JPH0943690A - Camera provided with accessory shoe cover - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attach an accessory to an accessory shoe without the attaching/ detaching operations of a cover by adopting such a constitution that the cover is housed/positioned in a cover housing chamber against the energizing force of an elastic means at the time of attaching the accessory to the accessory shoe. SOLUTION: At the time of attaching for instance a stroboscope as the accessory to the accessory shoe, an attached foot provided on the stroboscope is inserted between the rails 9 of the accessory shoe AS from the rear side of a camera. Since the attached foot is gradually inserted between the rails 9, in this way, the cover 13 is pushed by the attached foot and moved to the front side against the elastic force of a compression coil spring 17. When the attached foot is inserted up to a fixed position on the accessory shoe AS, the cover 13 is housed in the cover housing chamber 12. At this time, the cover 13 is abutted on the retainer 15 of the cover housing chamber 12 and the movement of the cover 13 is regulated. Thus, the fact that the attached foot of the stroboscope is inserted into the further front side than the fixed position with the cover 13 is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a camera having an accessory shoe, and more particularly to a camera having an accessory shoe cover for covering a contact portion when the accessory shoe is not used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A camera accessory mounting seat (accessory shoe) is used when a strobe or other camera accessory is mounted on a camera body, and its shape and dimensions are determined by Japanese Industrial Standards. . This accessory shoe
The inner bottom surface is provided with synchronizer contacts and various contacts unique to the camera, which are used when electrically connecting the attached accessories and the camera to each other. Conventionally, this accessory shoe has been provided on the top cover of a camera or the like, and therefore, the above-mentioned contacts are generally exposed.

However, in recent cameras,
Many computers have a built-in computer, and the contacts of the accessory shoe may also be connected to this computer.If the contacts are exposed and rain, water droplets, etc. adhere and a short circuit occurs, the circuit connected to the computer is short-circuited. , There may be a problem in controlling the exposure and focus of the camera by the computer. For this reason, there has been proposed a camera having a cover for covering the contact portion of the accessory shoe.
Further, this cover is used not only to prevent the above-mentioned electrical short circuit, but also to prevent the design of the camera from being deteriorated due to the contact portion being exposed when the accessory shoe is not used.

A conventional accessory shoe is, for example, as shown in FIG. 7 of an example of the structure proposed by the applicant of the present invention, a resin cover 100 having a shape along the outer shape of the camera CA.
Is configured to be slidably fitted into the accessory shoe. The cover 100 is formed into a small piece having an outer dimension substantially equal to the inner bottom surface of the accessory shoe AS, and by inserting both side portions thereof into both side rails 101 of the accessory shoe AS, a recess formed between these rails 101 is formed. And the upper surface of the positive contact terminal 102 exposed to the inner surface of the accessory shoe AS is covered with the upper surface of the upper surface of the accessory shoe AS to have a surface state substantially equal to the surface of the camera. We are making improvements.

[0005]

With such a conventional accessory shoe cover, it is necessary to remove the cover every time an accessory is attached to the accessory shoe. In that case, the cover is manually slid from the accessory shoe. However, since it is detached, a certain amount of force is required for the work, but it is difficult and troublesome to perform the work with sufficient force to perform it with a fingertip. Also, when attaching accessories, the cover removed from the accessory shoe must be stored separately from the camera,
Since the cover itself is a small piece, it is easy to lose it.

The present invention has an accessory shoe cover which enables accessories to be attached to an accessory shoe without attaching and detaching the cover, thereby eliminating the above-mentioned problems caused by attaching and detaching the cover. The purpose is to provide a camera.

[0007]

A camera according to the present invention is arranged adjacent to an accessory shoe, can accommodate a cover that covers at least a contact portion of an accessory shoe provided on a camera body, and moves the cover between the accessory shoe and the accessory shoe. It has a possible cover storage chamber and elastic means for urging the cover toward the position where it covers the contact point of the accessory shoe.When the accessory is attached to the accessory shoe, the cover resists the urging force of the elastic means. Then, it is configured to be stored in the cover storage chamber.

The accessory shoe is provided with a pair of rails for guiding and fixing the attachment feet of the accessories, and the cover is movable along the extending direction of these rails, and when biased by elastic means. It is configured to be advanced between the rails. Further, the cover storage chamber is provided inside the camera decorative plate on one side in the extending direction of the rail, and a compression coil spring as an elastic means is internally provided inside the cover storage chamber, and the extension of the compression coil spring causes the cover to be removed from the cover storage chamber as an accessory. It is configured to project toward the shoe. further,
It has stopper means for positioning the cover protruding from the cover storage chamber at a predetermined position on the accessory shoe. Further, the cover has a means for positioning the cover in the cover storage chamber, and the accessory positioned by the positioned cover with respect to the accessory shoe.

[0009]

Next, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a rear view of the camera of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a main part thereof, FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view in which a part thereof is broken, and FIGS. 4 (a), 4 (b),
(C) is the enlarged plan view, the front view, and the sectional view on the AA line. The upper part of the camera CA is configured to cover the upper side of the camera body 1 with the upper decorative plate 2. The upper decorative plate 2 is formed by cutting out a part of the rear side of the camera into a rectangular shape, and a shallow groove (not shown) is formed along the front-back direction of the camera on the upper surface of the camera body 1 including the cutout portion 3. A rectangular insulating support base 4 is internally fixed in this groove. This insulating support 4
The upper surface of the front side of the camera (hereinafter, simply referred to as “front side”) is configured to have a lower height and configured as a lower surface portion 5. By this lower surface portion 5, the higher surface portion 6 of the upper surface of the rear side of the camera (hereinafter referred to as the rear side) A stepped portion 7 is formed at the boundary portion between and. The length of the rear high surface portion 6 in the front-rear direction is set to a predetermined length dimension for constructing an accessory shoe, but the length of the lower surface portion 5 in the front-rear direction is the rear high surface portion. It is formed to be somewhat longer than the length of 6.

An accessory shoe AS is formed on the rear high surface of the insulating support 4. In this accessory shoe AS, a negative contact plate 8 integrally formed with an inverted L-shaped rail 9 along both side edges by bending a metal plate is fixed onto the high surface portion 6 by a machine screw 10. This rail 9
It goes without saying that both sides of the mounting foot of an accessory such as a strobe can be inserted thereinto and the inserted mounting foot is clamped by the inner surface of the rail 9. In addition,
Here, the front and rear ends of the rail 9 are configured to penetrate in the front and rear direction. Further, the central region of the negative contact plate 8 is opened, and the positive contact terminal 11 is integrally arranged at the position of the high surface portion 6 of the insulating support 4 in the opened region. The negative contact plate 8 and the positive contact terminal 11 are connected to a circuit (not shown) inside the camera. In this way, the accessory shoe AS is formed in a state of being located in the notch 3 of the upper decorative plate 2 and exposed to the upper surface of the camera.

On the other hand, a cover accommodating chamber 12 is formed between the lower surface portion 5 of the insulating support 4 located in the gap between the upper decoration plate 2 and the camera body 1 and the upper decoration plate 2, A rectangular plate-shaped accessory shoe cover 13 having a width substantially equal to the facing dimension of the rail 9 and having a length slightly longer than the length of the rail is installed in the cover storage chamber 12. Both sides of the cover 13 are slidably movable in the front-rear direction on the insulating support base 4 while being guided inside the rails 9. Further, the cover 13 is colored the same as the upper decorative plate 2,
Moreover, the front end is formed thicker downward, and the step portion 14 is formed on the lower surface. The stepped portion 14 functions as a stopper that prevents the cover 13 from moving further rearward by coming into contact with the step portion 7 of the insulating support base 4 when the cover 13 is moved rearward. To be done.

A retainer 15 having a recessed hole 16 in the center thereof is provided at the front end of the cover storage chamber 12, and the retainer 15 has one end of a compression coil spring 17 oriented in the front-rear direction. Parts are stored. The other end of the compression coil spring 17 is brought into contact with the front end of the cover 13 to urge the cover 13 toward the rear side. The recessed hole 16 is formed to have a depth dimension in the front-rear direction that allows the entire compression coil spring 17 to be housed when the compression coil spring 17 is shortened, whereby the front side of the cover 13 when the compression coil spring 17 is shortened. The end portion is brought into contact with the retainer 15, and the retainer 15 sets the storage position of the cover 13 in the cover storage chamber 12 as positioning means.

Further, a detection switch 18 for detecting a state in which accessories are attached to the accessory shoe AS is provided in the gap between the camera body 1 and the upper decorative plate 2 adjacent to the cover storage chamber 12. Has been done. The detection switch 18 includes a fixed contact 19 and a movable contact 20 having elasticity.
The movable contact 20 has a tip portion projecting into the cover storage chamber 12.

The operation of the accessory shoe cover having the above structure will be described. When the accessory shoe AS is not equipped with accessories, the cover 13 is urged toward the rear side by the spring force of the compression coil spring 17 as shown in FIGS. It is projected from the cover storage chamber 12 onto the rear accessory shoe AS, and the stopper 14 is moved to a position where it comes into contact with the stepped portion 7 of the insulating support 4. In this position, cover 1
Both sides of 3 are guided by the rails 9 and are located above the negative contact plate 4 and the positive contact terminal 11, and as a result, cover the negative contact plate 4 and the positive contact terminal 11.
Further, since the cover 13 is located in a region which is recessed from the upper decorative plate 2 generated between both rails 9 of the accessory shoe AS, in this region, the upper surface of the cover 13 is a plane substantially equal to the camera upper decorative plate 2. The appearance is improved, and the appearance is improved. Although the plane height of the cover 13 is actually lower than that of the upper decorative plate 2 by the plate thickness of the rail 9, it is not particularly noticeable.

When mounting a strobe as an accessory to the accessory shoe AS, the mounting feet provided on the strobe are inserted between the rails 9 of the accessory shoe AS from the rear of the camera. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of that state, and FIG.
(A), (b) is the top view and the BB line sectional view. By inserting the mounting foot FT between the rails 9 in this manner, the cover 13 is pushed by the mounting foot FT and moved to the front side against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 17, and the mounting foot FT is attached. When the cover 13 is inserted to the upper predetermined position, the cover 13 is stored in the cover storage chamber 12. At this time, since the cover 13 is brought into contact with the retainer 15 of the cover storage chamber 12 and its movement is restricted,
Through this cover 13, the strobe mounting foot FT is prevented from being inserted further forward, and the strobe can be set at the correct position with respect to the accessory shoe. Therefore, conventionally, it is not necessary to form a stopper, which is generally provided integrally with a negative contact plate or the like, on the accessory shoe in order to regulate the insertion position of the mounting foot,
It is also advantageous in simplifying the structure of the accessory shoe.

When the cover 13 is housed in the cover housing chamber 12 as described above, the cover 13 comes into contact with the movable contact 20 of the detection switch 18 and elastically deforms it.
Since the fixed contacts 19 are brought into contact with each other and electrically connected to each other, it is possible to electrically detect a state in which an accessory is attached to the accessory shoe AS.

When the strobe is removed from the accessory shoe AS, the cover 13 is moved to the rear side again by the urging force of the compression coil spring 17, projected from the cover storage chamber 12 onto the accessory shoe AS, and accessories are attached. Then, the cover 13 is returned to the above-described state, and the cover 13 covers the accessory shoe AS.

As described above, according to this accessory shoe cover, when the accessory shoe is mounted on the accessory shoe AS, the cover 13 is automatically retracted from the accessory shoe AS and stored in the cover storage chamber 12. When the accessory is removed from the accessory shoe AS, the cover 13 can be automatically advanced to cover the accessory shoe. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to attach / detach the cover in accordance with attachment / detachment of the accessory, and operability in attaching / detaching the accessory can be improved. Further, since it is not necessary to remove the cover from the camera body, the cover will not be lost.

In the above embodiment, the compression coil spring is used as the elastic means for urging the cover, but a leaf spring or a torsion spring may be used. In addition, the stopper for restricting the position of the cover on the accessory shoe is provided with steps and protrusions on both sides of the cover, and these come into contact with the stepped portion provided at the boundary between the accessory shoe and the cover storage chamber. It may be configured so as to allow it.

[0020]

As described above, in the present invention,
The accessory shoe cover is configured to be movable between the cover storage chamber disposed adjacent to the accessory shoe and the accessory shoe, and the accessory shoe has elastic means for urging the cover toward the accessory shoe. If it is attached to the accessory shoe, the cover will be automatically retracted from the accessory shoe and stored in the cover storage chamber, and if accessories are removed from the accessory shoe, the cover will automatically advance to the accessory shoe and cover it. it can. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to attach / detach the cover in accordance with attachment / detachment of the accessory, the operability when attaching / detaching the accessory can be improved, and the cover need not be removed from the camera body. The effect that the cover is not lost can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a camera showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view in which a part of a main part is cut away.

FIG. 4 is a plan view, a front view, and A of a state in which a cover is projected.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view in which a part of a main part in a state where an accessory is attached is cut away.

FIG. 6 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional accessory shoe cover.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Camera Body 2 Top Decorative Plate 4 Insulation Support 7 Step 9 Rail 11 Positive Contact Terminal 12 Cover Storage Room 13 Cover 14 Step (Stopper) 15 Retainer (Positioning Means) 17 Compression Coil Spring (Elastic Means) 18 Detection Switch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A camera having an accessory shoe for mounting an accessory provided on a camera body and a cover for covering a contact portion provided on the accessory shoe, the camera being disposed adjacent to the accessory shoe and capable of accommodating the cover, and A cover storage chamber capable of moving the cover between the accessory shoe and an elastic means for urging the cover from the cover storage chamber toward a position covering the contact portion,
A camera having an accessory shoe cover, characterized in that when the accessory is attached to the accessory shoe, the cover is housed in a cover housing chamber against the biasing force of the elastic means. 2. The accessory shoe is provided with a pair of rails for guiding and fixing a mounting foot of an accessory, and the cover is movable along the extending direction of the rails and is biased by elastic means. A camera having an accessory shoe cover according to claim 1, which is sometimes advanced between the rails. 3. The cover storage chamber is provided inside a camera decorative plate on one side in the extending direction of the rail, and internally houses a compression coil spring as elastic means, and the cover is housed by the expansion of the compression coil spring. A camera having an accessory shoe cover according to claim 2, which is projected from the chamber toward the accessory shoe. 4. A camera having an accessory shoe cover according to claim 1, further comprising stopper means for positioning the cover protruding from the cover storage chamber at a predetermined position on the accessory shoe. 5. The accessory shoe cover according to claim 1, further comprising means for positioning the cover in the cover storage chamber, and the accessory cover can be positioned with respect to the accessory shoe by the positioned cover. With a camera.