JPH1026798A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera capable of being miniaturized in camera main body by loading an auxiliary battery for supplying charging energy to a main battery as the power source of the camera, in a member separate from the camera main body. SOLUTION: The main batter 20 as the power source of the camera is loaded in the camera main body 10 and the auxiliary battery 30 and a charging circuit 40 which are for charging the main battery 20 are loaded in the separate member such as a grip member 19 freely attached/detached to/from the camera main body 10 and a remote control device. When the separate member loaded with the auxiliary battery 30 and the charging circuit 40 is attached to the camera main body 10, the main battery 20 is charged with these auxiliary battery 30 and charging circuit 40 loaded in the separate member. Thus, the camera main body can be miniaturized and the auxiliary batter is loaded in a member used for other purposes, so that the main battery can be charged without trouble in attaching the auxiliary battery to the camera main body.

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 powered by a rechargeable metal lithium battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, lithium-based batteries have been used as power supplies for cameras. Since a lithium-based battery can obtain a high voltage and a large capacity current, it is suitable for a recent camera which consumes a large current, such as a zoom motor, in addition to shortening the charging time of the strobe. However, it has been pointed out that batteries become expensive and environmental problems at the time of disposal are caused. Further, when the battery is exhausted, there is a problem in that it is necessary to give up using the camera until a new battery is replaced or to carry a spare battery, which is complicated. In some cases, a lithium-based battery cannot be easily obtained at a travel destination or overseas.

[0003] Although charging of a primary battery is generally prohibited, as described in detail in JP-A-7-130400 and JP-A-8-84619, a lithium-based primary battery is used. Even under such conditions, charging can be performed safely under certain conditions. Lithium-based batteries (particularly metal lithium-based batteries) described in these publications are charged at a time rate current of about 2 μC to 5 mC when the remaining amount is within a range of 5 to 95% of the capacity. By doing so, without impairing the properties of the primary battery,
Charge and discharge can be repeated. In each of the above publications,
There is disclosed a technology in which a lithium-based primary battery and a solar battery are combined and applied to a camera, and the lithium-based primary battery is charged with electric power generated by the solar battery.

[0004] In the present specification, a battery having both characteristics of a primary battery and characteristics of a secondary battery is referred to as an "improved battery".
I will call it. However, in a power supply device having a solar cell, the solar cell itself is expensive, and it is necessary to expose the camera to high illuminance at the time of charging. Furthermore, when the secondary battery (or the improved battery) is rapidly consumed, the problem that the camera cannot be used has not been solved because the amount of power generated by the solar battery is small and it takes time to charge.

From such a viewpoint, there has been proposed a power supply device having a configuration in which the improved battery is charged by an auxiliary battery such as an AA battery (see Japanese Patent Application No. 7-273050).

[0006]

However, the power supply device proposed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 7-273050 has a main battery, an auxiliary battery, and a charging circuit (which supplies power from the auxiliary battery to the main battery). A booster circuit) and the like, there is a problem that the entire device becomes large. For example,
When the above-described power supply device is mounted on a camera, there is a disadvantage in terms of miniaturization of the camera. The auxiliary battery may be provided when the remaining amount of the main battery is reduced to some extent and the main battery needs to be charged, and need not always be provided in the camera body. Therefore, it is possible to separate the auxiliary battery from the camera body so that it can be attached to the camera only when necessary.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an auxiliary battery for supplying charging energy to a main battery, which is a power supply of a camera, is mounted on a member separate from the camera main body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera for realizing.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a main battery capable of repeatedly charging and discharging when the self-discharge rate of the primary battery is substantially equal to and the remaining capacity is greater than a predetermined capacity. A camera body configured to supply power from the main battery to power consuming means required for a shooting operation;
A grip portion detachable from the camera body, an auxiliary battery for supplying power to a main battery, a connector electrically connected to the camera body, and the auxiliary battery connected to the main battery via the connector. And a grip portion having charging means for supplying electric power.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a main battery which is substantially equal to the self-discharge rate of the primary battery and which can be repeatedly charged and discharged when the remaining amount is equal to or more than a predetermined capacity, A camera body configured to supply power from the main battery to a power consuming unit required for a photographing operation, and a remote controller that is detachably attached to the camera body and remotely controls the camera body, wherein power is supplied to the main battery. A remote controller having an auxiliary battery to be supplied, a connector electrically connected to the camera body, and charging means for supplying power from the auxiliary battery to the main battery via the connector. I have.

According to the present invention, the size of the camera body can be reduced by mounting the auxiliary battery for supplying charging energy to the main battery of the camera body on a member separate from the camera body. In addition, since the separate member on which the auxiliary battery is mounted is a member used for another purpose, the main battery can be used without having to attach the separate member to the camera body. Can be charged.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the camera according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG.
1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a camera according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 12 denotes a photographing lens, 14 denotes a finder, 16 denotes a flash, 18 denotes a shutter button, and 19 denotes a grip member.

As will be described later, the grip member 19 contains, for example, one AA battery and a charging circuit (the AA battery is replaceable), and the camera body 1.
It is removable from 0. The AA dry battery is not limited to this, and other types of primary batteries and secondary batteries may be used. FIG. 2 shows the grip member 1
9 is a partially enlarged view when 9 is detached from the camera body 10. FIG. As shown in the figure, the grip member 19 is provided with a key-shaped convex portion 19A and a through hole 19B through which the screw 22 is inserted. On the other hand, on the camera body 10 side, a concave portion 10A that fits with the convex portion 19A of the grip portion 19 and a screw hole 10B that is screwed with the screw 22 are provided. When attaching the grip member 19 to the camera body 10, the protrusion 19A of the grip member 19 is fitted into the concave portion 10A of the camera body 10, and the screw 22 is inserted through the through hole 19B of the grip member 19 to insert the camera body 10. , And the grip member 19 is fixed to the camera body 10.

The grip member 19 is connected to the camera body 10.
The terminal pins 19C, 19C protruding from the grip member 19 are inserted into the engagement terminals 10C, 10C provided on the camera body 10, and the circuit inside the grip member 19 and the circuit inside the camera body 10 are connected. Electrically connected. Next, the configuration of the power supply device of the camera arranged inside the camera body 10 and inside the grip member 19 will be described. FIG. 3 is an internal perspective view showing the arrangement of the power supply device of the camera when the grip member 19 is attached to the camera body 10.

The power supply of the camera mainly includes a main battery 2
0, an auxiliary battery 30, and a charging circuit 40.
The main battery 20 is disposed inside the camera body 10 and the main battery 2
Power is supplied from 0 to the strobe 16, motors such as a zoom motor and a film feed motor, a camera control circuit, and the like. The main battery 20 is a rechargeable battery for a camera having a low self-discharge and having a self-discharge rate of 5% / year or less, for example, and has a voltage of 3.25 V when properly charged. is there.

Next, the details of the main battery will be described.
Manganese dioxide is preferable as the positive electrode active material of the main battery, and manganese dioxide synthesized by electrolysis and manganese dioxide chemically synthesized are particularly preferable. As a material that can be used as the negative electrode active material, lithium metal and lithium alloy (any metal that forms an alloy with lithium may be used, but Al, Mn, Sn, Mg, Cd, and In are particularly preferable, and an alloy containing Al is particularly preferable). Preferably, it is used.

A conductive agent, a binder, a filler, and the like can be added to the electrode mixture. The conductive agent may be any electronic conductive material that does not cause a chemical change in the configured battery. The addition amount is not particularly limited,
It is preferably from 1 to 50% by weight, particularly preferably from 2 to 30% by weight. As the binder, a polysaccharide, a thermoplastic resin, a polymer having rubber elasticity, or a mixture thereof can be used. The amount of the binder added is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 to 50% by weight, and particularly preferably 2 to 30% by weight.

As the filler, any fibrous material that does not cause a chemical change in the constructed battery can be used. Usually, fibers such as olefin-based polymers such as polypropylene and polyethylene, glass, and carbon are used. Although the amount of the filler is not particularly limited,
~ 30% by weight is preferred. The non-aqueous electrolyte is generally composed of a solvent and a lithium salt (anion and lithium cation) dissolved in the solvent, and comprises propylene carbonate and / or butylene carbonate and 1,2-dimethoxyethane and / or diethyl carbonate. LLCF ₃ SO ₃ in a mixture of Kaponeto, LiCl0 _4, LiBF ₄ and / or an electrolyte containing LiPF ₆ is preferred. The amount of these electrolytes to be added to the battery is not particularly limited, but may be used in a required amount depending on the amounts of the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material and the size of the battery.

The volume ratio of the solvent is not particularly limited,
In the case of a mixture of propylene carbonate and / or butylene carbonate to 1,2-dimethoxyethane,
0.4 / 0.6 to 0.6 / 0.4 is preferred. The concentration of the supporting electrolyte is not particularly limited, but may be 0.1 to 1 liter of the electrolytic solution.
2-3 moles are preferred. On the other hand, the auxiliary battery 30 is, for example, 1
It is composed of three AA batteries and is housed inside the grip member 19. Note that another battery (secondary battery) may be stored as an auxiliary battery as long as it has the same shape as the AA battery.

The charging circuit 40 is also housed inside the grip member 19, and when the grip member 19 is attached to the camera body 10, the charging circuit 40
Is supplied to the main battery 20. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the charging circuit 40. As shown in the figure, the charging circuit 40 includes a charging control circuit 42 and a boosting circuit 44. The charge control circuit 42 controls the voltage V ₁ of the main battery 20 and the voltage V _{2 of the} auxiliary battery 30 respectively.
Is detected, for example, the voltage V _CR of the main battery 20 becomes V _CR <3.0.
V and the voltage V _E of the auxiliary battery 30 is V _E ≧ 0.9
In the case of V (final voltage of the auxiliary battery 30), the booster circuit 44 is operated to charge the main battery 20.

On the other hand, when the main battery 20 is fully charged (when the voltage V _CR = 3.25 V), the charge control circuit 42
Or the auxiliary battery 30 is exhausted, and the voltage V of the auxiliary battery 30
_{When E} becomes V _E <0.9 V, the booster circuit 44 is stopped. Since the charging control circuit 42 is supplied with the driving power from the main battery 20, the charging circuit 40 operates only when the grip member 19 is mounted on the camera body 10.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the booster circuit 44. As shown in FIG.
Is of a push-pull type, in which the power supply of the auxiliary battery 30 is converted into AC by transistors Q1 and Q2 which are alternately turned on by a charge control circuit 42, boosted through a transformer T, and rectified by a rectifier circuit 45. By doing so, the DC voltage is converted into a DC voltage necessary for charging the main battery 20.

Here _, assuming that the number of turns on the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer T is n _1, n ₂ , the voltage V on the primary side of the transformer T is
The relationship between ₁ and the voltage V ₂ on the secondary side has the following formula: V ₁ / V ₂ = n ₁ / n ₂ (1) On the other hand, the voltages V ₁ and V ₂ required on the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer T are as follows: V ₁ = 0.9−V _DS = 0.7 [V] (Min) (2) V ₂ = 3.25 + 0.7 × 2 + 0.5 = 5.15 [V] (3) (where 0.9: final voltage of auxiliary battery 30 V _DS : saturation voltage between drain and source of transistors Q1 and Q2 3.25: maximum voltage of main battery 20 0.7 × 2: Voltage drop in the rectifier circuit 45). Therefore, the turns ratio n ₂ / n ₁ of the transformer _{T, n 2 / n 1 = V} 2 / V 1 ≒ 7.3 ... (4) become.

As described above, the charging circuit 40 operates when the grip member 19 is attached to the camera body 10, and every time the voltage V _CR of the main battery 20 becomes V _CR = 3.0V, the charging circuit 40 of the auxiliary battery 30 operates. The charging energy is transferred to the main battery 20, the main battery 20 is charged, and when the main battery 20 is fully charged (voltage V
_{When CR} = 3.25V), the charging operation is stopped. According to the camera, when the main battery 20 needs to be charged,
If the grip member 19 is attached to the camera body 10, the main battery 20 can be charged without the troublesome operation of the camera due to the attachment of the grip member 19. Then, after the main battery 20 has been charged,
If the user does not need the grip member 19, the user removes the grip member 19 to reduce the size of the camera.
Shooting can be performed only with.

Conversely, if the user feels that it is easier to use the grip member 19, it is sufficient to always attach the grip member 19. In this case, the auxiliary battery 30
Power is supplied from the auxiliary battery 30 to the main battery 20 as in the case where the camera is mounted on the camera body 10. Although the charging circuit 40 is mounted on the grip member 19 in the above embodiment, the charging circuit 40 may be mounted on the camera body 10.

Next, another embodiment different from the above embodiment will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the auxiliary battery 30 and the charging circuit 40 of the power supply device are mounted on the grip member 19. However, in a camera having a remote controller (hereinafter, referred to as a remote controller) for remotely controlling the camera, the remote controller is connected to the camera body 10. And the auxiliary battery 30 and the charging circuit 40 may be mounted on a remote controller.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a camera having a remote controller detachable from the camera body 10, and FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view when the remote controller is detached from the camera body 10. 6 and 7, reference numeral 60 denotes a remote controller, 62 denotes a light emitting element, and 64 denotes a shutter button for the remote controller. The same members as those of the camera shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the remote controller 60 is provided with a key-shaped convex portion 60A and a through hole 60B through which the screw 61 is inserted. On the other hand, a remote control 60 is provided on the camera body 10 side.
And a screw hole 10B screwed with the screw 61 are provided. When attaching the remote control 60 to the camera body 10,
A is fitted into the concave portion 10A of the camera body 10, and the screw 61 is inserted into the through hole 60B of the remote control 60 to be screwed into the screw hole 10B of the camera body 10, and
Is fixed to the camera body 10.

FIG. 8 is an internal perspective view showing the arrangement of the power supply device of the camera when the remote controller 60 is attached to the camera body 10. The power supply has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.
And the charging circuit 40 are connected to a signal transmission circuit (see FIG.
Now, the charging circuit 40 and the signal transmission circuit are combined into a circuit 70.
Together with the remote controller 60). The main battery 20 is housed inside the camera body 10.

When the recommon 60 is detached from the camera body 10 and used as a remote control for shutter release, the auxiliary battery 30 acts as a power source for a signal transmission circuit of the remote control, and the remote control 60 is mounted on the camera body. In this case, it functions as a power source for charging main battery 20. Further, as another embodiment different from the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, an auxiliary battery 30 may be provided in the film cartridge 100 in advance. In the case of the film cartridge shown in FIG. 9, the auxiliary battery 30 is stored in the spool 102 of the film cartridge 100. This film cartridge 100
Is loaded in the camera, the auxiliary battery 30 stored in the spool 102 is connected to the charging circuit of the power supply device mounted on the camera, and the main battery is charged.

In the case of the film cartridge 100 shown in FIG. 10, the auxiliary battery 30 is mounted on the side of the film cartridge 100. As described above, the auxiliary battery 30 may be mounted at any position if possible. Further, if the auxiliary battery 30 is formed in accordance with the shape of a portion to be mounted on the film cartridge 100, space can be saved.

When the film cartridge 100 is equipped with the auxiliary battery 30 so as to be non-detachable, it is desirable to set the capacity of the auxiliary battery 30 to such a size that one film can be photographed. As described above, in the above embodiment, the auxiliary battery mounted on a member separate from the camera body is used only as a power source for charging the main battery mounted on the camera body. In this case, the auxiliary battery may be used as a power source for the camera instead of the main battery.

Further, in the above embodiment, in addition to the main battery, an auxiliary battery and a charging circuit for charging the main battery in the camera main body are mounted, and the main battery can be charged only by the camera main body. When the mounted separate body is attached to the camera body, the auxiliary battery mounted separately may be used as a power source for the camera instead of the main battery. When the auxiliary battery is used as a power source for the camera instead of the main battery, it is desirable to mount a plurality of auxiliary batteries separately to enable high-speed charging of the strobe and high-speed transport of the film.

The switching of the power supply of the camera between the main battery of the camera body and the auxiliary battery mounted separately may be performed automatically when the separate body is mounted on the camera body, or a switch such as a switch. Manually. Thereby, for example, in the case of continuous shooting,
Even if the charging by the auxiliary battery is not in time and the main battery has consumed the available electricity, shooting can be continued with the separate auxiliary battery.

[0034]

As described above, according to the camera of the present invention, the auxiliary battery for supplying charging energy to the main battery of the camera body is mounted on a member separate from the camera body. The size of the camera body can be reduced. In addition, since the separate member on which the auxiliary battery is mounted is a member used for another purpose, the main battery can be used without having to attach the separate member to the camera body. Can be charged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the camera body 10 and a grip member 19;
FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view when a is removed.

FIG. 3 is an internal perspective view showing an arrangement of a power supply device of the camera when the grip member 19 is attached to the camera body 10.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of a charging circuit.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of a booster circuit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a camera according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view when a remote controller is removed from the camera body.

FIG. 8 is an internal perspective view showing an arrangement of a power supply device of the camera when the remote controller is attached to the camera body.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example in which a film cartridge is equipped with an auxiliary battery.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which a film cartridge is provided with an auxiliary battery.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera body 12 ... Photographing lens 14 ... Finder 16 ... Strobe 19 ... Grip member 20 ... Main battery 30 ... Auxiliary battery 40 ... Charging circuit 42 ... Charging control circuit 44 ... Boost circuit 60 ... Remote control

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hideo Kobayashi 1-324 Uetakecho, Omiya City, Saitama Prefecture Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A main battery which is substantially equal to the self-discharge rate of a primary battery and which can be repeatedly charged and discharged when the remaining amount is equal to or more than a predetermined capacity, from which power consumption required for a photographing operation is obtained. A camera body configured to supply power to the means, an auxiliary battery that is detachably attached to the camera body and supplies power to a main battery, and a connector that is electrically connected to the camera body. And a grip portion having charging means for supplying electric power from the auxiliary battery to the main battery via the connector. 2. A main battery which is substantially equal to the self-discharge rate of the primary battery and which can be charged and discharged repeatedly when the remaining amount is equal to or more than a predetermined capacity, and consumes power required for photographing operation from the main battery. A camera body configured to supply power to the means, a remote controller that is detachably attached to the camera body and remotely controls the camera body, and an auxiliary battery that supplies power to a main battery; 1. A camera comprising: a remote controller having a connector that is electrically connected; and a charging unit that supplies power from the auxiliary battery to the main battery via the connector. 3. The camera according to claim 2, wherein when the remote controller is removed from the camera body, the auxiliary battery serves as a power source for the remote controller.