JPH0652364B2 - Camera waterproof case - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof case for a camera, and more particularly to a box-shaped camera having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape called a commercially available lens-fitted film. The present invention relates to a waterproof camera that can perform shooting.

2. Description of the Related Art Cameras for shooting in the rain and shooting in the water have been conventionally known.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Such a camera needs to have a special waterproof structure,
The price is high and not practical for ordinary people.

For example, an underwater camera for a diver disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. Sho 32-7382 has a main body of a camera housed inside an outer casing, and a push button is operated outside the outer casing to press a shutter of the main body of the camera to shoot. Further, the film is wound by rotating the film winding shaft of the camera body by an operation from the outside of the outer casing.

In such a prior art, the main body of the camera is attached to the outer casing,
Alternatively, it is difficult to remove the camera after using it, and no measures have been taken to attach the camera body to the outer casing to facilitate assembly, and to remove the camera body from the outer casing after using the film. There is a problem that is troublesome.

Therefore, in such a prior art, the operability is poor.

Another prior art is a waterproof cover for a camera disclosed in JP-A-62-298306. In this prior art,
The camera is housed in a flexible bag-shaped cover body to achieve a waterproof function.

In such a prior art, although the camera can be easily stored in and taken out from the cover body and the operability is good, the camera stored in the cover body can be taken from outside the cover body. No device has been devised for operation for shooting. In addition, the cover body is flexible as described above, and accordingly, the cover body is deformed by, for example, water pressure or an external force, so that the light between the lens attached to the cover body and the lens of the camera in the cover body is changed. There is a problem that the captured image is distorted because the axes do not match.

An object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof case for a camera which is easy to assemble and take out after photographing, has excellent operability, and can improve photographing quality.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the constitution of the present invention is as follows. That is, the present invention relates to a waterproof case of a camera. (A) The camera 1 has a focusing lens 2 mounted at a substantially central position on a front surface thereof, a finder window 4 provided on an upper portion of a front surface thereof, and an upper portion of a rear surface thereof. Is provided with a fiber eyepiece window 5 corresponding to the film window 4, and a film winding means 6 is provided on the right side as viewed from the rear side and near the upper part, and the film winding means 6 faces upward. First for winding
The film is wound by rotating the first locking portion 6a for winding around the upper and lower axes, and the film is wound on the right side as viewed from the rear and at the upper side. The box-shaped camera 1 is provided with a shutter button 7 at a position deviated from the taking means 6 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. (B) The rigid case body 11 made of plastic has a substantially whole shape. It has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a storage space that stores the camera 1 and prevents mutual displacement with the case body 11 in the thickness direction and the left-right direction of the camera 1, and at the bottom of the case body 11, The housing 13 has an opening 13 of the storage space that is opened almost all over, and the lower part of the camera 1 faces the opening 13 and corresponds to at least the focusing lens 2, the window 5 and the eyepiece window 5, respectively. Is translucent, has first fitting fitting portions 11a and 11b on the lower portion, and the whole is a case body 11 integrally manufactured, and (c) the cap 12, Has a substantially flat rectangular shape, and the mounting first fitting portion 11 of the case body 11 is provided on the outer peripheral portion.
2nd fitting part 12 for attachment which fits a and 11b in a detachable manner
a cap 12 which has a b and a c, and which can be attached to and detached from the lower portion of the case body 11, supports the lower portion of the camera 1 when the case body 11 is attached to the lower portion, and closes the opening 13 in a substantially airtight manner; (D) A film winding means 25 provided on the right side of the case main body 11 when viewed from the rear side and close to the upper part so that the storage space of the case main body 11 and the outside are airtight. The second winding engaging member has a second winding engaging portion 27a which is provided in the storage space and which is engaged with the first winding engaging portion 6a of the film winding means 6 and faces downward. The stop portion 27a is rotatable about an upper and lower axis parallel to the axis of the film winding means 6, and the winding first locking portion 6a and the winding second locking portion 27a are provided with the same. Lock in a direction parallel to each axis A detachable, and in a locked state mutually interlocked rotation about their said respective axes, the outside of the case body 11, the second locking portion 27a for winding
The film winding means 25 is provided with a knob 30 for angularly displacing the second locking portion 27a for winding around the axis thereof.
(E) Shutter operation means 15 is provided on the right side of the case body 11 when viewed from the back side and near the upper part so that the storage space of the case body 11 and the outside are airtight. In the storage space of, the shutter button 7
A pressing member 15a is provided for pressing the shutter body, and an operation member 15b for displacing the pressing member 15a is provided outside the case body 11.
It is a waterproof case for a camera, which includes and.

Operation According to the present invention, the box-shaped camera 1 is housed in the housing space of the case body 11 from the opening 13 of the case body 11 with the upper part of the camera 1 first, so that the camera 1 The mutual displacement with the case main body 11 is prevented, and then the cap 12 is attached to the lower part of the case main body 11 to close the opening 13 almost airtightly.

By this assembling work, the case main body 1 is attached to the first winding engaging portion 6a of the film winding means 6 of the camera 1.
2 for winding the film winding means 22 provided on the first
The locking portion 27a is locked, and the winding second locking portion 27a
The film can be wound by operating the knob 30 provided on the outside of the case main body 11 for angular displacement.

Further, the pressing member 15a of the shutter operation means 15 corresponding to the shutter button 7 of the camera 1 has the shutter button 7
By operating the operation member 15b provided outside the case body 11 in correspondence with the pressing member 15
A can press the shutter button 7 to take a picture.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the camera 12 housed in the housing space of the case body 11 can be taken out below the case body 11 by removing the cap 12 mounted on the lower part of the case body 11. It's easy.

Further, according to the present invention, since the case body 11 is made of plastic and is rigid, it is not deformed by water pressure or external force, and accordingly, the focusing lens 2 of the camera 1 and the corresponding lens 2 are provided. The translucent portion of the case body 11 is not displaced, and the image quality can be improved.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 is a front view of the waterproof case of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a right side view, and FIG. 4 is a section line IV- of FIG.
IV sectional view, FIG. 5 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of an essential part, FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of an essential part, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged rear view of an essential part of the case body.

The camera 1 that can be housed in the waterproof case 10 of the present invention is the ninth
As shown in the exploded perspective view of the figure and the rear perspective view of FIG. 10, when viewed from the front, it has a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction, and has a thickness smaller than its height. It is a box-shaped camera that is roughly in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The camera 1 is provided with a lens barrel 3 having a fixed-focus lens 2 attached thereto at a substantially central portion of the front surface in the left-right direction and / or the vertical direction, and on the upper right side thereof, that is, near the upper part of the front surface. A rectangular finder window 4 is opened. The diameter of the finder window 4 is reduced so that the finder window 4 penetrates to the rear surface of the camera and is connected to a finder eyepiece window 5 provided near the upper portion of the rear surface.
Further, on the right side (left side when viewed from the front) of the rear surface, there is provided a film winding wheel 6 made of polycarbonate that is rotatable about a vertical axis for winding operation of the film, that is, around the upper and lower axes. On the outer circumference of this winding wheel 6,
A first locking portion 6a for winding, which is a non-slip tooth, is provided. The rear end of the take-up wheel 6 is exposed to the rear of the camera 1, so that the locking portion 6a faces upward.

On the upper surface of the camera 1, a shutter button 7 is provided in a front portion on the left side (that is, the right side when viewed from the rear side) when viewed from the front side, at a position displaced from the winding vehicle 6, and a film counter display window 8 is provided behind the shutter button 7. It is provided.

The camera 1 includes the lens barrel 3, the window window 4, the eyepiece window 5, the film winding wheel 6, and the shutter button 7.
And the whole part except the part where the film counter 8 is provided is covered with a cover layer such as cardboard or synthetic resin.

The waterproof case 10 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 and 9
As shown in the drawing, a rigid case body 11 made of plastic which has a camera housing space of a size capable of housing the camera 1, has a bottom, and is transparent, for example, transparent.
And a cap 12 made of a flexible material such as synthetic rubber which is detachably attached to the side opposite to the bottom of the case body 11 so as to be detachably attached and has a substantially flat rectangular shape. Including. The cap 12 may not have flexibility.

To house the camera 1 in the case body 11, the camera body 1 is inserted so that the top surface of the camera 1 contacts the bottom of the case body 11. Therefore, the case main body 11 is on the side opposite to the bottom, that is,
The bottom surface side of the camera 1 serves as an opening 13 of the camera storage space into which the cap 12 is fitted by opening substantially the entire lower surface of the case body.

Regarding the fitting between the case main body 11 and the cap 12, as shown in FIG. 5, the groove 11a and the thin edge portion 11b provided on the outer peripheral surface of the opening 13 of the case main body 11 and the peripheral edge of the cap 12 are The protrusion 12b formed on the inner surface of the portion 12a
And the peripheral groove 12c are fitted to each other, and thus the cap 12 closes the opening 13 in a substantially airtight manner.
The outer surface of 1 and the outer surface of the cap 12 are assembled so that they are substantially flush with each other. In addition, a thin portion 11c that is concave outward is provided at a portion of one corner of the case main body 11 that contacts the groove 11a, and when the cap 12 is detached from the case main body 11, a fingertip 12 is used. The upper end of the peripheral edge portion 11b is easily hooked, and the cap 12 is easily detached.

When the cap 12 is attached to the lower part of the case body 11,
Support the lower part of the camera 1. Further, in order to ensure airtightness, the sheet may be fixed to the lower part of the case body 11 by heat fusion or by using an adhesive.

The case main body 11 has an inner width in the thickness direction and the left-right direction that can be slightly sandwiched between the bottom side (upper side in FIG. 1) with respect to the width of the camera 1 and the opening 13 side (first side). As shown in the first and third drawings, the peripheral wall has a taper θ so as to be loose at the bottom of FIG. 1. These inner widths are set to be a slight gap with respect to the thickness of the camera, and the gap between the bottom surface of the camera 1 and the inner bottom surface 12d of the cap 12 is also extremely small, so that the camera 1 has a waterproof case 10. The amount of air in the case when it is attached to is small.

In this way, the storage space of the case body 11 can store the camera 1 almost exactly and prevent mutual displacement of the camera 1 with the case body 11 in the thickness direction and the left-right direction. Between the outer peripheral surface of the camera 1 and the inner peripheral surface forming the housing space of the case body 11, mutual displacement of the camera 1 and the case body 11 is prevented, but there is a slight gap. Good.

The lower portion of the camera 1 housed in the housing space of the case body 11 faces the opening 13.

As will be described later, the entire case body 11 is molded by a mold and manufactured integrally, that is, without a plurality of members being attached by adhesion or the like.

In the case body 11, the lens barrel 3 of the camera 1,
The portions corresponding to the window window 4, the eyepiece window 5, and the film counter 8 are thin flat surfaces 11d to prevent refraction of light and prevent image distortion or to improve transparency. Further, a first circular hole 14 is provided in a portion corresponding to the shutter button 7, and the circular hole 14
A shutter operation piece 15 made of flexible rubber is mounted in a watertight state. The shutter operation piece 15 also serves as a shutter button cover.

The shutter operation piece 15 is provided on the right side when viewed from the back surface of the case body 11 and near the upper part so that the storage space of the case body 11 and the outside are airtight. The shutter operation piece 15 has a pressing member 15 a that presses the shutter button 7 in the storage space of the case body 11. The shutter operation piece 15 has an operation member 15b for displacing and driving the pressing member 15a outside the case main body 11, and these members 15a and 15b are integrally formed to form the shutter operation piece 15. . This shutter operation piece 15 is
It is provided on the right side of the case body 11 when viewed from the back side thereof and near the upper part so that the storage space of the case body 11 and the outside are airtight.

Further, the case main body 11 is provided with a second circular hole 16 in the central portion of the bottom where the upper surface of the camera 1 contacts.
A rubber camera push-out member 17 shown in FIG. The camera push-out member 17 includes a film-shaped soft cover 18 mounted in the second circular hole 16 in a watertight state, and a cover 1.
8 and a hard protrusion piece 19 integrally formed on the lower surface of 8.

On the rear wall of the case body 11, a film winding means accommodating portion 20 is provided at a position corresponding to the film winding vehicle 6 of the camera.

The film winding means accommodating portion 20 is provided in the case main body 11
Of the semi-cylindrical portion that is integrally formed so as to project rearward, and the accommodating portion 20 has, for example, a shaft 26 made of stainless steel and a film take-up wheel as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 6, a drive gear 27 made of the same material, a synthetic rubber waterproof packing 28, and a packing cover 2 using styrene.
9 and a film winding means 25 including a winding knob 30 made of plastic. A winding means mounting hole 21 is provided in the upper wall of the film winding means accommodating portion 20, and the waterproof packing 28 is mounted in a watertight state in the mounting hole.

In the film winding means 25, the lower end of the shaft 26 is rotatably supported by the lower wall of the accommodating part 20, and the waterproof packing 28 and the packing cover 29 fixed to the inside of the accommodating part 20 at the lower surface of the packing. The winding knob 30 is fixed to an end portion that penetrates through the housing 20 in a watertight state and extends upward from the housing portion 20.

The drive gear 27 is fixed to a lower portion of the shaft 26, and a second winding engaging portion 27a, which is a tooth, is formed.
The locking portion 27a can be meshed with the first winding locking portion 6a of the film winding vehicle 6 of the camera 1. The winding second locking portion 27a has teeth extending parallel to the axis of the drive gear 27, and is the winding first locking portion 6a which is a tooth of the winding wheel 6 shown in FIG. Engage with and lock. The axes of the drive gear 27 and the winding wheel 6 are parallel to each other.
The winding second locking portion 27a of the drive gear 27 faces downward, and therefore the first and second locking portions 6a and 27a are engaged with each other only by inserting the camera 1 into the case body 11. Fit. The drive gear 27 has a rounded surface 31 on the entire circumference of the end away from the winding knob 30 so that the driving gear 27 surely meshes with the film winding wheel 6 when the camera 1 is inserted into the case body 11. Has been done.

The inner wall of the front wall of the case body 11 is provided with a groove 22 that allows the lens cylinder 3 to move from a portion corresponding to the lens tube 3 to the opening 13. The outer surface of the front wall corresponding to this groove is a ridge. 23.

A string attachment portion 24 is provided so as to project from a part of the side wall of the case body 11, and is attached to the strap 32.

In order to accommodate the camera 1 in the waterproof case 10, the case body 11 and the camera 1 are aligned with each other in the front-rear direction, and the top surface of the camera 1 is pushed in first from the opening 13 of the case body 11. As a result, as the upper surface of the camera 1 reaches the bottom of the case body 11, the upper portion of the camera 1 is clamped and fixed in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

During the insertion of the camera, the end of the winding second locking portion 27a of the drive gear 27 that meshes with the winding first locking portion 6a of the film winding vehicle 6 of the camera 1, that is, the driving gear 27 Since the portion of the film winding wheel 6 that first comes into contact with the winding first locking portion 6a is formed into the rounded surface 31 over the entire circumference, both wheels 6 and 27 are teeth of each other. Guided by the stoppers 6a and 27a, the meshing state is easily and surely established.

If the outer peripheral surface of the drive gear 27 is tapered such that the diameter becomes smaller as it goes away from the winding knob 30,
The engagement of the respective locking portions 6a, 27a of 27 is further facilitated.

After the camera 1 is pushed into the case body 11 and inserted, and then the cap 12 is fitted into the opening 13, the inside of the waterproof case 10 is kept almost completely watertight.
It is possible to take pictures in the rain or underwater.

For shooting, as in the case of normal camera operation, when the subject is seen through the finder 4 and the shutter operation piece 15 is pressed, the shutter of the camera 1 operates. The film winding is performed by rotating the film winding wheel 6 through the drive gear 27 by rotating the film winding knob 30.

In order to take out the camera 1 that has been photographed from the case 10, the upper end of the peripheral edge of the cap corresponding to the thin portion 11c provided at one corner of the case main body 11 is pushed down, and the cap 12 is removed from the case main body 11, The cover 18 of the pushing member 17 is pressed along the arrow P in FIG. As a result, the projecting piece 19 pushes down the camera 1 to the position A as shown by the phantom line in FIG.
The camera 1 can be easily pulled out from the case main body 11 since the holding of the camera 1 is released.

When the camera 1 is inserted into or removed from the case body 11, the lens barrel 3 moves in the groove 22, so that the above operation of the camera is not hindered.

According to the above configuration, the camera 1 is provided in the waterproof case 10.
When the is installed, since the amount of air in the waterproof case is small, each watertight structure withstands water pressure in water well, and intrusion of water from the outside is surely prevented.

Further, since the film winding means accommodating portion 20 and the projecting portions such as the ridges 23 are provided on the outside, it is easy to remove the mold at the time of molding during manufacturing, and thus the waterproof case 10 can be easily removed. High accuracy and cost reduction of the case body 11 can be achieved.

The case body 11 may be made opaque by printing or the like except for the portions corresponding to the lens 2, the window window 4, the eyepiece eyepiece window 5, and the film counter 8.

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, the following effects (1) to (6) are achieved.

(1) Insert the box-shaped camera 1 into the case body 11 through the opening 13 at the bottom of the storage space, and assemble the case body 11.
Is rigid, and the camera 1 is housed in the housing space. By housing in this way, mutual displacement of the camera 1 and the case body 11 in the thickness direction and the left-right direction is prevented.

(1-1) Therefore, the focusing lens 2, the window 4 and the eyepiece window 5 of the camera 1 exactly match the corresponding light-transmissive portions of the case body 11.

(1-2) In addition, as described above, only by the operation of inserting the camera 1 into the case main body 11, the first locking portion 6a for winding the camera 1 and the film winding means 25 provided in the case main body 11 are wound. When the camera main body 11 is operated from outside, the camera 1
It is possible to wind the film.

(1-3) Further, only by inserting the camera 1 into the case body 11, the shutter button 7 of the camera 1 and the pressing member 15a of the shutter operation means 15 provided in the case body 11 are accurately aligned. It

(1-4) Furthermore, since there is no rattling between the camera 1 and the case main body 11, the portion of the case main body 11 corresponding to the lens 2 with respect to the optical axis of the focusing lens 2 of the camera 1 does not move. The surface can always be kept vertical, so that the distortion of the photographed image does not occur and the photographing quality can be improved.

(1-5) Further, since the case body 11 is rigid, the case body 11 is not deformed by water pressure or external force, so that the lens 2 of the camera 1 and the portion corresponding to the lens 2 of the case body 11 are displaced from each other. Does not occur, and this also makes it possible to maintain the shooting quality.

(2) The opening 13 at the bottom of the storage space of the case body 11 is
Since the camera 12 is closed by the cap 12, the camera 1 cannot be pulled out from the storage space of the case body 11 when the cap 12 is mounted, and the first and second locking portions 6a and 27a for winding are of course included. The locked state is maintained, and the state where the shutter button 7 and the pressing member 15a are aligned is maintained.

(3) Camera storage space opening 13 under the case body 11
A cap 12 having a substantially flat (that is, a small vertical thickness) rectangular shape is attached to the lower part of the camera 1 to cover the opening 13. Therefore, the flat cap 12 does not extend upward to the portion of the case body 11 corresponding to the lens 2 of the camera 1. Therefore, the portion corresponding to the lens 2 is not blocked by the cap 12, and the shooting is reliable.

(4) Further, since the case main body 11 is integrally manufactured, that is, it is not configured by a plurality of members attached by adhesion or the like, molding and manufacturing with a mold is easy.

(5) The case body 11 and the cap 12 are fixed to each other by being fitted with the first and second fitting portions 11a, 11b: 12b, 12c, so that the assembly is easy. Moreover, since no bolts or the like are used, the number of parts can be reduced.

(6) The case main body 11 is provided with the film winding means 25 in an airtight manner with respect to the outside, and the shutter operating means with respect to the outside. Therefore, the case body 11 is always airtight. As a result, even when the camera 1 is replaced, the airtightness of the respective means 25 and 15 is maintained, and it is possible to reliably prevent water leakage in the components having such a complicated structure. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a right side view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a section line of FIG.
IV-IV sectional view, FIG. 5 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of an essential part, FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of an essential part, FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of the case body 11, and FIG. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the waterproof case 10, FIG.
The drawing is a rear perspective view of the camera 1 according to the present invention. 1 ... Camera, 3 ... Lens cylinder, 6 ... Film winding wheel, 6a ... First locking portion for winding, 7 ... Shatter button, 10 ... Waterproof case, 11 ... Case body, 12 ...
... cap, 15 ... shutter operation piece, 15a ... pressing member, 15b ... operating member, 17 ... camera pushing member,
20 ... Film winding means accommodating portion, 21 ... Winding means mounting hole, 25 ... Film winding means, 26 ... Shaft,
27 ... Drive gear, 27a ... Second locking portion for winding, 2
8 …… Waterproof packing, 30 …… Winding knob, 31 ……
Earl surface

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A waterproof case for a camera, comprising: (a) a camera 1 having a focusing lens 2 mounted at a substantially central position on a front surface thereof, a finder window 4 provided near an upper portion of the front surface, and a nearer upper portion of a rear surface thereof. A film eyepiece window 5 corresponding to the film window 4 is provided, and a film winding means 6 is provided on the right side as viewed from the rear side and near the upper part, and the film winding means 6 faces upward. First for taking
The film is wound by rotating the first locking portion 6a for winding around the upper and lower axes, and the film is wound on the right side as viewed from the rear and at the upper side. The box-shaped camera 1 is provided with a shutter button 7 at a position deviated from the taking means 6 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. (B) The rigid case body 11 made of plastic has a substantially whole shape. It has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a storage space that stores the camera 1 and prevents mutual displacement with the case body 11 in the thickness direction and the left-right direction of the camera 1, and at the bottom of the case body 11, The housing 13 has an opening 13 of the storage space that is opened almost all over, and the lower part of the camera 1 faces the opening 13 and corresponds to at least the focusing lens 2, the window 5 and the eyepiece window 5, respectively. Is translucent, has first fitting fitting portions 11a and 11b on the lower portion, and the whole is a case body 11 integrally manufactured, and (c) the cap 12, Has a substantially flat rectangular shape, and the mounting first fitting portion 11 of the case body 11 is provided on the outer peripheral portion.
2nd fitting part 12 for attachment which fits a and 11b in a detachable manner
a cap 12 which has a b and a c, and which can be attached to and detached from the lower portion of the case body 11, supports the lower portion of the camera 1 when the case body 11 is attached to the lower portion, and closes the opening 13 in a substantially airtight manner; (D) A film winding means 25 provided on the right side of the case main body 11 when viewed from the rear side and close to the upper part so that the storage space of the case main body 11 and the outside are airtight. The second winding engaging member has a second winding engaging portion 27a which is provided in the storage space and which is engaged with the first winding engaging portion 6a of the film winding means 6 and faces downward. The stop portion 27a is rotatable about an upper and lower axis parallel to the axis of the film winding means 6, and the winding first locking portion 6a and the winding second locking portion 27a are provided with the same. Lock in a direction parallel to each axis A detachable, and in a locked state mutually interlocked rotation about their said respective axes, the outside of the case body 11, the second locking portion 27a for winding
The film winding means 25 is provided with a knob 30 for angularly displacing the second locking portion 27a for winding around the axis thereof.
(E) Shutter operation means 15 is provided on the right side of the case body 11 when viewed from the back side and near the upper part so that the storage space of the case body 11 and the outside are airtight. In the storage space of, the shutter button 7
A pressing member 15a is provided for pressing the shutter body, and an operation member 15b for displacing the pressing member 15a is provided outside the case body 11.
A waterproof case for the camera, which includes and.