JPH10164407A - Video camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a video camera provided with a turnable cover covering an operation section with high quality and superior in tightness and a sense of operation for luxury by devising a turnable mechanism component to be invisible from the outside. SOLUTION: A notch is formed to a part of a bearing case 22 having a turning shaft and a cylindrical part 4a formed concentric with the bearing case 22 of a removable turning cover 4 is inserted to the notch. Moreover, a turning mechanism of the turning cover 4 is provided in the bearing case 22, and the wiring for a zoom switch 6 and a trigger switch 7 placed to the turning cover 4 is contained in the inside of the bearing case 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video camera having a rotatable cover for covering an operation section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the miniaturization of video cameras has been remarkable, and the size (projection area of each surface) of the video camera body has been decreasing. For this reason, places where buttons for operating the video camera can be arranged are also restricted.
However, on the other hand, the number of operation buttons tends to increase due to multifunctionality and design differentiation.

Also, from the viewpoint of operability, the operability of a video camera is extremely poor if a large number of operation buttons are simply arranged in an orderly manner. Therefore, it is required to arrange a large number of operation buttons in a limited place so as to be easy to use.

Therefore, a rotatable cover for covering the operation unit is provided, and operation buttons that are frequently used when shooting with a video camera are arranged on the upper surface of the cover. Is covered with a rotatable cover, and at the time of reproduction, the cover is rotated and opened to operate a button. In addition, the infrequently used operation buttons used for special function settings are similarly covered with a rotatable cover to prevent malfunction and improve operability.

A conventional example of the above-mentioned rotating lever will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views showing a conventional example of a video camera. In the figure, 1 is an electronic viewfinder, 2
Denotes an imaging lens, and 3 denotes a recording microphone. Reference numeral 4 denotes a rotation cover, which is provided on the upper surface of the video camera body and rotates about a rotation shaft 5. The rotary cover 4 is provided with a zoom button 6 and a trigger button 7.

At the time of photographing, video recording is started by operating the trigger button 7 while observing the subject while looking through the electronic viewfinder 1. Further, the user operates the zoom button 6 to enlarge or reduce the subject, and performs operations such as determining an appropriate angle of view.

When the rotating cover 4 is rotated about the rotating shaft 5 at the time of reproduction, the reproduction button 10 covered by the rotating cover 4 is exposed, and reproduction start, stop, fast forward, etc. of the recording tape are performed. Operations can be performed.

A description will be given of a rotating mechanism of the rotating cover 4 configured as described above. It is desirable that the rotation cover 4 is prevented from rotating in a closed state and fully opened at an arbitrary angle, and is stabilized from the convenience of use. Therefore, a cam 9 is provided around the center of rotation of the rotating cover 4, and a leaf spring 8 is provided to apply friction to the cam 9. A flexible wiring 11 for transmitting electric signals of the zoom button 6 and the trigger button 7 provided on the rotating cover 4 is connected to an electric signal processing board in a main body (not shown) along the inside of the rotating shaft 5. .

[0010]

However, in the above conventional example, when the rotating cover 4 is opened, the cam 9, the leaf spring 8,
The flexible wiring 11 is exposed, resulting in poor quality and unsightly appearance, and a danger that the user may inadvertently touch the wiring. Further, since the leaf spring 8 is deformed by the cam 9, the shape of the leaf spring 8 and the hole 12 for allowing the cam 9 to escape are required in the main body. However, this hole 12
There is a problem that if dust or water enters the inside of the main body, it may cause a failure. Further, in order to improve the operation feeling of opening and closing the rotating cover 4, it is necessary to make the cam 9 as large as possible and make the displacement of the leaf spring 8 sufficiently large. Because they conflict with each other, they are restricted to some extent.
Therefore, there is also a problem that it is difficult to provide a rotation cover having a good operation feeling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a video camera provided with a rotating cover having high quality, excellent sealing performance, and a high feeling of operation.

[0012]

A video camera according to the present invention has the following configuration.

(1) A rotatable cover for covering the operation unit is provided, and a rotating mechanism for the cover is provided inside a bearing case having a rotating shaft.

(2) In the video camera of (1), the video camera has an engagement portion whose friction changes with the rotation of the cover.

(3) In the video camera of (2), the engaging portion is formed by a tapered portion provided on a surface perpendicular to the rotation axis.

(4) In any one of the video cameras (1) to (3), the cover has an operation button, and the signal wiring of the operation button is housed in the bearing case.

(5) In any one of the video cameras (1) to (4), the cover is detachably attached to the main body.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a video camera provided with a rotating cover mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention. 8, the same components as those in FIG. 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is omitted. In FIG. 1, the difference from FIG. 8 is that there is no hole for releasing the deformation of the cam and the leaf spring, the sealing is improved, and dust and water are prevented from entering the inside of the main body. Further, a part of the bearing case 22 having the rotating shaft is cut away, and the cylindrical portion 4 a formed in the turning cover 4 so as to be concentric with the bearing case 22 is inserted into the cut portion.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the above-mentioned rotating cover mechanism. In the figure, the shaft 13 has a columnar shape, and both ends are D-cut so as to have a D-shaped cross section. Further, a hole 1 having a sufficient depth corresponding to the shape of the tip of the shaft 13 is formed at one end of the click member 15.
5a is provided. The shaft 13 penetrates the compression spring 14 and is engaged with the hole 15a of the click member 15. Thereby, the shaft 13 and the click member 1
5 rotates in conjunction with it, and the click member 15 can slide in the direction of the rotation axis while receiving the spring force.

The bearing case 22 includes a shaft 13.
The shaft cover 22 is provided with a shaft hole 22 a through which a hole 4 corresponding to the shape of the other end of the shaft 13 is formed.
b is provided. Then, the shaft 13 penetrates through a shaft hole 22 a provided in the bearing case 22 in a state where the shaft 13 is engaged with the compression spring 14 and the click member 15,
Furthermore, it is inserted so as to engage with the hole 4 b of the rotating cover 4. In addition, the flange portion 13a formed on the shaft 13
Has a diameter sufficiently larger than the diameter of the shaft hole 22a and the compression spring 14.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a component holding member having a convex portion 16a having a V-shaped tapered surface formed on a surface perpendicular to the rotation axis. A concave portion 15b having a V-shaped tapered surface engageable with the convex portion 16a is formed on the other end surface of the click member 15. The component holding member 16 is fixed to the bearing case 22 with a screw (not shown) in a state where the convex portion 16a of the component holding member 16 is opposed to the spring force and is engaged with the concave portion 15b of the click member 15.

17 is a zoom button 6, a trigger button 7
This is a wire cable that transmits electric signals. The wire cable 17 passes through the inside of the cylindrical portion 4 a of the rotating cover 4, passes through a square hole 16 b formed in the component holding member 16, and is wired to an electric signal processing board (not shown).

As described above, the rotating mechanism of the rotating cover 4 is provided inside the bearing case 22 having the rotating shaft, and the engaging portion is formed by a tapered portion provided on a surface perpendicular to the rotating shaft. I have. The wiring of the operation buttons of the rotating cover 4 is housed inside the bearing case 22.

The operation of the rotating cover mechanism configured as described above will be described. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of the rotating mechanism in a state where the rotating cover is closed. In the figure, a concave portion 15b having a V-shaped tapered surface of the click member 15 (FIG. 2) and a convex portion 16a having a V-shaped tapered surface of the component holding member 16 (FIG. 2) are in an engaged state.
This engaging portion is constantly pressed by a spring force by the compression spring 14.

Here, when the rotating cover 4 is rotated, the shaft 13 engaged with the cover 4 rotates, and further, the click member 15 engaged with the shaft 13 rotates. Then, the phase of the concave portion 15b having the V-shaped tapered surface of the click member 15 (FIG. 2) and the phase of the convex portion 16a having the V-shaped tapered surface of the component holding member 16 (FIG. 2) are shifted. The compression spring 14 slides in the direction of the rotation axis indicated by A, and the compression spring 14 is further compressed, and the spring force increases. For this reason, a force is applied by the compression spring 14 to push the click member 15 back in the direction opposite to the arrow A, and the click member 15 is out of phase with the convex portion 16a having a V-shaped tapered surface (FIG. 2). Is rotated to return the rotating cover 4, so that a rotating force acts in a direction to close the rotating cover 4. Accordingly, the rotation cover 4 is prevented from rotating at a closed position where the rotation power is equal to or less than an arbitrary rotation power.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of the turning mechanism showing a state in which the turning cover 4 is turned to an arbitrary position by a turning force exceeding the spring force. The rotating cover 4 is rotated counter to the spring force, so that the top of the concave portion 15b (FIG. 2) having a V-shaped tapered surface at the click portion 15 and the convex portion 16a having the V-shaped tapered surface of the component holding member 16 are formed. The spring force is maximized in the state of FIG. 4 where the vertices of FIG. 2 match. When the click member 15 is further rotated, the click member 15 slides in the rotation axis direction indicated by the arrow B while rotating by the spring force. The rotating cover 4 engaged via the shaft 13 is in the fully opened position, that is, the concave portion 15b (FIG. 2) having the V-shaped tapered surface of the click member 15 and the V-shaped portion of the component holding member 16. The convex portion 16a (FIG. 2) having the tapered surface is rotated by the spring force to the position shown in FIG. Therefore,
The rotation cover 4 is prevented from rotating below an arbitrary rotation power at the fully opened position as in the closed position.

As described above, the friction of the engaging portion changes with the rotation of the rotating cover 4 and is stabilized in the fully opened state and the fully occupied state.

Since the above-mentioned rotating mechanism is constituted by two sets of symmetrical mechanisms, the spring force is doubled, and it is possible to make use of the change in the turning power.

Further, as shown in FIG.
When the shaft 13 is pressed against the spring force of the compression spring 14 using an L-shaped tool 18 or the like, the shaft 13 slides in the axial direction, and the rotary cover 4 is formed.
Is disengaged. Therefore, the rotating cover 4 can be easily attached and detached without removing the screw and disassembling the rotating mechanism.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of a second embodiment of a video camera provided with a rotating cover according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a stepped shaft, in which a concave portion 20a engaging with the convex portion 16a is formed. When the rotating cover 4 is rotated, the stepped shaft 20 slides in the direction of arrow C, and slides while engaging with the hole 4 c provided in the rotating cover 4. Therefore, the hole 4c has a sufficient depth.

In the above configuration, the cost can be reduced by integrating the shaft 13 and the click member 15 of the first embodiment.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of a third embodiment of a video camera provided with a rotating cover according to the present invention. In the figure, a flange 21a is formed at the center of the shaft 21, and a tapered surface is provided on one surface of the flange 21a. Further, a convex portion 22b is provided on the rear end surface of the bearing case 22 to engage with the tapered surface of the flange 21a, and the flange 21a rotates at the same rotation angle as the concave portion 15b. When the rotating cover 4 is rotated, the shaft 21 slides in the direction of arrow D, and the click member 15 slides in the direction of arrow E. For this reason, the compression amount of the compression spring 14 increases, and the pressing force also increases.

With the above structure, the rotation cover 4 is prevented from rotating at an arbitrary position by a stronger rotation force.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By providing the rotating mechanism of the rotatable cover inside the bearing case having the rotating shaft, it is possible to prevent the structural components from being exposed on the appearance around the rotating shaft and to eliminate holes and gaps. Therefore, the quality can be improved, and there is an effect that the failure can be prevented.

Further, the provision of the engaging portion that changes the friction with the rotation of the cover allows the change in the friction at the time of rotation of the cover to be applied, thereby improving the operation feeling. . In addition, since the wiring of the operation buttons of the cover is housed inside the bearing case, the appearance is improved and there is an effect that a failure is prevented. And, since the cover is detachably provided on the main body, there is an effect that maintenance can be easily performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a video camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a rotating cover and a rotating mechanism of the video camera of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the rotation mechanism of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a main part of the rotating mechanism of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part showing another example of the rotating mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a rotating cover and a rotating mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a rotating cover and a rotating mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a conventional example.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic viewfinder 2 Imaging lens 3 Recording microphone 4 Rotation cover 4a Cylindrical part 4b Hole 5 Rotation axis 6 Zoom switch 7 Trigger button 8 Leaf spring 9 Cam 10 Play button 11 Flexible wiring 12 Hole 13 Shaft 13a Flange 14 compression spring 15 click member 15a hole 15b recess 16 component holding member 16a protrusion 16b square hole 17 wire cable 18 L-shaped tool 19 L-shaped hole 20 stepped shaft 20a recess 21 shaft 21a flange 21 bearing case 22a shaft hole Through hole) 22b convex

Claims (5)

[Claims] A rotatable cover for covering the operation unit,
A video camera, wherein the cover rotation mechanism is provided inside a bearing case having a rotation shaft. 2. The video camera according to claim 1, further comprising an engagement portion whose friction changes with rotation of the cover. 3. The engaging portion is formed by a tapered portion provided on a surface perpendicular to the rotation axis.
The described video camera. 4. The video camera according to claim 1, wherein the cover has an operation button, and a signal wiring of the operation button is housed inside the bearing case. 5. The video camera according to claim 1, wherein the cover is detachably provided on the main body.