JPH07287286A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To disuse a member for waterproofing and to obtain a waterproof camera which is small in size and light in weight and whose operability is prevented from being deteriorated by waterproof structure by providing a means for transmitting a release signal and a switching signal, etc., from the outside to the inside with light. CONSTITUTION:An underwater decision means 10 decides whether a camera main body is underwater or in the air, and transmits the obtained information to a control means 7. The control means 17 is constituted of a microcomputer, etc., and controls the respective actions of the camera. A release button is installed on a remote control transmitter 8. By depressing the release button, an infrared pulse is radiated to pass through a transparent waterproof capsule 1 and received by a remote control receiver 11. Therefore, by making the receiver 11 a multichannel receiver, zooming action for varying the focal distance of a photographing lens, for example, can be performed in addition to releasing action. Since the action signal of the camera is transmitted from the outside to the inside of the waterproof capsule with an infrared signal, the complicated waterproof structure of an operation part is not necessitated and the camera which is light in weight and small in size is obtained without deteriorating the operability by the waterproof structure.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to improvement of a waterproof function and operability of a camera capable of photographing even under water.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a water-resistant capsule in which an underwater camera in which a camera has a waterproof function or an ordinary camera is put in a water-resistant capsule and which can be photographed underwater has been released.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a conventional example and is a sectional view of a waterproof capsule. 41 is a waterproof capsule, 42 is a camera body, 43 is a lock of a waterproof capsule lid (not shown),
44 is a photographing lens, 45 is a strobe, 46 is a viewfinder, 47 is a strobe charging operation lever, 48 is a leaf spring for returning the release button, 49 is a release button, 50 is waterproof means for the release button, 51 is a film winding dial, and 52 is It is a waterproofing means for the film winding dial.

With the above-mentioned structure, the release button 49,
Camera body 4 with film winding dial 51 etc.
2 operates in water and can take pictures.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, there is a lever for release, a film winding dial, a strobe charging operation lever, etc., so that the operation force is transmitted from the outside to the inside of the waterproof capsule. And
It had a complicated structure to waterproof the operation members. As a result, the whole becomes bigger and it is no longer a compact camera.

Further, in the case of the release button as in the conventional example, when the camera is submerged in water, the waterproof capsule is sealed, so that it is pushed by water pressure. For example, when the surface area of the release button is 1 cm ² , the release button return spring 48 requires a spring force of 5 kg or more in order to prevent the release button from being pushed and released with a force of 5 kg when the camera is sunk by 50 m. However, there was a drawback that the release would be heavy in shallow water.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the light emitting means is provided outside the waterproof means, and the light receiving means is provided inside the waterproof means so that the camera release operation or the lens zoom operation can be performed according to the signal. It was done.

Further, the operating member provided on the camera having the waterproofing means is designed to be lightened so that the pressing force of the operating member is lightened to facilitate the operation. Further, it has an underwater judging means so that the light receiving means is brought into a light receiving waiting state when it is underwater.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a mechanical block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a waterproof capsule which prevents the camera body from being submerged. Reference numeral 2 is a camera body, 3 is a capsule lid lock, 4 is a taking lens, 5 is a strobe, 6 is a viewfinder, and 8 is a remote control transmitter which is a light emitting means and has a plurality of transmission coats. A photometric sensor 7 obtains information on the exposure control of the film. Reference numeral 10 is an underwater determination means. Next, the electrical configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

Reference numeral 10 denotes an underwater determination means, which determines whether the camera body is underwater or in the air, and sends the information to the control means 17. Reference numeral 17 denotes a control means which is composed of a microcomputer and controls each operation of the camera.

Reference numeral 8 is a remote control transmitter having a release button. When this button is pressed, an infrared pulse is emitted. The infrared pulse passes through the transparent waterproof capsule and is received by 11 remote control receivers. If this remote control transmitter / receiver has multiple channels, not only release but also zoom operation for changing the focal length of the taking lens becomes possible.

Reference numeral 12 is a strobe, 13 is an AF (autofocus) device, and 14 is a taking lens whose focal length is variable. Reference numeral 15 is a film exposure device, 16 is a film feeding device, and 12 to 16 are known devices used for cameras, and therefore description thereof is omitted here.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step 1) The underwater detection means detects whether the camera is underwater or in the air. Step 2 if determined to be underwater
The remote control reception waiting state is entered.

(Step 3) Whether or not a signal is output from the remote controller transmitter 8 is judged by the remote controller reception judgment. If there is a signal, the procedure returns to step 4, and if not, the procedure returns to step 1.

(Step 4) If the transmission code of the remote control reception signal is judged to be a release signal, go to step 9, otherwise go to step 5.

(Step 5) If the transmission code of the remote control reception signal is not TELE and it is not TELE, go to step 7. If TELE, go to step 6, move in the direction of increasing the focal length of the taking lens, and return to step 1.

(Step 7) If the transmission code of the remote control reception signal is not WIDE and it is not WIDE, the procedure returns to step 1. If it is WIDE, go to step 8, move in the direction of shortening the focal length of the taking lens, and return to step 1.

(Step 9) The focus of the taking lens is focused on the subject by the AF device.

(Step 10) The light is measured by the photometric sensor 7, and if it is bright, an image is taken according to the information of the photometric sensor, and the process proceeds to step 13. If it is dark, the flash is charged, then the flash is emitted to take a picture, and the procedure goes to step 13.

(Step 13) The film is fed and the process returns to step 1.

According to the present invention, the operation signal of the camera is transmitted from the outside of the waterproof capsule to the inside of the waterproof capsule by an infrared signal, so that a complicated waterproof structure of the operating portion is not required, and a high waterproof performance can be obtained with a simple structure. A lightweight and compact camera can be realized without deteriorating the operability due to the waterproof structure.

The principle of underwater detection will be described with reference to FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 30 is a waterproof capsule made of transparent acrylic or glass, and the inner side is protruded as shown in the figure.

Reference numeral 31 is a light projecting means composed of an IRED or LED, 32 is a light receiving means composed of a phototransistor or the like, and 31 and 32 constitute a photoreflector. Reference numeral 33 is an outer side of the camera, which holds the photo reflectors 31 and 32, and is constructed so that there are holes at the light projecting and light receiving positions so that the light can be transmitted out. A lens may be inserted in this hole to increase the efficiency of the photo reflector.

When there is water on the outside of the waterproof capsule as shown in FIG. The refractive index of the waterproof capsule is n ₁ , the refractive index of water is n ₂ , and the incident angle is i.

[0027]

[Outer 1] Here, assuming that i = 45 °, the refractive index of the waterproof capsule n ₁ =
If the refractive index of water is 1.5 and the refractive index of water is 1.3, the formula is

[0028]

[Outside 2] Therefore, the light emitted from the light projecting means 31 passes through the waterproof capsule 30 and almost goes out into the water, so that only a small amount of light returns to the light receiving means 32.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when outside the waterproof capsule or in the air not in water. Since the refractive index of air n ₂ = 1

[0030]

[Outside 3] Therefore, the light emitted from the light projecting means 31 is totally reflected on the boundary surface between the waterproof capsule and the air, and almost returns to the light receiving means 32. When the output of the light receiving means 32 is large, it can be determined that it is in the air, and when it is small, it can be determined that it is underwater.

Further, the light projecting means 31 does not continuously light up, but projects light only every predetermined time to save energy.

FIG. 7 shows the second embodiment only in the difference from the above embodiment.

In the figure, 1 is a waterproof capsule, 2 is an outer cover of the camera, 20 is a release button, 21 is a light emitting means, 22 is a light receiving means, 23 is a spring for returning the release button, and 24 and 2.
Reference numeral 5 is a hole, and 26 is a reflector having a high light reflectance. 27 holds a release button 23 and the like (hereinafter referred to as a release box).

The light emitted from the light projecting means 21 does not reach the light receiving means 22 because the light emitted from the window of the outer cover of the camera is irradiated and absorbed in the release box having a low reflectance. When the release button 20 is pressed (dotted line in the figure), the reflecting plate 26 is lowered, so that when the light emitted from the light emitting means 21 is reflected toward the light receiving means 22, the output of the light receiving means 22 becomes large. By detecting the output of the light receiving means 22, it becomes possible to detect whether or not the release operation has been performed. Also, since holes 24 and 25 are opened in the release box 27, even if the camera is submerged in water, there is no pressure difference between the inside and outside of the release box. Therefore, the release spring of the release button can be weak, so You can make a good camera.

Further, since the water pressure is not applied, the release box does not require strength as much as the conventional one. If the release box has only one hole, it is difficult to drain and wash the water after using the camera. Therefore, if the camera is left in the water after use, mold etc. will occur and the reflectance of the reflection plate 26 will change. Therefore, in this embodiment, two holes are provided at the top and bottom of the release box to facilitate washing of the release box with water after using the camera.

The operation will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

(Step 20) If it is underwater when it is judged whether it is underwater, it waits as it is, and if it is underwater, step 21
What.

(Step 21) The light emitting means 21 of FIG. 7 is caused to emit light. The light at this time may be visible light or infrared light.

(Step 22) In the release determination, when the release button 20 of FIG. 7 is pressed, the reflecting plate 26 is lowered and the light emitted from the light emitting means 21 is reflected by the reflecting plate 26 and received by the light receiving means 22. Therefore, release button 20
When is pressed, the output level of the light receiving means 22 rises, and the process goes to step 23. If the release button 20 is not pressed, the light of the light emitting means 21 does not enter the light receiving means 22, so the output of the light receiving means 22 becomes small. In that case, the process returns to step 20.

(Step 23) In the release operation, the film is exposed.

(Step 24) The film is fed and the process returns to step 20.

[0042]

As described above, by providing means for transmitting the release signal TELE, WIDE switching signal, etc. of the camera from the outside to the inside by light, the conventional member for waterproofing is not required, and the size is small. It is possible to provide a waterproof camera that does not prevent operability due to its lightweight and waterproof structure. When the camera is not underwater, the detection circuit is turned off to prevent power consumption. By providing a member for holding the release button with water, the operability of the release button is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a first embodiment in which the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 2 is an electrical block diagram of a first embodiment in which the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the underwater determination means performed in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram when the underwater determination means performed in the first embodiment of the present invention is in water.

FIG. 6 is a diagram when the underwater determination means performed in the first embodiment of the present invention is in the air.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Waterproof Capsule 2 Camera Body 3 Waterproof Capsule Lock 4 Photographic Lens 5 Strobe 6 Viewfinder 7 AE 8 External Release Button

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A camera having a waterproofing means, comprising a light emitting means outside the waterproofing means, a light receiving means inside the waterproofing means, and causing the camera to perform a predetermined operation in response to a signal thereof. 2. The underwater camera according to claim 1, wherein an operation member provided on the camera having the waterproof means is submerged. 3. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising an underwater judging means, wherein the light receiving means is brought into a light receiving waiting state based on the underwater judging means. 4. The camera according to claim 3, wherein the underwater determination means is based on a change in the refractive index of light.