannot be set to a large value because the closing speed of the barrier affects the delivery timing of the lens barrel.

As a result, the amount of movement of the lens barrel (the amount of movement to the proper focus position) at the time of photographing becomes large, which causes a problem that the time lag from the release to the shutter operation becomes large.

In view of the above situation, the present invention makes it possible to reduce the time lag from the release to the shutter operation by setting the lens barrel as large as possible when the lens barrel is set at the shooting preparation position. The objective is to develop a collapsible camera with a barrier that is surely fitted to the extension and retraction of the lens barrel.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a collapsible camera having a barrier that opens and closes in front of a housed lens barrel, including a power feeding operation unit that operates in conjunction with operation of the operation member, and includes an operation member. A motor drive mechanism for interlocking the lens barrel so that the lens barrel is extended by operating from the first position to the second position and extended by operating from the second position to the first position, and the first position of the operating member. To allow closing by the spring force, and to move to the 2nd position to push and open against the spring force, and when the lens barrel is extended, the lock is released to release the spring force. And a barrier locking member that is moved backward by being interlocked with the lens barrel that has been pushed in near the storage position, and the barrier locking member locks the barrier at the open position when the lens barrel is extended. , Lens barrel is stored Suggest collapsible camera, characterized in that it has a configuration to close the barrier and unlatching when they are build in close location.

[0012]

[Action]

 By operating the operating member from the first position to the second position, the barrier is pushed and opened by this operation. Further, the motor drive mechanism operates in response to the operation member operated to the second position, and in this case, the lens barrel is extended to the shooting preparation position. Further, as the lens barrel is extended, the barrier locking member projects by the spring force and locks the barrier at the open position.

If the lens barrel is released in this state, the lens barrel is moved to the focus matching position according to the distance measurement information, and then the shutter operation is performed.

When the operating member is operated from the second position to the first position, the motor drive mechanism operates, and in this case, the lens barrel is retracted so as to be stored. Also, when the operating member is operated to the first position, closing of the barrier is allowed, but until the lens barrel reaches the storage position, the barrier locking member is projected. Therefore, the barrier is locked and is in an open state.

When the lens barrel is retracted to the vicinity of the storage position, the barrier locking member moves backward together with the lens barrel, and unlocks the barrier. Therefore, the barrier is closed by the spring force as the lens barrel is stored in the predetermined position.

[0016]

【Example】

 Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a mechanical view showing the motor drive mechanism and the barrier opening / closing mechanism as viewed from the front side of the retractable camera, Fig. 2 is a simplified vertical side view of the camera, and Fig. 3 is a bottom side of the camera. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged vertical side view of the camera showing the barrier opening / closing mechanism, showing the motor driving mechanism and the barrier opening / closing mechanism as viewed.

In these drawings, reference numeral 20 denotes an operation button (operation member), which is arranged near the upper one side of the front of the camera and is attached so as to be slidable with respect to the main body cover -21. is there. That is, it is possible to operate in the first position shown in FIG. 1 and the second position which is slid rightward (FIG. 1) from this position, and the first position and the second position provide moderation. Therefore, a click stop mechanism (not shown) is provided.

The operation button 20 is integrally provided with an interlocking plate 22 having a bifurcated engaging portion 22a and a push projection portion 22b so that the power feeding switching lever 23 and the barrier 24 are interlocked with each other. It

As shown in FIG. 4, the power feed switching lever 23 has the support shaft portion 23a rotatably inserted into the inner cover 25 and the bearing portion 21a of the main body cover -21 supported by the support shaft portion 23a. The shaft is fixed by fitting to.

The power feed switching lever 23 has an interlocking pin 23 b provided at the pivot end thereof projected into the forked engagement portion 22 a of the interlocking plate 22 so as to pivot in conjunction with the operation of the operation button 20. ing.

A sliding contact piece 26 forming a changeover switch is integrally attached to the power supply switching lever 23, and the sliding contact piece 26 is placed on the switch pattern of the wiring board 27 (FIG. 4). Slide to switch the switch.

Further, a spring 28 is provided around the support shaft portion 23a, specifically, in the bearing portion 21a of the main body cover 21. One end side of the spring 28 is the barrier 24 and the other end side is the inner cover. The spring bearings 29 provided in 25 are engaged with each other. The spring 28 applies a closing force to the barrier 24.

The barrier 24 is rotatably attached to the inner cover 25 by a support shaft 30, but receives a counterclockwise urging force by a spring 28, and when the operation button 20 is in the first position, the lens mirror It is closed so as to cover the front side of the body 31, and at this closed position, it abuts against a stopper 32 provided on the inner cover 25 and stands still.

The pushing portion 24a of the barrier 24 is in contact with the pushing protruding portion 22b of the interlocking plate 22, and the pushing portion 24a is moved by operating the operation button 20 to the second position. When the barrier 24 is pushed and rotated, the barrier 24 turns clockwise and opens.

On the other hand, the motor 33, the screw shaft 34, the guide shaft 35, the screw nut 36 and the like constitute a motor drive mechanism for moving the lens barrel 31. (See FIG. 3) In this motor drive mechanism, the reduction gear 38 meshing with the pinion gear 37 of the motor meshes with the interlocking gear 39 of the screw shaft 34, and the screw shaft 34 is rotated by the motor 33. It is driven to screw feed the screw nut 36.

The lens barrel 31 is guided by a guide shaft 35 to be movable in the optical axis direction, and a part of the lens barrel 31 is linked to a screw nut 36. Therefore, the lens barrel 31 is moved out of the camera by being driven by the screw nut 36 fed by a screw, and is also moved in the camera.

Further, the encoder 40 and the photo interrupter 41 provided on the output shaft of the motor 33 detect the amount of movement of the lens barrel 31, and the detection contact 42 provided on the lens barrel 31. The moving position of the lens barrel 31 is detected by the detection board 43 fixed to the camera body.

Further, the camera body is provided with a barrier locking shaft (barrier locking member) 44 that is movable in the front-back direction of the camera. (See FIG. 3) The barrier locking shaft 44 has two shafts on the rear side, and a coil spring 45 provided on one shaft of the barrier locking shaft 44 constantly receives a thrust force in the front direction of the camera.

Further, the barrier locking shaft 44 has a small-diameter portion formed on the front end side, and is moved by the spring force until the stepped portion 44 a thereof abuts on the camera body, and the front end portion of the barrier locking shaft 44 swings around the barrier 24. Project to.

However, the barrier locking shaft 44 is such that the projecting portion 44b of the barrier locking shaft 44 is engageable with the pushing portion 31a provided on the lens barrel 31, so that the lens barrel 31 can be retracted to the storage position. It moves backwards in conjunction with, and the tip of it moves out of the barrier turning area. (See Figure 3)

Next, the operation of the above camera will be described. When the lens barrel 31 is stored, the barrier 24 is closed as shown in FIG. In this state, the main switch of the camera is off, and the motor 33 is not supplied with power.

When the operation button 20 is slid rightward from the first position shown in FIG. 1 and is operated to the second position, the power feeding switching lever 23 pivots clockwise with the support shaft portion 23a as a fulcrum, Further, the pushing portion 24a of the barrier 24 is pushed and turned against the spring force of the spring 28, and the barrier 24 turns clockwise about the support shaft 30 as a fulcrum.

By the turning of the power feeding switching lever 23, the sliding contact piece 26 turns while touching the surface of the wiring board 27, and the main switch is turned on to perform circuit switching such as motor power feeding.

Further, the barrier 24 turns clockwise, and withdraws from the front surface side of the lens barrel 31 to be in an open state as shown in FIG. At this point, since the barrier locking shaft 44 is retracted, the pushing portion 24a is pressed against the pushing protrusion 22b of the interlocking plate 22 by the spring force of the spring 28, and the return swing of the barrier 24 is stopped. ing.

When the motor 33 is supplied with electric power, the screw shaft 34 rotates in one direction under the rotational driving force of the motor 33, and the screw nut 36 moves from the position shown in FIG. 3 toward the front of the camera. To start.

As a result, the lens barrel 31 that is interlocked with the screw nut 36 starts to move out, and the barrier locking shaft 44 moves the spring force of the coil spring 45 as the pushing portion 31a of the lens barrel 31 advances. Receiving and moving forward.

In this way, the lens barrel 31 starts to be fed out, and in the initial process of this feeding (when the feeding amount is small), the tip of the barrier locking shaft 44 projects to lock the barrier 24. ..

When the motor 33 is further driven to rotate, the lens barrel 31 is extended to the shooting preparation position as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

When the lens barrel 31 is at the shooting preparation position, the output pulse of the photo interrupter 41 according to the rotation of the encoder 40 and the detection signal according to the moving position of the detection contact 42 are used for control. -(Not shown) shuts off the power supply to the motor 33 and stops the rotational drive of the motor 33.

If the release is performed in the above-mentioned shooting preparation state, the motor 33 is rotationally driven according to the distance measurement information, the lens barrel 31 is further extended to the in-focus position, and then the shutter operation is performed. Is taken.

When housing the lens barrel 31, the operation button 20 is slid to the left from the second position shown in FIG. 5 to operate it at the first position shown in FIG. At this time, the power supply switching lever 23 turns counterclockwise, but since the barrier 24 is locked by the barrier locking shaft 44, it remains open as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. ..

When the power feed switching lever 23 turns counterclockwise, the sliding contact piece 26 turns in the same direction to switch the circuit on the wiring board 27 and feed power to the motor 33. In this case, the motor 33 is supplied with electric power so as to rotate in the other direction contrary to the above.

The rotation of the motor 33 in the other direction causes the screw shaft 34 to rotate in the opposite direction to the above. Therefore, the screw nut 36 is screw-fed in the rearward direction of the camera, and the barrier 24 is locked thereby. In this state, the lens barrel 31 is inserted.

When the lens barrel 31 reaches near the storage position, its pushing portion 31a abuts on the projecting piece portion 44b of the barrier locking shaft 44, and the barrier locking shaft 44 is inserted in accordance with the subsequent insertion of the lens barrel 31. Moves backwards against the spring force of the coil spring 45.

Therefore, when the lens barrel 31 is retracted to the storage position, the tip of the barrier locking shaft 44 withdraws and unlocks the barrier 24. Therefore, the barrier 24 causes the spring 28 to exert a spring force. In response to this, it turns counterclockwise and hits the stopper 32 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 8 to enter the closed state.

When the lens barrel 31 is retracted to the storage position, the controller turns off the main switch by the output pulse of the photo interrupter 41 and the detection signal of the detection contact piece 42, and the motor 33. The power supply to the motor 33 is cut off, and the rotational drive of the motor 33 is stopped.

In the embodiment described above, the main switch is turned on by turning the sliding contact piece 26 when the operation button 20 is operated to the second position, and is output when the lens barrel 31 is housed. Although the main switch is turned off by the output pulse of the photo interrupter 41 and the output signal of the detection contact 42, the main switch may be turned on and off by a separate operation.

[0048]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, the barrier opening / closing mechanism that allows the lens barrel to be extended after the barrier is opened, and the barrier to be closed when the lens barrel is securely housed is simply configured. It will be a collapsible camera.

Further, since it is not necessary to consider the timing of the opening / closing operation of the barrier and the movement operation of the lens barrel, it is possible to increase the amount of extension of the lens barrel to the shooting preparation position, and release. It is a retractable camera that can reduce the time lag from the shutter operation to the shutter operation.

Furthermore, since the barrier is unlocked by moving the lens barrel near the storage position a little, the retractable camera can be made as thin as possible in the front-back direction of the camera.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a mechanism diagram showing a motor drive mechanism and a barrier opening / closing mechanism viewed from the front side of a retractable camera.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional side view of the camera.

FIG. 3 is a mechanism diagram showing a motor drive mechanism and a barrier opening / closing mechanism viewed from the bottom side of the camera.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged vertical side view of the camera showing a barrier opening / closing mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a mechanism diagram similar to FIG. 1, showing a barrier opening operation.

FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical sectional side view of a camera similar to FIG. 2, showing a state in which a lens barrel is extended to a shooting preparation position.

FIG. 7 is a mechanism diagram similar to FIG. 3, showing a barrier opening operation and a lens barrel feeding operation.

FIG. 8 is a mechanism diagram similar to FIG. 1, showing the closing operation of the barrier.

FIG. 9 is a simplified front view of a conventional retractable camera having a barrier.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 operation button 22 interlocking plate 23 power supply switching lever 24 barrier 26 sliding contact piece 27 wiring board 28 spring 31 lens barrel 33 motor 34 screw shaft 35 guide shaft 36 screw nut 37 pinion gear 38 reduction gear 39 interlocking gear 44 barrier Locking shaft 45 Coil spring

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A collapsible camera having a barrier that opens and closes in front of a housed lens barrel, including a power feeding operation unit interlocking with operation of an operation member, and operating the operation member from a first position to a second position. The motor drive mechanism that interlocks the lens barrel so that the lens barrel moves in such a manner that the lens barrel is extended by operating from the second position to the first position, and the operation member is closed to the first position by the spring force. And a barrier that pushes and opens against the spring force by operating to the second position,
A barrier locking member that is unlocked when the lens barrel is extended and protrudes by a spring force, and is displaced backward by being interlocked with the lens barrel that has been retracted near the storage position. A retractable camera characterized in that the barrier is locked in an open position by being extended, and the barrier is closed by releasing the lock when the lens barrel is retracted near a storage position.