JPH0815772A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To quickly expose various kinds of windows and to make a camera large in a vertical direction so as to prevent a camera shake and to hold easily when photographing, to surely protect the various kinds of windows and the front of a photographing lens barrel at the time of carrying the camera, to reduce the whole volume of the camera by providing the camera with a barrier which shields a hole when a cover is set at a first position and which is retreated from the hole when the cover is set at a second position. CONSTITUTION:The hole 3a for projecting the photographing lens barrel 9 when using the camera is pierced through the front plate part of the cover 3. The barrier 4 blocking the hole 3a when not using the camera is arranged between the front plate part of the cover 3 and the front of a camera main body 1. When the cover 3 is lowered in order to a photograph, the barrier 4 is retreated aside from the hole 3a by interlocking with the lowering action of the cover 3. Therefore, the various kinds of aperture parts 5-8 are exposed all at once only by slightly moving the cover 3 downward from the first position and the size of the camera is made large vertically.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera, and more particularly to a camera having a case-shaped cover that moves vertically with respect to the camera body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various windows such as a viewfinder eyepiece window, a viewfinder objective window, a distance measuring window, a photometric window, and a flash light emitting window are arranged on the upper part, and these various windows are covered by a horizontal slide type barrier. A camera configured as described in (1) above is conventionally known, and is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-126232 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-56035.

[0003]

The recent lens shutter cameras including the cameras disclosed in the above publications are much smaller in vertical, horizontal and thickness dimensions than the conventional products in consideration of portability and downsizing. However, if the size of the camera (especially the size in the vertical direction) becomes too small, it becomes difficult to hold the camera, and not only the operability becomes very bad, but also
There is a drawback that camera shake is likely to occur.

Further, in designing a camera, generally, a viewfinder window, a distance measuring window, a flash light emitting window, etc. are laid out in a substantially horizontal row above the camera so as not to block the optical path with a finger at the time of holding. In many cases, when equipping a camera with such various windows arranged in a row in the horizontal slide type barrier as described above, it is necessary to move the barrier in the horizontal direction at the time of shooting to expose all of the windows. Since the moving length of the barrier must be considerably increased, there is a drawback that the guide mechanism of the barrier becomes large and complicated. Further, since the amount of slide of the barrier is large, there is a drawback that it takes time to open the barrier when the camera is ready to shoot.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the above-mentioned known camera, to quickly expose the various windows at the time of photographing, to easily hold the camera so as not to shake the camera, and to enlarge the camera up and down. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera configured to surely protect various windows and the front surface of a photographing lens barrel and reduce the entire volume.

The object of the present invention will be described below for each claim.

A first object of the present invention is to arrange various openings required for photographing such as a viewfinder objective window, a distance measuring window, a photometric window and a flash light emitting window on the front upper part, and when the photographing lens barrel is not photographing. The camera body that is retracted or is always configured to be retracted, and the camera that can be moved up and down between a first position that covers the various openings and a second position that exposes the various openings. A case-shaped cover fitted to the main body and having a hole for exposing the front surface of the photographing lens barrel, and arranged between the back side of the front surface of the cover and the front surface of the camera body. And a barrier that shields the hole when the cover is positioned in the first position and retracts from the hole when the cover is positioned in the second position. is there.

A second object of the present invention is to arrange various apertures necessary for photographing such as a viewfinder objective window, a distance measuring window, a photometric window and a flash light emitting window on the front upper part, and when the photographing lens barrel is not photographing. The camera body that is retracted or is always configured to be retracted, and the camera that can be moved up and down between a first position that covers the various openings and a second position that exposes the various openings. A case-shaped cover that is fitted to the main body and has a notch corresponding to the contour of the outer periphery of the lower half of the imaging lens barrel at the upper edge, and the cover is positioned at the first position And a barrier that shields the notch when opened and retracts from the notch when the cover is positioned at the second position.

A third object of the present invention is to claim 1 or 2.
And a cover having at least one rib or protrusion extending in the horizontal direction on the outer peripheral surface of the cover.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first invention of the present invention is necessary for photographing a viewfinder objective window, a distance measuring window, a photometric window, a flash emission window, etc. on the upper front surface. The camera body has a structure in which various openings are arranged and the photographing lens barrel is collapsed when not photographing or is always in a collapsed state, a first position for covering the various openings and the various openings. A case-shaped cover that is fitted to the camera body so as to be able to move up and down between the exposed second position and has a hole for exposing the front surface of the photographing lens barrel, and the front surface of the cover. It is arranged between the back side and the front of the camera body, and shields the hole when the cover is positioned at the first position, and retracts from the hole when the cover is positioned at the second position. And a barrier to To provide a camera. According to the camera of the first invention, the various openings can be exposed all at once by moving the cover slightly downward from the first position, and the size of the camera can be increased vertically. Therefore, it is possible to quickly enter a shooting-ready state and hold the camera firmly without shaking.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a second invention of the present invention is to arrange various openings necessary for photographing such as a viewfinder objective window, a distance measuring window, a photometric window and a flash light emitting window on the front upper part. A camera body having a structure in which the photographing lens barrel is collapsed when not photographing or is always in a collapsed state; a first position for covering the various openings and a second position for exposing the various openings. A case-shaped cover that is fitted to the camera body so as to be capable of moving up and down between the two, and has a notch corresponding to the contour of the outer periphery of the lower half of the photographing lens barrel formed at the upper edge; There is provided a camera, comprising: a barrier that shields the notch when positioned at the first position and retracts from the notch when the cover is positioned at the second position. According to the camera of the second aspect of the present invention, when the cover is lowered from the first position, the various openings are exposed at the same time, and the dimensions of the camera are higher or lower than those in the non-photographing state (the state of carrying the camera). Since the size is considerably increased in the direction, it is possible to quickly enter the shooting ready state and hold the camera without camera shake.

A third object of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is to have the constitution of claim 1 or 2, and at least one rib or protrusion extending horizontally in the outer peripheral surface of the cover. Provided is a camera having a strip portion formed therein. According to the camera of the third aspect of the present invention, since the rib or the protruding portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cover, the rib or the rib is used as a “finger rest” when the cover is moved up and down or when the camera is held. The ridge portion is useful, and a camera with good operability can be provided.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a state of the camera of the present embodiment when in use (at the time of taking a picture or when preparing to take a picture), and FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing a state when the camera is not in use, FIG. 3 is also a front view of the camera when it is used. In the figure, 1 is a camera barrel retractable type camera body, 2 is a release button of the camera, 3 is a case-like cover that is vertically movable in the camera body 1, and 4 is the front surface of the camera body 1. And a barrier disposed between the front surface and the back surface of the cover 3,
Reference numeral 5 is a publicly known photometric window, 6 is a finder window, 7 is a flash light emitting window, 8 is a publicly known distance measuring window, 9 is a retractable photographing lens barrel,
Is.

The cover 3 includes a front plate portion which covers the front surface of the camera body 1, a rear plate portion which covers the back surface of the camera body 1,
It is configured in a box shape or a case shape having side plate portions that cover both side surfaces of the camera body 1 and a bottom plate portion that covers the bottom surface of the camera body 1, and the front plate portion of the cover 3 is photographed when the camera is used. A hole 3a for projecting the lens barrel 9 is provided through. A barrier 4 is arranged between the front plate portion of the cover 3 and the front surface of the camera body 1 to close the hole 3a when the camera is not in use, and the cover 3 is lowered for photographing as shown in FIG. At times, the barrier 4 is retracted laterally from the hole 3a in conjunction with the lowering operation of the cover 3.

The structures and functions of the barrier 4 and the cover 3 in the camera of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

The barrier 4 has an L-shaped arm portion 4a protruding from the outer periphery of a circular barrier body portion 4b, and the arm portion is provided on a shaft 3b protruding from the rear surface of the front plate portion of the cover 3. 4a is rotatably supported. Further, the barrier 4 is urged to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 4 about the shaft 3b by a spring 12 stretched between the front surface of the camera body 1 and the arm portion 4a. The tip end of the arm portion 4a is brought into contact with the stopper pin 11 protruding from the front surface, whereby the barrier 4 is positioned at the position shown in FIG. 4 when the camera is not used.

When the camera user pulls down the cover 3 from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5 in order to make the camera ready for photographing, the shaft 3b also descends together with the cover 3 so that the position of the stopper pin 11 becomes the barrier 4. As a result, the arm 4a of the barrier 4 is relatively raised, and as a result, the tip of the arm 4a of the barrier 4 is pushed up by the stopper pin 11 and the barrier 4 is rotated clockwise about the shaft 3b, as a result, shown in FIG. Thus, the circular main body portion 4b of the barrier 4 is retracted laterally from the hole 3a of the cover 3 (that is, from the front surface of the photographing lens barrel 9 to the lateral side), and the axis of the hole 3a of the cover 3 is the lens barrel. In the state of FIG. 5 which coincides with the axis of 9, the lens barrel 9 can be extended forward through the hole 3a. At this time, the cover 3 is pulled down, and various openings or windows of the camera body 1 are exposed as shown in FIG. When the camera is ready to shoot in this way, the vertical dimension of the camera is increased by the cover 3 as compared to the non-use state, so it is easier to hold the camera, and therefore shooting can be performed without causing camera shake. You can

Further, in the case where the state in which photographing is possible is changed to the non-use state in FIG. 4, when the cover 3 is pulled up from the position in FIG. 5, the stopper pin 11 of the camera body 1 is relatively lowered, so that the barrier 4 is formed. Is rotated counterclockwise from the position of FIG. 5 about the shaft 3b by the force of the spring 12 and returns to the position of FIG.

<Second Embodiment> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the camera of this embodiment when not in use, and FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the camera of this embodiment when in use. The camera body 1 is of the same type as the camera of the first embodiment, and a photometry window 5, a finder window 6, a flash emission window 7, and a distance measurement window 8 are arranged on the upper part of the front surface of the camera, and a photographing lens barrel 9 is provided. Is a retractable camera that retracts into the camera body.

The cover 14 of the camera of the present embodiment has at least one or more ribs 14c extending in the horizontal direction on the outer surface, and the ribs 14c serve as a "finger rest" when the camera is held, and the cover 3 is provided. It can be used as a "finger rest" when moving up and down with respect to the camera body 1.

A semicircular notch 14b corresponding to the contour of the lower half peripheral surface of the photographing lens barrel 9 is formed on the upper edge of the cover 14, and the camera is in a non-photographing state (state of FIG. 6). At that time, the semi-circular barrier 1 in the cover 14 is provided in the cutout portion 14b.
Zeros are overlapping.

The interlocking structure of the barrier 10 and the cover 14 and the supporting structure of the barrier 10 are almost the same as those of the camera of the first embodiment, but will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, 14a is a cover 14.
A shaft projecting from the back side of the front plate part of the
The arm 10a of the barrier 10 is rotatably supported by
The arm 10a is biased counterclockwise about the shaft 14a by a spring 13 having one end fixed to the front surface of the camera body. Reference numeral 15 denotes a first stopper pin projectingly provided on the back surface of the front plate portion of the cover 14, and the pin 15 is provided on the arm 1 of the barrier 10 when the cover 14 is in the fully closed state as shown in FIG.
0a to engage the barrier 10 with the notch 14 of the cover 14
Position it so that it overlaps b.

Reference numeral 16 designates a second stopper pin projectingly provided on the front surface of the camera body 1, the cover 14 of which is shown in FIG.
When lowered to the position, the arm 10a of the barrier 10 is engaged to retract the barrier 10 from the cutout portion 14b.

When the camera is not used, as shown in FIG. 8, the cover 14 is in a position to cover the entire surface of the camera body 1, and the cutout portion 14b at the upper edge of the cover 14 is the cover 1.
Is shielded by the barrier 10 in
Arm 10a is engaged with the stopper pin 15 in the cover 14.

When the camera user pulls down the cover 14 from the position shown in FIG. 8 in order to make the camera ready for photographing, the shaft 14a, which is the supporting shaft of the barrier 10, also descends together with the cover 14, and the camera body 1 The arm 10a receives an upward force from the time when the stopper pin 16 protruding from the front surface of the barrier 10 comes into contact with the arm 10a of the barrier 10, and the barrier 10 is rotated clockwise about the shaft 14a. Therefore, the barrier 10 is retracted downward from the notch portion 14b of the cover 14, and when the notch portion 14b is in the state of FIG.
Is locked by a stopper (not shown). Therefore, the photographing lens barrel 9 can be extended from the inside of the camera body 1, and
Since the photometric window 5, the finder window 6, the distance measuring window 8, the flash emission window 7, etc. are exposed, it is possible to take a picture.

When the camera body 1 is housed in the cover 14 again after photographing is finished, the cover 14 is raised from the position shown in FIG. Then, the shaft 14a and the barrier 10 are also covered by the cover 1
4, the arm 10a of the barrier 10 rises to a position away from the stopper pin 16 and the barrier 10 is rotated counterclockwise about the shaft 14a by the force of the spring 13 so that the arm 10a contacts the stopper pin 15. When it comes in contact, it stops and returns to the state of FIG.

In the configuration of this embodiment, the cutout portion 14b forming the movement path for the photographing lens barrel 9 is a semicircular shape corresponding to the contour of the outer periphery of the lower half portion of the lens barrel 9, and the cutout portion is formed. 14b
Is formed on the upper edge of the cover 14, the cover 14
The movement amount of the barrier 10 interlocked with is smaller than that in the first embodiment. The required movement amount of the cover 14 is the first embodiment.
However, since the vertical dimension of the camera when the photographing lens barrel 9 is exposed becomes larger than that in the first embodiment, it is suitable for a camera having a small vertical dimension. Further, in the camera of the present embodiment, since the rib 14c in the horizontal direction is formed on the outer surface of the cover 14, the rib is used as a "finger hook" when the camera is held or a "finger hook" when the cover 14 is moved up and down. 14c is useful,
The operability of the camera is improved.

It is natural that power (spring force, electromagnetic drive means, pressure use) may be used to lower the covers 3 and 14, and the covers are power-driven. By so doing, the effect of the present invention is further enhanced.

Of course, there is provided a locking means (not shown) for locking the cover at that position when the cover is positioned at the first and second positions.
In the above embodiment, the illustration and description of the locking means are omitted.

[0034]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the various openings can be exposed all at once by moving the cover slightly downward from the first position, and the camera size can be increased or decreased. Since the size of the camera can be increased, a camera that can quickly enter a shooting state and can be firmly held without shaking is provided. Further, in the camera of the present invention, since the cover is case-shaped or box-shaped, the camera can be protected more firmly than the conventional lateral slide type barrier, and the contamination by dust can be extremely reduced.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the various openings can be exposed all at once by moving the cover slightly downward from the first position, and the size of the camera can be increased vertically. As a result, a camera that can quickly enter a shooting-ready state and can be held firmly without shaking is provided. Further, in the camera of the present invention, since the cover is case-shaped or box-shaped, the camera can be protected more firmly than the conventional lateral slide type barrier, and the contamination by dust can be extremely reduced. Further, according to the present invention, the vertical dimension at the time of photographing can be made larger than that of the camera of the first aspect, so that a configuration suitable for a camera having a small vertical dimension can be provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the rib or the ridge is provided as a "finger hook" when operating the cover in the vertical direction and as a "finger hook" when holding the camera. Since it can be used, it is easy to operate, and since the rib is formed, it is possible to provide a camera protected by a cover having high strength.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a photographing possible state of a camera of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing a state when the camera shown in FIG. 1 is in a non-shooting state.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a photographable state of the camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view for explaining the relationship between the cover and the barrier when the camera shown in FIG. 1 is in a non-shooting state.

5 is a front view for explaining the relationship between the cover and the barrier when the camera shown in FIG. 1 is in an image-capable state.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view showing a non-photographing state of the camera of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the camera of FIG. 6 in a photographable state.

8 is a front view for explaining the relationship between the cover and the barrier when the camera of FIG. 6 is in a non-shooting state.

9 is a front view for explaining the relationship between the cover and the barrier when the camera of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Camera body 2 ... Release button 3, 14 ... Cover 3a ... Hole 5 ... Photometric window 6 ... Viewfinder window 7 ... Flash emission window 8 ... Distance measuring window 9 ... Photographing barrel 4, 10 ... Barrier 12, 13 ... Spring 14b ... Notch 14c ... Rib

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. At least one of various apertures necessary for photographing, such as a viewfinder objective window, a distance measuring window, a photometric window, and a flash emission window, is arranged on the upper front surface, and the photographing lens barrel is collapsed when not photographing. Alternatively, the camera body is configured to be vertically movable between a camera body having a structure that is always collapsed and a first position that covers the various openings and a second position that exposes the various openings. A case-shaped cover that is fitted and has a hole for exposing the front surface of the photographing lens barrel, and is disposed between the back side of the front surface of the cover and the front surface of the camera body and the cover. A barrier that shields the hole when is positioned in the first position and retracts from the hole when the cover is positioned in the second position. 2. At least one of various openings necessary for photographing such as a finder objective window, a distance measuring window, a photometric window and a flash light emitting window is arranged on the upper front surface, and the photographing lens barrel is retracted when not photographing. Alternatively, the camera body is configured to be vertically movable between a camera body having a structure that is always collapsed and a first position that covers the various openings and a second position that exposes the various openings. A case-shaped cover that is fitted and has a notch corresponding to the contour of the outer periphery of the lower half of the imaging lens barrel is formed at the upper edge, and the cover is positioned at the first position. A camera comprising: a barrier that sometimes shields the notch and that retracts from the notch when the cover is positioned at the second position. 3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein at least one rib or a ridge extending in the horizontal direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cover.