JPH071658U - Electronic imager - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] The present invention considers the shape of a camera body, that is, an exterior body, and arranges a heavy built-in object inside the grip portion of the camera body, and An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic image pickup device in which a zooming operation element is arranged near the grip portion to improve the operability of zooming. The exterior body 12 is formed into a flat, generally rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and a zooming operation is performed on the exterior body in this shape at a portion above a portion in which the recording medium drive unit 36 is incorporated or a portion in the vicinity thereof. Child 19,
20 is provided.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an electronic image pickup apparatus, and more particularly, to a layout structure of zoom operators in an electronic image pickup apparatus such as an electronic still camera.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 An electronic still camera in which a flexible thin magnetic disk is removably loaded as a recording medium is known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-81093. In addition, in recent years, a type of video camera or the like, in which the camera body is held with both hands and looking through the viewfinder, such as binoculars, is also known from Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-2848.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 By the way, the electronic image pickup apparatus such as the electronic still camera has many built-in mechanical parts and electronic parts, and accordingly, the arrangement of the operation members becomes a problem. In other words, it is necessary to arrange the operation member at a position where the image capturing operation can be easily performed without hindering stable holding of the camera body. Especially when performing a zooming operation, while holding the camera body with both hands and looking into the viewfinder, on the other hand, for example, the zoom button is frequently pressed with the fingers of the left hand, so that the camera must be held stably. In order to hold the camera body stably, the shape of the exterior body that forms the camera body and the location of the internal items to be stored in the exterior body, especially the location of the heavy internal items, etc. However, the size and number of boards on which this electronic component is mounted must be taken into consideration.

In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to consider the shape of the camera body, that is, the exterior body, and dispose a heavy built-in object inside the grip portion of the camera body. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic image pickup apparatus in which a zooming manipulator is arranged in the vicinity of the grip portion so as to improve the operability of zooming.

[0005]

[Means and Actions for Solving the Problems]

 The electronic image pickup device according to the present invention has an outer body having a shape of a substantially flat rectangular parallelepiped as a whole. Above the portion of the outer body having this shape, in which a heavy recording medium drive unit is incorporated. It is characterized in that a zooming operation element is provided at a portion or a portion in the vicinity thereof.

[0006]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is an external perspective view of an electronic still camera as an electronic imaging device to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 illustrates the electronic still camera as viewed from above on the rear side.

The overall shape of the main body 12 of the electronic still camera 11, that is, the exterior body, is smaller in the vertical (height) direction than in the front-back (vertical) direction and the left-right (horizontal) direction. It is formed in a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Inside the camera body 12, an optical system, which will be described later, is arranged so as to pass through the upper part slightly to the right of the central part in the front-rear direction, and the taking lens 13 of this optical system is exposed on the front surface of the camera. A finder eyepiece portion 14 is disposed so as to be exposed at a position on the back surface opposed to this.

Further, in the above optical system, the upper part of the lens barrel is exposed to the upper surface of the camera body 12, and the protruding exposed portion 15 is a finger-holding portion of the right finger for holding the camera body 12. . That is, when the right side edge of the camera body 12 is gripped by the right hand, the tip of the gripping finger that is in contact with the upper surface of the camera body 12 reaches the protruding exposed portion 15 sufficiently. The left and right upper surfaces of the protruding exposed portion 15 of the camera body 12 are formed as inclined surfaces that are inclined toward the left and right side edge portions so that the user can easily hold them with both hands. A grip strap 16 is provided on the right edge of the camera body 12 to enable the camera body 12 to be held stably with only one hand when the camera body 12 is held with the right hand.

A push-button release switch 17 is provided at a position rearward of the middle of the projecting and exposing portion 15, and a slide-type power switch 18 is provided behind the switch 17. There is. When the right edge of the camera body 12 is gripped by the right hand, for example, the middle finger is located on the release switch 17 and the index finger is located on the power switch 18.

Further, in the inclined surface on the left side of the projecting exposed portion 15, the rear half of the left side edge portion is a grip portion of the camera body which is held by the left hand, and a zooming operation is provided near the grip portion. Push button type zoom switches 19 and 20 as children are arranged in the front-rear direction. The zoom switch 19 is a switch for zooming in the direction from wide to tele, and the zoom switch 20 is a switch for zooming in the direction from tele to wide. When the left edge of the camera body 12 is gripped by the left hand, for example, the middle switch and the index finger of the zoom switches 19 and 20 are positioned respectively.

Further, on the left side surface of the camera body 12, a magnetic disk package 28, which is a recording medium, is loaded into a recording medium drive unit 36, which will be described later, inside the camera body 12, and an insertion / removal opening 36a of the unit 36 (FIG. 2). (See), a slit-shaped insertion / removal opening (not shown) is formed horizontally. The reason for providing this insertion / removal opening on the left side surface of the camera body 12 is that the camera body 12 is mainly held by using the right side edge portion as a grip portion. Then, while holding the camera body 12 with the right hand, the eject button (not shown) is pushed with the left hand without disturbing this state, and the magnetic disk package 28 loaded in the recording medium drive unit 36 is easily taken out, This is because the new magnetic disk package 28 can be easily loaded into the recording medium drive unit 36.

On the rear surface of the viewfinder eyepiece 14, a connector 21 is provided below the eyepiece 14, which is a connector insertion port closed by a shield plate 21a, and the connector 21 is provided on the right side. A connector switch 22 is provided for simultaneously switching on / off of the switch and opening / closing of the shield plate 21a. The connector 21 is for connecting the electronic still camera 11 to an external device (not shown) or the like. When the connector switch 22 is operated in the direction of the arrow, the shield plate 21a opens and the connector pin 21b (see FIG. 4) is exposed. It is supposed to do.

Further, on the left side of the rear surface of the camera body 12, a display 23 composed of a liquid crystal plate and operation buttons 24 to 27 for mode switches such as a strobe switch, a drive switch, a self-timer switch and a buzzer switch are arranged. Has been done.

FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 are views showing the disposition state of the main internal components of the electronic still camera with the exterior body removed. 2 is a front view of the camera viewed from above, FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG.

The optical system 30 having the taking lens 13 and the viewfinder eyepiece unit 14 at both ends includes an AF (autofocus) unit 31, a zooming / diaphragm unit 32, and A finder section 33 having the eyepiece section 14 integrally formed on the back is arranged in order. An image pickup device such as a CCD (not shown) is arranged in the zooming / diaphragm section 32.

Then, when viewed from the user side (that is, the rear side of the camera as in the case where FIG. 1 is described), a strobe having a light emitting window 34a on the front side is located to the left of the AF unit 31 having the taking lens 13. The unit 34 is arranged. This strobe unit 34 has a strobe drive circuit built therein. A DC / DC converter 35, which is a power supply circuit unit, is arranged behind the strobe unit 34, and further, a magnetic disk inside the magnetic disk package 28 (see FIG. 1) is recorded behind the DC / DC converter 35. A recording medium drive unit 36 for driving recording and reproduction is arranged. That is, the recording medium drive unit 36 is arranged in the camera body corresponding to the grip of the left hand in which the push button type zoom switches 19 and 20 which are the above-mentioned zooming operation elements are arranged on the upper surface.

As described above, the strobe unit 34, the DC / DC converter 35, and the recording medium drive unit 36 are arranged in this order from the front in the front-back direction parallel to the optical axis of the optical system 30. The strobe unit 34, the DC / DC converter 35, and the recording medium drive unit 36 are all surrounded by a shield member made of a thin iron plate or the like. The insertion / removal opening 36a of the recording medium drive unit 36 for loading the magnetic disk package 28 (see FIG. 1) in the front loading type is arranged so that the insertion / removal opening 36a (not shown) of the outer casing is aligned with the camera as described above. It is located on the left edge that is farthest from the right edge that is the grip of the, and opens to the left side where the package 28 is most easily taken in and out.

A battery storage portion 37 is disposed on the side facing the recording medium drive unit 36 with the optical axis of the optical system 30 interposed therebetween. The lower end portion of the battery housing portion 37 is opened as a battery insertion opening, and the power supply battery 38 is inserted and arranged in the battery housing portion 37 as indicated by an arrow. The power supply battery 38 has a large weight among the components built in the electronic still camera 11, but since the recording medium drive unit 36 is also a mechanical structure, it has a relatively large weight, and the viewfinder portion of the optical system 30. Left and right weights are balanced across 33. Moreover, as is apparent from the correspondence between FIGS. 2 and 3 and FIG. 1, the portion of the camera body 12 on which the battery 38 is arranged serves as the right grip portion, and the recording medium drive unit 36 is arranged on the grip portion. The part that is marked is the grip on the left side. By arranging heavy members in a well-balanced manner in the left and right grips of the rear part of the camera body 12 in this way, the camera body 12 can be easily gripped and the posture when the camera body 12 is held with both hands Is also stable.

As described in the description of FIG. 1, the release switch 17 and the power switch 18 are located on the upper part of the exterior body where the gripping fingers gripped by the right hand hit, and the gripping fingers gripped by the left hand are positioned. Since the zoom switches 19 and 20 are located in the upper part that hits, the operability of these switches is also good. In other words, these switches are pressed by the upper surface of the external body and a force is applied downward, but since there is a heavy built-in object in the lower position, the force that supports this built-in object is By comparison, the force to operate the above switches is much smaller, and the operation of these switches is stable. In particular, the zoom switches 19 and 20 are often operated while looking through the viewfinder eyepiece portion 14, but due to the presence of the heavy recording medium drive unit 36 below the zoom switches 19 and 20. The force to operate the zoom switches 19 and 20 may be sufficiently smaller than the force to support the left edge of the camera body 12 with the left hand, and therefore the operability is good and the camera body 12 is stable. The posture is maintained and the viewfinder field becomes stable.

Regarding the balance in the front-back direction, the AF section 31 and the zooming / diaphragm section 32 of the optical system 30 located in the front part of the camera also have a relatively large weight due to the built-in components such as the lens group. The rear part is not extremely heavy.

Further, an electric circuit board 41 is horizontally arranged below the strobe unit 34, the DC / DC converter 35, the recording medium drive unit 36 and the optical system 30. A shield member (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the electric circuit board 41. An electric circuit board 42 is disposed in parallel with the board 41 and above the strobe unit 34, the DC / DC converter 35 and the recording medium drive unit 36. An adjusting member such as a trimmer capacitor or a trimmer resistor, which is not shown, is provided on the upper surface of the electric circuit board 42, and is easily electrically operated with the exterior body including the main body 12 of the electronic still camera 11 removed. It can be adjusted. Further, an electric circuit board 43 is vertically arranged at a position facing the right side surface of the strobe unit 34 and the right side surface of the DC / DC converter 35 with the AF section 31 and the zooming / diaphragm section 32 of the optical system 30 interposed therebetween. Has been done. Since an image pickup system circuit including a synchronizing signal generating circuit is arranged on the electric circuit board 43, noise may be generated from the electric circuit board 43 to other electric circuits. The board 43 is vertically arranged inside the right side edge of the camera body 12, and has a strobe unit 34, a DC / DC converter 35, electric circuit boards 41, 42, etc., each of which has another electric circuit. Since they are separated from each other, the arrangement is such that other electric circuits are not affected by noise as much as possible.

The electric circuit board 43 is placed in a box-shaped shield member (not shown) so as not to generate noise. The two electric circuit boards 41 and 42 arranged horizontally above and below are electrically connected to the strobe unit 34, the DC / DC converter 35, and the recording medium drive unit 36 by unillustrated connectors. The vertically arranged electric circuit board 43 is also electrically connected to the other electric circuit boards 41 and 42 by connectors (not shown).

The DC / DC converter 35 serves to convert the power supply voltage from the battery 38 into a supply voltage at a level suitable for each electric circuit. Supply voltage is sent to each electrical circuit. Since the DC / DC converter 35 is arranged between the strobe unit 34 and the recording medium drive unit 36, the power supply path from the DC / DC converter 35 to the strobe unit 34 and the recording medium drive unit 36 is the shortest. Has become. Further, the power supply path from the DC / DC converter 35 to the upper and lower two electric circuit boards 41 and 42 is also shortened. Therefore, problems such as power loss and noise generation in the power feeding path do not occur. Also, the wiring for power supply can be short, which leads to cost reduction.

[0024]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to secure an efficient mounting layout of an electric circuit board that exhibits a flat plate-like spread, which is indispensable in this kind of electronic image pickup device, and, when the flat shape is adopted, The camera shake is more likely to occur due to the zooming operation by the alternate operation from the wide to the wide and from the wide to the tele.However, by arranging the zooming operator in the vicinity of the recording medium drive unit in which the weight distribution is relatively dense, as described above, It is possible to reduce camera shake and ensure good zooming operability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is an external perspective view of an electronic still camera as an electronic image pickup device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electronic still camera shown in FIG. 1 with an exterior body removed and viewed obliquely from the front.

3 is a front view of the electronic still camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the electronic still camera shown in FIG. 1 with an exterior body removed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 ……………… Electronic still camera (electronic imaging device) 12 ……………… Camera body (exterior body) 19, 20 …… Zoom switch (zooming operator) 36 ………… Recording medium drive unit

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A zooming operation is performed at a portion above or near a portion where a recording medium drive unit is incorporated in the outer casing having a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. An electronic imaging device comprising a child.